elijahmo

Hi

Hoping for a bit of advice on a trip to the French riviera. My wife and I are spending two weeks Côte d'Azur and Provence in July. We were looking at having 3 nights in Eze probably at Chateuau Chèvre D'or or Chateau Eze;

1. Has anyone stayed there? Would be interested to hear views on the trek up and down to Eze sur mer

2. Does it work as a decent base location for exploring eastern French riviera without a car?

3. Any idea how many taxis cost as we wouldn't have a car that week? E.g Eze > Monaco Do Uber run taxis around there?

4. Are there any other ways to get down from Eze to Eze sur mer easily? I've seen buses aren't very regular. Happy to walk down to get to the train station for day trips but if going out for dinner, would rather not be walking down.

Any advice appreciated

Thanks, Adam

schnauzer

I went to Eze nearly two years ago, I didn't actually stay there. It is small and once you have wandered around there isn't much else to see. Sure you can go walking but it doesn't sound like this is what you want to do. Staying one night in the Chateau would be a treat for sure. To use Eze as a base wouldn't work for me but if your budget runs to taxis everywhere then perhaps it could work for you. Have you checked out the bus links between the villages you want to visit? That would be my first suggestion,. I based myself in Nice as I wanted to go to east and west!

Not terribly helpful I realise but it wouldn't be my first choice but others may say the opposite. Just check out the transport first. Will you have a car for the rest of the trip, i.e. The rest of the two weeks? You can only do so much by train and bus.

dreamon

The walk from Eze to Eze-sur-Mer is steep and not in the category of strolling out for dinner. A great walk, though, with fantastic views. Walking the reverse uphill (which many people do) is sheer hard work. Eze is picturesque but very touristy and rather self-conscious, I thought.

Bus timetables are available online if you are considering using Eze as a base, although presumably with only two days there you wouldn't be doing too much exploring. Personally, as a base for day trips, I'd choose somewhere on the coast. Like Schnauzer, we based ourselves in Nice and used the train and buses for day trips. We had one week and could have easily filled many more.

traveller1959

Be aware of topography. Èze is 400 metres above sea level which would be a pretty demanding hike to Èze-sur-Mer. The walk from the bus stop to either hotel will be strenuous enough in the heat of July (which is the wrong time visit the Côte d'Azur anyway - too hot and too crowded).

All this said, I would strongly suggest renting an air-conditioned car. It will make things so much easier and more comfortable and driving the corniches and the tiny roads between the corniches is the best experience that you can have on the Côte. Sitting in a burning hot bus with dirty windows and waiting in the midday heat at bus stops is not too much fun. I understand that you are willing to stay at very expensive hotels, so it won't be a problem to rent a small car for a few days.

Personally, I am not very fond of Èze. It is overrun by tourists, especially busloads of cruise passengers, and full of tourist traps (like Fragonard perfumes). The village has no life of its own anymore and resembles more a Disney-like attraction than an authentic village. However the hotels you picked look nice and if you have a car it would certainly make a good base for trips to Monaco, La Turbie, Nice, Cannes, St. Paul and into the hinterland.

For a taxi from Èze to Monte-Carlo I would count at least € 30 if not more. A taxi to Èze-sur-Mer would be € 15 or more.

PalenQ

dreamon is right on about that trek - sometimes called the Philosopher's Walk because Neitszke often trod up and down it from sea to Eze perched high above. Even going down can be hard on the body with breaking a lot needed.

elijahmo

Thanks very much for the comments so far. We are on holiday for 2 weeks with one week on the coast and one in Provence.

We were hoping to avoid car hire for week 1 and use trains / buses and then pick up a car in Nice on our way north to Saint paul de vence.

On the point about July (this is obviously totally subjective and down to everyone's life circumstance but aware it will be hot and peak seasons) there are no 'wrong' times to be visit but perhaps better times to visit.

The taxi prices don't sound too ridiculous for a few days as we would only be staying 3 nights and for at least a day, we would probably stay by the pool and not even leave Eze. We wanted to go into Monaco one night for dinner.

Understand the feedback about Eze being very busy and overrun with tourists so I'll give that some consideration. The problem is probably that I'm going in July so that feedback will apply to Saint paul de vence and large parts of the Luberon.

AlessandraZoe

I am with most of the other posters--I would not stay up on Eze for that amount of time.

We are "we never rent cars" people, so please don't think that I'm trying to push you towards a car for the Riviera. And also, we liked going up and down the hill from Eze-sur-Mer to Eze.

The problem is that there is JUST not that much to see up there and tourists clog your pathway.

Instead, I'd stay in Villefranche-sur-Mer and eat dinner or lunch up on Eze.

(FYI--We stayed in Nice for a week and did trains and buses. We were happy because we were pounding the pavements in Nice to see all the art museums there, but I usually suggest others choose a smaller place, Villefranche-sur-Mer or Antibes, to get equal use out of the excellent rail and bus services in the area.)

StuDudley

I'm with the others too. We're not big fans of Eze (too touristy) and I certainly would not use it as a base.

>> We are on holiday for 2 weeks with one week on the coast and one in Provence.......pick up a car in Nice on our way north to Saint paul de vence.<<

St Paul is west - not north of Nice. Where are you staying in Provence?

Stu Dudley

PalenQ

during the day time Eze up top is one of the most touristed places in France with a parade of tour buses ejaculating their loads on the small village - a phalanx of perfume and souvenir stops awaits them. At night of course there is no one here and it takes on a whole different aura.

elijahmo

I'm getting an overwhelming sense of not staying in Eze as a base so we may have one night there and look for another base for a few days. It was really the two fabulous hotels and views drawing us there so lunch or dinner up there could be a good option. We're already staying 4 nights between Saint Jean cap and Beaulieu before.

Stu - thanks, looking at a few nights Saint paul and then 4 nights somewhere before we fly back from Avignon. Perhaps Luberon but stayed in Bonnieux before so maybe around Rasteau this time.

frenchaucoeur

For your time in Provence, you might look at Vaison as a base, rather than Rasteau, which is a pretty sleepy place. It has the multiple advantages of beauty, historical interest, lots of restaurants, and a location that lets you fan out in all different directions depending on where you want to go.

I'm not sure why you're planning to stay in St. Paul, unless I misinterpreted what you're saying. Also, if you're staying somewhere around Beaulieu, why waste the time changing hotels to stay in Eze, which is an easy day trip from Beaulieu? You can visit and enjoy the view without the hassle of changing hotels, which just wastes time.
Perhaps you might consider choosing one base for your time on the Cote d'Azur and another somewhere further north in Provence, whether Rasteau or maybe somewhere in the Alpilles--Maussane, St. Remy?

greg

I felt St Paul de Vence to be even more flooded by ground and cruise tour buses than Eze. I think it is a larger village than Eze but also comes with an even larger big bus parking lot. The smaller Vence just up a hill by frequent bus, while not offering the on top of the hill view, felt more local and not a town that seem to exist mostly for the tourists.

StuDudley

We've stayed just outside of St Paul for a total of 4 weeks in about '00 and '01. The "trick" to visiting St Paul (and any small/touristy town in Europe) is to get there by 8:30 am to look around, and then leave by 10:30. Same in the evening - in by 5 & out by 7. We did this last year for both Gordes & St Paul. Our favorite village in the region, however, is Tourrettes sur Loup.

I think St Paul is a great base for exploring the fabulous Nice Hinterland. We did this when we were there in '00, '01, and last year.

Stu Dudley

elijahmo

Again, thanks all for the advice, it's really useful and much appreciated. Stu, I've already keenly reviewed your trip reports so thank you for all your info. We will be doing exactly that when we do venture into Saint paul but we're staying outside the town and will use it as a base for going to some restaurants we particularly want to try in the local area and also for visiting surrounding hill top towns.

Current itinerary then looks like this:

Royal Riviera, Saint Jean cap - 4 nights (including quick jaunt up to Eze and / or dinner at chateau chèvre D'or or chateaus Eze perhaps)

Somewhere else on riviera as a base for some day trips (will look more into Antibes / Juan les pins area to balance the East / west of Nice exploration for day trips) - 3 nights

Le Hameau, Saint Paul de vence - 3 nights (with car for exploring Tourettes, vence etc)

Inland provence - 4 nights (with car) frenchaucoeur, will look into your suggestions more for a base location as haven't got that far yet, thank you