Despite numerous recommendations, we were ambivalent about going to a hill town. Several were considered, with transportation being the defining factor. The easiest hill town to get to from Nice is Eze, the most well known and popular hill town in the area. Over the course of a few days our discussion about Eze went about like this: Maybe. Yes. No. Let’s think about it. No. Maybe. Okay.
Eze is known for being an intact medieval village capable of processing tourists like the machine that is Walt Disney World. One online reviewer commented that Eze had long ago mastered the ability to handle an infinite number of tourists coming from cruise ships. Not exactly a glowing endorsement.
Anyway, we figured it was not the height of tourist season and the town is supposed to be incredible, so why not. Being familiar with the Bavastro stop in Nice, we headed there on Monday morning to catch bus 82 to Eze Village. Or not. Bavastro is the fourth stop on the route yet the bus was already packed full, standing room only, and the driver waved us off.
The next bus to Eze wasn’t for another two hours. Instead of waiting, we changed plans and went to Parc du Mont Boron that day.
The following morning at 10:00 AM we got on bus 82 at Vauban, the terminal where the route starts. Almost all seats were taken when we left Vauban. After first stop, it was standing room only. At the third stop, Boyer, less than half of the people waiting for the bus (and there were a lot of people waiting) were allowed on. It was jam packed.
Per the bus schedule the ride to Eze Village is 30 minutes. It took us about 35 minutes because the driver made about a half dozen unnecessary stops. The people standing kept accidently hitting stop buttons, requiring the driver to stop even though everyone on the bus was a tourist going to Eze.
At Eze Village the bus emptied. Everyone made a beeline straight up the hill into town. Except for us. We turned and walked west to viewpoints overlooking the White Arc Bridge and Eze. Fifteen minutes later we made our way into town.
As expected, Eze is an intact medieval village, with beautiful, narrow winding streets, a lot of ups and downs, small houses and buildings, and a cathedral. I gather there are still some permanent residents in the village, but probably not many.
Eze is filled to the brim with restaurants, art galleries, and jewelry stores. Le Jardine Exotique (the exotic gardens) is its most popular attraction. Tickets to the gardens, €8, are sold at kiosks as you enter town, at kiosks in town, or on site.
We read online that the exotic gardens are predominantly cactus gardens. Honestly, we weren’t going to pay €8 each to look at cacti, so we skipped the gardens. It was a close decision though, because the gardens occupy the high point atop the village and have awesome views of the area.
In total we spent about an hour exploring Eze before heading down the hill to the Casino convenience store to buy Cokes to have with our picnic lunch. Quite a few individuals were at Casino buying fresh fruit, breads, and pizza slices for lunch at a fraction of the price of the area restaurants.
Instead of taking a bus back to Nice, we hiked down the Nietzsche Trail to Eze-sur-Mer on the waterfront to catch a train. We knew it would be a steep, rough trail, but wow. It was much rockier and steeper than expected. We wore tennis shoes, which were fine, but hiking boots or trail shoes would have been much better. It is a serious hike, not a walk.
Trail signs suggest it takes 1 hour to hike up or 45 minutes going down. Maybe for fit twenty-year olds. It took us over an hour to hike down and I don’t even want to think how long we would have needed to hike up. Considering how steep the trail is, Stephanie might have refused to hike up.
While a few people were also going downhill, we were amazed at the number of people walking up, particularly those who looked incredibly unprepared. We saw a group of girls wearing sandals and sun dresses, carrying shopping bags from fancy stores. I guess they had been shopping in Nice. There were a couple of families with toddlers. One guy was even carrying a kid’s scooter. Several individuals did not have water, and it was a pretty hot day.
Perhaps the best was the guy singing “If You’re Happy and You Know It Clap Your Hands” to his girlfriend when they were less than halfway up the trail. (Granted he was singing in a foreign language, but the tune and clapping are unmistakable.) That’s a bad sign. Really bad.
While the trail was rough and not an easy walk, the views over the area made it worthwhile. That being said, if you screw up your travel planning and arrive in Eze-sur-Mer by the water, instead of Eze Village up on the hill, don’t walk up the Nietzsche Trail on the spur of the moment. Find a bus or Uber.
By mid-afternoon we were ready for a short train ride back to Nice and a few Kronenbourgs.
Garrett and Stephanie
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