French Riviera: entertainments and walks.

Besides beaches, shops and restaurants at Azure coast there is a set of various possibilities for the holidays: colourful carnivals, flower parades, festivals of the musical fireworks, traditional city and rural festivals, musical-entertaining shows, fairs for gourmets, various exhibitions and salons (flowers, antiques, luxury cars...), international sporting competitions (rally, tennis, horse riding, regattas), balls in the Principality of Monaco, festivals of circus, dance, jazz, concerts of contemporary and classical music...

Besides in Southern Alps there are mountain-skiing stations, the mass of routes is developed for productive leisure in the winter and in the summer (Via ferrata and Via suteratta, canyoning, hiking, horseback riding, bicycle walks...). The most part of massif is occupied with National park-reserve Merkantur with the well-known Valley of Miracles (Vallée des Merveilles - petroglyphs).
Excursions by rail Provence and in the Valley of miracles by tourist trains are led.

Major annual events on the Cote d'Azur:

January

International Circus Festival of Monte-Carlo (Festival International du Cirque de Monte-Carlo)

February

The festivals devoted to a mimosa - day and night flower parades and carnivals in Mandelieu-La Napoule, Bormes-les-Mimosas, Sainte-Maxime, Saint-Raphaël, Pégomas, Grasse, Tanneron, Biot

Mid-February - early March

Carnival in Nice - day and night the colorful carnival parades and flower battles

Lemon festival (Fête du citron) in Menton - day and night the colorful carnival procession, an exhibition of giant skulptur out of lemons, orchards lights

Violets festival (La fête des Violettes) in Tourrettes-Sur-Loup

Flower naval battle, or a boat procession with flowers (Combat naval fleuri) in Villefranche-sur-mer

March

Rally of alternative means of transport (Rallye Monte-Carlo des Énergies Nouvelles et Électriques) - environmentally friendly vehicles, the exhibition "Ever Monaco"

Charity "Ball of Roses" in Monaco (Le Bal de la Rose)

The festival, dedicated to the Middle Ages in Biot - "Biot et les Templiers"

April

Exhibition of Contemporary Art - ArtMonaco

Shopping Festival in Cannes (Cannes shopping festival)

Antiques Show  in Antibes ("Salon Art Fair" - Salon des Antiquaires)

Antibes Yacht Show

Exhibition and sale of flowers, "flower fort" (La Citadelle en Fleurs) in Villefranche-sur-mer

The exhibition Expo-Fleurs - "Flower Symphony" (Symphonie Florale) in Cagnes-sur-Mer

Tennis Tournament "Rolex Masters" in Monaco

Exhibition of luxury cars "Top Marques" in Monaco

May

The exhibition "Garden Dreams" (Rêveries sur les Jardins) and the International Competition of Bouquets (Concours International de Bouquets) in Monaco

Rose Festival and Plant (Fête des Roses et des Plantes) in the Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild in Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat

Euro-Festival of the Harley-Davidson in Saint-Tropez (Eurofestival Harley-Davidson)

Historical rally Grand Prix in Monaco (Grand Prix Historique)

Festival "Les Bravades de Saint-Tropez"

Cannes Film Festival

"Expo-Rose" in Grasse - International Exhibition and Sale

The European Night of Museums (La Nuit européenne des musées)

Grand Prix "Formula 1" in Monaco

June

Stages of the International Equestrian Championship - the Jumping International de Cannes and the Jumping International de Monte-Carlo

Summer Ball in Monaco (Bal de l'Eté)

Purebred Arabian Horse Championship in Menton (Mediterranean & Arab Countries Arabian Horse Championship)

Boat show "The Rendez-vous in Monaco" (Grande Plaisance) - super-yachts from 27m to 62m in length

Racing boats in Monaco (Motonautisme)

Feast of Saint-Jean

July

Jazz Festival in Nice

Concerts of contemporary music in Juan-les-Pins - "Nuits de Juan"

July 14 - the celebration of National Day of France, Fireworks

Week of rock music in Nice - "Crazy Week"

Concerts of classical music in Cannes - "Nuits du Suquet"

From July to late August

Fireworks on the coast

In Monaco - Attractions on quay Albert I

International Competition for Musical Fireworks in Monaco (Concours International de feux d'artifice pyromélodiques)

Pyrotechnic art festival in Cannes (Festival d'Art Pyrotechnique de Cannes)

Sporting Summer Festival Monte-Carlo

Music Festival "Electronic beaches" (Les Plages Electroniques) in Cannes

Festivals on the waterfront and in the castle, fireworks in Cagnes sur Mer

Musical entertainment show "Nice Prom'Party"

Concerts of classical music in the Princely Palace of Monaco

Music Festival - Festival de Musique de Menton

August

Red Cross Ball in Monaco (Gala de la Croix-Rouge Monégasque), Fireworks

Musical Fireworks Festival (Festival pyromelodique) in Antibes/Juan-les-Pins

Jasmine Festival (Fête du jasmin) in Grasse

Contemporary Music Festival "Pantiero" in Cannes

Musical entertainment show in Nice - Les Estivales de "Nice Matin"

August 15 (Fête du 15 août) - in commemoration of the Allied landing in Provence in 1944, during World War II;  fireworks all along the coast

Festival of Russian Art in Cannes

September

International festival of gastronomy and lifestyle (arts de vivre) "Stars of Mougins" ("Les Etoiles de Mougins")

Monaco Yacht Show

October

Octoberfest - Beer Festival in the Café de Paris in Monaco

October - November

Festivals of chestnuts

November

MICS (Monaco International Clubbing Show)

November 19 - National Day of Monaco

Monte-Carlo Jazz Festival

Music Festival in Nice - "C'est pas classique!" (One hundred free concerts)

December

Christmas village (Village de Noël), Christmas bazaars, markets, ice rinks.

The exhibition of Christmas cribs in Luceram (Le Circuit des Creches)

Meeting of new year in the Christmas village and fireworks