Winter in France: Culture & Charm on the French Riviera

This was my first Road Scholar trip and I was thrilled that it provided me with the experience of a lifetime. I have traveled a number of times to Paris and northern France but the Cote d'Azur has long been on my radar. The quality of the lectures and information shared by our amazing tour leader added immensely to the experience and the hotel chosen as our home base was beyond anything I had expected. Kudos to Road Scholar for a trip that exceeded all my expectations!

The Winter in Nice program was a great way to learn about the artists of the Cote d’Azur and to see many of the works they created while living or working there. The activities were well planned and paced. Our guide Caroline Buizza was the best guide that we have had on our 11 Road Scholar trips. She was knowledgeable, encouraging, and constantly looking out for the needs of the group. She also gave great lectures with follow up emails reviewing the covered material and provided suggestions for visits outside of Nice. Of special note was the visit to the Fondation Maeght where the location and building were as impressive as the artwork. Caroline had prepared us well for this visit which made it all the more enjoyable. And I learned so much more from her explanations of the paintings in the Chagall Museum and the Matisse Chapel than I would have by visiting on my own. Overall, it was a quick, but fun filled trip. Remember that is called Winter in Nice for a reason. Don’t forget to bring warm jackets! One morning we awoke to a view of snow in the Alps. With snow glistening in the mountains and the Mediterranean glimmering nearby, we sat in the sunshine eating lunch at a café. Who could ask for anything more?

Everything about this trip was wonderful, beginning with our tour leader, Caroline Buizza. She was knowledgeable, organized, humorous, calm, and kind! She fostered camaraderie among group members, who soon began acting like old friends. The group moved easily among the well-chosen highlights, the focus of which was art by artists who sojourned on the Côte d'Azur. The Chagall Museum was particularly interesting. Our hotel was well-located with easy access to the Mediterranean, Vieux Nice, and the main square of Nice. All in all, it was a phenomenal trip!

Caroline was exceptional and a wonderful representative for Road Scholar!

This tour takes you to beautiful places in and around Nice, France; great art museums, mountains, the Mediterranean Sea, and so much more. The acomomdations are 5-star, the food delicious, the scenery amazing. It doesn't get any better, anywhere. You will love this tour!

Excellent trip - Nettah was very personable and very well informed.

Outstanding trip! Nice was beautiful so much to see and learn. Group Leader Nettah was exceptional with the knowledge that he gave us. One of the best trips and the area was not crowded. It was beautiful. Needed to stay one more day to take everything in.

Winter on the Riviera in Nice, France, is an terrific vacation with a full, fun schedule featuring great art, beautiful views, and good food.

Best trip ever! Yes, you expect the venue to be wonderful--and it surpassed expectations--but our leader/instructor was exceptionally gifted at maximizing our appreciation of it. Lots of walking, seeing and learning with friendly, like-minded people. Even specialists are bound to learn/see something new. Fantastic Provencal cooking didn't hurt either.

This was a superb program, thanks to our wonderful guide, the friendly group, and the subject matter. I learned a lot about French art and the French Riviera. The activity level was perfect, the organization was impeccable, and the weather cooperated!

The Riviera is beautiful any time of the year, but it was especially nice in December during the Christmas season. While not exactly warm(in the 40's and 50's), it was a break from the frigid temps in Idaho. Our guide, Nettah, also a college professor, was superb. His knowledge of European History, and France in particular, added immensely to the trip. And we were fortunate to have a friendly and congenial group. Definitely recommend this trip!

Learning about the arts, culture and history of the French Riviera changed my opinion about what I had perceived as just a playground of the rich and famous. I was also impressed with how pro-active the area is in 'going green' and how they are addressing the affordable workforce housing issue so common in upscale tourism destinations.

A delightful encounter with some of the wonders of the south of France.

A great learning experience. Enjoy the “light” that inspired the many great artists and writers of our modern time.

