My dream of visiting France has finally come true. After LOTS and LOTS of planning, my husband and I have finally traveled to Europe in April of this year (2016). It was my first time travelling to Europe ever, and I fell in love even more with our beautiful planet! I documented pretty much everything we saw and plan to share my photos and travel tips on this blog, starting with this very first travel blog post about a gorgeous hilltop medieval village of Eze in the south of France, between Monaco and Nice.
As you can see from these pictures, Eze is famous for offering astonishing views of the Mediterranean Sea and the French Riviera, also known as Cote d’Azur:
The reason that the views are so amazing from any vantage point in Eze is because the village is located on a hilltop of a high cliff about 1,400 feet above the sea level of the Mediterranean Sea underneath it. Everywhere you are surrounded by unbelievable views:
But it’s not only the views that capture your eyes, as you’re walking the streets. The village has been built as a fortified stronghold during Medieval period, and the beautiful architecture reflects that.
The structures here are several hundred years old, and the oldest building in Eze is this beautiful chapel: Chapelle de la Sainte Croix built back in 1300’s.
Everywhere you look, the views are so different but all spectacular:
There are a couple of really nice hotels right in this hilltop village and lots of shops and galleries, all housed in medieval style buildings.
Walking the narrow streets of this town is like being transported back to the Middle Ages.
Be prepared to walk up the hill quite a lot, and then down the hill, on the way back. In this little town, you do need good walking shoes to walk these medieval pathways and steps:
The Eze village is also famous for its beautiful greenery like this cacti growing along the wall:
By the way, if you love botany, Eze has a beautiful Exotic Garden (Le Jardin exotique d’Eze) with lots of exotic cacti and other botanical species. The lovers of botany should definitely check it out.
The Eze village has 2 amazing hotels right in the village. We stayed in one of them, Chateau Eza:
This boutique hotel is a renovated 400 year old Chateau, with rooms and suites all along the hilltop. The views from the rooms are nothing short of spectacular. The hotel has a great restaurant and a beautiful deck where you can hang out, drink champagne cocktails, enjoy the views, and be very French. 🙂
Another notable hotel in Eze is Château de La Chèvre d’Or:
Château de La Chèvre d’Or is famous for its stunningly beautiful gardens with exotic animal statues. This hotel also has a bar and restaurant where you can relax and enjoy the views, while drinking French wine.
I so much enjoyed our trip to Eze. Seeing this beauty makes you realize more than ever how beautiful our planet is, how enormous are our seas and oceans (70% of Earth’s surface). Places like this remind me that I should enjoy every moment of life and creation, and not waste life on negativity, because everything around us is really nothing short of a miracle. No amount of money in the world can recreate this majestically blue water in the quantities that we have it on Earth. Makes me really appreciate our Planet and the gift of life.
We are planning a trip to the south of France for next year. Eze was on my list but I wasn’t thinking of staying there, just a day trip. The hotel looks amazing and I’m what if a day trip will give us time to capture what Eze has to offer?
I think a day trip is enough to capture what Eze has to offer. Eze is so beautiful and really worth visiting!
Eze or St. Paul de Vence? Which place is better for a first-time visitor? Thank you.
I would choose Eze. What makes Eze different from other medieval hilltop villages, is that Eze is perched high on top overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. The sea is right there and the views are amazing! Not all hilltop villages are perched directly over the sea. I highly recommend that you go have a drink or a lunch during the day time at Chateau Eza – their restaurant has some of the best views and picture opportunities.