It's hard to imagine that Le Bar-sur-Loup’s majestic 13th-century castle, perched right at the top of the village, once lay in ruins. It's now an appealing vacation rental with irresistible wooden-deck terrace out front and German owner Heinrich at the helm. Six huge rooms sleeping up to 14 people ooze 'country-chic' elegance, with soft-toned fabrics and sweeping valley views.
Château de Grasse
Côte d'Azur
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Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
14.41 MILES
Getting lost among the dark, narrow, winding alleyways of Nice’s old town is a highlight. The layout has barely changed since the 1700s, and it’s now…
13.56 MILES
The most famous stretch of seafront in Nice – if not France – is this vast paved promenade, which gets its name from the English expat patrons who paid…
24.08 MILES
The only building French architect Le Corbusier (1887–1965) ever built for himself is this rather simple – but very clever – beach hut on Cap Martin…
22.16 MILES
Peeping inside Monte Carlo’s legendary marble-and-gold casino is a Monaco essential. The building, open to visitors every morning, including the exclusive…
Musée Océanographique de Monaco
21.94 MILES
Stuck dramatically to the edge of a cliff since 1910, the world-renowned Musée Océanographique de Monaco, founded by Prince Albert I (1848–1922), is a…
24.17 MILES
This stunning network of scarlet gorges looks for all the world like it's been collected from Arizona and plonked down in Haute-Provence. Carved out over…
6.45 MILES
An ailing Henri Matisse moved to Vence in 1943 to be cared for by his former nurse and model, Monique Bourgeois, who'd since become a Dominican nun. She…
14.63 MILES
For the best views over Nice’s red-tiled rooftops, climb the winding staircases up to this wooded outcrop on the eastern edge of the old town. It’s been…
Nearby Côte d'Azur attractions
1.31 MILES
At this sweet factory jams, candied fruits and crystallised violets, roses and verveine leaves are cooked up in a 19th-century flour mill. Free 20-minute…
1.66 MILES
High in the hills above Tourrettes-sur-Loup, this organic goats-cheese producer welcomes visitors. To see its 70 goats being milked, arrive sharp at 8am…
3.51 MILES
To find out more about Tourrettes' famous violet and see the fields where it is cultivated, head to the Bastide aux Violettes, 10 minutes' walk from the…
4.07 MILES
For a different spin on Grasse’s perfume production, plan a trip to this lovely flower farm 7km southeast of the centre of Grasse. Centifolia roses and…
5. Cathédrale Notre-Dame du Puy
4.41 MILES
Once a humble church, Notre-Dame du Puy became Grasse’s cathedral in 1244. The current façade dates to the early 20th century. Inside there are paintings…
4.49 MILES
On Grasse’s main pedestrian street, this small museum explores the work of Grassois painter Fragonard (1732–1806), whose risqué paintings of love scenes…
7. Musée d’Art et d’Histoire de Provence
4.5 MILES
This local-history museum, at home since 1921 in an aristocratic hôtel particulier (mansion), is a wonderful evocation of life in the 18th century. Rooms…
8. Musée International de la Parfumerie
4.51 MILES
This whiz-bang museum is a work of art: housed in an 18th-century mansion enlarged with a modern glass structure, it retraces three millennia of perfume…