Early Summer Mediterranean Style

You visit Nice, where you can explore the old town and see Baroque churches, pastel-colored houses and red-tiled roofs. You can also visit Castle Hill for views of the old town and the surrounding mountains. Along the Baie des Anges, you can walk along the Promenade des Anglais and see the long beach, palaces and hotels in the Belle-Époque and Art Deco styles.

You visit St. Tropez on the Côte d'Azur, a former fishing village that became known for its connection with artists and later gained an international reputation among the rich and famous. You can explore the promenade, elegant boulevards, high-class shops and beach clubs. You can also visit Port Grimaud and see its luxury yachts.

Climbing the rigging, untying ropes, setting sails – today is all about sailing. Time to lean back and relax in the deck chair and watch the passionate crew hoisting the sails by hand.

Some decisions are really not easy in Viareggio. On the one hand, the traditional seaside resort on the Liguarian Sea offers all the pleasures of an Italian vacation with small ice cream parlors, long sandy beaches and a promenade for strolling. On the other hand, there is charming Lucca, which is only about half an hour away. In Giacomo Puccinis birthplace, you can stroll along the city walls in the shade of old plane trees. And in the almost car-free center, an opulent panorama of Roman alleys, churches and domes, wide squares and proud palaces opens up.

Portofino has a prominent position on a peninsula on the Italian Riviera and, since the 1950s, has developed into an elegant marina. The "dolce vita" seems to have been born here. You can unwind in classy bars and cafés in front of beautifully restored facades, browse for treasures in the backstreets and observe the comings and goings on the port's promenade. At first glance, Portofino is a picturesque fishing village. However, you will soon notice that it is also a sophisticated retreat for exclusive megayachts, as well as a great hideaway for anyone who knows how to enjoy the charming and stylish traditional atmosphere.

Calvi has something enjoyable to suit every taste. Romantics can take a walk through the old town and the view from the fortified walls is not to be missed. A stroll through the town's streets brings you to the colorful, lively lower town with its bars and exclusive cafés. Anyone who enjoys a walk on the sand will love the town's long beach. To the east, sheltered by the highest mountains in Corsica, a lush green wild garden has grown around Calvi, filled with olive groves and orange trees. In the La Balagne region in the interior, you can discover hidden picturesque villages which show you the traditional side of Corsica and, displaying the idiosyncratic pride on the island, there is scarcely a road sign that is not written in the Corsican language.

Where Provence and Liguria make contact, Menton, with its lively, peaceful flair, basks in its reputation as the enchanting French City of Lemons. The charming town has every reason to be proud: With its pastel-colored facades and narrow old town lanes winding picturesquely up the hill, this is indeed a special gem on the Côte d'Azur. Tourists have been drawn to Menton since the 19th century, when it was mainly British and Russian aristocrats escaping from winter. The flora also loves Menton's extremely mild climate: A multitude of exotic plants thrives in the numerous well-kept gardens and parks.

Nice lies in one of the world's most lavishly endowed natural landscapes. The sea glows azure and the mountains in the background rise picturesquely up into the sky. Castle Hill gives you a fantastic view over the rambling old town – a labyrinth of alleyways with Baroque churches, pastel-colored houses and red-tiled roofs. The Promenade des Anglais, a sophisticated, five-kilometer-(3 miles)long walkway along the magnificent Baie des Anges and its long beach, lies at the heart of the elegant new town, with its splendid palaces and aristocratic hotels in the Belle-Époque and Art Deco styles.