Les meilleurs endroits pour faire du shopping

La Côte d'Azur is an international destination for shopaholics. It has a plethora of malls and markets, both indie and designer boutiques, jaw-droppingly expensive bags, hand-made one-offs, flea and food markets, et huge shopping sale events.

High-heeled beauties and tanned locals alike buy their food and drink from colorful market stalls, then head on to these shops, jus-presse or espresso in hand. As these savvy shoppers know, whatever your shopping passion is, you’ll find the cream of the crop in the French Riviera.

Shopping on the French Riviera requires some local knowledge to find the best boutiques and sales. If you come prepared you’ll find plenty of unique items on the French Riviera that you can’t get in other places. Here are the best places to get your shop on:

Shop the Streets of Cannes

Our favorite city for shopping is Cannes, because of the outdoor setting, the sheer number of stores, and the mix of both cool indie fashion labels, mid-range aspirational brands, and high-end fashion houses. A true slice of Parisian elegance and opulence on the Côte d’Azur, Cannes keeps in well-heeled step with the most sought after high-end retail shopping districts in the world.

The compact center of town makes it perfect for a short stopover, as you can take in all the most prestigious shopping precincts within an entirely walkable area. So serious are they about their luxury retail culture that Cannes dedicates an entire festival to it every year, in spring – with four fashion filled days of haute couture shows, entertainment and a slew of other related events. The ‘Cannes Shopping Festival’ is held every spring in March or April and the ‘Sales and the City’ shopping festival is held each January. Our calendrier des événements has all the details.

Discover Cannes’ unmistakable glamour and opulence through the city’s best places to shop: Check out our guide to shopping in Cannes.

Luxury Shopping in Monaco’s Shopping Centers

If you’re bound for Monaco in search of bargains, I’m going to have to disappoint you. True, there are a few ‘affordable’ shops in the Condamine/Port district. But key Monaco shops (mostly in Monte-Carlo’s Cercle d’Or district around Place du Casino) clothe, bejewel and otherwise complement the costliest bodies on the planet. Still, if you look hard enough you can find occasional deals. Check out our guide to shopping centers in Monaco.

French Flea Markets (Vide-Grenier)

Europe doesn’t do Garage Sales, preferring neighborhood flea markets, known as Vide-Greniers, which literally means “empty your attic”. Each village usually does one or two a year, spring and fall, and each family fills a table with all manner of fascinating finds, from the most hilarious junk to the most interesting antiques.

The prices at these bric-a-brac free-for-all’s are a fraction of the prices at weekly antique markets, and bargaining is the way to go… if you don’t speak French, start with ‘bonjour‘et un sourire, puis pointe et utilise la calculatrice de ton smartphone pour faire ton offre !

Vérifiez notre complete list of all French Riviera’s flea and antique markets.

Food, Flower, Artisan & Antique Markets

Les marchés dans les vieilles villes de la Côte d'Azur, c'est un peu le cœur battant de chaque endroit. C'est là où les gens du coin font leurs courses pour la journée et disent bonjour à leurs voisins, pendant que les touristes, curieux, jettent un œil sur la vie de tous les jours des locaux et essaient de s'imprégner de l'ambiance de la Riviera.

Those of you with a sweet of tooth will find the Côte d’Azur to be your kind of heaven. Nearly every town has its own specialty: candied fruits in Agréable, nougats in Vence, marrons glacés in Collobrières, orange-flavored chocolates called grimaldines en Cagnes, and creamy tartes tropéziennes in Saint-Trop.

That said, it’s important to know which markets are good, and which are mostly selling junk made in China. Check out our guide to the best French Riviera markets so you’ll know which markets to shop at for the specific items you want — and which to avoid.

Looking for sales? Check out our guide to the best yearly sale events on the French Riviera.