Shopping on the Côte d’Azur is, for many people, an integral part of their stay on the French Riviera. It is not surprising because many French high fashion brands have flag stores to entice international visitors to South France. In Monaco, Nice and Cannes, you will find almost all top brands such as Dior, Christiane Lacroix, Dolce & Gabbana, Versace, and many others.

Shopping is, therefore, a severe way of spending your holidays. Between Nice and Cannes are two XL shopping malls, both fighting for the attention of the tourist that gladly spends a few hundred euros on fashionable goods. The CAP 3000 is, for many, the largest shopping mall, but since 2015 Cagnes sur Mer has offered a pleasant alternative; Polygone Riviera. It’s different to choose one only; the best is to visit them both as they both are very different in style and ambience.

CAP 3000

The CAP 3000 shopping centre was launched in 1969 and is located by the sea. They did nothing with that seafront for a long time: the back side was almost closed and the official entrances were divided over an immense car park. In 2014, plans were announced for a new competitor in Cagnes-sur-Mer; Polygone Riviera. Barely ten kilometres away and full of ambition.

Since then, CAP 3000 has been working hard to avoid losing the battle for acquisitive tourist and the local public. At first, a new parking garage appeared to solve the long-term lack of parking problem. Meanwhile, work on the exterior started to create an extension.

New ceilings, new floors and a mega-sized digital screen in the middle of the hall make the whole thing very impressive. The new CAP 3000 is a super design shopping centre with 85,000 square meters. Exactly 10,000 square meters more than competitor Polygone, which has already announced that it will build a new zone with a further 25,000 meters of shops. The builders will have enough work for the following years: Cap 3000 recently announced another 50.000 square meters of shopping fun. And the seaside is now a lovely foodies area with large terraces. The result is that you might be confused when you drive towards Nice from Cannes. Many look at the mega parking floors and think this is the airport! Especially at night, you can be fooled;-)

Lunch or dinner by the sea

By opening up the rear side, the CAP has an additional trump card with funky, new restaurants with sea views. The parking problem has been solved; capacity has more than doubled, so more people can be received simultaneously. The CAP 3000 is everybody’s favourite because of the air conditioning during hot summer days.

Apple Genius Bar

Interesting to visit; the most significant trigger, of course, is Galerie Lafayette. This Parisian department store takes up almost half of the CAP 3000 and is a shopping centre on its own. Another magnet is the Apple store, which features a Genius bar, so you are welcome for repairs, training or advice early in the morning. Another unique feature is the Monprpix supermarket; open all day with a large choice of quality food and traiteur.

Polygone Riviera

In the field of complete luxury shopping malls, there are two most active and innovative in the battle for the tourist. In Saint Laurent du Var (near Nice) the CAP 3000 and Cagnes sur Mer offers you since 2015 Polygone Riviera. Both are impressionable shopping malls and have several extras that make them almost incomparable. According to the centres, the number of square meters of shopping space counts. But for spoiled shoppers, it’s more than that: it’s also about ambience and style. But that’s so personal, so we’ve made an overview for you to choose from!

Polygone Riviera

Polygone Riviera is located on the ‘pungent’; long access road from Vence to Cagnes-sur-Mer, towards the sea. Long has this been a soulless wasteland, with finally a new Casino in 2012. Then the concrete train started to roll; many square meters were concreted into shops and plazas. Within three years, a shopping mall in the US-Florida style emerged. About 70,000 square meters offer more than 150 brands, divided into four zones. Polygone Riviera was the “Biggest shopping mall in Europe” for a while, but that title has been handed over to CAP 3000 (read further!).

Entertainment Shopping

The concept of Polygone Riviera can best be translated into ‘shopping entertainment. After you have parked underground or have used the ‘valet’ service, you enter the ‘theme park’ via the escalators. You will be surprised by that Disneyland feeling. There’s a happy atmosphere because you are partly outside and partly covered shopping. There is (live) music, and terraces at French or Italian-style cafés invite you to a delicious Café Latte. Polygon has no long galleries with stores CAP 3000 but serves a mix of cosy restaurants interspersed with varied shops. While CAP 3000 offers much of the same kind of fashionable shops, Polygone has opted for diversity in supply. Polygone has a pond, water fountains and fresh air, but on very hot days, you stay longer ‘fresh’ in CAP 3000. And if it rains,  large glass panels are provided as a roof, but you might want to use the free umbrellas.

