Èze, French Riviera, Côte d'Azur

Campsite near Èze
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One of the must-do outings from Les Pinèdes campsite is a visit to the village of Èze. It can be a stopover on the way to or from Monaco. Situated between Nice and Monaco, this medieval village overlooks the Mediterranean at an altitude of over 400 metres.

Èze village and its exotic garden

The Exotic garden in Èze

Èze

Èze’s medieval paths to its exotic garden at the top of the town

Èze is a superb eagle’s nest village overlooking the Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat peninsula, with remarkably well-preserved medieval architecture. The only entrance to the village is via the poterne, a double fortified gate dating from the 14th century. The narrow streets lined with vaulted houses and numerous artists’ and craftsmen’s stalls give the village a special atmosphere of authenticity and tradition. At the top of the village, you’ll find the famous exotic garden with its rare species, set in the ruins of the ancient medieval fortress.

To get there from Nice, you’ll need to take the Moyenne Corniche road, which links Nice, Èze, Cap-d’Ail, Beausoleil and Roquebrune-Cap-Martin.

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Grande Corniche departmental park

Èze also boasts an incredible 600-hectare park, with panoramic views across the Mediterranean from Italy to the Esterel mountains to the south, and the Pre-Alps and Mercantour peaks to the north. On a clear day, the luckiest visitors will even be able to see Corsica on the Mediterranean horizon. The park covers several communes in the Alpes Maritimes: Èze, La Trinité, Villefranche-sur-Mer and La Turbie.

The park is ideal for walking, with three themed trails (botanical, historical and geological). There’s also an orientation table atop a reconstructed Genoese tower, and a fitness trail with 17 apparatus and fitness equipment along a 1.4 km path.

Picnic tables are located throughout the site, allowing walkers to enjoy a leisurely lunch while taking in the scenery.

The seaside

On the seafront, Èze stretches from Cap Estel to the St-Laurent cove. On this part of the coastline, you’ll still find wild-looking beaches, shaded by the surrounding pine forest.

From the seaside, you can walk to Èze village along the Friedrich Nietzsche trail, named after the philosopher who, according to some, produced the last part of his work under the pines and olive trees of the area.