Nice Day Trips: Eze, Monaco, Villefranche & St-Paul-de-Vence
Venture beyond Nice along the legendary Côte d'Azur: scale the medieval eagle's-nest of Eze, try your luck in Monte-Carlo, explore Villefranche's Cocteau chapel, and visit the Fondation Maeght art museum in hilltop St-Paul-de-Vence.
- 1
Eze Village – Eagles' Nest Above the Sea
Perched 429 metres above the Mediterranean on a rocky outcrop between Nice and Monaco, Eze is one of France's most dramatically sited villages. Medieval ramparts and stone houses house artisan studios and the Fragonard perfume distillery. The Jardin Exotique cactus garden crowns the summit with sweeping coastal views.
- 2
Monaco & Monte-Carlo Casino
The sovereign principality of Monaco lies 20 km east of Nice by train or the scenic Moyenne Corniche road. Visit the ornate Belle Époque Casino de Monte-Carlo, stroll the casino gardens, and look down from the palace square to the famous Grand Prix circuit streets below.
- 3
Villefranche-sur-Mer
This deep natural harbour just east of Nice shelters a perfectly preserved medieval fishing village. Jean Cocteau decorated the 14th-century Chapelle Saint-Pierre with vivid murals in 1957. The waterfront Rue Obscure—an entirely covered medieval street—and the citadel make it one of the Riviera's most complete historic towns.
- 4
Antibes & Picasso Museum
Ancient Antipolis—now Antibes—lies west of Nice and hosts the Musée Picasso in the Château Grimaldi where Pablo Picasso worked prolifically in 1946. The old town retains its Genoese sea walls, and the market on Cours Masséna overflows with Provençal produce, charcuterie, and flowers.
- 5
Grande Corniche & Col d'Eze Viewpoints
The highest of Nice's three coastal roads climbs to 500 metres, passing through the perfume capital Grasse and offering vertiginous views of the coastline. Stop at the Tête de Chien viewpoint near La Turbie, where the ancient Roman Trophy of Augustus marks the boundary between Gaul and Italy.
- 6
St-Paul-de-Vence & Fondation Maeght
This medieval hilltop village 20 km inland from Nice has attracted artists since the 1920s. The Fondation Maeght—one of Europe's finest modern art museums—displays Miró sculptures in its garden, Giacometti's courtyard, and exceptional Chagall, Bonnard, and Braque works inside a Sert-designed building.