Cilburk, great recommendation, thank you! I would like to again thank everybody for taking the time to respond to my post/s. You have given me so much information, most of which I actually would not have known about nor considered. It makes asking questions on this forum almost compulsory. I almost did not post, because I thought reading a few trip reports and posts would be enough. I was so wrong.

Now I only have to find a way to fit all of this into two days. We are going to have to make some serious decisions on what to do and what to discard. And this is only the first three days of a 22 day trip. Can't wait to get your inputs on Provence, Dordogne etc.

The photo of the bath provided by Michael is of Villa Kerylos, not Villa Ephrussi.

I distinctly remember that bathroom and looking for the water jets in that pool/bath at Villa Kerylos.


Thin

Thursdaysd--When I was in Eze, it was not crowded at all. It was very pleasant and I have many photos of it without any other people in the photos. We were there in early May, FWIW. I do not know if I just lucked out or what, but there just were not many people there.

Duvies--No, the food tour did not include a sit down meal, although we did go to a Socca place and they had a table for us to sit down and we were there for a bit enjoying that. There was plenty of food so you wont feel like you need lunch. We felt the price was very fair for what we got and the guide was excellent.

The issue was whether I was familiar with the distance between the two. I had the distinct impression that the bath was just for show--too close to the public entry; there was a shower closer to his bedroom:

Thanks mms, I suppose one must look at the whole experience and what it includes, which seems to be worth it. It's high on our to-do list now.

Michael, we easily walked from Villa Ephrussi downhill to St-Jean for lunch and then walked over to Villa Kerylos, and then got the bus back to Nice. It was a favourite day for us.

Antibes- Musee Picasso!

For those who are walking between the two sites, the distance is 1.9 km.

It is about 1.9 km or 1.2 miles if you walk or ride on the longer vehicle pathway. I believe you can take Bus 81 on this route as well. However, as I indicated above, the quickest and shorter walk, that Happytvlr also is referring to, is via the magnificent bayside Promenade Maurice Rouvier with a path off of that to Villa Ephrussi. If you don’t get one online before leaving, I suppose that they can provide you with a simple local trail map of cap Ferrat at Villa Kerylos.

@ Michael: Thank you very much for persisting until the options for walks became clear! :tu:

Google map was the source of my final information--it disagrees with the posters on distance, giving the longer alternatives as going along the coast.

Okay, would you then give up on Eze and rather do the walk/s as suggested? Our main reason for visiting Eze would be the views from the garden, but those two Villas seem worthwhile replacements, and the walk would do us good. Seems like the views on the walk would also be spectacular?

It is confusing, isn't it? google maps shows me a 2.1 km walk if one takes the Promenade Maurice Rouvier -- the route I've been planning to take.

I haven't been to the area yet, and so probably shouldn't comment, but I've chosen to skip Eze and take the walk, mostly because I am seriously interested in seeing both the Villa Ephrussi and the Villa Kerylos (and have read that the walk is lovely), and also because I have read that Eze is so packed with tourists during the day as to be unpleasant. I could be wrong!

We have done that walk several times (in addition to the much longer hikes we mentioned). I remember the first time seeing an older gentleman sitting on a bench reading a newspaper on this path, in one of the most beautiful spots in the world. We wondered if this were a daily ritual and thought he was the luckiest guy on earth.

And, the nine distinct gardens at Villa Ephrussi are quite memorable. We found both villas not crowded, even though you could see a massive cruise ship outside the windows of the villa. The cruise ships in the adjacent Villefranche harbor, fortunately, don't offer the villas or Cap Ferrat or Beaulieu-Sur-Mer as excursions, but they do take a lot of people to Eze.

kja--Eze was not packed at all when I was there, May 2014. It was a weekday, if that matters, and seriously there was hardly anyone there and I wandered all over and took photos and never had another person in them. It was such a great day!

We found the Matisse Museum interesting primarily for the architecture; there's actually only a little of his art on display. However, the park just above the museum is a great place to sit and watch groups playing pétanque. For us the big art draw in Nice is the superb Chagall museum, which displays some of his huge Biblical works. There's often a good program in the theater; check for English offerings.

@ mms: Thanks! In that case, I might consider visiting Eze after all! (But not at the cost of the walk, Villa Ephrussi, and Villa Kerylos.)

The Chagall Museum is interesting, but it was crowded when I was there in October 2016.

One of my most favourite memories of Nice was taking a food tour of the city.

By the way, I walked from the train station at Beaulieu-sur-mer to Villa Ephrussi and also explored the port area and the beach promenade. I didn't think the walking was difficult at all.

However, BE AWARE OF PICKPOCKETS!!!! They are all over the area.

Thin

On multiple visits to the French Riviera, we have not noticed anything unusual (re: pickpockets or other shady looking individuals or groups), and we consider ourselves vigilant. There are some online reports of pickpocket activity at busy rail stations and on crowded public transportation, especially during peak times and seasons. Similar to many other parts of otherwise very safe Europe.