From the Avenue de Verdun in Nice to the flashiest street in Saint Tropez, the Côte d’Azur boasts a wealth of high-end shopping destinations. Here is a guide to some of the very best.
Shopping is aplenty in the south of France. There’s a near endless number of chic boutiques and world-class malls, but sometimes, even the most seasoned shopper can struggle to find everything they want in one place.
So, with minimal travel and maximum enjoyment in mind, let Monaco Life be your guide to the super-concentrated shopping areas that give a whole of bang for buck.
Nice’s Rue Paradis is an easy stone’s throw from Place Masséna and features stand-alone stores from top shelf brands such as Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Anne Fontaine, Emporio Armani and the city’s very own luxury brand, Façonnable. It also has ultra-cool shops like Zadig & Voltaire and exclusive swimwear merchants Vilebrequin as well as the “top of the line” children’s clothing marque Bonpoint.
Rue Paradis runs perpendicular to the Avenue de Verdun, which is home to the fashion houses and jewellery brands of Hermès, Tiffany & Co., Longchamps and Cartier.
The cherry of the top of the cake here is that both streets are very close to the tram stops in Place Masséna and on Avenue Jean Médecin, another great shopping destination, giving them an accessibility edge on some of the other shopping stretches on the Riviera.
Cannes’ fabled La Croisette, which is officially a meeting of a boulevard and a promenade with the same name, is where people go to see and be seen. Although this address gets the most airtime during the famous Film Festival in May, its plethora of luxe brand boutiques means it doesn’t lose its oomph the rest of the year.
A stroll down the Croisette reads like a “who’s who” of retail par excellence. The list includes Moncler, Hervé Léger, Céline, Roberto Cavalli, Balenciaga, Armani, Chopard, Rolex, Chanel, Dior, Prada, Gucci, Loro Piana, Valentino, Louis Vuitton and not one but two Dolce & Gabbanas.
Thank goodness with all the shopping that there are also plenty of gorgeous places to refuel along the way, with the Carlton, Martinez and Majestic hotels all a welcome retreat for the well-heeled in-between purchases.
The eternally-chic Rue François Sibilli in Saint Tropez could entice even the most shopping-averse to browse and buy, with offerings from Loewe, Bottega Veneta, Vuitton, Dolce & Gabbana, Prada, Fendi, Gucci, Miu Miu, Saint Laurent, Jimmy Choo, Dior Men to name but a few.
Conveniently located just off the Quai Suffren, one can flit from superyacht to store in the blink of an eye.
Compared to these other iconic shopping streets, the Corso at the fabulous Cap 3000 mall near the Nice Côte d’Azur Aiport is the newest.
Open since 2021, it offers indoor browsing of the highest calibre and has added the likes of Hugo Boss, Tommy Hilfiger, Zadig & Voltaire, Pinko, Tara Jarmon, Paul Smith, Etro and Max Mara to its rollcall of brands. These rub up alongside top drawer watch and jewellery shops, such as the Ferret boutique, which sells timepieces and stunning accessories from IWC, Tag Heuer, Breguet, Chaumet, Omega, Rolex and APM Monaco.
There’s even a Ducasse-signed restaurant, Rivea, as well as a confectioner from the legendary chef called Le Chocolat Alain Ducasse, which was “born from a desire to return to the source, the very essence of what chocolate is made of”. That alone sounds like reason enough to go!
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Main photo source: Amy W., Unsplash
