Gardens of the French Riviera & the International Rose Festival

Departing: May 2027 - May 2027

With elegant gardens, dazzling azure skies and a stunning coastline which inspired a generation of artists, the French Riviera has retained its glamorous allure for over a century. Join us to visit some of the finest gardens that were created here in this sun-kissed playground of the rich, including those of Thomas Hanbury and the Rothschilds. The Jardin Botanique Val Rahmeh, filled with lush tropical foliage and a lovely lily pond, showcases an exceptional array of vegetation from a wide geographic area. At St Jean Cap Ferrat, we visit the exquisite gardens of the Fondation Ephrussi de Rothschild, which contain many interesting plants and are surrounded by marvellous sea views. Just over the border in Italy are the incomparable Hanbury Gardens (La Mortola), arguably the greatest of all the Riviera gardens, in the richness of their collection and the unforgettable power of their presence. We also visit Villa Thuret at Cap d’Antibes, Serre de la Madone in Menton, the exotic gardens of Monte Carlo and the tranquil gardens of La Mouissone.

We also visit Grasse, centre of the French perfume industry since the 16th century and home to an International Rose Festival. The pretty hill town lies about 15 kilometres inland from Cannes but 300 to 400 metres above sea level, making for a very hospitable climate. Its favourite son was Jean-Honoré Fragonard (1732-1806), whose decorative paintings suggest his own fascination with flowers. Visitors to the rose festival should expect a variety of fringe attractions, including perfume displays, but roses are everything to the exhibitors, who take the competitive aspect very seriously.

Included

Explore Jardin Botanique Val Rahmeh & Hanbury Garden, with entrance fees included
All other visits as outlined in the itinerary
Professional Tour Manager
5 nights at Hotel Le Grimaldi, Nice
5 breakfasts, 4 lunches & 3 dinners
Private air-conditioned coach travel

Please note: a good degree of mobility is required to get the most out of this holiday as many of the gardens have steep slopes or steps.

Highlights

Jardin Botanique Val Rahmeh established by Lord Radcliffe, a former governor of Malta
Cacti of every shape and size in Monte Carlo
The richness of the plant collection at the Hanbury Garden
Marvellous sea views and opulent surroundings in St Jean Cap Ferrat

Colin Crosbie

Studied horticulture at the West of Scotland Agricultural College. He then worked in the Savill and Valley Gardens in Windsor Great Park before being appointed as Head Gardener to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother at Royal Lodge Windsor.

Tour Itinerary

Join our arrival transfer from the airport or meet your Tour Manager and fellow travellers at the designated meeting point before enjoying lunch in a local restaurant. This afternoon, we visit the historic garden of Serre de la Madone, created by American plantsman Lawrence Johnston, who spent over 30 years collecting exotic plants from around the world to acclimatise among the ancient olive trees. Also responsible for the quintessentially English garden at Hidcote Manor, Johnston created a strikingly different masterpiece here – a luxuriant subtropical garden of rare beauty on the shores of the Mediterranean.

Following our visit, we continue to our comfortable hotel in Nice. This evening, we enjoy a welcome dinner together in a local restaurant.

Please note: entry to the garden involves an uphill walk with a number of steps.

Meals: Lunch, Dinner

After breakfast, we depart for Cap d’Antibes and a visit to the Villa Thuret. A botanist and expert on seaweeds, Gustav Thuret lived here and over a period of 20 years amassed a collection of rare plants – among them the first eucalyptus to be planted on the Côte d’Azur. The interest of the place lies in the great collection of tender woody plants, some 3,000 species, which are grown here. In four acres of exotic jungle, visitors may wander at will, studying plants rarely seen in any other European collection.

We continue with a visit to the village of St Paul de Vence, which has been a haven to writers and artists over the years, including Marc Chagall who is buried in the village cemetery. Within the narrow cobbled streets there are countless art galleries and studios, while the viewpoint at the south end of the village offers a memorable panorama.

In the afternoon, we make our way to Jardin Exotique d’Èze. At the top of the perched village of the same name, among the ruins of an ancient castle overlooking the Mediterranean Sea, this is a garden to be experienced. In the midst of several hundred species of exotic plants (cacti, aloes and agaves), a visit here is an invitation to discover not only plants, but also themes and art. The different paths are punctuated with spaces where you can relax, cool down or simply immerse yourself in the light and spectacular landscapes, all set against the backdrop of one of the finest views of the French Riviera.

Please note: some areas of this garden are very steep.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Today we visit Jardin Botanique Val Rahmeh. Established in the late 19th century by Lord Radcliffe, a former governor of Malta who converted the estate grounds into a landscaped garden filled with exotic and subtropical species. Here we are able to see a fine collection of palm, citrus and olive tree as we as rare species sure as the Moreton Bay Chestnut. A small rainforest area contains bamboo, gingers, philodendrons and tropical fruit trees.

We continue to the gardens of La Mortola (also known as the Hanbury Gardens), just across the border in Italy. Now over a hundred years old, the garden was named after the thickets of wild myrtle on the rocky shore and was planted by Sir Thomas Hanbury, after 1867. It was planned as a botanic collection of outstanding interest and tender exotics from South Africa, Australia, New Zealand and South America were planted and flourished. La Mortola is perhaps the greatest of Riviera Gardens, great in its accumulated years, the richness of its collections, the power of its presence on all who behold it and not least in the impact it has had all over the French Riviera. An included lunch rounds off our visit here.

This evening, we enjoy dinner in a local restaurant.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Following breakfast, we visit the Fondation Ephrussi de Rothschild at St Jean Cap Ferrat, a garden designed as a series of compartments, each reflecting a different architectural style. The villa, now a museum, contains the collections of the Baroness de Rothschild and some of the artefacts associated with Marie-Antoinette, including paintings by Monet and Renoir. The gardens are exquisite, with many interesting tender plants thriving in the favourable climate, surrounded by marvellous views over the sea. Lunch is included here.

In the afternoon, we are free to explore our host town of Nice.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

In the morning, we depart for the International Rose Festival in Grasse, a truly magical event filled with colour and fragrance. There are a variety of fringe attractions, including perfume displays, but roses of every colour, variety and style imaginable are the key feature, with a competitive aspect that is taken very seriously.

This afternoon we continue to La Mouissone in Grasse, where lunch is included. The property is almost unique in this area in being distributed across the slopes of a hillside below le Bois de la Marbrière, with panoramic views of the coast. Spread over three hectares with 250 productive olive trees, the gardens reflect the attributes and restrictions presented by the terrain and the Mediterranean climate. There are tailored lawns and beds around the houses, and wilder grassland and woodland areas on the outskirts. You can also explore the shady bamboo garden, the prairie style garden and woodland walk.

Later, we take a tour of a perfumery factory with a guide, trained by a professional perfume maker, and have the chance to learn all about the history of the industry. After exploring the manufacturing techniques and the history of perfumes, we test our noses with an olfactory game at the end of the tour.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

We conclude in the glamourous surroundings of Monte Carlo, playground of the rich and famous. Here we visit the Jardin Exotique de Monaco, which re-opened in 2025 after a period of renovation. It's origins date back to the late 19th century when Augustin Gastaud, then Head Gardener of the Saint-Martin gardens, planted his collection of succulent plants and attracted the attention of Prince Albert I, who decided to dedicated a garden in the principality to these plants. The plants in this garden are native to various dry areas across the globe, from the Southwest of the United States to Central and South America, where mainly cacti and agaves are represented to regional succulent species found in Southern and Eastern Africa to the Arabian Peninsula. The garden is built into the cliffside and affords spectacular views over Monaco.

Later, we transfer to Nice airport where our tour ends.