9 French Riviera Drone Videos Worth Watching

My contribution to this month’s #AllaboutFrance blog link up hosted by Lou Messugo features some great drone videos of locations across the French Riviera.

I have a small obsession with drone videos for tourism as I believe they can really enhance a destination’s appeal and I’m the first to admit I have lost far too many hours watching various global footage on Travel by Drone.

Drones in Tourism

A while ago I wrote a dedicated blog post about Drones in Tourism and since then I have seen a huge increase in destinational videos from both amateurs and certified drone pilots, and the drone sector is now taking the marketing efforts away from the sole direction of tourism boards and into the hands – or controls – of the public.

Drone videos have the ability to take a vertical and horizontal snapshot of a location, festival or event and I have a particular interest in the usefulness of them for persons who have restricted mobility because they often show the topography and layout of a location or city (e.g. geographical slope, placement of stairs, etc) which is so often omitted from tourist brochures or websites.

Drone videos have had a solid uptake across many other industries (such as construction, real estate and military) and adventure sports have seen a colossal regeneration in interest with the likes of Red Bull quickly capturing viewer’s attention with adrenaline-racing footage of mountain biking, extreme skiing and surfing. It is an easy way for companies to spread their brand with expertly filmed videos being shared across social media.

My main gripe with drone videos is the accompanying soundtracks – many videos are accompanied with terrible music!

Here are 9 French Riviera Drone Videos Worth Watching:

1. This superb drone video highlights Menton and the beautiful Basilique Saint-Michel with the bell tower and you can see the parvis made of pebbles based on the design of the Grimaldi coat of arms (Video credit: Drone de regard / Vincent Jacques)

2.  This video includes some of my favourite places on the French Riviera including Lac St Cassien, the Esterel coastline and Antibes Old Town (Video credit: Jamie White):

3. This video offers a superb virtual tour of the gardens and surrounds at the beautiful Villa Ephrussi de Rothchild on the Saint Jean Cap Ferrat peninsula. If you want to visit the Villa, read my blog post with tips for visiting Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild (Video credit: Drone in Nice)

4. This video showcases some of the lovely villages and picturesque scenery in the Roya Valley including the Fort Central and La Brigue (Video credit: Drone de regard / Vincent Jacques)

5.   Monaco highlights slotted into 5 minutes 51 seconds of drone footage including the Monaco Cathedral, Palais Square, Monaco Oceanarium, fly-over of Larvotto beach, Casino Square, Grand Prix highlights, Jardin Exotique, Monte-Carlo Golf Club and more. (Video credit: Team Nanopirate)

6. Turn down the volume (personally I find the soundtrack distracting), then enjoy this excellent drone video with highlights of Cannes, Mandelieu La Napoule and the Esterels including Cap du Dramont and L’île d’Or (Video credit: Team Nanopirate)

7. This video is a nice overview of Tende and surrounds including the Chapelle Saint-Saveur (Video credit: Drone de regard / Vincent Jacques)

8.  A superb drone video by the Droning Dutchman with aerial shots of the Ésterels, Île d’Or, Fréjus and Saint Raphael.

9.   This is one of my favourite drone videos of our beautiful region, mainly because it includes footage of many locations near where I live and I love the choice of soundtrack.  No explanation needed, just enjoy it and understand why I feel lucky to live here (Video credit:  Thomas Hubener/UBNR)

Which drone video above is your favourite? And why?