ahiddenbird

We are thinking of making a day trip from Nice to Peillon during our stay in the south of France this June.

First of all, has anyone here ever visited Peillon? Was it worthwhile? I've read there isn't a lot going on in the town itself, although it is picturesque.

I've read (can't remember where, probably a blog or something) that you can take a regional bus from Nice to the valley below and hike up to the town; is this true? We will not have a car, so if we were to go, I think this would be our only option. Does anyone know what bus to take in order to get there? Where could we catch it?

Thanks in advance

ahiddenbird

Nothing?

rhon

We visited Peillon in 2010, but not from Nice. We were staying in La Brigue. We visted it and Peille as part of a day trip. Yes, it is a lovely little village- very picturesque and quiet with lots of little alleys and stairways. I cannot help with transport as we had a car. The view from below of the village perched high on a hill really made us wonder how they built these villages in such places. Walk up?? From memory, I would be a bit daunted by the prospect. But someone with more local knowledge may help.
Good luck

ahiddenbird

Did you happen to eat there? Mt guide book says the restaurant at the Inn is pretty good, I'm wondering if anyone has had any experience with it

adrienne

I stayed in Peillon a couple of nights and loved it. It was quite a while ago but I ate in the hotel restaurant and thought the food was wonderful as were the owners. Good luck finding the town. I had tried before I stayed there and could not find it but had good directions from the hotel owners.

As you go up the narrow, winding road there is a turning to the left with a low stone wall on the right and a place to pull over. Get out of the car and look up to your left for a great view of the village. Here's a photo I took - it isn't great because it's not digital but give you an idea of what to look for.

http://modigliani.shutterfly.com/provence1999/31

<< Was it worthwhile? I've read there isn't a lot going on in the town itself, although it is picturesque. >>

It depends on what you're looking for. There was no nightlife and there are no shops. The townspeople have voted the village to be boutique free forever. If you want the quiet life with access to the Nice hinterland I would recommend it.

It would be a tough trip without a car and you might spend the entire day getting there and back and be disappointed. If you're hikers it wouldn't be a problem to walk there from the bus stop below but you would have to walk on the road. I had a car so I can't tell you anything about public transport but you should email the tourist office for information.

I did a day trip from there to Sospel, La Brique, and Saorge. My destination that day was the Notre Dame des Fontaines chapel with frescoes by 15th century Italian artists Jean Canavesio and Jean Baleison. Peillon also has a small chapel frescoed by Jean Canavesio

I hope to re-create this trip some day.

ahiddenbird

Thanks adrienne! That was very helpful! We are not looking for nightlife and shops; we'll be in Paris and Nice before trying Peillon, so we'll have plenty of both by then.

We are not experienced hikers, but we are all fairly young and in good shape, so we were hoping it would be doable to take the bus and walk up. I read a blog post a while back that was written by a mother, who had hiked up with her husband and little girl from the bus stop. From the pictures, the girl looked about 5 or 6? Apparently she made it all the way up on her own and most of the way down. I figured if she could make it chances were we could, too! I've been trying to find that blog post again but I stupidly didn't bookmark it.

ahiddenbird

And by the way, your picture is beautiful!

adrienne

Here's some information on the town with a link to the tourist office. It also gives train information and say the town is 1.5 hours walking from the train station. It mentions a trail rather than a road but the road seemed to me like a trail!

http://www.beyond.fr/villages/peillon.html

There's also that little train from Nice that goes to several towns and looks interesting. It's called the Chemins de Fer de Provence. Here's a link to it; it's something that I've wanted to do but wasn't able to fit it in. That's for the next trip too!

http://www.trainprovence.com/pages/e...es-bains-.html

ahiddenbird

Thanks again, adrienne! That little train does look interesting