Mandelieu-la-Napoule, French Riviera, France
Mandelieu-La Napoule (located near Cannes) is a seaside resort on the French Riviera with a rich history. In the town you can also visit the Château (castle) de la Napoule. The castle was constructed in the 14th century by the Countess of Villeneuve. The castle is surrounded with a beautiful garden and offers wonderful views of the Mandelieu bay.
If you love castles and fairy tales, you will get lost in you imagination of this magic place. Beautiful love story is behind this interesting castle. Two American artists created their very special place to work, love and live. Henri and Marie were defintely out of the ordinary and made their dreams come true.
Parking in Mandelieu-La Napoule
You can simply leave your car in large parking lot in front of Mandelieu Royal Casino (P; GPS: 43.530033, 6.946839).
Strolling the town
After parking the car you may go to the right, to the town's center. You cross the bridge over the river Riou de l'Argentiere. On the right side you pass the hotel L'Ermitage du Riou, and on the left you can see the marina. You can cross the street and then go the wide promenade towards the castle. At the promenade there are restaurants that you can visit to satisfy your hunger. The so-called "dish of the day" is often as good as dish "à la carte", while up to two times cheaper.
Entrance to the castle leads through the imposing gate (A; GPS: 43.523850, 6.941983). The castle is open between February and November from 10:00AM to 6:00PM. The guided tours begin at 11:30AM, 2:30PM, 3:30PM and 4:30PM. The price: 6€ per person. The tour is only in French, but we think it's still worth taking a look.
If you want, you can of course take advantage of the beautiful sandy beaches at the port (Plage Dolce Farniente) (B; GPS: 43.523950, 6.943499) or behind the castle (Plage de la Raguette) (C; GPS: 43.521753, 6.941802). Especially the latter one is recommended for people who like to snorkel.
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