The observant airplane passenger approaching Nice airport from the west has the perfect opportunity to grasp it all in one glimpse. The spectacular Mediterranian Alpes in the background; the coastal highway leading towards Marseille and Aix-en-Provence; the well known beaches of Cannes and
Juan-les-Pins; the old fortress of Antibes and the surrounding yacht harbor with turquose waters said to be the biggest in the world; the small fishing boats outside Cagnes-sur-Mer…

Between the sea and the mountain ridge you see some green undulating hills. On the hillsides buildings bask in the sun - all of them facing the Mediteranean sea. Those hills form the Sophia Antipolis science park.

Well on the ground it is normally a matter of minutes before you sit in your hired car outside the airport. Just turn through the tunnel at the airport exit and follow the A8 signs and soon you are on the Autoroute heading west. After 20 minutes of driving you pay your toll and if you follow the signs at Antibes/Sophia Antipolis you'll be driving on the bending, narrow roads in Sophia Antipolis, less than an hour since you saw it from the airplane.