My wife and I will be in Nice next week for 3 days (before heading to Liguria), one of which we plan to bus to Eze in the morning for 1/2 day visit to the village and gardens. We have already visited other parts of Provence and the Cote d'Azur but not this town. Are we better off doing something else?

I would go, but a half day is more than enough. Eze is interesting because it is a picturesque little (and I emphasize little -- I expected more) village which seems precariously stuck on top of some craggy outcroppings and should have come tumbling down years ago. There are a couple of really wonderful places to have lunch with views to die for. If you are looking strictly for a place with scenic views you are best eating at one of those places so you can enjoy it, or heading out into the countryside and up another mountain as suggested above. No one should ever go to the center of a tourist village when his main goal is seeing spectacular views. But for a combination of village and views, it is pretty unique.

Of course, since it is so scenic and so well known, it has a lot of shops selling crafts, postcards, small paintings, etc. as any town visited by tourists will have. You need to enter some shops and peek out through their windows, or climb between buildings to see out to the sea from place to place. The gardens are basically "desert-like", lots of cacti and rocks.

If you have been to Saint Paul de Vence, it is similar to that except a tiny fraction of the size and built on a precarious cliff next to the sea. Like Saint Paul, it is a little overrun with shops, and to enjoy it you need to look beyond that to the pretty stone architecture.

There are others on this thread that would feel I am not the person to respond but- Last week I seemed to have missed the best views-so ask if you find only numerous fancy shops.Sounds like the '"Exotic gardens" may be the key to the best views.It was hazy which cuts the effect of any view.We took the train to the Eze station and then the bus-the driver was wonderful.The view must be there and that would be the reason for the visit.Theres a small shop in the commercial zone below which sells fresh salads quite reasonably(its the last on the left almost hidden).Love to hear about your experince.