After breakfast in our aparthotel we caught Bus 82 to the village of Eze which was included in our 7 day travel card, otherwise a €1.50 single fare. The journey took just 25 minutes and on leaving the bus it was then just a few minutes walk up to the village centre which dates back to medieval times. I recommend taking the bus rather than the train as you can then hike the trail downhill rather than having to contend with a steep ascent to the village.
We explored the narrow alleyways of this charming village perched over 400 m above sea level on a rocky hilltop overlooking the Mediterranean. It was quite sleepy on the morning of our visit so we were able to wander the lanes in peace whilst admiring their traditional stone fronted houses, many with pastel coloured wooden shutters.
Time has stood still here with its cobblestone streets and passageways adorned with traditional wrought iron lamps and old stone flower troughs. Cars are not permitted in the village centre so even on a busy day with lots of tourists around the centre will still have quite a tranquil feel.
Small shops, galleries, restaurants and artisan’s workshops are dotted around along with two luxury hotels. We paused to view the beautiful neoclassical church of Notre Dame de L’Assomption which was built in the 17th century standing on the ruins of an earlier temple. This was constructed under the command of the Duke of Savoy, Charles Emanuel III.
Two interesting attractions are located just outside of the historical village walls but neither were open at the time of our visit. The first of these are the perfume and soap factories of the famous Galimard and Fragonard companies whilst the second is the Jardin Exotique which is said to be magnificent not only for its array of exotic plants, cacti and succulents but also for its panoramic coastal views.
After completing our tour of the village it was time for our morning exercise so we followed a footpath along the Nietzsche Path which connects Eze village down to Eze-sur-Mer. The trail is named after the French philosopher who lived in the area in the 1880’s who regularly walked this route that was formerly a goat path. The trail is now officially known as Le Chemin de Nietzsche/ Nietzsche’s Path.
The footpath winds its way down the corniche and through a forested ravine. I recommend wearing a pair of sturdy walking shoes to avoid slipping as the trail is moderately difficult with several steep sections. In many places the stones and gravel underfoot were loose and slippery as the path has become badly eroded so care must be taken to avoid falling.
The walk took us slightly more than an hour as we paused several times to take photos of the scenic coast which comes into view from approximately half way down the trail. We only passed a handful of people on the way but the conditions were perfect for walking as it was cool and dry.
On reaching the main road in Eze-sur-Mer one can either take the train as the station is just across the road or alternatively board a bus. We chose the latter and only had to wait a few minutes for Bus 100 to arrive which took us the short distance to Beaulieu-sur-Mer.
Beaulieu is an upscale seaside resort 10 km from Nice which has remained largely unspoilt by tourism and frequented in the past by royalty and members of the aristocracy. The name of the town literally means ‘beautiful place’ and it most definitely lives up to its name enjoying a lovely position nestled in a crescent shaped bay sheltered by the rocky hillside behind. We started off by strolling through the attractive seafront gardens shaded by tall palm trees and awash with flowering violet bougainvillea.
There’s quite a large marina surrounded to one side by a cluster of restaurants and after admiring many of the yachts moored there we turned our attention to the seafront casino. This was designed by Gustavo Eiffel, world famous for his Eiffel Tower in Paris, who made Beaulieu his winter home.
The Belle Époque architecture continues into the centre of town where we stopped off for a much needed cup of coffee and pastry in one of the delightful cafes in Place Marinoni. After wandering along Beaulieu’s picturesque streets lined with small luxury shops we caught Bus 15 to St. Jean Cap Ferrat, 5 km away.
Located on a peninsula, Cap Ferrat is a favourite holiday destination along the French Riviera among the rich and famous. Alongside Beaulieu and Villefranche it forms the Golden Triangle, an area with some of the most expensive properties outside of Paris. Our original plan had been to walk along the Maurice Rouvier path which links Beaulieu with St. Jean Cap Ferrat but after our hike at Eze we opted to take the bus instead.
Cap Ferrat was originally a fishing village and is a delightful place with its pristine beaches, magnificent gardens and beautiful villas partially secluded behind the trees. The village is concentrated around the port which is now known as Port Lindbergh. More recently this area has been pedestrianised and a perfect place for our afternoon stroll.
After inspecting the yachts moored in the marina and wondering how expensive they would be to buy, we took a walk beside the main public beach, Cros dei Pin which looked very inviting, even out of season.
After a lovely day exploring these three towns and villages along the French Riviera we returned to Nice on Bus 15 which took us back through Beaulieu and onto the scenic lower corniche road which links Menton with Nice.
If you have enjoyed reading this post, you may also like:
Gibraltar: top things to see and do
Love Travelling Blog 
Last summer my eldest son proposed to his long-term girlfriend in Eze. He put a lot of planning into selecting the appropriate place and I think he made a great choice!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh how wonderful June. Eze is a gorgeous village and perfect for a romantic proposal.
LikeLiked by 1 person
What a lovely area! I really love that overlook of the sea and city from the trail! 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Eze is beautiful Meg as is the entire coast between Nice and Monaco.
LikeLiked by 1 person
It looks beautiful, Marion, especially Eze. 🤗💕
LikeLiked by 1 person
The coast between Nice and Monaco is beautiful Jo. Thank you for your interest and comments.
LikeLiked by 1 person
It looks beautiful, Eze village especially. I wonder if they pronounce their Beaulieu like we do ours here in England (Bew-ley) – probably not haha!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I think they pronounce it ‘bow-lay’ ! Our day was so lovely starting with the hike and then visiting the towns further along the coast. Hope you’re enjoying the Coronation celebrations. The weather has actually been quite nice up north!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Beaulieu certainly is beautiful! I love your photos of the boats, this place looks so relaxing, and a great travel spot.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you for your interest in our day spent along the coast close to Nice. We enjoyed it very much and it was so easy to get around without a car.
