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Billed as “the place to have a drink in the company of stars”, but even during the Film Festival, you are unlikely to rub shoulders with the A list. One of the best bars in Cannes, nonetheless.

The terrace of this restaurant-bar, in an attractive 19th-century villa, is shaded by leafy vines and has live music almost every evening in summer.

Walk in the footsteps of princes, courtesans and film stars at the Riviera’s most dazzling example of 19th-century grandeur (see Casino de Monte Carlo).

The terrace of the Carlton InterContinental is the top place to see and be seen in Cannes, with a superior view of the bay and promenaders along the Croisette.

Cannes’ esplanade is a great place for shopping or window-shopping, with famous labels such as Chanel (appropriately, at No. 5) Christian Dior (No. 38), Celine (No. 24), Louis Vuitton (No. 44) and Cartier (No. 57).

Rock and roll on a budget (by Cannes standards) in this disco which also features live bands and has better musical taste than most venues around town.

This is Cannes imitating Las Vegas, imitating ancient Rome. A cavernous club, with a relaxed door policy and live rap, dance and groove artists at weekends.

This open-air market overflows with flowers, seasonal fruit and vegetables, fresh fish and local products. It’s a great place to buy Provençal delicacies to take home. Open daily except Sunday. On Mondays, it becomes a flea market.

The terrace restaurant of this top Cannes hotel wins praise for its excellent menu, with many dishes in common with the Palme d’Or (see La Palme d’Or, Hôtel Martinez, Cannes).

Blisteringly loud music, a pounding beat and a sweaty atmosphere separate the middle-aged swingers from the real party animals in this popular Cannes disco.

Perhaps not the most luxurious beach in Cannes, but it is no more crowded than the pay beaches and it’s free.

Palm and olive groves and a small lake surround 4,000 roses planted in memory of Princess Grace of Monaco, who died in a car accident.

One long beach stretches all the way along the Cannes esplanade, sectioned off into tiny private beaches, with umbrellas, loungers and snack bars with waiter service. Most offer water-skiing.

Restaurant, café and disco, owned by film stars, comes into its own during the Film Festival but is a hot spot year round and is easy to get into.

Built on the site of a 13th-century Genoese fortress, the seat of the Grimaldi princes of Monaco, flanked by centuries-old cannons, is even more imposing inside than out. Not to be missed are the superb frescoes of mythological scenes by 16th-century Genoese artists, the opulent blue-and-gold Louis XV Salon, the finely crafted woodwork of the Mazarin Salon and the gorgeous Throne Room. The main courtyard, the Cour d’Honneur, with its geometrical pebble patterns, is a wonderful setting for summer concerts. The Compagnie des Carabiniers du Prince, in full dress uniform, changes the guard daily at 11.55am.

For that absolutely fabulous Cannes look, head straight for the Rue d’Antibes and its string of designer boutiques, all breathtakingly expensive and dazzlingly ostentatious.

The world’s best-known seafront boulevard owes its name to the English community which funded its initial construction in 1822. Inspired by Anglican vicar Lewis Way, the community was keen to give work to the local poor. Now flanked by traffic lanes separated by flowerbeds and palms, the “Prom” sweeps majestically round the Bay of Angels. Belle époque edifices, notably the magnificent Hotel Negresco (see Le Negresco, Nice) recall Nice’s days as a magnet for European nobility. The substance has gone, but the style remains.

Ste-Marguérite offers woods of pine and eucalyptus and little stony beaches. In 1687 the Man In The Iron Mask was imprisoned in the island’s fort (see Man in the Iron Mask).

Nice is a lively and sophisticated city, but its Old Town retains a quieter, authentic character (see Vieux Nice).

The finest example of Gothic architecture in Provence was erected to house the relics of Mary Magdalene, “discovered” on the site in 1280. The basilica appears unfinished from the outside (there is no belfry) but within, the sense of space and balance is stunning. So too are the treasures, notably a 16th-century altarpiece depicting the Passion and a renowned 17th-century organ. Mary Magdalene’s remains are in a reliquary and a marble sarcophagus in the crypt.

Generations of artists, stars and beautiful people have made this village square possibly the best known in the world. But it remains just that – the rich and famous may come and go, but the Tuesday and Saturday markets are always here (see Place des Lices).