Fodors Travel (Firm) - Fodors Provence & the French Riviera

If youre used to the hustle and bustle of Paris, the Mediterranean mind-set in Provence and the French Riviera may come as a welcome surprise. Daily life here revolves around the weather, people walk without purpose, businesses still close for a leisurely lunch (or for the entire winter), and a big city like Nice has a population just shy of 350,000. The region is still moving forward into the 21st century, but dont be surprised if you cant get a strong Wi-Fi signal from your perched medieval village; 16th-century buildings just werent designed with that technology in mind.

The local political climate can be summed up in one word: immigration. Neighboring Italy saw 50,000 migrants arriving by boat in the first half of 2015, making it hard not to notice those who manage to get past the Ventimiglia border into Menton, France. Eritreans, Syrians, and Somalians are often living on the beach or camped out at train stations, especially in main towns like Nice, which can take them north to their probable destination: England via Calais. The Provence-Cote-dAzur region, otherwise known as PACA, has always leaned heavily to the right politically, but between its 11.6% unemployment rate, ranking of the fourth poorest zone in France (17% of the population live off 990 a month), and a deeply divided growing migrant crisis, the extreme-right, anti-immigration, anti-gay National Front (FN) is picking up momentum. An unprecedented 11 FN party members were elected mayor in 2014, including David Rachline in Frjus, who made headlines when he told local artists to give free workshops to schoolchildren or lose their subsidized studios. In Nice, Marion Marchal-Le Pen, the 26-year-old granddaughter of the FNs founder Jean-Marie Le Pen, swept the first round of regional elections in December 2015, only to be slightly edged out in the second round by Nice Mayor Christian Estrosi, head of Les Rpublicains (Nicolas Sarkozys rebranded right-wing party). Still, this was seen as a monumental victory for the girl wonder of the extreme-Right and with Nices popular mayor stepping down after 8 years to take over as President of the PACA region in March 2016, locals are left wondering whether his replacement will be able to hold the line.

The rule of thumb, according to locals, is that American trends come to Provence and the rest of France about 10 years later than the rest of the world. Take fast food: while obesity rates in France are less than 10% of the population (compared to 33% stateside), the French are in fact the second biggest consumers of Big Macs outside of the United States and sales at fast-food chains now beat out traditional restaurants. These days the French spend less than 30 minutes eating the average meal (down from 1 hour and 20 minutes in 1975), and even daily bread consumption has fallen from a whole baguette per person 30 years ago to half that in 2012. Conversely, Frances sales of gluten-free breads tripled over the last five years while trendy vegan cafs and organic shops keep popping up along the coast. One thing you still wont see in the south of France is people eating on-the-go; civility still rules when it comes to sitting down for a meal, however quick.

For those who want to come across as a veritable native, ditch the touristy name French Riviera in favor of Cte dAzur, a phrase coined by Stphen Ligeard in 1887, as pronunciation en franais is what truly distinguishes American visitors from other nationalities. For example, when Americans say Cannes, the city of the famous international film festival, it comes across as Cans, but in French the s at the end of a word is silent. Ditto for Antibes, Picassos adopted town east of Can-ne. For the most part youll find most waiters and shopkeepers will grunt a few reassuring words in English, but if you want to buy a train ticket from a station machine there is no language option, so its all in French. If all else fails, iSpeak French or a free language app is just one touch away on your tablet or smartphone. Luckily, there are several local English-language media outlets available: Riviera Radio 106.5 from Monaco broadcasts news, weather, and traffic while the free Riviera Reporter magazine can be downloaded to your iPad or picked up at the three English-language bookstores in Antibes, Cannes, and Valbonne.

Although many local traditions are falling by the wayside, caf culture is very much alive in the south of France. You will not see the French sipping from an insulated mug in their car or on the bus. Most stop by their local haunt for an unhurried caf (espresso), which they enjoy sitting or standing at the bar, sipping every last caffeinated drop. So what to order? Order a petit caf, or un express, and a tiny shot of coffee will be placed before you. If you prefer to keep your eyes in their sockets, try a caf amricain (also known as a caf allong ), which is that same espresso diluted with more water and put in a bigger cup. Sugar will always be served on your saucer, but youll need to ask for milk. Dairy options are limited: dont even bother figuring out low-fat or no-fat lingo because even if your waiter nods yes, youll almost certainly still be getting whole milk. For the lactose intolerant, there are only a few places in Nice that serve soy milk, including Caf March in Nice, Loving Hut in Menton, or Starbucks in Monaco; Starbucks will open at Nice airport in 2017. One last piece of coffee advice: its only tourists who order their evening coffee at the same time as desserteveryone else orders it afterward.