Based on true experiences
In an increasingly busy world, the need for breathing space and a real vacation is certainly not diminishing. Be it an extended weekend or the long-awaited summer vacation.

Imagine this: You’ve finally arranged a long weekend for you and your girlfriend. The essentials have been arranged in advance: the journey to the destination is planned and the accommodation is sorted. But what are you going to experience? Let’s Google or buy “Going to…”. Many people probably start with Google these days – at least I did.

The trip that started cityxee.com
I had arranged a long weekend to Tourettes-sur-Loup on the Côte d’Azur, which I had heard so much about from a couple of friends who travel a lot in the South of France.

Finally the day arrived. With a flight from Copenhagen to Nice and a taxi from the airport, we arrived. I had promised my girlfriend that I would take care of the trip so she could just enjoy it and relax completely.

Incredibly stressful prelude
I had had an incredibly stressful time at work in the weeks leading up to the trip, so I had just as much need to just relax and float in a deck chair under the southern sun. But we had to experience something. However, I had decided from home that time should not be spent on too much transportation, so good experiences near Tourettes-sur-Loup would be preferred.

Now it was time to surf
Well installed at the hotel and then directly under a parasol by the swimming pool together with a petite café and my iPad and my mobile. Now it was time to Google and find our upcoming experiences.

Frustration set in
Already after 10-15 minutes, a creeping irritation had begun to set in. It was incredibly difficult to get a sensible overview. I started my search in English – thinking that I would probably get the best results – with “What to do in Tourettes-sur-Loup” and then the same approach for the nearby towns of Vence, Saint-Paul de Vence and Saint Jeannet.

There were a lot of hits with, for example, “10 things to do in Saint Jeannet, 15 things to do in Saint-Paul de Vence” etc. But on closer inspection, often only a few of the advertised experiences were in the city itself, the rest were far away. It doesn’t add up.

After half an hour, the frustration had grown quite high. Lots of messy and confusing sites. Many only in French and many were not optimized for viewing on a mobile phone at all.

The tourist office must be the solution
I made a fresh decision. A trip to the local tourist office, which is very central in the city. Surely that could help.

The tourist office was very accommodating and asked if I was looking for something specific. I was given a number of leaflets and brochures, which I brought back to the hotel to immerse myself a little further and try to get an overview.

I wanted to make the right choices, not waste time and not miss out on the experiences that were right for us. It helped a little, but not enough. A large selection of brochures. Some in English, some in French, but still difficult to get an overview.

To cut a long story short, this frustrating experience was the starting point for what is now called cityxee (see city). A travel site for the Côte d’Azur, where it has hopefully become simple and clear to see what each city has to offer in terms of experiences and, not least, what the nearby cities can offer in terms of experiences. And in a language that can be understood.

A chance meeting confirmed
One late July evening in 2020, I met a Dane, Steen Meedom, who lives permanently in Vence, by chance.

My boyfriend and I had to find a couple of free seats at the café in Vence, and when we were about to sit down, an older gentleman sitting right next to us said that it was at our own risk if we sat there. He was Danish and could understand what we were saying. He had quickly spotted that we were Danes and thought the right thing to do was to “warn” us. My comment was that it would be fine.

We started talking and at some point he asks: What do you do? When I told him what I was working on, he lit up and said – that’s a great idea. You’ll be successful with that! Thanks Steen – thanks for the support.

The site is now live and I hope you find it inspiring and want to immerse yourself in all the cities’ exciting experiences and cultural treasures. And last but not least – recommend the site to your friends.

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Have a great time!

By Tommy Sverre / 2021