LikeLiked by 1 person
This is a great itinerary to enjoy the Nice area without even having a car. You have studied everything closely and your day has gone smoothly except for the tiring walk. I would like to follow the same path, I’ll have to remember that when I go to Nice.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you so much for your interest in this post . We found it very easy to explore the area without the need for a car. It was much easier in fact as there were no issues looking for parking spaces.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Seems to have everything there, a cute medieval town, a gorgeous coastal walk and a little further away an adorable fishing village. What a great day!! Maggie
LikeLiked by 1 person
It was indeed a great day Maggie, thanks so much for your welcome thoughts.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Eze looks so charming. I like how cars are not allowed in the historic city centre, it makes for such a more relaxing walking experience. Plus it’s also quieter without cars zooming by. The views of the water look lovely.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Eze is charming and was very peaceful when we visited as we seem to have dodged the coach loads who descend on the village. The trail was lovely and with not so many people, peaceful too!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Beautiful scenery.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Candy we enjoyed a lovely day.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I enjoyed tagging along with you Marion! The hike, the beautiful alleys of Eze, and of course the marinas and beaches. All would be so thrilling to see in person, but for now I will settle for tagging along with you as you do an amazing job of showing us the places you visit. Safe travels!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks for your kind words. I’m so pleased to hear that you are enjoying this series of posts on the South of France.
LikeLiked by 1 person
This is such an amazing site where we visited there in the South of France. The medieval village of Eze was so interesting. Yes hope you walk and trip over these stones. This such an amazing tour. Thanks Anita
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks for your interest in this post Anita
LikeLike
If you dream of visiting a sleepy French village with sweeping views of the Mediterranean coast, that isn’t as crowded as Cannes or Antibes then Eze is one such village. Although, we never made it to Eze-le-Village during our time in Nice. It turned out that Valters’s cousin was arriving in Nice on a work trip at the same time as us and instead of going on day trips, we had some quality family time. But Nice is definitely a place I see myself returning back to – besides Eze, I really want to explore Menton which is a charming town directly bordering Italy that provides a nice break from the hustle and bustle of Monaco and Nice. Thanks for sharing and have a good day 🙂 Aiva xx
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks for your continued interest in this series of posts on the Côte d’Azur. Hopefully you’ll get a chance to return to the area to explore further but I would also have chosen to spend quality family time together and postponed sightseeing until a later date.
LikeLiked by 1 person
What a great day Marion. We love Eze-le-Village and have been there twice in 2017 and 2019. Both times we took the Nietzsche Path downhill and watched others struggling up it in the heat (just as Nietzsche did). The Jardin Exotique was a gem that we could not even get close to in 2019 due to there being 7 tour buses all dumped off at once. We never stopped in Beaulieu-sur-Mer, but enjoyed time and hikes on St. Jean Cap Ferrat. Thanks for the memories. Allan
LikeLiked by 1 person
The Côte d’Azur is a lovely region to visit and it was so pleasing to find so many places easily accessible by public transport. Thanks so much for your comments which are much appreciated.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m house hunting for a friend in this area and luckily he has a very generous budget.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, beautiful but pricey!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Very!
LikeLiked by 1 person
How beautiful! I especially love the pictures of Eze, it looks so charming. I wouldn’t cover much ground because I’d be taking pictures of everything.
LikeLiked by 1 person
It’s such a beautiful area and I paused frequently to take photos too. Thanks so much for taking an interest in this post Lyssy. Not long until your big trip now!
LikeLike
The village of Eze is picturesque – I especially like the narrow alleyways. And what lovely views you had on the trail. The French Riviera is definitely a beautiful place to visit … but I’m afraid, I guess those yachts are not in my budget 😉.
LikeLiked by 1 person
The yachts aren’t in our budget either Corna but we enjoyed a lovely day taking the rocky trail down to the sea from Eze and exploring Beaulieu and Cap Ferrat. Thanks so much for taking the time to comment.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Beaulieu really lives up to its name, beautiful indeed!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Helen, all three places we visited that day were equally beautiful.
LikeLike
I’ve visited Eze and Fragonard factory. Though, did not have the chance to visit Cap Ferrat and Beaulieu. Did you visit Antibes perhaps too? It even had a British food shop when I visited it
LikeLiked by 1 person
How lovely that you were able to visit the Fragonard factory Tanya. Eze is such a pretty village. Yes, we spent a day in Antibes and adored there too! Thanks for your interest and kind words, Marion.
LikeLiked by 1 person
What a tranquil and beautiful tour you took us on today.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you for your continuing interest in my visit to the South of France. It’s a beautiful place to visit.
LikeLiked by 1 person
This town is so charming. I’ll have to keep it in mind when I find myself in the area. Thanks for sharing
LikeLiked by 1 person
Eze, Beaulieu and Cap Ferat are all beautiful and I hope you get to visit sometime. Thanks so much for commenting.
LikeLike
I spent a couple of hours in Eze during my visit to Nice as a kid, and I remembered it was so quaint and charming! The place looks exactly like how I remember it (and through my own photos I took of there). Didn’t have time to visit Beaulieu or Cap Ferrat, but I’ve heard they’re stunning, and your photos prove that exactly! Glad you had a wonderful time revisiting the south of France. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
We enjoyed a lovely day starting off in Eze and then hiking down the hillside from the village. Beaulieu and Cap Ferrat were also stunning too and easy to reach by bus.
LikeLiked by 1 person