The must-sees of the Cannes hinterland

Côte d'Azur Sotheby's International Realty, real estate experts in the Cannes hinterland, share with you their itinerary to discover the region under the sign of art, gastronomy and history. On the programme: Mougins, Valbonne, Saint Paul de Vence, Opio, Biot and Grasse where pastel shutters, cobbled streets and the gentle way of life reign under the sun of the French Riviera.

Gastronomic break in Mougins

Located in the heights, the old village of Mougins offers a spectacular view of the green corridor that stretches at its feet to the bay of Cannes. As you walk through the village, you will find old houses lined with flowers and climbing plants, which give the village its undeniable charm. But Mougins is also home to luxurious Provencal properties, contemporary villas with manicured gardens, multiple golf courses, gourmet restaurants and art galleries.

Today, Mougins is a central village on the Côte d'Azur's gastronomic scene, where over 100 starred chefs from all over the world spend a weekend sharing their know-how. It is also a place where, all year round, one can observe painters in the streets and wander from gallery to studio. Indeed Mougins is home to no less than 18 renowned galleries and/or artists' studios, all in an old historic village full of charm and colour.

You can also eat starred food all year round, for example at La Place de Mougins, where Chef Denis Fétisson's combines seasonal produce with surgical creativity in the heart of the old village.

Mougins enjoys an advantageous geographical position: 15 minutes from Cannes and its Palais des Festivals as well as the beaches of Juan les Pins, 10 minutes from Grasse and its perfume industry, and 20 minutes from Nice international airport.

Stroll among the old stones in Valbonne

At the heart of the Sophia Antipolis European technology park lies the charming old village of Valbonne. Surrounded by vegetation, Valbonne has managed to keep its authenticity and its cachet. A former farming village (olive trees, vines, roses and jasmines), the village turned to crafts and tourism after the war to become the charming tourist destination it is today.

Authenticity resonates in the cobbled streets lined with houses with coloured shutters and covered with bougainvillea. The squares are adorned with fountains and restaurants with warm Provençal dishes. Valbonne is also the place to be for those with a passion for interior design, fashion and antiques, who will find a wide range of small designer shops.

The real estate style in the streets is very chic and authentically Provencal. This boomed in the 1970s with the opening of the technopole and the arrival of engineers and their families who built or bought magnificent properties.

Valbonne also hosted the Kennedy family's holidays at the Domaine de Beaumont, offered for sale by the Côte d'Azur Sotheby's International Realty Private Desk.

Saint Paul de Vence: house of artists

Known as one of the most beautiful villages in Provence, its light and gentle lifestyle have inspired many artists, writers, and poets. Surrounded by ramparts steeped in history, the village is home to a heritage enriched by the artists who have lived there over the centuries.

In the 1950s and 1960s, the village competed with the red carpet of the Film Festival, so many stars of the 7th art flocked here, attracted by the Côte d'Azur. On the literary side, Jacques Prévert, a resident of the village, also helped attract a host of intellectuals and directors such as Henri-Georges Clouzot and André Cayatte.

The Maeght Foundation, located outside the old village, houses one of the finest private collections of 20th century sculpture and painting in an exceptional building and park where it is pleasant to walk around and enjoy the outdoor works. Indeed, art is part of the DNA of Saint Paul de Vence, which has hosted artists such as Georges Braque, Amedeo Modigliani, Henri Matisse, Pablo Picasso, or Marc Chagall who is buried in the village cemetery.

Grasse: Perfume Capital of the World

Known around the world as the Perfume Capital of the World, Grasse is surrounded by fields of flowers each more fragrant than the last. It was in the 16th century that the perfume industry developed in the town when the tanners - as they embalmed leather with floral essences - gradually became perfumers.

This ancestral heritage is celebrated at the Musée International de la Parfumerie and in the factories of the great Provencal names, Fragonard, Galimard and Molinard. Roses, jasmines and mimosas can be smelled as you walk through the streets of the old town, fragrances that lead to the museum gardens. The 2.5 hectare site contains a collection of fragrant and aromatic plants.

The architectural environment of Grasse is very varied and consists of period properties, Provençal estates as well as contemporary villas with sea views.

The scents of Opio

The small village of Opio is located in the heart of a protected site between land and sea. A true witness to the Roman era on the Côte d'Azur, Opio still bears the traces of its ancient occupants in its architecture and some of the remains on display in the region's museums.

Opio is known for its roses and jasmine, which grow in ideal conditions thanks to the surrounding micro-climate, and which abound in the perfumers of Grasse.

The village is also known for its olive oil, in fact Opio is home to one of the largest olive groves in the department. The 450 hectares surrounding the village are ideal for long walks or horseback rides through the vegetation and olive trees. In the town centre, you can wander through the narrow streets to discover local Provençal crafts and a number of art galleries.

Biot, capital of blown glass

A charming perched village surrounded by mimosas, roses and carnations, Biot is known for its ceramics and blown glass industries. Indeed pottery in the broadest sense has been part of the history of the medieval village for centuries, Biot having been one of the most important pottery centres in the Mediterranean basin. The Biot jar, formerly used as a container for olive oil, is still a strong symbol of the region's history.

Today the streets invite us to take a journey through shady alleys, stone Provençal buildings lined with plants and pastel shutters, and offer numerous gourmet restaurants and glass art galleries. You can admire the reflection of the sun in the colourful art objects.

Biot also has a well known 18-hole golf course in an area with exceptional views.

Invest in the hinterland of Cannes

The hinterland is therefore the sunny meeting point between tradition and modernity, land and sea, art and industry. Would you like to invest on the Côte d'Azur and receive a selection of houses for sale in the Cannes hinterland? Contact your experts on prestige real estate at Côte d'Azur Sotheby's International Realty, 74 Boulevard de la Croisette in Cannes: info@cotedazursothebysrealty.com