Stretching from Toulon to the Italian border at Menton, the French Riviera is a breathtakingly beautiful region of southern France, offering a wide array of both cultural and recreational opportunities to students. Discovered by Greek sailors around 400BC, it has been popular over the years with the likes of Ernest Hemingway, Gertrude Stein, Coco Chanel, F Scott Fitzgerald and Pablo Picasso, who were all regular visitors. As a CEA student you will have the opportunity to explore many beautiful towns on the French Riviera.

CERAM-EAI is located in Sophia Antipolis, a modern Research and Technology Park which is sometimes referred to as the most international spot in all of France. The city hosts over 30,000 people from over 60 countries dedicated to research and development. Companies such as HP, IBM, Texas Instruments, Infineon Technologies, Cisco, Nortel Networks and Accenture are located here.

CEA students will live in comfortable apartments in Antibes-Juan-les-Pins, which is located on a magnificent 25km sweep of sandy beaches, between its more celebrated neighbours of Nice and Cannes. Antibes-Juan-les-Pins consists of the old town of Antibes and the modern resort of Juan-Les-Pins, separated by the Cap d’Antibes peninsula, a unique area of subtropical vegetation, which is a favorite haunt of joggers and rollerbladers. Antibes is a typical "provincial" town with a Provençal food market which is open every morning in the quaint old village. Restaurants and shops line the narrow streets. There are plenty of museums and galleries for students to enjoy. The town has five ports and boasts the largest yachting marina in Europe. Juan les Pins, on the other hand, has a busy nightlife and many fashionable bars and clubs which are very popular on the weekends with local students. Its sandy beaches are among the most popular in the region.

Major cities along the coast such as Marseille, Cannes, Nice and Monaco are easily accessible by train or bus. Nice is the largest city on the French Riviera, and France's fifth largest city, with a population of 343,000. It has a thriving artistic community, a historic old town and diverse ethnic neighborhoods. A city of great cultural importance, it has been home to many great artists such as Picasso, Chagall and Matisse. In Nice, there is an abundance of discos, outdoor cafes, theater, opera, museums, galleries and plenty of cultural activities for students to enjoy. Regular ferries sail from Nice to the island of Corsica.

Known throughout the world for its annual International Film Festival, where movie stars and other celebrities meet, Cannes is probably the most glamorous spot on the French Riviera. With its charming old town and luxurious sea front, it is also a holiday playground of the rich and famous, so don’t be surprised if you bump into the Hugh Grants or the Brad Pitts of this world when you visit! Off the coast of Cannes, the Lerins Islands are popular with windsurfing and snorkeling enthusiasts, and the trails of the Esterel Mountains behind Cannes, boast the best mountain bike trails France has to offer.