Nice Off the Beaten Path Tips by allaboutnice

...to Eze Village and Eze Bord de Mer in the same afternoon. This is a great trip out from Nice and easy to do on public transport. Eze Village is not really 'off the beaten path' - more a well-trod tourist hot spot but still pretty.

Eze Village is a tiny perched village 400 metres above sea level not to be confused with Eze Bord de Mer by the sea.

Following our expensive meal out on Friday, we were on an economy drive today. In the morning I bought provisions for a picnic from our wonderful local patisserie, M. Martinez on rue Cassini, by the Port.

There are only 3 buses to Eze Village on a Sunday and, laden with picnic, we caught the 112 leaving the Gare Routiere at 12 noon, from Place Garibaldi. It's about a 20 minute ride climbing eastwards and upwards on the middle (Moyenne) Corniche.

The bus can not go into the walled and pedestrianised Eze Village with its narrow mediaeval roads, so you are decanted onto a car park. Head up the road but nip right to get a free map and guide from the friendly tourist office and use loo. Continue back up to the village. Just before you pass the walls, you will see the huge wrought iron gates of Chateau Eza - Easter lunch today only 160 euros per person! The path home is to the left of these gates. (This was a circular trip out remember)

Wend your way through the village and explore and marvel at all its photogenic nooks, crannies, chapels and touristy shops. If you are broke, treat it all like an attractive (free!) open air museum. It IS very pretty - it would be hard to take a duff photo here unless a coach load of tourists got in the shot. There are a few places to eat, drink have an ice cream or coffee, that are not too expensive plus another pricy-looking place - La Chevre d'Or - Easter lunch here is 160 euros per person too. We were starting to feel hungry! At the highest point of the village, is the Exotic Garden, le Jardin Exotique. You can picnic here, there's plenty of space at the top, the views are wonderful - complete panorama. continued in Part 2...

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Website: http://www.eze-riviera.com/

Eze Village - Eze Bord de Mer

continued from part 1

...Picnic was good; we were eyed somewhat enviously by other visitors, especially when I got the thermos flask out - a great British institution! The sun shone and we could have basked here all day. Entrance to the gardens is 3 euros each but free for children, small price to pay for uninterrupted views and a good picnic spec. The gardens themselves are neat and terraced, mostly cacti and succulents. According to my guide book, a 'must see' is the 14th century Chapel of the Penitents - not the large blue and yellow church dominating the view (tip - loos by the entrance to this church) but a tiny cream building.

To complete the circular tour, return to the gates (see part 1) and walk down the marked path - Sentier Frederic Nietzsche, named after the German philosopher used this pathway in the 1880s. The path is clearly signposted with yellow 'flashes' painted at intervals in case you wander off. It is steep in parts and steps, when present, are quite deep. The estimated time is 45 minutes down to Eze Bord de Mer. It is a pleasant walk but I wouldn't like to do it in the heat of summer. Several gasping groups passed us on the way up! We felt we had made the better decision, to start at the top and walk down!

When you reach the bottom you are in Eze Bord de Mer. Cross over to the beach or do as we did, turn right and walk a few metres up to the bus stop to catch the number 100 (every half hour) for Nice. If you walk past the bus stop, there is a road side cafe for a recuperative ice-cream while you wait for the bus.

This bus route uses the lower (Basse) Corniche road to return to Nice passing through Beaulieu and Villefranche before dropping us off at the Port.

The bus fare is 2,50 euros each per trip, the garden entrance fee was 6 euros, plus a picnic made for a cheap afternoon out with a lovely village to explore, a good walk to work off lunch and two scenic bus journeys. Most enjoyable.

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Website: http://www.eze-riviera.com/

Mont Boron is the hilly area to the east of the Port of Nice where Sir Elton John has a villa. Many of the villas here are pretty spectacular and there are many beautiful turn-of-the-century belle epoque buildings.

The remains of a fort is still here at the summit. For a pleasant walk with fantastic views of the Port and Promenade des Anglais, walk from the top of Mont Boron, all the way down to the Port. But how to get up there in the first place? Easy - cheat and take the number 14 bus (Place Garibaldi is a good stop to catch it - by the tea shop close to the Grand Cafe de Turin) The 14 takes you effortlessly to the top of Mont Boron for 1 euro 30.

Once off the bus, cross the car park and you will see a path signposted for the Port. Start walking! If you want, there is a circular path around Mont Boron and you could do a quick circuit and take in fine views of Villefranche sur Mer, before decending to the Port of Nice.

Eventually the path becomes steps which cross narrow roads and near the bottom you will have to take a right turn onto boulevard Carnot for the final short walk to the Port.

Don't forget your camera and a bottle of water.

This is not a strenuous walk and it will not take you very long. We took about an hour with a child but we were stopping to take photos en route.

We did this walk in April and it was very hot. It would be a lovely gentle walk to do on a sunny autumn/winter day.

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Website: http://www.allaboutnice.com/niceleport.html
Other Contact: above link for Port info