The southeastern part of France's coast is known as the Côte d'Azur (Sky Blue Coast) and it is a world-famous vacation spot. As the name implies, people are drawn there by its beautiful beaches and a pleasant, almost perfect climate. Also called the French Riviera, it borders on the Mediterranean Sea and therefore has what is called a Mediterranean climate: hot, dry summers and mild, humid winters. This ideal climate stretches eastward from Marseille, a large city located on the coast, southeast of the Rhône delta. Toulon, Saint-Tropez, Cannes and Nice are some of the most famous resort towns that lie along this coast.

Every May Cannes hosts an annual film festival, one of the most well known and best-publicized of its kind. The Cannes Film Festival began in 1946 and every year attracts lots of international attention with its Palme d'Or (Golden Palm) award for best film and other awards for best director and best actor. All during the festival there are many parties and the town is filled with movie stars, directors, and movie critics.

Nice, with the warmest average temperature in all of France (eighty one degrees Fahrenheit in July and a pleasant fifty-five degrees Fahrenheit in January), is the fifth-largest French city. Tens of thousands of French citizens and tourists flock to Nice every year to enjoy the gentle weather and leisurely pastimes. Some people come to sunbathe and relax, and some come to simply stroll among the palm trees. People also like to gamble in the city's casinos at night. The Vieux Nice (Old Nice) is a network of charming narrow streets that are lined with 17th and 18th century buildings. A major attraction in the Vieux Nice is a fortress located on a cliff, the Colline du Château (Castle Hill), which was first inhabited more than 2,000 years ago.