Côte d'Azur Rail Pass - Côte d'Azur Pass
Côte d'Azur Rail Pass - Côte d'Azur Rail Passes
The French Riviera (known in French as the Côte d'Azur is the Mediterranean coastline of the southeast corner of France. There is no official boundary, but it is usually considered to extend from Toulon, Le Lavandou or Saint-Tropez in the west to Menton at the France–Italy border in the east. The coast is entirely within the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of France. The Principality of Monaco is a semi-enclave within the region, surrounded on three sides by France and fronting the Mediterranean. Riviera is an Italian word that corresponds to the ancient Ligurian territory, wedged between the Var and Magra rivers. The Côte d'Azur or French Riviera, is a nickname given by France to the County of Nice after its annexation in 1860, because the rain and the Mistral (south of France cold wind) were stopped by the Alps and the climate was similar to that of the north of Italy, even in winter, with a sky as blue as its sea. When the Mistral and the Tramontane are blowing, this provokes an upwelling phenomenon between Languedoc and Provence they push the surface waters out to sea and bring deeper, cooler waters up to the seaside. Consequently, on these beaches, the temperature of the Mediterranean can be very cool in summer depending on the wind regime.
The County of Nice is a mountainous area like Italy which stands out from the South of France. While the Saharan warm wind Sirocco blows over Italy, the cold wind Mistral blows over the south of France. As the County of Nice is protected by the Alps, it has a northern Italian climate. This corresponds to the mountain range of the Apennines and Ligurian Alps and located between the rivers of Var and Magra.
The French Riviera largest city is Nice, which has a population of 340,017 as of 2017. The city is the centre of a métropole Nice-Côte d'Azur bringing together 49 communes and more than 540,000 inhabitants and 943,000 in the urban area. Nice is home to Nice Côte d'Azur Airport, France's third-busiest airport (after Charles de Gaulle Airport and Orly Airport), which is on an area of partially reclaimed coastal land at the western end of the Promenade des Anglais. A second airport at Mandelieu was once the region's commercial airport, but is now mainly used by private and business aircraft.
TGV High-speed trains serve the coastal region and inland to Grasse, with the TGV Sud-Est service reaching Nice-Ville station in five and a half hours from Paris. The French Riviera has a total population of more than two million. It contains the seaside resorts of Cap-d'Ail, Beaulieu-sur-Mer, Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, Villefranche-sur-Mer, Antibes, Juan-les-Pins, Cannes, Saint-Raphaël, Fréjus, Sainte-Maxime and Saint-Tropez. The French Riviera is a major yachting and cruising area with several marinas along its coast.
According to the Côte d'Azur Economic Development Agency, it benefits from 300 days of sunshine per year, 115 kilometres (71 mi) of coastline and beaches, 18 golf courses and 3,000 restaurants. Each year the Côte d'Azur hosts 50% of the world's superyacht fleet, with 90% of all superyachts visiting the region's coast at least once in their lifetime.
As a tourist centre, the French Riviera benefits from 310 to 330 days of sunshine per year, 115 kilometres (71 miles) of coastline and beaches, 18 golf courses, 14 ski resorts and 3,000 restaurants.
France's railway network, which stretches 29,473 kilometres (18,314 mi) as of 2008, is the second most extensive in Western Europe after Germany. It is operated by the SNCF, and high-speed trains include the Thalys, the Eurostar and TGV, which travels at 320 km/h (199 mph). The Eurostar, along with the Eurotunnel Shuttle, connects with the United Kingdom through the Channel Tunnel. Rail connections exist to all other neighbouring countries in Europe except Andorra. Intra-urban connections are also well developed, with most major cities having underground or tramway services complementing bus services.
