CANNES
In previous years we still had the dates of every hamlet and village with a Cote Azur Christmas market, this year we limit ourselves to the three best Christmas markets in the South of France. Traditionally, the Christmas market in Cannes is the first Christmas market on the Cote Azur to open. This year it is a bit of a strange sight in full sun; but from November 28 you can imitate the winter atmosphere at the sixty wooden chalets. There is of course mulled wine for sale and the children can take a ride on a pony. Hihaa! For the gourmets among us, a gastronomic corner has been set up during Christmas where you can taste delicacies such as wild boar stuffed with oysters, deer antlers in reindeer jelly and raw rabbit leg. Or handmade fresh chocolates in exquisite flavors. Are you getting a little hungry?
NICE
Are you not about good food, but do you want to take the Christmas market at a higher level? Then take your sleigh to view another always pleasant Christmas market; nl the one in Nice. The Christmas market in Nice opens on December 1 and on the Place Massena there are again the winter ski chalets, packed with jewelry and handmade knick-knacks for the tourist who wants to buy something. For five euros you can rent a pair of skates to let your legs swing on the traditional ice rink. When you’ve gotten dizzy after so many short track turns, the best recipe is a fresh Socca, Nice’s local salty pancake. Once you have recovered, admire the lighting and laser show on the facades; this one is again of great class. You can see that light spectacle even better from the Ferris wheel. Don’t forget to bring a scarf; it is really a lot colder up there. The Christmas market in Nice is always fun and in fact always the same.
MONACO
That cannot be said of the Christmas market in Monaco; they know how to surprise us every year. Sometimes the houses are made of real gingerbread and Santa Claus drives around in a Bentley Convertible. You will have to see for yourself whether this is all true. In any case, the permanent ice rink is open for your your skating skills. And you can buy real Dutch oliebollen, but also a glass of champagne, a roasted pig and oyster chips. Would you like to go ice skating in the evening after dinner; do not forget that the ice rink closes at 7 pm, with the exception of Saturday. Then you can skate an hour longer between the millionaires. Have fun and a Merry Christmas!