Eze Village and Beach
Photos still to come
This is an easy day trip from Nice, and it is varied and pleasant if you enjoy both swimming and walking.
Practicalities:
Take the train from Nice Ville to Eze.
Swim on the secluded beach at Eze-sur-Mer.
Walk up the Chemin de Nietzsche to Eze Village
Return to Nice on the 82 or 83 bus.
The beach
After getting off the train, head for the underpass in the direction of the sea. Come up the steps and keep walking past the swanky villas (one of which belongs to U2 singer Bono), down a short passageway and here you are on one of the most secluded public beaches of the Côte d’Azur. The smart villas may have lovely private gardens, but the beach is all yours.
The path leads round to the right but we suggest you head left because the water is less rocky and more accessible from that part of the beach. Out in the protected bay, the views of the mountains are unforgettable and the clear water offers glimpses of silvery fish among the seaweed.
The beach has a single shower next to the path.
The walk
Back across the railway, the café La Vieille Maison offers coffee and simple lunches on weekdays (closed at weekends). Leaving the café on your left, keep walking until you reach Le Chemin de Nietzsche, named for the philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche who came here to recuperate and recover his taste for writing.
Nietzsche’s Path offers a stiff climb to the ancient mountain village of Eze. The climb takes about an hour and half and requires proper footwear – you will even see signs showing crossed-out flip-flops. We did it in sturdy sandals but really we could have done with either trainers or walking shoes: despite its popularity, it’s not for the faint-hearted. But again the views over the coastline make it worth the effort.
The village
Eze Village is beautiful, but it is also on every tourist’s obligatory itinerary. Just outside the village you will find coaches disgorging their loads of Chinese, Spanish, Indians and more, together with an underground car park.
The village itself is closed to traffic – it is all steps, narrow paths and arches. Stunning it certainly is but also very crowded. Most of the houses sell art, jewellery or souvenirs as well as refreshments. The best part, and certainly worth the visit, is the botanic garden (for which you have to pay).
At the top of the hill are the remains of a castle that was destroyed on the orders of France’s King Louis XIV (who also pulled down the one in Nice) to remove the village’s defensive capabilities. Louis could not have guessed that the Comté de Nice, which includes Eze, would become part of France in about 1860. Again, the views make the climb worth it.
Further hiking, and return
You can also skip the village and hike further up the steep hill opposite Eze. At the top are a nature reserve and visitor centre catering to very different tastes.
Just outside Eze there are shops and a cafés that offer a pleasant and quieter alternative to the noisy crush of Eze itself. For those who like perfume, you can visit the Fragonard perfume factory there.
This is also where the 82 and 83 buses stop to take the independent traveller back to Nice.