There are 464 airports in France. Charles de Gaulle Airport, located in the vicinity of Paris, is the largest and busiest airport in the country, handling the vast majority of popular and commercial traffic and connecting Paris with virtually all major cities across the world. Air France is the national carrier airline, although numerous private airline companies provide domestic and international travel services. There are ten major ports in France, the largest of which is in Marseille, which also is the largest bordering the Mediterranean Sea. 12,261 kilometres (7,619 mi) of waterways traverse France including the Canal du Midi, which connects the Mediterranean Sea to the Atlantic Ocean through the Garonne river.
Enjoy rail travel in France, where visitors can marvel at the vineyards in Champagne and spend a magical weekend in Paris. Other popular routes bring you to these stunning landscapes: the lavender fields of Provence, Nice's coastal beauty of the Côte D'Azur and spectacular Mont Blanc of the French Alps.
SNCF operates all of France's national rail services including the high-speed TGV network. More than 800 high-speed SNCF trains depart every day. SNCF’s TGV trains carry over 100 million passengers every year.
Visit the French Riviera
With more than 10 million tourists a year, the French Riviera (French: Côte d'Azur), in Southeastern France, is the second leading tourist destination in the country, after the Parisian region.
Main cities on the French Riviera include Nice, Antibes and Cannes, Cap Ferrat is also a popular destination. Cannes hosts the annual Cannes Film Festival. Tourists often visit Port-Cros National Park, east of Toulon, as well as the city-state of Monaco, famous for its Monte Carlo Casino, near the Italian border.
Visit Provence
A large part of Provence, with Marseille as its leading city, was designed as the 2013 European Capital of Culture. Numerous famous natural sites can be found in the region, as the Gorges du Verdon, the Camargue, the Calanques National Park and the typical landscape of Luberon. Provence hosts dozens of renowned historical sites like the Pont du Gard, the Arles' Roman Monuments or the Palais des Papes in Avignon. Several smaller cities also attracts a lot of tourists, like Aix-en-Provence, La Ciotat or Cassis, on the Mediterranean Sea coastline.
Visit French Alps
The French Alps are the portions of the Alps mountain range that stand within France, located in the Rhône-Alpes and Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur regions. While some of the ranges of the French Alps are entirely in France, others, such as the Mont Blanc massif, are shared with Switzerland and Italy.
More than 20 skiing resorts make it a popular destination among Europeans in the winter.
Côte d'Azur 1 Country Pass
Eurail France Pass (No Eurail France Pass - Only 2 Country or More)
Interrail France Pass (Interrail is a European Rail Pass for Europeans)
Eurail 2 Country Select Pass
Côte d'Azur 2 Countries Pass
Discover France, Switzerland, Germany, Belgium and Italy by train.
If you want to get a taste of 2 different cultures on a single trip, choose the Eurail Two Country Select Pass (previously called the Eurail Regional Pass).
This pass lets you discover 2 bordering European countries by train and offers the best value if you want to focus your adventure on a specific part of Europe
Eurail Select Pass
Eurail Select Pass
Côte d'Azur 3 or 4 Countries Pass
Pick your itinerary and travel to three popular cities in Europe: Paris, Milan and Monaco or Barcelona.
Eurail Select Pass
Eurail 3 Country Select Pass
Côte d'Azur 3 Countries Pass
Travel in 3 bordering countries in Europe.
Delve deeper into the culture, landscape, and everyday life of 1 region in Europe.
With the Eurail Three Country Select Pass you can narrow your trip to 3 bordering countries
Eurail Select Pass
Eurail 4 Country Select Pass
Côte d'Azur 4 Countries Pass
Travel in 4 bordering countries in Europe.
Travel by train in 4 European countries with the Eurail Four Country Select Pass.
You can pick the 4 bordering countries you'd like to visit below.
Eurail Select Pass
Eurail Global Rail Pass 33 Countries Pass
Enjoy train travel in 33 countries with this one pass!
Eurail Global Pass
Interrail Global Rail Pass 33 Countries Pass
Enjoy train travel in 33 countries with this one pass!
Interrail Global Pass
Eurail Pass Benefits in France
Quick Guide to France Country Guides & France Tourism Attractions