A wonderful week in and around Nice, France. For those interested in art and history this program is a joy. Our leader, Martin Pénicaud, ranks among the best that we have experienced in our 15 Road Scholar programs. He was organized, knowledgeable and just fun to be around. Christine, our local expert, was very friendly and a fount of knowledge about the great art and artists that we were exposed to. I learned a great deal. I highly recommend this program with great enthusiasm.

This trip was a feast of sunlight and art. The Chagall Museum, the Matisse Chapel, the Fondacion Maeght: so much inspiration and color. Wonderful food too.

lots of fun great people cant wait for naxt trip

Wintering on the Cote d'Azur first became fashionable a century and a half ago among northern Europeans, especially the English. This program documents the history and allure of the Belle Epoch when winter was the height of the season, unlike today when sun worshippers cause the highest influx of tourists to the area. Our group leader gave us a comprehensive overview of the history of the area, beginning with the Greek settlement when it was named Nike town for the goddess of victory up through its absorption by France barely 150 years ago. And our tour guide proved to be a veritable walking encyclopedia of both the well-known and those lesser known artists who made Nice and its surroundings both their abodes and their studios during the most productive years of their careers. Her slide show and lecture made clear the connections and influences which this group of modern artists had on the world of art and on each other. Unfortunately, the advertised trip to Cannes was cancelled so we did not get to see that part of Riviera charm and culture. Personally, I would have preferred to keep Cannes and eliminate Monaco since our visit there was limited to the Rock where the Palace and Cathedral are located, and there was no time to see the Belle Époque architecture of the famous Monte Carlo Casino which would be more representative of the program's theme. But our visits to Antibes and St. Paul de Vence were full of both culture and charm and it was delightful to be based in Nice as the Carnaval (Mardi Gras) celebrations were just getting underway, adding a contemporary lens to the subject of the program.

Magnificent! It was a dream come true. Our guides Christine and Netta Yoeli-Rimmer were so full of knowledge about Nice and all of the art. They were such a pleasure, very personable ,caring people. I loved the schedule but it was so jammed packed with such lovely places to go to and to see that I will offer up a suggestion. I would have loved to have had a free day in which I would have just lived down by the shore and strolled the markets at leisure. 1 more day could be given to the program and Netta and Christine could have had a day off! Also some of the days involved walking 4-5 miles which was not explained in the travel itinerary. I think it said 2-3. We all did great but speaking for myself, I was running on adrenaline! I liked this adventure so much that I am tentatively planning on going to The Ax-Provence-Toulouse Lautrec Trip that I hope you will have scheduled as part of your 2021 Winter Program in Southern France for next February. This trip was spectacular, the Splendid Hotel and Spa was wonderful, the program so well put together and the food and it’s presentation were marvelous. Rating:*****

THIS TRIP WAS AMAZING. AND OUR GUIDE RENEJEAN WAS ONE OF THE BEST GUIDES I HAVE COME ACCROSS IN MY TRAVELS. HE GETS A 10 PLUS FROM ME. CHRISTINE ALSO WAS VERY GOOD, AND VERY KNOWLEDABLE. WEATHER WAS PERFECT. WISH IT WAS LONGER. DID NOT WANT TO COME BACK

This was my first trip exploring the "Cote d'Azur" I was very impressed with all the different places, museums, restaurants we visited. The scenery was spectacular and the weather was very pleasant. This program should be a few days longer too have a little more time to savor this area of France. Julian, he guide was quite knowledgeable and had the skills to engage the travelers with his presentations. He gave us a good variety of language, culture and current events. He was very organized and prepared to guide us on this French journey. I liked staying in NIce and having that as our base made it easy to venture out each day on our excursions. For me taking the train to Cannes was a highlight to have a change from the bus. Three other highlights were the visit to Antibes, going to Monaco and the Matisse Chapel. The Best Western was a very comfortable hotel and well-situated downtown. My only concern was the size of the hotel room. Sharing a room was tight and it was difficult to find places to put our belongings. Fortunately, there was a closet and a safe that was easy to use. Merci pour autre aventure magnifique!