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Start after breakfast from the unassuming town of Castellane (see Castellane), gateway to the canyons, and drive west on D952. The landscape becomes progressively more awe-inspiring as you enter the gorges and wind your way through towering walls of rock to Point Sublime . This is one of the most impressive viewpoints; savour it while enjoying a coffee or a cold drink at the pleasant Auberge du Point Sublime (see Auberge du Point Sublime, Rougon).

From here, drive for about 15 minutes and turn left on to the vertiginous Route des Crêtes, which winds past a series of ever higher viewpoints. Don’t rush this part of the drive, but stop at each for five or ten minutes, as the views vary all the time. Finally, the road swings around the shoulder of the massif, and far below you is the Verdon and the plateau country around the little village of La-Palud-sur-Verdon (see La-Palud-sur-Verdon). It will take you another 30 minutes to get there, so relax when you do with another coffee at one of the village restaurants.

From Le-Palud it’s a less daunting drive until the gorgeous turquoise waters of the Lac de Ste-Croix (see Lac de Ste-Croix) come into sight. The road runs high above the lake, bringing you to the delightfully pretty village of Moustiers-Ste-Marie. Reward yourself with lunch here: the village has two of the region’s best restaurants, La Treille Muscat and Les Santons (see Les Santons, Moustiers-Ste-Marie).

From the Quai des Belges on the Vieux Port (see Vieux Port) walk up La Cane-bière, the commercial hub of the 19th-century city where you can still sense the Second Empire grandeur – almost immediately on the left, the Palais de la Bourse (Stock Exchange) is a monumental expression of trading confidence; it now contains the Musée de la Marine detailing Marseille’s sea-going history (Open Tue–Sun Adm). A little further on, at No. 11, is the Musée de la Mode, one of France’s best fashion museums (Open 10am–6pm daily Adm). At the Neo-Gothic Eglise des Réformés, cross to place Stalingrad and enjoy a drink by the fountain at Brasserie Danaïdes.

Take the leafy cours Joseph Thierry, then blvd Longchamp to the Musée Grobet-Labadié and Palais Longchamp (see Palais Longchamp), then wander the lush Longchamp park to place Maréchal Foch. Take the blvd de la Libération, left into rue St Savournin to cours Julien, a lively centre for musicians and artists.

Wriggle down to the place du Marché des Capucins, heart of the city’s souk market area, then up the style with the designer shops of rue St Ferréol. Place de la Préfecture and rue Edmond Rostand have further galleries, antiques shops and bric-à-brac stalls.

End your morning stroll at place Thiars, a hive of galleries, restaurants and bars. You will have more than deserved your lunch at Le Caribou (see Le Caribou).

Start this walk around the oldest part of Monaco, where the Grimaldis founded their principality. Visit the state apartments and the Prince’s Palace (see Prince’s Palace, Monaco), taking in the lavish salons, throne room and 17th-century chapel.

From place du Palais it is a short walk along rue Basse, one of the most picturesque streets in the old quarter, to No. 27, the Wax Museum of the Princes of Monaco (Open Oct–Feb: 11am–5pm daily; Mar–Sep: 10am–6pm daily Adm). Here tableaux act out episodes from the history of the Grimaldis. Carry on along rue Basse to the Museum of the Chapel of the Visitation, on place de la Visitation (Open 10am– 4pm Tue–Sun Adm). Housed in the Baroque chapel are works by artists Rubens and Zurbaran.

At the end of rue Basse, turn right and double back along avenue St-Martin to the Oceanographical Museum (Open Oct–Mar: 10am–6pm daily; Apr–Jun, Sep: 9am–7pm daily; Jul & Aug: 9am–8pm daily Adm). You’ll need at least 90 minutes here to view the tanks of marine fauna from all over the world. Don’t miss the aquarium with its fearsome sharks. Lunch in the museum’s restaurant and savour the view of the Riviera and the Esterel hills from its terrace, before rounding off your day with the 30-minute ride on the Azur Express tourist train. This leaves from the museum on a round trip past the port, the palace, casino and ornamental gardens.

