Summer on the French Riviera like F. Scott Fitzgerald
Left: A Riviera moment, seen from La Guérite, Center: Antibe's place Nationale, Right: Hôtel Belles Rives' private beach club.
In honor of The Great Gatsby’s 100th anniversary, here’s a love letter to some of the author’s favorite places and sources of inspiration on the Côte d’Azur.
In 1924, F. Scott Fitzgerald brought his wife, Zelda, and their daughter, Scottie, from Long Island, New York, to the South of France in search of inspiration. He certainly found it. On the sunbaked Côte d’Azur, between days at the beach and Champagne-drenched evenings, Fitzgerald finished The Great Gatsby, his third novel, which would become one of the Jazz Age’s most enduring works. Although it’s set in New York, the novel draws deep inspiration from the French Riviera; this year, on The Great Gatsby’s 100th anniversary, that tony slice of France’s Mediterranean coast remains as enticing as ever. For as much as the iconic region has changed over the years, it’s still possible to summer there à la the Fitzgeralds, visiting the couple’s original haunts, as well as newer places that evoke timeless Riviera vibes. You might just catch a lingering glimpse of Fitzgerald’s influence, like sunshine through a glass of rosé.
La Guérite's restaurant and beach club are a quick hop across the water from Cannes.
Where to Eat and Drink
Meals on the Côte d’Azur are an experience. One of the region’s most famous spots is La Colombe d’Or, a few miles inland from the coast in the twelfth-century medieval town of Saint-Paul-de-Vence, one of the Riviera’s oldest. Visitors love La Colombe, which has been open since 1920, for its lively terrace and impressive art collection; Scott and Zelda themselves spent long evenings here sipping Champagne beneath paintings by Matisse and Calder.
For seaside dining, ask your Virtuoso travel advisor to book lunch reservations at La Guérite, a restaurant and beach club on Île Sainte-Marguerite, accessible only via boat (15-minute ferries run frequently from both Cannes and Golfe-Juan, next to the village of Juan-les-Pins). La Guérite’s well-heeled patrons look like they were plucked from Jay Gatsby’s social circle, eating lobster as they watch the Riviera’s grandest yachts pull into the marina.
Come evening, the writerly thing to do would be to watch the sunset and pull out the typewriter. Instead, channel Jazz Age-era glamour in Monaco, about 12 miles east of Nice. Fitzgerald’s journal entries recall nights spent at the Casino de Monte-Carlo with Zelda. Next door, dinner at Le Louis XV – Alain Ducasse in the Hôtel de Paris Monte-Carlo evokes the 1920s, with servers pushing trolleys of Champagne and cheeses.
Nine gardens surround the Villa et Jardins Ephrussi de Rothschild.
What to Do and See
During the day, it’s all about soaking up the sunshine. The Fitzgeralds favored Ruhl Plage, a private club in Nice that’s been ushering guests to seaside daybeds since 1904. In Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, six miles east of Nice, the pale-pink Villa et Jardins Ephrussi de Rothschild, opened in 1912 by baroness Béatrice Ephrussi de Rothschild, is filled with her extensive collection of rare art and furniture. Its manicured gardens overlooking the Med are considered some of France’s most remarkable (it’s an ideal spot to pretend you’re one of Fitzgerald’s lovelorn antiheroes). In Antibes, a beloved antiques market on Thursdays and Saturdays on the place Nationale is a great place to pick up vintage souvenirs, while the nearby Picasso Museum, once the artist’s studio, bears testament to the French Riviera’s vast, diverse artistic history.
Hôtel Belles Rives is home to the Riviera's oldest water-skiing club, and guests can sign-up for lessons.
Where to Stay on the French Riviera
Located in one of the villas that F. Scott Fitzgerald and his family rented in Juan-les-Pins, the 43-room, art deco Hôtel Belles Rives still evokes 1920s mystique. Its picturesque jetty is one of the Riviera’s best spots for diving into the sea or watching the sailboats race by during June’s annual Voiles d’Antibes. The hotel’s aptly named Fitzgerald Bar is celebrating The Great Gatsby’s 100th anniversary with a lineup of live music. Virtuoso travelers receive breakfast daily, a $100 dining credit, and chairs on the property’s private beach.
When it opened in 1913, the belle epoque Carlton Cannes attracted jet-setters with its white-glove service and exclusive beach club. Over a century later – and thanks to a recent two-year renovation – the 332-room grande dame is still the center of the action. Virtuoso travelers receive breakfast daily and a $100 resort credit.
Though The Luxury Collection’s Hôtel du Couvent only debuted in 2024, the Fitzgeralds would have likely been drawn to the 88-room property like Jay Gatsby to a green light. Housed in a former convent in Nice, Couvent hosts three restaurants, Roman baths, and a local artisan market on Saturdays. Virtuoso travelers receive breakfast daily and a $100 resort credit.
While the Côte d’Azur has grown in popularity since its Gatsby era, travelers staying at the Grand-Hôtel du Cap-Ferrat, a 74-room Four Seasons retreat perched at the tip of the Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat peninsula, won’t hear a peep from the crowds. Its famous Club Dauphin pool showcases views from Nice to Monaco, and fine-dining Le Cap is home to some of the Riviera’s most coveted tables. AH Travels travelers receive breakfast daily and a $100 resort credit.
