14/09/2026
🌿 BIOT: THE VILLAGE I USED TO WALK TO
Some places you discover on holiday.
Others quietly become part of your life.
For me, Biot is one of those places.
I once lived on a golf course very close to the village, and I could walk into Biot. It wasn't somewhere we went for a special outing. It was simply part of our lives.
There was Café Brun, where friends would sometimes take out their acoustic guitars in the evening. Nothing organised or elaborate — just good friends, a drink, music and a summer evening.
And then there was Les Arcades, where my family used to go for dinner. The restaurant is still there today, with its art gallery underneath, and it remains one of those places that has managed to keep its charm without becoming overly formal or expensive.
Those are the things I remember about Biot.
Not just the beautiful stone streets or the views.
The feeling of being there.
Biot is small, artistic and unmistakably French. It is close to the coast, Sophia Antipolis, Antibes and Nice, yet once you're back in the village, everything feels a little slower.
And that's part of what makes it so appealing as a place to live.
🏡 Village houses and character properties.
🌿 Villas surrounded by greenery.
☀️ Gardens, terraces and swimming pools.
🎨 A remarkable glassmaking and artistic tradition.
🥖 A village with everyday life rather than simply a holiday season.
🌊 And the Mediterranean close enough for a spontaneous trip to the beach.
Biot is also very close to Valbonne — but don't assume they're interchangeable.
They may share the same beautiful hinterland, but they have developed very different personalities.
Valbonne has become particularly international, with a strong community of British, Dutch, Swedish and other residents from around the world.
Biot has retained more of its French character.
That difference is subtle, but once you spend time in both, you notice it.
And perhaps that's why choosing between them isn't really about which village is “better”.
It's about which one feels more like you.
I've always had a soft spot for Biot.
Maybe because I remember walking there.
Maybe because of those evenings at Café Brun.
Maybe because of family dinners at Les Arcades.
Or perhaps because some places simply become part of your story.
🏡 Discover Biot with Carlton International.
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Next, we cross the hills to Valbonne — another beautiful village, another personality, and another very different way of living the Riviera.