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| Villefranche |
One of the highlights of my stay in the Cote d'Azur was walking along several coastal paths that link villages along the coast between Nice and Monaco.
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| A map of the area. |
I started by walking early one morning from Port Lympia in Nice to Villefranche, about 5 km away. The beginning of the walk was quite lovely, traversing over rocky ledges hugging the coast, in view of a few people swimming, snorkeling or doing yoga below me.
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| Doing yoga on the rocks below the coastal path. |
Other than a few fishermen, I was alone on the path, which seemed a bit surprising, as I'd heard it is quite popular with tourists. After about 30 minutes, I hit a rough spot that I'd been warned about, the need to climb two sets of several hundred steep stairs leading up to a road.
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| Two sets of stairs like this! |
I managed to climb the stairs with several rest stops to catch my breath, only to discover that I would be walking along a busy road with constant traffic the rest of the way to Villefranche. Ugh! I did not enjoy this walk in the least, and had I known that most of the path was along this road, I would have taken the bus instead.
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| St. Pierre Chapel |
In Villefranche, I stopped to visit the St. Pierre Chapel, decorated by the artist Jean Cocteau in 1957. It costs 4 euros to enter the tiny church and no photos are allowed. It is a lovely little chapel, and Cocteau's somewhat sarcastic designs, still pristine, cover every inch of the interior, so I found it worth the entry fee.
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| Rue Obscure |
Another point of interest in the town is the Rue Obscure, or hidden street, where soldiers in medieval times gathered to defend the city. Villefranche also has the deepest waters in the area, and cruise ships come here to dock, though thankfully there were none in the harbor that day.
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| Beaulieu-sur-mer |
After Villefranche, I caught the bus to Beaulieu-sur-mer, to tackle another coastal path, this one going to St. Jean Cap Ferrat. After arriving at the Baie des Fourmis, I noted the beach below, then immediately located the coastal path and began the 1.3 km, thirty- minute trek to St. Jean. This walkway was delightful! The path was flat and the view was stupendous!
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| The coastal path to St. Jean Cap Ferrat |
I enjoyed every single minute of this walk. The Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild is accessible from the path, but I was not in the mood for a Villa tour, so continued to St. Jean. Once there, I bought a slice of quiche with salmon and spinach - sensational - and sat by the marina, watching boats moving in and out, while eating my lunch. By this time I was weary from several hours of walking, so after an hour in St. Jean, I caught the bus back to Nice.
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| Looking back at Beaulieu-sur-mer from St. Jean. |
The next day, I returned to Beaulieu-sur-mer and spent some time walking along the beach at Baie des Fourmis before repeating the walk to St. Jean. After all, it only costs one euro fifty (one euro on a multi-pass) to take the bus from Nice to any points east of town, and I had so enjoyed the beauty and tranquility of the previous day that I wanted more of it. The bus ride alone is a treat, with winding roads and amazing views.
This time I'd hoped to reach Cap Ferrat, where there are several more coastal paths outlining the edge of the Cap. One is 1.8 km, the other is 4.8 km. From St. Jean, it's a long walk across town and up a steep road to reach the trailhead for those paths. By the time I got there, and knowing I would have the long walk back to the bus stop, I decided I'd had enough walking for one day. Cap Ferrat will have to wait until another time.
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