‘There’s something healing about winter in the Riviera’: low season in the south of France

This rail adventure takes in Nice, Cannes and its islands for a hit of warmth and glamour when the crowds have gone

‘It’s cold here in January,” says my guide, Michèle Caserta, as we stroll along Cannes seafront, where warm autumn sunshine sprays diamonds on the waves. “Maybe 15C?” She notices my raised eyebrow. “I’m Mediterranean: for me, that’s cold!”