The french riviera is famous for a lot of things. Here are some facts you never knew about
The french riviera is mainly known as a top destination for travelers who seek a picturesque vacation.
There is a lot in discovering the region with the eyes (and cameras) – but how many interesting facts do you know about it?
We gathered today to share with you some pretty cool facts about where you are walking, so you will have an even better trip!
1. The french riviera covers 885 KM of land (550 miles).
Its name was borrowed from the word “Riva” in Italian which means “coastline”, hence “Cote d’Azur” means “light blue coast” in french.
2. The french riviera is not an official term of the country, and so the boundaries are also not clear.
Usually, it refers to the coastline cities between Cassis and all the way to the Italian Riviera right at the south-eastern border of France.
3. The riviera welcomes around 14 million tourists each year, who spend around 5 million dollars in their visits.
4. The largest city of the riviera is Nice.
5. Menton, the closest city to Italy, is the city of lemons.
6. Hundreds of years ago, Monaco was 80% bigger than it is today, stretchering all the way to where the border is with Italy today.
7. The most expensive villa in the world is Villa Leopolda in Villefranche-sur-mer, with a price tag of 1.2 billion dollars It belongs to the Ephrussi family, who are close to the Rothchild’s.
8. The city of Grasse the capital of parfumes, manufacturing for the best in the business.
9. Monaco is the 2nd most smallest country on the planet after the Vatican.
10. Monaco Beach resort is located meters away outside of the principality. So does its country club, tennis court and golf club.
11. Iconic movies such as James Bond’s GoldenEye and Diamonds Are Forever, To catch a thief, and Ocean Twelve were filming in the french riviera.
12. Several Hollywood stars own a property in the french riviera. Among them you will find Johnny Depp, Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, U2 bad members and Elton John.
13. In Monaco, crime barely existes, and 1 resident out of 3 is a millionaire.
14. Monaco’s jail hosts around 20 prisoners, who have rooms with windows to the sea. Most of them are there for money-laundry and financial scams.
15. The Fontvieille quartier and its port (the 2nd in marina of Monaco) are sitting on artificial land from the sea. So will be the future Quartier du Portier, just under the casino.
16. There’s no train to Saint Tropez. The only ways to get there are by car, boat, or helicopter.
17. The famous Monte-Carlo casino was established on the brake of the principality’s bankruptcy. The idea was to save it from loosing all its funds by getting the elite of Europe to gamble in this posh joint.
18. It is forbidden for Monaco citizens to work or gamble in the casino.
# Facts french riviera, # french riviera facts