Do you know these words related to the French Riviera?
The stunning French Riviera attracts many million tourists per year, with its pleasant climate, beautiful scenery, delightful Mediterranean, and lovely cities.
A famous quote about the French Riviera is that once you go here, you always tend to return. And that’s true for a lot of people.
But with the French Riviera being located in France, it means that the language that is spoken is French. With many Frenchmen not being the brightest in English, communicating can sometimes be a challenge, but most of the time, you’ll manage just fine.
While you don’t need to learn to speak fluently, it is very helpful to learn some words related to the French Riviera before you go.
In this post, we won’t be focusing on too many common French words (even though some will be listed), but instead, we’ll be listing words related to the French Riviera which are commonly used, and which you’ll often face if you visit the French Riviera.
Knowing these words related to the French Riviera will allow you to more easily get around, navigate, understand your surroundings, and maybe even communicate.
Here are Words Related to The French Riviera You Should Know About:
The Mediterranean
The Mediterranean is the sea which the French Riviera is located right next to.
Mediterranean as a word can be used to refer to the countries that are boarding the Mediterranean sea, and therefore, you can sometimes hear people talk about Mediterranean to talk about the area around the Mediterranean sea, which includes the French Riviera.
In French, Mediterranean is méditerranéen, and Mediterranean sea translates to mer Méditerranéen
Riviera
Among the words related to The French Riviera, this is probably the most important one. After all, you should know the meaning of the location you are at.
Riviera is “a coastal region with a subtropical climate and vegetation.”
Since the area next to the mediterranean sea in the south of France and south of Italy are referred to as The French Riviera and Italian Riviera, the whole area next to the Mediterranean sea is often just referred to as “Riviera”.
As per Wikipedia, Riviera is”part of the Mediterranean coastal region of southern France and northern Italy, extending from Cannes to La Spezia, famous for its beauty, mild climate, and fashionable resorts.
When people say French Riviera, you know that they refer to the French part of the Riviera, and when they say Italian Riviera, they talk about the Italian part of it.
The word Riviera translated into Italian is la Riviera, and Riviera in French is most often referred to as la Côte d’Azur.
 Villa
A villa is a detached house, and these villas can be found throughout the Riviera.
There are lots of villas that have been turned into museums or exhibitions which you can visit.
Côte d’Azur
Among the words related to the French Riviera, this is one which you’re going to hear and see a lot if you visit.
The literal translation of Côte d’Azur is Coast of Azure and refers to the Mediterranean coastline in the southeast of France, including Monaco.
Var
Another of the words related to the French Riviera which you’ll hear quite often is Var.
This refers to the Var department which is a department located in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region, which obviously is located at the French Riviera. The word/name comes from the river which was named Var, which you could find flowing along the eastern boundary. The boundary was, however, moved in 1860.
Parisian
Not the most difficult word to guess, but it refers to a person who is from Paris. Many Frenchmen who live in Paris often have the French Riviera as their go-to place in the summer and to spend their vacations.
Provence
Provence is yet another of the words related to the French Riviera which you’ll hear a lot.
Provence is a geographical region located in southeastern France and is a historical province. Provence stretches from the left bank, lower Rhône River all the way to the west to the Italian border. The Provence area meets the Mediterranean sea to the south.
The Romans first made this region into a province under Roman rulership, which then stretched beyond the Alps. The province was then called Provincia Romana, which then lead to it becoming Provence.
Chateau
Chateau is a French word and describes a large French Country house or castle. Normally, a chateau is a castle. Generally, chateaus are quite large. Moreover, the name of the chateau often gives name to the wine that is made in the neighbourhood, but this also demands wine to be made in the neighborhood.
Alpes-Maritimes
Alpes-Maritimes is a department at and around the French Riviera which partly includes the Côte d’Azur. Moreover, it is a department located in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region.
The Alpes-Maritimes department has an area of 4,299 km².
It includes 2 Arrondissements and 163 communes.
 Occitan
Occitan is a language spoken in South of France, including Italy’s Occitan Valleys, Monaco, and parts of Spain. The regions speaking Occitane as sometimes referred to as Occitania.
Today, Occitan is an official language in Catalonia,
Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur
This is an administrative region of France and is one of the 18 administrative regions of France.
Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur is more or less coterminous with the province of Provence, which was the previous territory and boundaries.
As of 2012, there were 4,935,576 people living in the region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur. The area includes six departments located in south-eastern France.
