 On my plane ride over to Nice from Paris, I was reading my Rick Steve's guide book. There was a girl sitting at the window who asked to use the restroom. Upon returning, she stated she was from the Nice area. If I had any questions she could answer them. Of course, I had a ton. But, when I asked what was a city I must see she answered Antibes. As there are so many cities along the French Riviera I had to narrow my list down. I was only going to do 4 days in Nice. I decided on Villefranche-sur-Mer, Antibes(because of that nice girl's recommendation), and Monaco as my daily excursions. You can just click on those names and check out my experience in those towns. Antibes has both Greek and Roman origins. But, the town did not really settle until it came under French rule in the 15th century. One of the reasons this town became popular(besides stunning beaches) was due to Pablo Picasso. He came to Antibes in 1946 and stayed at the Chateau Grimaldi. Which is now a museum dedicated to some of the works he left behind. You can also do all the water activities of your dreams. Just keep in mind it will be a bit pricey. To get to Antibes from Nice you will have to take a train. It is about a 30-minute train ride away. If you have any questions on how to book your ticket, there is an office inside the train station. They speak English and are very helpful. I was going to buy a more expensive ticket on the kiosk. I was trying to be independent. But, the kiosk only accepted credit cards. I choose not to bring mine on this day trip. Therefore, I had to go to the office. It all worked out because it saved me money. Once I arrived it was about a 13-minute walk to the city center. My first stop was to the outdoor food market(Marche Provencal). It opens at 7:30 am and closes at 1 pm. Except for Mondays. They are closed Mondays. Do of course check online prior to going to make sure nothing has changed. I arrived at 10 am, so I rushed over there. I thought it would be bigger, but the whole experience only took a few minutes.   They had all the fresh selections of vegetables, fruits, and spices. It was not a huge market, but I did walk around twice to take in all the little things. At the end of the market was a vendor selling Socca. Socca is a local snack that I was told I must try(by the nice local girl from the plane ride). It was made from chickpea flour, water, olive oil, and salt. It was then cooked in a pizza oven. The cost was only 2.50 euros. I personally did not care for it. I will not waste food. So I nibbled on it for hours. Lol The best thing about visiting any new town is to wander around the neighborhood. There are such cute houses and streets in Antibes. By 10:30 am the streets were still pretty empty. So if you are seeking some pictures, you will still be able to accomplish this without a sunrise mission. I did not feel like Antibes was ever overcrowded.
As with most other cities, there were plenty of small shops to visit. Have your pick of gelato and restaurants. I choose to eat at a restaurant a few blocks away from the hustle and bustle of the city center. I did not care for the meal so I will not include the restaurant name. I hope you have better luck if you decided to eat in Antibes.
Now would be a good time to head to one of the beaches. If you are looking for a sandy beach (as opposed to the pebble beach in Nice), then head on over to Plage de la Gravette. It is only about a 3-minute walk from the market. If you are up from a bit more walking, then about 20 minutes away is Plage de la Salis. It is a nice sandy beach as well. Hopefully, you stocked up on snacks from the market. Lounging at the beach would be a nice way to spend the afternoon. There are plenty of other options if you do not want to stay at the beach. You can visit Marineland, Aquasplash, as well as museums and water sports. You can make it as lazy or adventurous as you like. You cannot really go wrong with a picturesque little town. So take your time. If you have any questions, then please let me know. There are more pictures and videos on my Instagram if you would like to see my day in action. Have a wonderful day!
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 When you hear French Riviera what comes to mind? Well for me it was opulence, grandeur, and summering there. I thought it was for the uber-rich. Which certain parts are definitely millionaire club only. But, staying in Nice at the height of summer was not as expensive as I thought. It can definitely be done on a budget. Take a look at my blog Solo In The South Of France for some of my tips if you are not a millionaire. There are so many cities that encompass the French Riviera. You could take day trips for days. I decided to head to Villefranche-sur-Mer for my first excursion from Nice. It was only a 15-minute bus ride from Nice. A very quick bus ride to another beautiful town. If you follow my eating suggestions from my Nice blog, then you will not have to spend much of anything while there. I spent my morning as I did daily while in Nice at the beach. I started my mornings with a warm quiche and blue waves. I couldn't pass up this routine. So it was early afternoon when I decided to venture over to Villefranche-sur-Mer. I thought I might be too late and the place would be packed. To my surprise/delight, it was pretty much empty. I could not believe it was not a zoo already. In the middle of peak summertime. Villefranche-sur-Mer is a sleepy little town that got its start in the 14th century. The population has not changed much over the last 30 years. Which has hovered around 6-8 thousand people. Perhaps that is why all the streets are practically empty. Or everyone was just at the beach. I’d love to know what a typical day is for the locals of Villefranche-sur-Mer.
