A travel guide with tips on visiting Eze, a quaint town along the French Riviera.
Eze Village is Charming
Set on a hilltop, the Eze Village is a beautifully preserved medieval town. Amidst the cobblestones, steep paths, creamy aged walls; I get major “Game of Thrones” feels here.
You can hike there
You can hike to the village through the woods on the famous Nietzsche Trail, which is purportedly lovely. But also steep and a workout, and we were on holiday soooo… No thank you. Nietzsche also went nuts sooo… No thank you.
If you want to be like Nietzsche, take bus #100, which takes you to the base that’s near the beach. Which means you can also…
Chill at the Beach
We didn’t do this, which was just as well since the weather was not the greatest.
Instead…
We took the bus straight to Eze Village.
If you take bus #82 or #112 from Nice, this gets you right at the Eze Village. You’ll know when you’ve reached; almost the entire bus of people will alight.
The bus to Eze is usually filled up. Make sure to validate your tickets after purchasing them on the bus. Otherwise, if the bus gets checked, and you don’t have a validated ticket, they will 1. Demand to see your passport to make sure you’re just a confused tourist, otherwise you get fined. 2. If you are a tourist, they PULL YOU OFF the crowded bus, to get you to enter the bus again to validate your ticket. Yeah, harsh.
Photo Opportunities in Every Corner
Against our other azure blue coastal adventures in the French Riviera, this medieval village setting was a refreshing change. The Eze Village was fun to explore. We didn’t follow any main paths; rather we just walked wherever we felt like. At one point we were in a narrow cobblestoned alleyway, which we later realized were the back entrances of hotels and cafes. Prettiest back entrances I’ve seen, to be honest.
The Jardin Exotique botanique d’Eze
You’ve sort of reached the end of Eze Village when you encounter the Jardin Exotique botanique d’Eze, located at the peak of the Eze hilltop. Basically the ~exotic~ garden. We’re not particularly big fans of cacti or plants in general, but we did enjoy the panoramic views of Eze Village.
Wonderfully homely crepes
There are plenty of cafes and restaurants in the medieval village, but a sauntering cat seduced us to enter this hole-in-the-wall homely café serving crepes. Loved this. The crepes were delicious, the owner/chef was mighty friendly, and the cat was tres adorables.
You should continue on your journey to Monaco
We spent a couple hours exploring Eze Village, before catching the bus towards Monaco. You can also go past Monaco and head to Menton. We stopped in Monaco with the sole purpose of getting a passport chop – and to add another country to my list. Personally, I found Monaco boring, and dull, considering we came from much, much prettier parts of the French Riviera.
Go to a Perfumery or souvenir shopping.
They love their aromatic plants and flowers here in the French Riviera here, so it comes as no surprise that perfume making is an age-old tradition. One of the must-dos in Eze is to visit a perfumery, which we didn’t do because we’re quite content just walking about the village.
Though touristy, Eze is not “ruined” by the trappings of modern tourism, so you can find an authentic and eclectic mix of the souvenirs here. It was nice to wander in and out of shops, which also include art galleries. I was surprised to find a lot of very decent jewellery accessories here as well, for all range of budgets.
On the way back to Nice, sit on the left side of the bus.
This will give you scenic views of the French Riviera coast while the bus cruises along back to Nice.
Likewise, if you’re heading towards Eze, try to sit on the right side of the bus. I say try, because the bus that travels out of Nice tends to be full.
Pin it!
Leave a Reply