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The pretty beach at Théoule, surrounded by hills, bustles in summer. Kayaks and pedaloes are available for rental.

More than 700 tropical plants crowd these terraces, established in 1905 by Lord Radcliff, the former governor of Malta. Val Rahmeh specializes in spices, wildflowers, medicinal plants and rare varieties of tomato and potato.

Serious hikers only on this marvellous mountain trek. Allow 2–3 days, overnighting in refuges. Contact Park HQ before setting out (see Vallée des Merveilles and Musée des Merveilles).

From the Old Town up to Castle Hill and down again: the best in-town walking in the region (see Vieux Nice).

St Raphaël is the coast’s top dive centre, with shipwrecks from World War II and a range of wall dives off the rocky coast. There are several dive outfits at the Vieux Port – a list is available from the tourist office.

Charles Garnier, designer of the Monte Carlo Casino, built this magnificent villa, set in an 11-ha (27-acre) park with trees from all over the world.

Gorgeous formal gardens and lily ponds surround the pink-and-white villa built by Beatrice Ephrussi de Rothschild (see Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild, St-Jean-Cap-Ferrat).

From the coastal paths to mountain tracks inland, Provence could have been created for walkers. Strollers may amble around bays or along woodland paths, while serious hikers can take to the National Hiking Trails (Grandes Randonnées or GR) which criss-cross the region.

The Var coast offers everything, from sailing and tuna-fishing through to windsurfing and parascending. Resorts awarded the “Station Voile ” symbol for excellent watersports facilities include Hyères and Bandol. Meanwhile, Brutal Beach at Six-Fours draws international windsurfers (see Port-Cros, Iles d’Hyères) and Cavalaire claims to be the French capital of jet-skiing.

Frequent winds make the Var and Bouches-du-Rhône coasts ideal for board folk. As the Mistral whistles across the Camargue, so windsurfers take advantage at Les-Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer and Port-St-Louis (see Les-Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer).