Hello Hello: My wife and I will be in Nice for a week, in mid-September. One of our days is planned for a morning/early afternoon in Antibes, with a late afternoon/early evening in either Vence or St-Paul-de-Vence.

Any suggestions on which of the two 'Vences' would be a better choice?

Thanx,

Although it's more touristy, I liked St-Paul-de-Vence the best of the two.

St Paul is definitly more "Picturesque", probably because it's so tiny and there is nothing BUT picturesque to detract from that. Vence is larger (but still a small town), and has more "everyday" things. Beautiful, but less of a "postcard" town. I think everyone I saw in St Paul was either a tourist or someone working in the tourist industy (shopkeepers, etc). In Vence there were some actual people who lived there. Vence is one of my favorite places anywhere. I actually thought they were both wonderful and they are only about a mile apart. If you have a whole week in Nice can't you manage an entire day and then you do both.

I would definitely opt for St.Paul de Vence--far more picturesque and charming--I found Vence to be dirty and the Matisse Chapel to be quite disappointing (rude personnel as well). One of the few places in France where I have been truly disappointed I might add over in over 40 years.

We loved seeing the Matisse Chapel and the people we encountered there were quite friendly. However, I have to agree that St. Paul is a much more charming town to stroll around. If you are an art lover don't miss the Foundation Maeght in St. Paul. An incredible museum and sculpture garden with great views.

We also loved the Matisse Chapel--a good thing, as it took us three tries to be there when it was actually open.

Old Vence is very nice too for strolling, and the ground is flatter than at St-Paul. But St-Paul is filled with galleries and is a real medieval village perché, which Vence is not.

It would be easy to do both in a little over half a day from Nice.

As others have said, St Paul is far more picturesque than Vence, but because it's relatively small and a tourist mecca, it can get very crowded during the day and may be difficult to find parking late in the afternoon.

The Maeght fondation located there has some wonderful modern art and appears to be open until 7pm in September (http://www.maeght.com/musee/)

You might want to consider staying for dinner there. La Colombe D'Or just outside the walled village is quite a famous dining destination with a great history. People also like the food at the Hotel St. Paul inside the village. Walking around there in the evening is often much more pleasant than during the day.

Vence is a market town and I've enjoyed walking around there on a market <i>morning</i>. Neither is that far from Nice. If you're there for a week you might see both. Tourettes Sur Loup just beyond Vence is also lovely. Here's a link to the website provencebeyond with write ups on all these towns.

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

Joe, let me second the last poster's recommendation of the Hotel St. Paul for dinner. My wife and I and our friends stayed overnight there last September (en route from St. Remy to Italian Riviera) and one of the highlights of the entire trip was dinner al fresco on the terrace at the St. Paul. Service and food were impeccable and the atmosphere could not be duplicated.