Eze
Medieval Village Perched On A Rock Some 400 M Above The Mediterranean Between Nice And Monaco, Crowned By An Exotic Garden In The Castle Ruins · Eze, Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azur
Èze is a small medieval village built on a steep rocky peak some 400 metres above the sea, on the Riviera between Nice and Monaco. Its stone houses, arched passages and stepped lanes are packed tightly inside the old walls and entered through a fortified gate, and no cars can go inside. At the very top, the ruins of a castle pulled down in the early eighteenth century now hold the Jardin Exotique, a garden of cacti and succulents with one of the widest coastal views in the region, reaching along the coast and on clear days toward Corsica. Most of the lanes are lined with galleries, craft shops and a few restaurants, and two luxury hotels, the Château Eza and the Château de la Chèvre d'Or, occupy old buildings on the cliff. Two big perfume makers, Fragonard and Galimard, have shops and workshops at the foot of the village on the main road. A steep old mule track, the Nietzsche path, drops to Èze-sur-Mer on the coast. The village is very popular with tour groups and cruise excursions, so the lanes are crowded in the middle of the day.
Èze Village, 06360 Èze, Alpes-Maritimes, Eze, Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azur, France
The lanes of the old village are public and can be walked at any time, but most shops, galleries and restaurants keep daytime hours and many close early in winter; some restaurants close for a few weeks in the low season. The Jardin Exotique opens every day for most of the year, with longer hours in summer and shorter ones in winter, and it can close in very bad weather such as strong wind or storms; last entry is some time before closing, so confirm the current hours. The church of Notre-Dame de l'Assomption is usually open in the daytime outside services. The Fragonard and Galimard perfume shops at the foot of the village open daily for much of the year and run free short guided visits of their workshops at intervals; confirm the schedule. The car parks by the main road fill quickly from mid-morning in summer. Buses from Nice run through the day but less often in the evening and on Sundays, and the Nietzsche path has no lighting, so do not start down it late in the day. The two luxury hotel restaurants need reservations, especially in summer.