Located 7 km from Grasse, 9 km from Cannes and 28 km from Nice airport, Mouans-Sartoux is a very pleasant and dynamic village. On the one hand it has maintained its history and traditions with the past, while 2 km from the village centre it has a modern 32 hectares business park.

Extending across 1,352 hectares the commune flanks Châteauneuf-de-Grasse, Plascassier, Mougins, Cannes and Grasse. To date it has a population of 9,031 called by the delightful name of Mouansois.

Set back from the N85 main road that runs from Cannes to Grasse, the village centre has kept its traditional provençal feel. Similar to Valbonne, the village was built along the lines of a roman encampment (checker-board layout with narrow cobbled streets cut at right-angles) called “de Lérins”. Fortunately, the major part of this design has remained in its original state.

The streets are picturesque and lined with small shops, art galleries and restaurants. Many of the 17th and 18th century village houses have been restored and painted warm provençal tones of dusky pink, yellow ocre and lavender blue.

The village square, main road and its tributaries are lined with huge plane trees that offer excellent shade in summer. The village square also has a pretty 4-faucet fountain that dates back to 1894, and a “lavoir” dating back to 1730. Next to the Town Hall there is a 16th century chapel dedicated to St André. The bell tower was built in 1760.

During the summer masses of scrambling Bougainvillea and other pretty climbing plants burst into flower creating a riot of vibrant colour. French flags adorned the façades and pretty hanging baskets and large ceramic pots overflow with scented mediterranean plants and succulents - all lending an extra charm and warmth to the landscape.

Mouans-Sartoux is also well known for its magnificient three towered 16th century Château. Sited next to the Town Hall and 16th century chapel, it is an impressive building. The grounds are well manucured with gravel walkways leading you to the Château and the old riding stables that have been turned into a rural museum.

The Château itself now houses a permanent contemporary art centre and enjoys international renown. Inaugurated in 1990 the Albers-Honegger Constructive and Concrete Art collection has been on show ever since and is open all year round. In 1998 the Château opened an artistic educational workshop catering for young artists. Note that dogs are not supposed to be allowed anywhere in the Château’s grounds although we have seen some when festivals or fairs are held there.

The village and its immediate vicinity has over 120 shops - and with 1200 free parking places shopping or simply sight-seeing is that much more fun and pleasurable. A dynamic provencal market is held every Thursday morning on the main square, where fresh locally grown produce can be found. Get there early if you want to miss the crowds.

Away from the old village and off the main N85 is Casino, a large and well stocked supermarket. It has a large parking area and its own adjoining cafétéria, petrol pumps and car wash facilites. Opposite you’ll find a wonderful garden centre called Botanic with a wide range of top quality indoor and outdoor plants, home furnishings, animal care products and fishes (tropical and fresh water) on sale. There is also a small snack bar (closed on Monday) with adjoining seating arrangement making Botanic a tempting place to linger.

Although it celebrates each season with seasonal plants, it is at its best at Christmas time. Botanic then becomes Santa’s Grotto to perfection selling an absolutely wonderful selection of Christmas and New Year decorations.

Mouans-Sartoux also has a number of of banks (Banque Populaire de la Côte d’Azur, BNP Parisbas, Crédit Lyonnais and Société Général, to name a few). You’ll find ATMs outside most of them.

For those of you house hunting in the area, you find an abundant supply of estate agents (12 in fact) ranging from Agence des Bastions, Orpi, Lafôret, to Spot Immobilier. House prices can vary tremendously depending on size of house, its location and whether or not it has much land, a swimming pool - or both. The most “expensive” areas are Castellaras and Les Hauts de Plascassier. Located on the sunny south-facing slopes of Mouans-Sartoux, immense properties here are destined for the rich and famous.

But Mouans-Sartoux is a large commune and it is still possible to find decently priced provençal villas, apartments or village houses. A number of new apartment blocks and houses have been built recently and further building sites are being set up. You will also come across a number of “domaines” offering shared utilities (swimming pool, tennis courts, gym), maintenance and security. Note that Mouans-Sartoux is roughly a 12 minute drive from Sophia-Antipolis and is thus a much sought-after area for incoming expatriates working in this business park.

Mouans-Sartoux has many restaurants (15) spread around its commune; Le Bleu Lavande, La Gabbia and Le Relais de Sartoux are much appreciated, and with 5 hotels (Hotel de la Paix and Etap for example) you’re sure to find a pleasant place to stay. In addition the town also has a Media Library and Cinema (three theatres) complex. This is located in the town centre opposite the Tourist Board and Gendarmerie building.

Due to the influence of Mouans Sartoux’s dynamic mayor (André Aschieri) the old Cannes-Grasse-Nice railway line was re-opened after it had been shut down in the 1990s. Work commenced in May 2003 when they cleared away the old tracks, railway sleepers, stones and gravel along with the modernisation of existing stations (Grasse, Plan de Grasse, Ranguin, La Frayère, Bosquet and Cannes La Bocca) and creation of completely new ones. It was officially inaugurated on Saturday 26th March, 2005. The train line operates between Grasse and Cannes and Antibes, Nice, Monaco, Menton and Ventimiglia without changing. The French TER trains are modern double-deckers which, when sitting on the top deck, affords great views of the countryside. The trains have also helped to elevate the chronic traffic congestion that filed through Mouans-Sartoux on a daily basis.

The mayor (independent but supported by the Greens and Socialists) has also been equally instrumental from an environmental point of view. The village has dozens of recyclying points: huge plastic bins for paper, bottles, clothes and cardboard boxes. It also has the strictest dechetterie in the region.

Mouans-Sartoux also has many festivals and markets organized by the town’s Events committee. There has a host of fairs and festivities throughout the year such as the Flower Parade, Potter’s Fair, Honey Fête, giant Vide-Greniers, nd Marché Gourmand to mention just a few. 

Apart from its Fête de la Musique, perhaps the most well-known and now internationally recognized is the Festival du Livre (Festival of the Book) held each year in October. It attracts over 35,000 guests, 150 exhibitors, and 250 authors over a three-day period.

And for those of you keen on outdoor sports there is riding, tennis, volley-ball, hiking, archery, football, pétanque as well as a number of other sporting activities and clubs. Pétanque enthusiasts will be happy to know that Mouans-Sartoux takes this game seriously (as they do other sports). The boules courts are located next to the Media complex and shaded in summer by numerous plane trees.We have visited the village numerous times and, winter or summer alike, we’ve always noticed a group of enthusiasts played either “tête-à-tête”, “doublettes” or “triplettes”. There’s a tournament every Friday night and competitors can be found playing under floodlights until late.