Visiting Eze-le-village

A view of the Riviera from the Exotic Garden atop Eze.

Yesterday I caught an early bus to reach Eze, a gem of a hilltop village, before the crowds. By the way, it only costs 1,50 euros to ride buses all over the region, and if you buy a multi-pass, it's only one euro per ride. Tram rides are the same price, and one ticket includes transfers between bus and tram rides. It's an amazing bargain! 

Bus 82 arrived at our destination about 8:30 am, with only a few people already ahead of me. But we had 30 minutes to wait before the main attraction would open, the Exotic Garden. So I wandered the steep, winding streets as the sleepy town started waking up, and vendors prepared to open their doors. Once the garden opened,  a small crowd ventured in to peruse the pathways and get to the top, where there are spectacular panoramic views of the Riviera.

A map of the gardens.

But rather than try to tell the same tale twice, please read the post I wrote about Eze when I first went there, in October of 2014. It hasn't changed much! (The entry fee to the gardens went up a euro: big deal.) Enjoy!

 (Click on link below)

Eze-le-village

Eze-le-village, France

Eze-le-village, in the hills above the Riviera

The trip to Eze was a simple one, as we caught a bus near our hotel that took us east, from Nice to Eze, in less than an hour. The bus followed the coastline, past Villefranche-sur-Mer, Cap Ferrat and Eze-Bord-du-Mer, then up into the hills.

Quaint street in Eze

Eze is a tiny village, with quaint winding streets that are too small for vehicles. The German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche wrote the bulk of his work “Thus Spoke Zarathustra” in Eze, where he lived in the late 19th century. There is also the famous Nietszche trail, a strenuous climb that goes from the coastline up to the Village. Nietszche claimed that climbing the trail daily in the summer heat gave him hallucinations that inspired his writing.

Up and up...

And at the top of the village, there is a castle in ruins, the area now covered by an exotic garden with more than 400 cactus and succulent plants. It cost 6 euros to enter the gardens, but it was well worth it, as there is a panoramic, 360-degree view of the Riviera at the top. It was a lovely spot to spend a few hours enjoying the scenery. 

Cactus and Sea

Placed amidst the cactus are fifteen ethereal statues of women,  created by the sculptor Jean-Philippe Richard and added to the garden in the 1990s. The visages of the idealized women are said to be "steeped in eternity."

Endless beauty!

I found the statues to be mesmerizing, and took many photos of them, against the backdrop of the Mediterranean Sea.

After our trek, we stopped for galettes (crêpes made with buckwheat flour) at a crêperie called The Cactus. Galettes are usually savory, with vegetables, meat and/or cheese fillings.

Galette with vegies and cheese

There are several perfume factories in Eze, including another Fragonard, but we skipped it and visited a different one, Galimard, which had a similar museum and saleshop as the one we'd seen at Fragonard in Grasse. My friend was anxious to get back to Nice, so we didn't linger, and as the prices were higher that what we'd seen in Grasse, it's just as well.

The perfume museum at Galimard

In this room, you can hire someone to create a unique perfume for you.

After a rainy day in Grasse, we were fortunate to have such a lovely, clear day in Eze. I'm still haunted by the images of the statues in the cactus garden: it seemed they had some wisdom to impart with their ethereal beauty.