Just offshore is the eucalyptus and pine-covered Île Sainte Marguerite, a pleasant day trip to avoid the money spending chaos of Cannes. Even smaller is the nearby Île Saint Honorat, once the site of a renowned and powerful monastery founded in the 5th century, and today the home of a Cistercian monastic order. Ferries run to both islands.

Beyond here the little towns become even more exclusive, such as Saint Tropez, a nice place to visit for a few hours but ruinously expensive to stay in.

Monaco, while technically not part of France is one of the world's few remaining absolute monarchies and survives on a reputation for attracting the wealthy but bored. Its Casino Royale has famously featured in several movies of the 'James Bond' genre, and the view of the super yachts and small harbour from the Castle rock is impressive. Much of this principality sits on reclaimed landed, and if you wander more than a few blocks inland you're likely to be back in France. Famously described by Somerset Maugham as a 'sunny place for shady people', Monaco is a worthwhile day trip, only half an hour by train from Nice.

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