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A gem of the region, with an unbeatable location on a high crag and sweeping views. The old medieval centre is ringed by formidable battlement walls and is entered through a massive stone gateway, to a labyrinth of cobbled streets and tall stone houses. A small cathedral, dating from the 11th century, stands on place Clemenceau.

High in the Parc National de Mercantour (see Parc National du Mercantour), this valley shelters a treasury of Bronze Age art (see Vallée des Merveilles, Mercantour National Park). Rock carvings are scattered over the slopes of the 2,870-m (9,400-ft) Mont Bégo, and date from 1800–1500 BC. They are almost impossible to find without a guide, but the less energetic can see fascinating examples in the excellent Musée des Merveilles at Tende.

One of the finest small modern art museums in the world, the Maeght Foundation includes work by Marc Chagall, Joan Miró, Fernand Léger, Alberto Giacometti and many more 20th-century artists. The collection is exhibited in rotation, and the only works on permanent display are the large sculptures which surround the museum (see Fondation Maeght, St-Paul-de-Vence).

The pretty little town of Biot sits serenely on a hilltop among pinewoods. It is renowned for its high-quality decorative glassware, which you can watch being blown at La Verrerie de Biot. The modern Musée Fernand Léger contains more than 400 drawings and paintings by the artist (see Musée Fernand Léger, Biot).

The deep gorge carved through the mountains by the River Cians is made all the more spectacular by the deep red of the exposed rock. The river descends 1,600 m (5,250 ft) in just 25 km (15 miles) between the eyrie village of Beuil and Touet-sur-Var, where the Cians meets the larger river Var. The canyon is at its narrowest and most spectacular at Pra d’Astier, around midway between the two villages (see Gorges du Cians and Gorges du Dalius).

A moist micro-climate, created by warm sea air rising over the cooler mountains, waters this mountain forest, where thick beech, maple and chestnut woods cloak the lower slopes in semi-tropical luxuriance and huge pines rise on the higher mountainsides. From Pointe des Trois Communes, on the fringe of the forest at an altitude of 2,082 m (6,830 ft), there is a quite breathtaking panorama of the Alpine foothills and the Parc National de Mercantour (see Parc National du Mercantour).

The most spectacular of the region’s river canyons. Here the River Loup has sliced its way deep into the limestone rock to create a series of waterfalls including the 40-m (130-ft) Cascade de Courmes, churning rapids and deep potholes such as the Saut du Loup (see Gorges du Loup).

Grasse is a rather unprepossessing town at first sight, but its air is scented by the perfume factories for which it has been famous for more than four centuries. Vast quantities of blossoms are processed here for their essential oils, and a jasmine festival is held each year in August. You can find out how perfume is made at the Musée Internationale de la Parfumerie (see Musée International de la Parfumerie, Grasse).

Two streams merge at St-Martin-Vésubie to form the River Vesubie, which flows through landscapes of pinewoods, flower meadows, forested peaks and narrow canyons to join the Var 24 km (15 miles) north of Nice. The valley is dotted with attractive villages, and the river is at its most scenic where it passes through the Gorges de la Vesubie, a canyon of coloured rock walls.

Also known as the Trophée d’Auguste, this remarkable Roman monument is the only building of its kind still in existence. Its towering columns can be seen from afar and there are views along the Riviera. A museum shows a video about the monument’s history (see La Trophée des Alpes).