Is Eze truly as beautiful as I think it is going to be?
 

I had to share my excitement about Eze because we are going to the French Riviera coast in July. I also watched Passport to Europe with Samantha Brown last night on TV and got so entralled by Eze. Is it truly as spectacular as it looks on TV? It looks like a little fairytale medieval village perched out over the sea. Everything is stone and the narrow walkways and village look "fake" and just absolutely perfect.

Question - we are staying in Cannes and would love to train to Eze and then explore in Eze for a bit. Also, is there a pathway that we can walk that will take us to Monaco? We love taking scenic walks. Can't wait!!

You have to take a bus to Eze Village. I'm not sure they run from Cannes but the buses do leave from Nice. Ask at your hotel for bus info.

Are you asking if you can walk from Cannes to Monaco? It's a long way. It's also a long way from Eze Village. I looked it up for you. It's a 12 hour walk from Cannes to Monaco.

And Eze is pretty but there are quite a few very pretty walled villages in France.

St Paul de Vence is a REALLY beautiful village and only about 1/2 drive (if that) from Cannes. I wholeheartedly recommend a trip there if you have time.

no.

I assume you are talking about Eze Village ?

I remember being there in the late 80's when I lived in France and couldn't wait to go back. When I was there about 3 years ago, I was dismayed at the fact that it had become nothing more than a tourist attraction.

here's what I wrote in 2009:

<i>My take is Eze is that it has jumped the shark. It has become too 'touristy'. Yes, we are tourists, but I get overwhelmed by the cheap souvenirs and the ratio of 10:1 tourists:villagers there. Last time we were there, I couldn't wait to escape and get somewhere else.

Other options: We loved the Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild, for example. Beautiful gardens (and I'm not a gardening type... I have a black thumb but still appreciated it.</i>

Eze is extremely beautiful - after the tourist buses leave at 5 PM or before they arrive. We took the train from Banyuls sur Mer to Nice and then took a bus from Nice to Eze and spent three nights there (taking daytrips to Villefrance Sur Mer and Nice). The buses are quite frequent.

From Eze-Village you can walk down the sentier Friedrich Nietzsche to Eze-Bord de Mer. From there, you can walk the sentier littoral to Monaco. It will be quite a hike, and frankly said, better do one of these extremely scenic hikes through the Esterel Mountains (Pic du Cap Roux, Pic de l'Ours). Easily accessible from Cannes.

Theoretically, you can hike up the F. Nietzsche trail from Eze-Bord de Mer to Eze-Village - but it is an extremely steep, ankle-twisting trail which will require some 90 minutes.

About Eze-Village: Yes, it is picturesque. In fact, there are hundreds of villages in southern France which look similar or even better. The good thing about Eze-Village is that it has a great view over the coast. The bad thing is that it is spoilt by souvenir shops and tourist traps because the cruise ship excursions stop here.

Smeagol (nice screen name, BTW) mentioned St. Paul. St. Paul is also very touristy, but in a more upscale and I would say: in a good way. Definitely worth the short trip from Cannes. Other picturesque villages in the area are Tourettes-sur-Loup and Gourdon.

I can take an early train to Eze that would get me into Eze at 8:00 am and I would avoid all the tourists. However, would anything even be open that early?

Is the architecture the same in St. Paul? With all the stone and medieval look? With it perched high up on cliff overlooking the sea?

Please don't be put off from visiting Eze by the earlier replies. The old village on the hill is, of course touristy. However if you go through it to the very top and go into the 'Jardin Exotique', which is actually a cactus garden, the panoramic views are magnificent. There is also a semi-secret bonus: if after entering the garden (there is a modest fee) you head forward and downwards, you come to a platform near to the Hotel D'Eze which has a fountain, a pool and six fixed lounger type seats upon which you can sit and picnic for as long as you like and imagine that you are millionaires, with the identical view to those staying at or dining on the Hotel terrace. We have done this several times and not many people venture downover. There is even an arch on the way down which on the press of a button releases a very fine refreshing spray of water.

Why not get the bus up and walk back down? The entrance to the walk (it looks a bit of a scramble) is near the bottom of the road leading up to the Old Village, fairly near the car park. Wal;king on to Monaco would be quite a challenge, though.

Do go, and ignore the superficial.

As you can see above, everyone has a "take" on Eze. We visited it on a guided tour so didn't have time to get to savor the twisty little walkways and sweet shops. Perhaps it was the day we were there, but I didn't think the view was any better than other towns on the Med! Am I wrong?

It's smaller than St. Paul de Vence (which is not on the water) but to me they were both good places for looking and shopping.

Can't help you with the hiking part.

I was in Eze village in late August a couple of years ago. There were not swarms of tourists and I enjoyed the walk up to the cactus garden and the view, although it was somewhat hazy.

Jill - If you take a train to Eze you will be in the wrong place. You will not be in a picturesque walled town, you will be by the sea on the coast road with a snack bar (I'm not sure what time it opens). This town is called Eze-sur-Mer (Eze by the Sea). You can then hike up the mountain over gravel and rocks (I advise leaving your strappy sandals back at the hotel). The way up the mountain used to be sign posted and I'm guessing it still is.

It's your choice what you want to do but I'm very certain that Eze-sur-Mer was not shown on any travel channel.

Go ahead and take the train to Eze. You will certainly avoid all the tourists no matter what time you get there.

Here Jill, see for yourself!

http://vimeo.com/6783826

Adrienne - I am confused??? Can I not take a train from Cannes to Eze? I am assuming that I need to go to Eze Village and you are saying that it is not accessible by train, correct?

Barbary - wow! Thank you for that wonderful insider tip! Just delightful! Is there somewhere to get some food and then picnic at the top?

St. Paul de Vence sounds lovely! However, there is something about being right over the coast that is so enchanting.

Hi JillDavis!!!

I had never heard about Eze before but I just googled it and it seems wonderful!!! Please let me know how the trip went and do post some pictures since if it's as amazing as it seems I'll definitely add it to my "places to visit" list for a little tour I'm planning arround Europe on late August.

Cheers!!!

Sarah

Sarah, check out the vid above that I posted.

I agree with surfmom - No. I was there last April, well before the main tourist season, and found it way too touristy then. Plenty of other places for good views.

As has been explained above, there are two Eze's, one by the sea accessible by train, and one up above accessible by bus.

It's pretty. So are lots of other places that aren't packed with tourists and souvenir shops. After the buses leave, it's quite lovely, but again, so are plenty of other towns.The fact that Samantha (or anyone else) featured it in her show should be a hint of what to expect.