Vieux Nice
This atmospheric old web of streets is overlooked by many day trippers heading straight for the Promenade des Anglais, a travesty as this is a great place for wandering around exploring the churches, cafes and old shops.

Musée Matisse
Works on show by the one time Nice resident include his Blue Nude IV and Woman with Amphora. Nearby, Matisse devotees can also visit his grave in the grounds of the Monastère de Cimiez.

164 avenue des Arènes de Cimiez
Tel: (04) 93 81 08 08.
Website: www.musee-matisse-nice.org

Musée d’Art Moderne et d’Art Contemporain
Modern art in a strikingly designed gallery with the highlights the work of Warhol and Lichtenstein, as well as an array of domestic avant garde artists. Look out also for the bizarre sculpture of the Loch Ness monster.

Promenade des Arts
Tel: (04) 93 62 61 62.
Website: www.mamac-nice.org

Musée des Beaux-Arts
There a number of interesting works on display in this impressive cultural oasis, which is housed in a lavish belle epoque building. Luminaries from Rodin and Von Dongens through to Degas and Monet all feature.

33 avenue des Baumettes
Tel: (04) 92 15 28 28.
Website: www.musee-beaux-arts-nice.org

Orthodox Cathedral
Nice’s Russian orthodox cathedral, dedicated to St Nicholas, is hard to miss with its distinctive half dozen gleaming onion domes. Its 17th-century appearance belies the fact that it was built at the start of the 20th century.

17 boulevard du Tzarewich
Tel: (04) 93 96 88 02.

Parc du Château
This lofty park rises above the city centre and offers a cool and shady place to relax on a hot summer day. The views of Nice and the Mediterranean are worth the effort of climbing up to the spot where the Greeks first set up shop when they colonised the area.

PROVANCE
Luberon: This is still the most expensive area in the hinterland of the Provence. Our favourite villages are Ansouis, Bonnieux, Cabrières d'Avignon, Gordes, Goult, Joucas, Lacoste, Lourmarin, Oppede, Roussillon, Saignon (near Apt). We have not yet come to terms with Menerbes, the village where Peter Mayle used to live. Fantastic location on a steep hill, but what is the magic once you are inside the village? We would stay away from Apt and Manosque as they are very busy; they have attractive weekly markets though. The same applies to the more utilitarian villages like Cadenet, Coustellet, Maubec and Robion. Not to say that you might not find nice and quiet B&Bs and vacation homes there, but make sure they are not on a busy road or next to the supermarket or hardware depot. Stay away from busy Rt.D22/N100 and further South from Rt.D973.

Pays du Ventoux: For the past 10 years the up and coming area - old timers moan a certain Luberon like gentrification of the more attractive villages, which are le Barroux, Bedoin, Caromb, Crestet, Crillon le Brave, Entrechaux, Faucon, Gigondas, Lafare, Malaucene, Puymeras, Suzette, Seguret. Vaison la Romaine is a great town but we would prefer to rent a house or apartment in the village historique. There are one or two nice B&Bs there also. Let's not forget Cairanne and Rasteau, two picturesque historic wine villages with stunning views towards Mt.Ventoux and the Dentelles de Montmirail. A bit further North we recommend Visan in the Enclave des Papes. An excellent choice are also villages in the Drôme Provençale, such as Mollans-s-Ouveze, Buis le Baronnies and Villedieu. All three are close to Vaison-la-Romaine.

Les Alpilles: Much smaller than the previous two areas but it has its faithful followers. Our favourite villages are Aureille, Eygalières (East of St.Rémy), Mouriès, Maussane-les-Alpilles and Paradou. St.Remy has excellent hotels and B&Bs, but you need to make sure they are in a quiet location. We are more skeptical about les Baux-de-Provence; it is such a tourist attraction in the summer season that we cannot envision a calm and peaceful environment even if there are some good accommodation choices. Stay away if you can from busy Rt.D99 (Tarascon-St.Rémy-Salon).

Aix en Provence: Our favourite city in the Provence. Great music festival in the summer. There are good hotel and B&B choices in the historic town center. Otherwise we would stay in the area of le Tholonet towards Mt.Saint Victoire, albeit there is a limited choice of B&Bs and vacation homes there. It is very expensive real estate.

Avignon: Another "must" because of the Palais de Papes and the summer festival. There are good hotel and B&B choices "intra-muros", that is within the fully preserved medieval town walls. Another option is Villeneuve-les-Avignon across the Rhône, which is in the Departement Gard. It is a wonderful historic town with a view good B&Bs and restaurants.

Arles: Extremely busy in the summer season and therefore we would not stay in town. During our last visit we noticed a slightly foul smell from the pulp and paper mill near Tarascon towards the North. As the air quality in the Luberon and Pays du Ventoux is beyond reproach, this bothered us a bit, albeit it was a far cry of what you can experience in the summer time in Paris, London or New York, not to speak of L.A. If you must stay near Arles why not choose a country inn, B&B or vacation home in Les Alpilles or the Camargue, France's cowboy country. Ste.Maries de la Mer and Aigues Mortes are good choices.

Orange: Here you find the best preserved Roman theatre in Europe and an imposing Roman triumphal arch. The town is making efforts to emerge from centuries of decline. There are some excellent B&B choices here. Close by are nice villages, like Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Mornas and Roquemaure, also good choices to stay overnight.

Other towns: No need to stay overnight in Bollène, Cavaillon, Salon or Tarascon. Very busy towns with some attractions, especially Tarascon (large fortress), but not much of a Provençal feel there. Carpentras, l'Isle sur la Sorgue and Pernes-les-Fontaines can be good choices, but make sure your hotel or B&B is in a quiet location. No need to stay in Fontaine-de-Vaucluse, a slightly decript village for day tourists. Given its surroundings it could be a prime spot in the Provence, that is if the town's planning board had not messed up everything many decades ago and you could see the wonderful gorge instead of cheap eateries.