Highlight Photos
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La Brigue Castle -
Fort Saint Roch -
Saorge View -
Monaco from above -
Eze street -
Cannes red carpet -
Downtown Nice -
Picasso in Valauris -
El Drago Milenario -
Barranco de Ruiz -
Roques de Garcia and Teide -
Downtown San Cristobal de la Laguna -
Puerto de la Cruz downtown -
Casa de los Balcones in La Orotava -
Famous Icon in Candelaria -
Main street in Santa Cruz de Tenerife -
Anaga Rural Park trail
Highlights Map
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Our second major trip for the year is dedicated to our relatives, two sets of relatives so two countries. The first set is more sedentary so we decide on Nice after lots of back and forth while the second set is more active so we decide on Tenerife. Besides days spent only with relatives we will have a few days at the beginning and end, at least in our plan to do our own thing.
For Nice we are looking to see the mountains and the picturesque villages before our relatives come and then spend the time with them at the beach or in more accesible villages and cities. For Tenerife our focus are the endemic birds and the old towns and beautiful nature.
To learn more click on the Links below or Markers on the map above to go directly to a specific part of our trip and follow our trip split between two imperatives and countries.
- Arriving into Nice
After a long flight with a few unexpected issues and then standing for almost an hour in line for the rental car we are ready for the France part of our trip - Starting with the Trophy of Augustus and La Turbie
First stop on the trip is historic La Turbie and the impressive Trophy of Augustus as well as lunch before making our way to the AirBnB - L’Escarene, our base for the Alps and Monaco
We stay for three nights in L’Escarene a historic village in the foothills of the Alps and spend one unexpected morning exploring the beautiful downtown - Fort Saint Roch, part of the Maginot line
Our first stop today is Fort Saint Roch formerly part of the Maginot Line which allows us to explore extensive underground tunnels and chambers that protected from Italian attacks - The historic village of La Brigue
La Brigue is a touristy town with narrow lanes, scenic plazas, a ruined castle and an interesting curved bridge - Saorge, the Tibetan look-alike perched village
We end the day in Saorge, the beautiful Tibetan look-alike village perched to the mountainside and explore the narrow and winding alleys while looking for dinner - Cathedral of Monaco, the resting place of rulers
Finding parking in Monaco downtown is surprisingly easy and we start exploring with the first major target being the Cathedral of Monaco - Into the Prince’s Palace
The Prince’s Palace is where the princes of Monaco still live but we can visit part of it and walk through the well appointed rooms and imagine the opulence in the private part of the castle - Up to the Monaco Museum of Anthropology
Next in our exploration of Monaco is the Museum of Anthropology perched high above the city with some impressive views and an interesting temporary exhibit - The National Museum section at Villa Paloma
Villa Paloma is part of Monaco’s National Museum and it has a beautiful temporary exhibition that we enjoy before descending towards the Car Museum near the harbor - The Private Car Collection of the Prince of Monaco
The most famous museum in Monaco is the Private Car Collection of the Prince of Monaco with a large collection of interesting cars through the ages - Monte Carlo, the most famous building in Monaco
Last we visit the famous Monte Carlo Casino before eating dinner downtown and then returning to our AirBnB - Our second visit to busy Eze
As we leave for Nice we stop in Eze for the second time and this time it is quite busier and less interesting as it is difficult to explore without encountering huge groups - Villa Kerylos, a special place
On the way to Cannes we visit the beautiful and very ornate Kerylos Villa built by a German businessman to emulate a historic Greek Villa - Staying in and exploring Mougins
For most of our time on Cote d’Azur we stay in Mougins a city with a beautiful old center but our AirBnB is further away and we have to drive to see the downtown - Cannes, a famous film festival location
Famous for its film festival Cannes also has a pretty historical center and an elevated church and fortress that can be explored if in town - Plage du Midi and Villa Rothschild
Today we explore the beach and the sea at Cannes before a short stroll through the grounds of Villa Rothschild - Downtown Nice, an Unesco Heritage Site
Today we finally are able to visit downtown Nice and explore the Unesco World Heritage old town for a few hours while ending with a nice dinner - Up onto Castle Hill
During our visit to Nice we spend a couple hours visiting Castle Hill the site of the former fortress protecting Nice - Fontmerle Marsh
On the last day with our relatives we start with a visit to the Fontmerle Marsh while trying to avoid the rain clouds all around us - Picasso in Vallauris
The last place we visit before our relatives leave is Vallauris to see a chapel painted by Picasso and the many ceramics he created while living here - Arriving and living in a cave in Tenerife
For the next week we are visiting Europe in Africa otherwise known as Canary Islands with the first few days being spend in a unique cave AirBnB while exploring the south of Tenerife - Finding Birds on the Erjos Water Mountain Trail
Today we have only one stop planned at the Erjos Water Mountain Trail to look for the elusive endemic pigeons and other endemic or rare birds - Adeje, a historic village
We start our long day with a visit to Adeje a former capital of a guanche and a tourist city with a few interesting attractions - El Drago Milenario in Icod de Los Vinos
Icod de Los Vinos is famous for the very old El Drago Milenario and the pretty historic downtown area and quite - Looking for pigeons in Barranco de Ruiz and nearby
In the afternoon we spend a couple hours exploring some natural forest areas looking for the endemic pigeons and finally finding one of them - Finally Garachico
At the end of the day we return to the old town of Garachico for an hour of exploration of its interesting downtown area - Finding endemics in Las Lajas Park
First stop today is Las Lajas Park which is one of the best places to see the endemic Tenerife Blue Chaffinch and other interesting birds - Exploring the Roques de Garcia
The first stop in the Teide National Park is to view the Roques de Garcia and the nearby visitor center as well as do a small hike into the volcanic desert - El Portillo Visitor Center and the Botanical Garden
We continue exploring Teide National Park stopping for multiple vistas before exploring the Botanical Gardens at the Portillo Visitor Center at the end - Santa Cruz de Tenerife, the island capital
We spend a few days in Santa Cruz de Tenerife however none are dedicated to explore the city proper which is visited more in chunks in the morning or evening as time permits - Historic San Cristobal de la Laguna
We spend today exploring the Unesco WHS historic downtown of San Cristobal de la Laguna with magnificent mansions and churches - Santa Clara Museum of Sacred Art
One of the museums we visit is the small Santa Clara Museum of Sacred Art housed in a convent across a couple of floors with some impressive religious objects - Museum of the History of Tenerife
The major museum in San Cristobal de la Laguna is the Museum of the History of Tenerife with some interesting exhibits focused on the town history - Exploring the original, Puerto de la Cruz
This morning we explore Puerto de la Cruz the original tourist city on the island immmortalized by Agatha Christie - La Orotava, an unexpected jewel
We spend the afternoon in La Orotava a beautifully preserved hilly city that really is a workout as we explore up and down the narrow streets and beautiful mansions - Casa de Los Balcones, a magnificent mansion
The most famous attraction in La Orotava is Casa de Los Balcones an architectural gem from the 17th century and now a museum showcasing how people lived centuries ago - The famous Las Teresitas Beach
In the evening we hurry to the Teresitas beach through the standstill of traffic in Santa Cruz for a quick bath in the Atlantic Ocean - The interesting Tenerife Espacio de las Artes
We start the exploration of the capital with TEA an interesting art museum with some nice exhibits - Museum of Nature and Archaeology
The major museum we visit today is the Museum of Nature and Archaeology with the major attraction being the Guanche mummies besides other historical artifacts - Basilica de Candelaria, a pilgrimage place
On the way to the airport we stop for an hour in Candelaria to visit the famous basilica which is hosting the Virgin of Candelaria the Patron of the Canary Islands - The classical art museum, Museo de Bellas Artes
Late afternoon we visit the Museo de Bellas Artes one of the few museums open late with an eclectic collection of art both classical and more modern - Exploring Anaga Rural Park and the Forest of Enigmas Trail
The early afternoon hours are spent exploring Anaga Rural Park and especially the Forest of Enigmas Trail a beautiful trail through the laurel forest - Pyramids of Güímar, old or new, still interesting
We have heard a lot about the Pyramids of Güímar so we really have to stop here even if for less than one hour to see them with our own eyes - One, last, night at Playa de las Americas
The last night of our trip is spent in the tourist town of Playa de las Americas in luxury enjoying a five star hotel room, good food and a private plunge pool