A Day Trip to Èze from Nice, France – French Riviera

July 2024

A Day Trip to Èze from Nice, France – French Riviera

The hilltop town of Èze is one of the most unique spots along the French Riviera. Tucked away upon a clifftop over 420 meters / 1400 feet above sea level, Èze dates back to 200 BC and the middle ages. Nestled between St Jean Cap Ferrat and Monaco, Èze is known for the incredible panoramic views of the French Riviera coastline.

Èze is easily accessible from any point in the French Riviera but there are a few things you will need to know. There are three ways to get to the hilltop town:

1. Driving by taxi or car share (Bolt) or self driving 
2. Bus to the top stop Èze Village (#83) – note the bus stop name is Èze Village, not just Èze
3. Train to Èze station – but this comes with a climb up the Nietzsche path which can take up to an hour to climb up the town. The views from this path are amazing so if you want to complete, you can always find an alternative way to Èze and take the Nietzsche path down to the train station.

It is recommended to come to Èze early in the day for two reasons – Èze is small and the crowds coming here clog up the entire walk ways so coming early avoids this and public transit, particularly the buses the Èze Village, become more infrequent as the day goes on. 

Since our plans changed today, we arrived later in the day than I would have liked if we had planned on coming here, around 11AM and it was packed. From the bus stop, we followed the road up the hill. It was impressive how this city is built, twists and turnings up the steed slopes to the top. Be prepared to climb a bit when you are here and mind your footing on the cobblestone roads. We climbed by shops until we found the Deli and ready for a snack, we grabbed the last seats and ordered a sandwich to share which while expensive was enormous. 

I had marked a panoramic viewpoint on the map that looked like a fantastic spot and as we continued to climb, it led to the Le Jardin Exotique. I thought there must be another way around but the route dead ended. The panoramic view was behind a pay wall… a literal wall. 

And so, we paid the 8 euro each to enter the Le Jardin Exotique and just steps beyond the entryway, the view revealed itself and wow, it was stunning. The gardens themselves are quite nice as well and continue the climb up to the top where there is a terrace that gives a 360 degree view of the Riviera. 

Many people just go up to the terrace and leave but I would recommend spending the time to explore the rest of the gardens as well. Our time in the gardens totaled a half hour before making our way down the hillside. 

Our final stop in Èze was the Fragonard Perfume where this famous perfume line creates the smells. The last minute decision to visit Èze today left planning for the tour a bit off as we arrived right in the time when the tours were on a break in the afternoon. Definitely try and arrange for the tour during your visit. We got to browse the shop and enjoy all the various fragrances. If you want a souvenir and are traveling, going with a solid soap is a good option but they also have small perfume bottles that are under the 3oz/100mL limit to fly. Don’t miss using the coffee bean canisters to refresh your nasal palate in-between scents!

We had a few more stops along the French Riviera we wanted to make today so we started making our way back to the bus for our next town. The only thing I had on my list that we did not get to do was visit the one of the top hotels of Château Eza or Hôtel Château de La Chèvre d’Or for a beverage with a view. We really enjoyed our trip to Èze – it is so different from all the other towns along the French Riviera so I highly recommend taking a half day of your trip to explore this amazing town.

Continue reading about our trip in Nice here!

Read all blog posts for French Riviera here!

See our complete itinerary here!

Planning your own trip? Read the Perfect Itinerary for French Riviera here!

Review our complete carry-on packing here!