Nice and Easy.
The French Riviera will never be the same for me.
While working at the tour desk, a gentleman came up, said he had trouble walking. He would like the “nice and easy” tour. To clarify, I asked him, Do you mean the Panorama Bus Ride? He indignantly said, no, the nice and easy program. Finally, he takes an order form and shoves it in my face pointing to an excursion. It is the Nice and Eze Adventure.
Nice is one of the largest cities in France. You pronounce it Knee ss.
Eze is a hilltop village perching high on a hillside. The name rhymes with fez.
However, since that day, I can’t seem to call them by their correct pronunciation.
The old town of Nice is all cobblestone. Eze is all cobblestone and quite vertical. There would have been nothing nice or easy for someone with walking difficulties.
Nice
This city is the doorway to the French Riviera. It has the International airport for the region. If you want to go to Monte Carlo by train, you will stop in Nice first. It is the closest French ferry link to Corsica. It is a busy city.
And why not? It has so much to offer.
The Braques and Chagalls, And all that
French Art. There was something about the light of the French Riviera that attracted the leading artists of the 19th-century here. Monet, Renoir, Matisse, and Cezanne spent various amounts of time dabbling their brushes near the coast.
In the 20th-century, it was Picasso, Cocteau, Chagall, Calder, and others who came here and gave us some of their most important works.
Today Nice is home to a Matisse and separate Chagall Museum. Both museums began by the artists donating numerous pieces of their works.
Less than an hours drive from Nice is the Picasso Museum in Antibes. Closer to the city, you can visit Renoir’s studio near Nice.
Or take a day trip to Aix-en-Provance. Here you can see Cezanne’s Studio and Montagne Sainte-Victoire, the subject of many of his paintings.
Stroll the pedestrian streets of St Paul de Vence and see the aspiring artists of today. Or visit the nearby Foundation Maeght and its collection of more than 12,000 works of modern art. The art is on display inside as well as over the grounds outside and includes pieces by Arp, Braque, Calder, Chagall, Kelly, and Miró just to name a few.
If you need an “art fix,” Nice is a great base.
The Cuisine is So Niçoise.
What does Nicoise even mean? “In the (cooking) style of Nice”. Further translation means it will have black olives, tomatoes, anchovies (fresh) or a combination of all of them. And then there is the garlic. Is your mouth watering yet?
Nice is in the Cote d’Azur region, so you must include that region’s cuisine as well. And what about nearby Provence? Don’t you think some Provencal dishes are waiting for you?
There is seafood from the Mediterranian across the street. Organic meats, cheeses and produce from nearby farms. You have fresh spices from Provence, olives, oranges and lemons ripe off the trees, all at your fingertips. Why do you think lunch lasts two hours in Nice?
Would You Look at That?
There is incredible architecture everywhere. The Beaux-Arts Casino in Monte Carlo, and the Belle Époque Intercontinental Carlton Hotel in Cannes are decadent. There are the 18th-century chateauxs and simple homes built into the walls of medieval towns.
In Nice alone, you have the tall narrow houses of the old town and old port. An opera house in the style of (but not by) Garnier and the neo-classical Hotel Negresco. They are elegant.
There are Belle Époque and Art Nouveau structures around every corner.
There is a Russian Church complete with onion domes, and then there is that library building…
Is Nice Italian?
If you shake their family tree hard enough, there’s no telling who will fall out. With its proximity to Italy, Nice had many owners. The Greeks were the first to document being here around 350 B.C. on their push west. In the 1300s A.D., Nice is under the rule of the Counts of Saxony (today’s Torino Italy.) In the 1500s Spain and France fought over and through it. From the 1600s it falls under Ottoman pirates, the French, Sicilians, Italians, etc. Finally, in 1860, it became part of France and stayed that way.
So two bits of good news. There is a lot of history for the historians, and there is pasta in the Nice diet. NICE!
Putting Thoughts of Life Aside In the South of France
Or you can just decompress. The French know how to run a spa. There are herbal remedies from Provence and perfumes from Grasse for aromatherapy.
There is walking the promenade or hiking a hilltop town to get the endorphins flowing. The Nice menu is undoubtedly a relative of the Mediterranian diet, and we have yet to mention the local wines. That should get saliva and happy glands working overtime.
Who Can Afford the French Riviera?
You can! And I don’t mean by selling the kids and hocking the house.
The Cannes Film Festival is usually the 2nd and third weeks of May. You do not want to be anywhere near France during this time. Hotels have silly rates and are full as far as 80 miles from Cannes. This circus marks the beginning of the season and prices start to rise.
Looking around May 1, you should be able to find a flight from JFK to Nice for around $850. Using miles or booking on one of the discount carriers, even less.
A solid 3-star hotel in Nice, not on the seafront will run you an average of USD 100 per night. Take a friend and its $50pp. Add a star to the hotel and add approximately $120 per room per night. For a 5-star, add another $120 per night. These are averages.
Most 3-star properties will include some type of breakfast. As you add stars, inclusions start to disappear.
A good lunch with a glass of wine is possible for less than USD 20. Dinner, with a glass of wine for around $35 per person. This meal will not be at a Michelin-starred restaurant but that’s O.K. I have left some of those places still hungry.
Putting it Together
For five days / four nights, with a hotel, breakfast, and airfare, you are at $200 per person per day.
Is this more money than a weekend at the Hot Sheets Motel on route 68? You better believe it. But this is the French Riviera.
Compare it to four nights in New York City, Chicago or San Francisco during the same period with a flight. Don’t forget to add the $20 breakfast that they do not include.
The French Riviera is not free, but hopefully, you can see it may be doable.
If you sell the kids, you can upgrade to the waterfront hotel.
It’s That Easy
And what about Easy, errr, I mean Eze? A small hotel room in the village will start at $300 a night offseason. So let’s plan a day-trip.
Eze sits on a pinnacle approximately half way between Nice and Monte Carlo. The area is (or has been) a haven for celebrities, royalty, and millionaires.
Eze is more vertical than horizontal. You park or leave your transportation at the bottom of the village. And start walking up.
The town is a series of paved pedestrian pathways either on an incline or including steps. From the parking area to the very top of the village is approximately 200 feet in elevation change.
I do not say this to scare you away but to inform you what to expect. Knowledge is power.
A Tour of Eze
You visit here to experience the town.
There is a lovely botanical garden with cactus and succulents. Our Lady of the Assumption Church, dating to 1778, has some interesting Baroque furnishings.
But it is the wacky maze of streets and losing yourself on purpose that makes Eze unique.
The Stars in Town
In this tiny village are two small luxury hotels, the Chateau Eza with fourteen rooms and suites. And the La Chèvre d’Or with 43 rooms and suites. Both offer incredible views, service, and cuisine. The hotels are five-stars, and one of the restaurants is two star, by Michelin.
One may have a link to Walt Disney, and one of them is in the group of eight hotels that became Relaix & Chateau, one of the most impressive hotel groups in the world.
The Scent of Eze
Two of the most significant names in French Perfume have shops here. Galimard, who has been making perfume since 1747, and Fragonard both have smaller versions of their shops in Grasse France. Fragonard also has a factory, where you can create a scent of your own. Stop in, just for the experience.
Fresh Air
There are several places nearby where you can walk or hike. Many of them offering jaw-dropping views. On a clear day, you can see Saint-Tropez, a distance of 83 miles, from the higher hills.
Eze is
There’s some medieval, and there’s some Provencal. You have to climb the steps, but it’s relaxing when you stop. You have to visit it to understand its magic. The more nooks and crannies you find, the more it takes hold of you.
Do you want to visit Eze? Why?
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