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This delightful Italianate mansion was built in 1674 and is ornately decorated with 17th-century antiques.

Facing the Château de Tarascon (see Château de Tarascon) is this ruined 11th-century chateau.

British-owned Berne is the region’s best wine visitors’ centre. The site is picturesque, the welcome friendly and professional and there’s a full calendar of cultural events. There’s also a first-class hotel-restaurant on-site, L’Auberge. The best wine is the Cuvée Spéciale.

The wonderful Chèvre d’Or perches high above the sea, looking out over clifftop battlements in this beautifully preserved castle-village. Rooms all have a panoramic views and each one is elegantly decorated with antiques. The hotel has three fine restaurants (see Chèvre d’Or, Eze) and two breathtakingly pretty pools.

On the outskirts of the village, this seaside palace has its own private beach and a swimming pool and is certainly among the nicest places to stay on this fashionable part of the coast.

The imposing chateau was once the seat of the archbishops of Arles. It now houses a collection of military uniforms, many dating from the time of Napoleon.

Perched directly above the sea, this may be the most attractively sited wine chateau in Provence. Owner Henri de Saint-Victor has wrestled the unyielding land to produce red wines in the forefront of the Bandol appellation.

The white battlements of the Château de Tarascon seem straight from a historical romance. Built to guard a vital crossing of the Rhône on Provence’s borders, the riverside castle has steep, crenellated curtain walls between massive round towers and looks impregnable. It was begun by King Louis of Anjou, ruler of Provence in the 15th century, and was completed by his successor, the somewhat extravagant King René. On his death, Provence became part of France (see Union with France) and the castle lost its strategic importance, becoming a prison until 1926 (see La Tarasque, Tarascon).

An hour’s drive from Cannes, this magnificent 18th-century mansion has been transformed into an excellent 4-star hotel. It is surrounded by its own estate and an 18- hole, par 72 golf course, which is considered to be one of the best in the region.

With just 10 rooms this small chateau, built in the 10th century and painstakingly restored by its owners over the last 30 years, is now a 3-star hotel with a commendable restaurant.