Èze

Èze is the Côte d’Azur turned vertical — a car-free medieval village perched on a cliff above the Mediterranean, halfway between Nice and Monaco. Come by car or Uber/taxi for the easiest arrival near the village entrance, or take the train to Èze-Bord-de-Mer and climb the Nietzsche Path if you want to earn the view the old-fashioned way — the same steep trail linked to the thoughts that became part of Thus Spoke Zarathustra. Begin at the foot of the village with the Fragonard perfume experience, where the Riviera turns into scent before the climb even begins. Then walk the stone lanes upward through galleries, courtyards, flowers, and sea glimpses, past stone houses and vaulted passages that feel less built than carved into the rock — like a fantasy-film village suspended above the sea. At the top, the Exotic Garden opens among old castle ruins, with cactus terraces and one of the coast’s great views. Come for sunset, stay for dinner, and let Èze feel less like a day trip and more like a secret the Riviera carved into the cliff.