In Vallauris you will find a local market, beautiful shade trees, a nationally recognized museum, and a small town with a very large number of local gift and artists' shops where you can buy traditional Provençal pottery, spices, olive wood accessories, linens, local perfumes, and many other regional gift ideas for friends and relatives. Many of these gift shops remain open year-round.

Plus, you'll find galleries for art and ceramics that represent some of the best in both regional and contemporary art. City officials have gone to great length to revive these traditional arts...and they've been very successful. For many of the regional specialty and gift items, such as lavender, herbs, perfume, etc. you'll easily pay much less in Vallauris, than anywhere else around the Côte d'Azur, particularly the perched hill-top towns, which are still wonderful places that we recommend driving up to in our daytrips section.

Vallauris, being at a greater height above Cannes, also enjoys a wonderful breeze that keeps it cooler in July and August. You'll also enjoy our adjacent sister community of Golfe-Juan, where Napoleon disembarked to head inland on the Route Napoleon, and his return to power. Golfe-Juan provides easy access to the Mediterranean with some delightful seafood restaurants, a very nice Marina, and a beautiful family oriented beach to avoid the jostling Cannes crowds.

Musée National - The Vallauris Picasso Museum has several works, most notably the monumental composition "La Guerre et la Paix" ("War and Peace"). After working in Antibes in 1946, Picasso settled in his Vallauris studio Le Fournas from 1948 to 1955 at Villa La Galloise, where he created many ceramic objects and paintings. The Museum is located adjacent to the shaded market (Place Paul Ismard) in the place de la Libération (tel. 04 93 64 16 05 or 04 93 64 98 05). Hours are 10:00 am to noon, and 2:00 pm to 6:30 pm daily, and closed on Tuesday.

War and Peace

The Picasso Museum has other original works of Picasso, as well as of Alberto Magnelli, a pioneer of abstract art.

The Museum also hosts the International Biennial of Ceramic Arts.

Shopping in Vallauris - Le Marché - A five minute walk from the apartment, there's a small daily Provençal flower and food market located at the Place Paul Ismard (also called "Place L'homme au Mouton") the town center. Here too, you'll also see Picasso's statue L'homme au Mouton (Man with a Sheep). Our market is conveniently adjacent to the National Museum, and numerous small streets to discover many of the artists' workshops - who work in ceramics, olivewood, glass and perfume essences. Vallauris has an unbelievable number of gift shops to choose items in ceramics, pottery, and olivewood. To find out more about markets throughout the area visit our section on shopping! In addition to being close to Cannes, Vallauris is also conveniently located to facilitate many other day trips to places elsewhere on the Riviera such as Eze, Gourdon, Grasse, Monaco, St. Paul de Vence, Saint-Raphaël, St. Tropez and many other places not far away.

Oysterplates.Com - Oyster plates from Vallauris. Over 200 oyster plates, platters, servers and sets. Also from other areas of France!

Vallauris - Pottery Gift Shop

Musée de la Poterie (Vallauris Pottery Museum). Patrimonie des Potiers de Vallauris, daily 9-7, Mi. Ribero, Rue Sicard, Vallauris (tel. 04 93 64 66 51). Vallauris has considerable fame for its ageless pottery industry. In 1947, Picasso's art settlement contributed greatly to the town's renown. Painter's such as Matisse, Miro, Chagall also practiced ceramics here.

Five minutes by foot, straight down the route de Cannes to Vallauris, Maison Giordano is a traditional family-owned shop operated by Claude Giordano, and his mother Madame Giordano in the town square called Place Jules-Lisnard. Not only a short walk, it's also conveniently enroute to the daily flower and vegetable market. If you need anything at all, simply stop in and look around, because you'll probably find what you're looking for in his store. If not, ask - and tell him you're visiting us at Residence Beauvallon.

He'll tell you all about the things to see and do in Vallauris, the movie stars who've been spotted around the area in Cannes, and particularly vintage British sports cars...especially his beloved mint condition TR-6!  And before you know it - you'll be enjoying a cup of coffee with him outside the traditional café - "Lou Pichinet" - directly across from his shop, which is also conveniently across from the Jean Marais Exposition and Museum - well worth a visit!

Click any photo to view full-size

Click any photo to view full-size

Les Vendanges
Espace Massier,
Av Pablo Picasso
F-06220 Vallauris
Tel. 04 93 63 68 80

At Les Vendanges wine shop, our dear friends Philippe and Marie-Line Lenard, will introduce you to the great variety of wonderful local and regional wines available in our area. Stop in and introduce yourself, and you'll learn all about - and sample - some of the best new seasonal wines that are available. Both are from the Ardennes - Philippe from Belgium (a beautiful country, but that's another story!) and Marie-Line from Northern France, and speak excellent English. They will introduce you to many of the local activities and goings-on in town, as well as down in Cannes. Philippe and Marie-Line can also direct you to some of the fine restaurants in the area. Plus - if you get there at just the right time, Philippe can tell you about the very best places to go to hunt truffles! Les Vendanges wine shop is just down the street on avenue Pablo Picasso in Vallauris. ...a votre santé!!

If you are interested in area real estate Bertrand Hardy of Immobilière Bertrand can help. It is close-by - directly around the corner from Les Vendanges - so stop in and chat. Monsieur Hardy, or any of his associates, can talk to you about your requirements, short- or long-term, and what our area has to offer. You can also email him. ORPI - Immobilière Bertrand; Espace Massier; 52, avenue Georges Clémenceau; F-06220 Vallauris. Tel. 04 93 634 560; Fax 04 93 631 598. Email: ibertrand@orpi.com

If you have an interest in the French game of Boules or Jeu de Petanque, then be sure to visit the factory outlet and museum La Maison de la Petanque at #1193 chemin de Saint-Bernard. This is at the top of the hill overlooking Vallauris enroute from the "A8" Autoroute. You can't miss the HUGE boule sitting in front of the building! The museum covers the history of the game, as well as the manufacture of the heavy steel playing balls in Vallauris. The General Manager/ Director of the museum and factory outlet is Franck Filiaggi, who may be reached at 04 93 64 11 36 (fax 04 93 64 38 41). The museum has a self-guided tour and you can purchase your own playing set of boules at a VERY affordable rate from a wide selection of styles, types, and brands on the premises, as well as all of the accessories. They also manufacture and sell Bocchi balls. There's a practice area, a fitting area...everything imaginable for the enthusiast of the game! See Petanque America.Com 

Vallauris

• Vallauris-Golfe-Juan Official Website

• Vallauris Police Department

• Vallauris Information (Unofficial)

• Weather

Art 

• Online Picasso Gallery

• Vallauris Artist in Residence (AIR) Program

• Vallauris Biennial of Ceramic Art