It definitely worked out in my favor. I was able to stroll around and get some great photos all by myself. I suggest heading to Le Glacier 16 for some gelato, where two scoops is just 3.50 euros. The cheapest I had seen. From there start wandering around all the colorful streets. So many little gems to be discovered.
Once you have seen all the pretty streets head down toward the Fort Du Mont Alban. As you walk around the edge of the fort you get to take in the picturesque seaside. You can find a peaceful spot to take in the view here. There was a tiny strip of land and I saw two girls wading in the water there. So if you want a more local flair to swim, I'd suggest heading toward this area. If you want to be where everyone else is swimming head over to the beach. If you are not a fan of pebble beaches, then you are in luck. Tons of sand to go around at both Plage des Marinieres Beach, and Plage de L'ange Gardien (Guardian Angel's Beach). The beaches are free and open to the public. If you want a full beach day, then I would advise going first thing in the morning. Especially if you want to fit in Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild. To me, this was a must-see. More on that later.
Back to the fort area. Once over there you will see a little garden space. I found it absolutely beautiful. It also gave me a reprieve from the heat. There is a nice shaded bench area at the top of the stairs. There is also a shaded park just up the street. I then wandered up to the top of Fort Du Mont Alban, where you can catch some locals playing Petanque. It was a very fascinating game. I had never heard of this game before. I wish I could have got in on the action. I thought it might be weird just to plop down and watch. Especially since it was a bunch of older gentlemen. So instead I just slowly walked by, which probably was just as weird. Lol.  From there I took a bus to Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild. Which is about a 15-minute bus ride away. Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild is a huge estate on overlooking Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat. It was built for Beatrice Rothschild and took seven years to build. It has eight themed gardens. French, Spanish, Florentine, Lapidary, Japanese, Exotic, Rose, and Provencal gardens. These gardens have been restored since there original concept.  I had read about the beautiful gardens. But, it was larger and more breathtaking than I could have imagined. The gardens did not disappoint. They all flow together so beautifully. It was perfect timing that I went in the late afternoon. It was pretty peaceful strolling along. Plus, there is a musical fountain right as you enter the gardens. It gives a great ambiance to the already alluring gardens. If you're feeling peckish there is a restaurant on the property. The Tea Room offers a variety of food and drinks, but it can add up pretty quickly. Keep in mind it closes when the villa closes. The opening and closing of the Villa changes with the seasons. So be sure to check out the times prior to your trip. It usually closes at 6 pm besides the months of July and August. It closes at 7 pm for those months. So plan accordingly. It is a 15 euro cost to enjoy both the villa and gardens. The price also includes an audio guide. I stayed to closing which afforded amazing sunset glows. If you are also wanting pictures by yourself, then near this time is perfect. I tried to get a stranger to take some good shots, so I didn't have to bust out the tripod. Unfortunately, that was a huge fail. Sometimes you win some and sometimes it just sucks. By this time they were trying to kick us out, because there was a wedding they were setting up. Sadly, I missed out on a few photo opportunities at Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild. I hope you have better luck. It was still a great highlight of my journey to Villefranche-sur-Mer. Now it was time to head back to Nice. I choose to save my hunger for a delightful meal on the Plaza Massena. It's such a wonderful way to spend the night. I had a craving for clams as I had seen people eating them the previous night. I choose the restaurant Acqua e Farina. It was pretty reasonably priced and it offered what I wanted. I got the Linguine alle vongole. It was light and refreshing pasta. It cost 17 euros. The servers looked like they did not want to be there, but food still came out timely. I will still recommend this place. You get to sit outside on one of the cozy alley streets and people watch to your heart’s desire. I actually do not believe there is a wrong restaurant here in Nice. Everywhere I tried was amazing. If you had a bad experience let me.  I absolutely loved my time in Villefranche-sur-Mer. It's such a bewitching little town. I adored that it was so peaceful. It is quite marvelous when you can take everything in without the hustle and bustle of huge crowds. Be at your own pace. My favorite thing about solo travel. I wish I could enjoy all the cities I travel to just like that.
If you have any questions about my time in Villefranche-sur-Mer, then please let me know. If you want to see videos and more highlights head over to my Instagram. I do hope you enjoyed this post. Leave a comment with any concerns or feedback. Have a wonderful day. |
AuthorTraveling makes my heart happy. My mission is to use words and pictures to inspire you to get out there and take in the beauty of our world. Archives
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