Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
houses and winding lanes (and plenty of galleries and shops), and the mesmerising views
of the coast.
You'll get the best panorama from
Jardin d'Èze
(adult/child €4/free; 9am-sunset)
,
a cactus garden at the top of the village. It's also where you'll find the old castle ruins;
take time to sit there or in the garden's Zen area to enjoy the view: few places on earth of-
fer such a panorama.
At the bottom of the village, you'll find the factory of perfumery
Fragonard
(
www.fragonard.com
;
admission free; 8.30am-6.30pm Feb-Oct, 8.30am-noon &
2-6.30pm Nov-Jan)
, which offers free guided tours and has a shop.
The village gets very crowded between 10am and 5pm; if you'd prefer a quiet wander,
come first thing in the morning or late in the afternoon. Or even better, stay in the village.
La Bastide aux Camélias (
Click here
)
has an exquisite suite. Otherwise, the stunning
Château Eza
( 04 93 41 12 24;
www.chateaueza.com
;
rue de la Pise; d from €440;
)
should see you right. The 10 regal rooms all feature sumptuous furniture, rich drapes
and bathrooms to die for (spa, hydrojet showers, Japanese toilets, marble etc), but each is
unique, some with parquet floors and wood panels on the walls, some with panoramic ter-
races, others cosy fireplaces for the winter.
Château Eza is also an excellent, Michelin-starred gastronomic restaurant (mains €39 to
€65), where seasonal meats and fish will impress as much as the views. The panoramic
bar is highly recommended for an unforgettable aperitif.
You can walk down from the village to Èze-sur-Mer on the coast via the
steep
chemin
de Nietzsche
(45 minutes); the German philosopher started writing
Thus Spoke Zarathus-
tra
while staying in Èze and enjoyed this path.
Grande Corniche
Hitchcock was sufficiently impressed by Napoléon's cliff-hanging Grande Corniche to use
it as a backdrop for his film
To Catch a Thief
(1956), starring Cary Grant and Grace Kelly.
Ironically, the Hollywood actor, died in 1982 after crashing her car on this very same
road.
Bus 116 links the town of La Turbie (population 3212) with Nice five times a day (€1,
35 minutes), and bus 114 goes to Monaco six times a day (€1, 30 minutes).