Start at the Tourist Office (5 Promenade des Anglais), then turn left along avenue de Verdun to place Masséna, the city’s central square. Take in the glorious red façades, gardens and ornamental fountains before crossing to enter Vieux Nice on rue Alexander Mari. Turn right into rue de l’Opéra and left into rue St-François-de-Paul, an old-fashioned street with long-established shops, notably Auer for confectionery (No. 7) and Alziari for olive oil (No. 14). Proceed to Cours Saleya for the celebrated flower market, then turn into tiny rue Gaëtan to soak up the old town atmosphere. Before leaving the old town, don’t fail to take in the cathedral, the magnificent Palais Lascaris, place St-François fish market and the narrow, shop-filled rue Pairolière.

Emerge into the relative peace and 18th-century harmony of place Garibaldi, then take rue Dr-Ciaudo to the splendid MAMAC (see Musée d’Art Moderne et d’Art Contemporain (MAMAC)), where you can spend an hour or so admiring the museum’s wonderful modern art. Back in the fresh air, stroll along Boulevard Carabacel with its elaborate mansions.

At place Magenta, forget culture and start shopping. For designer fashion proceed into rue Paradis then avenue de Suède. Rue de Rivoli then brings you to the legendary Hotel Negresco (see Le Negresco, Nice). If you’re feeling rich, lunch in its Chantecler restaurant (see Le Chantecler); if watching the pennies, have a look anyway: its interior abounds in ornate treasures.

A giant ash tree, Le Frêne (The Ash) is your landmark for the beginning of this two-hour stroll through the old quarter of Vence (see Vence), with its stone-paved streets and medieval houses huddling inside a ring of 13th-century battlements. Before entering the walls through the 16th-century Porte de Peyra, visit the Château de Villeneuve, which hosts a changing programme of contemporary art and design exhibitions.

After walking through the gateway, turn right, and allow half an hour to walk along the rue du Marché, where the rows of shops selling herbs, fruit, fresh pasta and fish will make your mouth water. At the end of the rue du Marché, turn left and walk across place Surian and place Clemenceau to the cathedral – look out for Roman inscriptions dating back almost 2,000 years on the masonry of the buildings either side of it, carved when Vence was the Roman settlement of Vintium. Also look for the oak choir stalls carved with little satirical figures, commissioned by a witty 17th-century bishop.

Leave the square by its north side, through the arched Passage Cahors, then walk up rue du Seminaire and turn left to follow the old walls along rue de la Coste. Leave the old quarter by the Portail Levis, which takes you back on to place du Frêne. There are several cafés and restaurants here, such as Auberge des Seigneurs (see Auberge des Seigneurs, Vence) where you can enjoy a drink and snack.

Start the day with a visit to the largest and most striking Roman monument in Provence, Les Arènes . From the highest tier of seats you have a fine view of the historic centre and the Rhône. From here, walk across to the Théâtre Antique , for another glimpse of Roman Arles, then walk down the rue du Cloître to the place de la République, where water gushes from bronze masks at the foot of an obelisk, brought here from Egypt by the Romans.

On the east side of the square, visit the fine Romanesque Eglise St-Trophime (see Les Arènes), with its lovely sculpted pillars crowned by little figures of saints and martyrs. Follow the rue de l’Hôtel de Ville to Les Thermes de Constantin (see Thermes de Constantin), the remains of a palace built for a 4th-century AD Roman emperor. Then spend up to an hour in the Musée Réattu (rue du Grand-Prieuré open daily adm), with its fine collection of 18th–20th-century art, including works by Picasso.

Another great painter, Van Gogh, is associated with place du Forum, cluttered with cafés – one has been painted to look just as it was in his work Café la Nuit (see Le Café la Nuit, Arles). Stop in for coffee. End the morning at the Museon Arlaten (rue de la République open daily adm), where the largest folklore collection in Provence vividly recalls some of the region’s rich and fading traditions (see Provençal Legends).