Corniche d’Or Amazed me With all its Sights

What a delight to have discovered Alexandra and her travel videos! I’ve asked her to join in here and share some highlights of one of her recent excursions to Corniche d’Or.  Alexandra is a 33 years old Austrian  with a teaching degree in English and Psychology from the University of Vienna. When asked to tell me a bit about herself, this is what she said:

I have always had a passion for traveling. Not so much the tourist-kind but to embrace the foreign culture as much as possible.

I spent the last years teaching at different schools in the Netherlands, the Romandie (French-speaking Switzerland) and Austria. Recently I changed jobs and started organizing school trips to France, mostly to the Côte d’Azur. Visiting those places myself I found it best to show my friends my travel experiences through short videos. I am grateful to be invited to contribute to this travel blog in order to get some more information out there!

Corniche d’Or- la belle aventure

When embarking on the great adventure of discovering the Corniche d’Or I had already enjoyed a couple of days on the French Riviera. I was stunned by the beauty of the Côte d’Azur, its richness in architecture as well as the stunning panoramic views you get to admire. Hardly could I believe it would get any better.  However, the Corniche d’Or amazed me with all its sites along the coast, from Cannes to Saint-Raphaël.

Budget Tip

If you want to keep to a small budget, I recommend hopping on Palm Bus 22 in Cannes, which will take you along the Corniche d’Or until Le Trayas. The best thing about holding a week-pass for public transportation in Cannes is that going to Le Trayas is included. So if you’re a big walker like me, you just hop off at any place you like and walk along the coast to find great picture spots. You just get on the bus again next chance you get. (Attention: Depending on the time of the day, busses might just run once an hour.)

Théoule was my first stop. Walking along the bus route offers a great view of the cliffs and clear blue water.

From time to time you find a path leading down to the beach, which might reveal one or the other hidden rocky/sandy beach between sun-warmed cliffs.

Off the Beaten Path

Slightly off the street there’s a path called ‘Chemin de la Table d’Orientation’ leading up to an observation point from which you get another nice look over the coast-line. Walking along the luxurious villas hiding behind big iron gates makes you feel like walking through Beverly Hills. I wonder if residents can really appreciate what a beautiful piece of land they are living on.

At one time a gate opened.  I caught sight of the magnificent villa over a hill with pool and a path leading down towards the ocean. I couldn’t help but ask if I may enter the property to film the view from their garden. Even if they wanted me to do it “vite, vite”, the couple agreed smiling. Honestly, they struck me as happy that someone seemed so in awe of their home.

Shopping

A busier beach and streets to get shopping done you will find in Fréjus and Saint-Raphaël. Enjoy your day swimming, eating ice-cream, shopping beach-wear and souvenirs along the promenade. Or you could cover some tourist spots like Le Vieux Port and Basilique Notre Dame de la Victoire.

While Fréjus and Saint-Raphaël are interesting places if you enjoy the small beach town buzz, I personally much rather enjoy calmer spots that offer wide open spaces to enjoy the sun and the breeze.

Recommended Scenery

Therefore, the scenery I would mostly recommend for pictures, a picnic and sunbathing is “Sentier des Odeurs”. You can access it by car after a 45-minute drive from Cannes and you can enjoy a whole afternoon there. Just be sure you bring your own food and drinks!

First of all, you enjoy an impressive view of the Esterel Massif behind you and rocky cliffs with red hues to your left and right. Furthermore, one gets to admire the best view of the blue Mediterranean Sea. Standing on the high rocky cliffs while gazing at the sea felt like pure bliss to me.

I loved the colors surrounding me and the smell of the air. If you asked me, this is what I would call a romantic place, even if by myself 🙂 If that’s too much romance for you, you can choose to walk down a rocky path to the ocean. Eventually you reach a small sheltered bay where you can swim and enjoy the rest of your blissful day.

What a beautiful adventure

Visiting Corniche d’Or will make you feel like you’re on a beautiful adventure. As in all places I visited on the French Riviera, people are friendly and enjoy the warm weather. So should you! Depending on your budget, I either suggest taking the public Palm Bus 22 along the coast from Cannes to Le Trayas, or renting a car to go along the Esterel Mountains to “Sentier des Odeurs” and Saint-Raphaël. Corniche d’Or offers multiple amazing bathing spots as well as panoramic views for your photo albums and travel blogs.

For travel videos of the Côte d’Azur, visit my Youtube Channel .

Many thanks again to Alexandra for a lovely informative blog post! Her photos allow us all to enjoy the beauties of this part of France. If you love the beach, don’t miss  Bassin de la Villette  in Paris !