The concept of Polygon Riviera is divided into four areas;

Le Quartier des Saveurs

The trendsetting place for anyone who loves good Mediterranean food. You will find more than twenty great restaurants in the Dining Plaza at reasonable prices. The local audiences and tourists provide a crucible which carries a lively atmosphere and delicious smells of grilled meat and fish.

Le Quartier des Aracades

This is a prominent square Italian example with shopping arcades located under high arches. More than seventy shops, trendy shops like Massimo Duti or Cos and new iconic brands like Tesla Cars. It’s also home to the prestigious Printemps department store.

La Promenade des Palmiers

A broad area with more than 40 boutiques ranging from Zara, H & M, Levi’s to Superdry. Also, Forever 21 is finally here. French fans had this go to Paris to buy something fashionable for a small price. And of course, Primark is here; the first on the Cote d’Azur and already the most popular store.

On the Promenade des Palmiers is also room for entertainment, with a casino that offers many shows and a movie theatre that is larger than you expect from the outside. Ten cinemas with a ‘state of the art’ sound system show both French and VO (Original Version) movies. A wonderful day full of variety of shopping or just plain fun for a night out, that’s Polygone Riviera.

Designers Gallery

This angle design mixes with culture. A selection of over twenty exclusive brands, exclusive and trendy as By Collette. There is great attention to art and culture. Not only art in the Designers Gallery; in Polygone Riviera, you encounter striking artworks by French and international artists such as Ben, Céleste Boursier-Mougenot, Daniel Buren, Cesar, Pablo Reinoso and Wang Du. There are also temporary exhibitions in cooperation with local museums.

Polygone Riviera is a so-called four-star shopping mall. That means Polygone has to deliver an outstanding service. Such as easy access for all, clear signage, trained staff that speaks three languages and many free services such as Wi-Fi, a free App, a Playzone for smaller children and a free reading room where you can also charge your phone.

Shops Polygone Riviera

All stores are open Monday to Saturday: 10:00 to 21:0

Shops open on Sunday from 11:00 to 19:00

1.2.3. / ANIMA Athletica / BERSHKA / BIALETTI / BOBBI BROWN / BOTANIC / BROOKS BROTHERS / BY COLETTE / CALVIN KLEIN UNDERWEAR / Calzedonia / CAP’CINEMA / CARNET DE VOL / CLAIRE’S / COLUMBUS CAFE / ELEVEN PARIS / EMILIE’S COOKIES & COFFEE SHOP / ETAM / GRAND PLAYGROUND / HAVAIANAS / SEVEN HERO / HISTOIRE D’OR / Hylton / JD SPORTS / JEFF DE BRUGES / Jonak / Jott / KIKO MILANO / LA FEE Maraboutée / LA GRANDE RECRE / LA LANGERIE / LACOSTE / LE SLIP FRANÇAIS / LE TANNEUR / LUSH / Massimo Dutti / MAUBOUSSIN / NIKE / NUE 19:04 / Okaidi / PULL & BEAR / POINT ROMA / pylones / REISS / SAMSONITE / SEPHORA / SKECHERS / SOLARIS / STORY / Suncoo / SUPERDRY / SWATCH / THE NORTH FACE / TIGER / TIMBERLAND / TOUS MES BIJOUX / UNDIZ / VAN’S / YVES ROCHER / ZARA / ZARA HOME

Restaurants

Monday to Sunday 7/7 10:00 to 00:00

Cinema film line

POLYGONE RIVIERA

119 AVENUE DES ALPES 06800 CAGNES SUR MER

Summarizing

Polygone Riviera and CAP 3000 are worth a visit and can be seen as complementary in major brands such as Fnac vs Apple or Lafayette vs Printemps. Locals frequently navigate to the CAP when it rains or when it is too hot to shop. Polygone is beside a shopping centre and also a nice place to go out with friends. The CAP 3000 has less variation in terms of supply, like three sports shops next to each other, but makes this up with the luxurious ambience and its location by the sea. Let us know what you think about these two largest shopping malls in the South of France!