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Côte d'Azur Towns  This area has a strange diversity with the coast lined with large resort towns such as Monaco, Nice or Cannes, that have been heavily developed, contrasting remarkably with smaller towns and villages in the hinterland that reflect much better the real Provencial traditions.  Although some of the inland towns are in beautiful settings, there's not so much to do there, so for this reason we focus on the main towns along the coast, plus a few isolated inland treats.
Entrevaux

 Location: Approximately 50 minutes (60km) inland from Nice along the N202.
General Info: Town website.  Hotel le Vauban website.
Description: Entrevaux is a fantastic example of a walled town reached by a drawbridge.  With the exception of the town square, the whole village is traffic free and the maze of narrow, winding passageways make exploring great fun for inquisitive children.
Our recommendations:  There is a small museum and free motor-bike museum that are worth visiting although they won't entertain the children for long.  The village is very quiet outside the peak summer weeks, so if you visit outside this time you will find many restaurants are closed.
For the children: On Sundays from 17th May through to 11th October 2009 it is possible to factor in a fun element for children by taking a short ride on a steam train leaving Puget-Théniers at mid-day and arriving at Entrevaux  20 minutes later. This then gives you 4 hours to look around the village. Further information can be found on the steam train section of the Chemin de Fer de Provence website, or on  http://www.gecp.asso.fr/.		 Our favourite towns in the Côte d'Azur:


             - Biot
             - Cannes
             - Entrevaux
             - Grasse
             - Monaco
             - Nice
             - Port Grimaud
             - St Tropez
External websites offering information on the Côte d'Azur:

 - Virtual Riviera - packed with information and links on the area
- Provence Beyond - information on places away from the coast
- Provence Web - Online tourist guide		 Chosen by our children:
     - Top ten Holiday destinations in France

It's a long time since we visited the Côte d'Azur with the children and they don't remember much about it.  So we can't offer a list of their favourites here.  If you would like to propose some, please send us your feedback.
Chemin de Fer des Pignes  There is a lovely narrow gauge railway line which heads inland from Nice to Digne-les-Bains (approx 3½ hour journey) through some of the most beautiful countryside and villages in Provence. This is known as the Chemin de Fer Des Pignes, from the French word ‘pignes’ meaning pine cones/nut; the early steam trains used them as fuel.  If you particularly enjoy train journeys it would be possible to combine a trip on the Chemin de Fer des Pignes route with a short steam train ride on the Touët sur Var – Entrevaux stretch of the line. Alternatively, armed with a train timetable, walking in the spectacular mountainous terrain would be another possibility using the relatively closely spaced stations as a means of completing circular walks. Website.