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For five years, I had the privilege of capturing the Riviera through my lens and walking the most stunning coastal trails of the Mediterranean. From Nice’s old town to the hidden coves of Villefranche-sur-Mer, from the heights of Mont-Boron to the peninsula of Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, every step was a discovery.

Today, I’m reopening the archives of this wonderful adventure. Back when I worked as a tour guide, I used to offer my hikers an intangible gift: retouched photos sent by email, to freeze those shared moments forever. This album is their story, and a little bit of mine as well.

A playground between the sea and the mountains

All the photos in this album were taken in places I knew like the back of my hand. Mont-Boron in Nice, for instance, offers a stunning view over the Bay of Angels. It’s an ideal starting point for a hike, as it lets you discover Nice from a different angle, far from the city centre’s hustle and bustle. The trails are steep, but the reward is absolutely worth it: a breathtaking view of the Mediterranean.

As you make your way back down to the coast, you reach Villefranche-sur-Mer, a village with colourful facades stretching along the harbour. Its narrow streets, typical stairways and famous Plage des Marinières make it an unmissable spot. I particularly loved stopping there with my clients for a swim break or simply to admire the contrast between the deep blue of the sea and the ochre-yellow of the houses.

Finally, the Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat peninsula is undoubtedly one of the wildest and best-preserved places on the Côte d’Azur. Surrounded by crystal-clear waters, it boasts coastal paths lined with umbrella pines and luxurious villas. It’s a true haven of peace, just a few kilometres away from the hustle and bustle of Nice.

I’ll surely have the chance to write more detailed articles about each of these villages, because they truly deserve to be explored in depth. Their stories, legends and landscapes are treasures I can’t wait to share.

The hikers’ smiles and the guide’s soul

Behind every photo in this album, there’s a story. You can see the joy on my former clients’ faces, their wonderstruck expressions in magical places. Some came from the United States, others from Germany or Japan. They all left with a unique souvenir: retouched photos that I would email them after the hike.

I’d had this habit from the very start. I felt it was a wonderful way to prolong the experience, to give them a tangible keepsake of their time on the Riviera. Today, as I look through these files again, I realise just how fortunate I was to meet so many different people. Their smiles, their laughter, their awe at a sunset or turquoise water… all of it is captured in these Riviera in pictures images.

I appear in a few of the photos myself. Since I did this job for five years, thousands of images are lying dormant on my computer. I wanted to dust them off and bring them together in a video, to give them a new lease of life. There will certainly be more to come, because my hard drives are still overflowing with them. Who knows—maybe some of my former clients will even spot their own smile in one of these photos!

The guide’s must-have Pan-bagnat

A good guide doesn’t live on scenery alone—good food is just as important! In one of the photos, you’ll see the picnic I carefully prepared every morning: the famous Pan-bagnat. This Niçois speciality, a « sandwich » take on salade niçoise, was my go-to for recharging my hikers’ batteries by the sea. If the recipe tempts you, it’s available on the site—because cooking is my first passion, even before hiking!

Riviera in pictures : The pan-bagnat (Nice picnic)

In one of them, you can also see the picnic that I offered to my customers. I prepared a Pan-bagnat in the morning, before going hiking. I remind you that the Pan-bagnat is a Nice specialty which consists of bringing on a picnic, a little salad from Nice. The recipe is present on the site with many others recettes de cuisine because I also really like cooking.

Riviera in pictures is first and foremost a human adventure

These years as a guide were filled with meaningful encounters. I had the chance to shoot a promotional video with a platform that was thriving back then. Although the ups and downs of the digital world eventually put an end to that partnership, I still treasure the memory of the human connections we made—as you can see through the happy faces in these thirty or so photos.

These Riviera in pictures memories had been lying dormant on my hard drive for far too long. I felt it was time to bring them back to life, to weave them into a video montage and give them a second chance.

What about you—what’s your most treasured hiking memory on the Côte d’Azur?

Dive into the album on my YouTube channel and let the azur beauty of the Riviera sweep you away. And don’t forget to share this visual journey with those around you: Riviera in pictures.