Day 4: Eze and the Chemin de Neitzsche
On the last of my 4 days exploring the French Riviera from Nice, visited the small village of Eze by walking up one of the most famous hiking routes in the area.
Eze train station is easy to get to from Nice. It’s only a 15 minute train journey from Nice-Ville to Eze, with two trains an hour. Eze station is small, so make sure you’re listening out for the train announcement to say you’ve arrived as it’s not always obvious that you’re at the platform.
The train station is at sea level, and this is where the hiking path up to the village starts. If you’d rather not walk, there are occasional buses. However, these are infrequent and very crowded, so I decided I’d rather walk.
Chemin de Nietzsche
The Chemin de Nietzsche is a hiking trail that the philosopher Nietzsche used to walk up. It says it takes about an hour, but I took slightly longer as I wanted to stop for photos. It was also very steep in places, and I visited on a hot and humid day, so it wasn’t the easiest walk!
The walk climbs over 400 metres from sea level up to the village. The path is rocky with a lot of loose stones and steps, so you definitely need decent trainers or walking shoes on. However, despite the difficulties of the path, the views really are stunning.
I loved looking back down to the blue sea. There were also nice views up the mountain and to the isolated houses on the hillside.
Eze village
Eze village dates back to the medieval times, and feels like it hasn’t changed much since then. It’s a really beautiful village. The narrow, hilly streets are just lovely to wander through.
There are plenty of restaurants up here as well. So you can take a well deserved rest after the hike up here. I had lunch at Le Cactus, a French restaurant with lovely views out across the Mediterranean. The salad was lovely, and the large glass of Aperol Spritz was lovely and refreshing after the hot climb uphill.
After lunch, I walked round the village a bit more, before heading back down the Chemin de Nietzsche. It was definitely easier walking downhill, but still hard work as the rocks were slippery in places.
Eze beach
Eze beach is next to the train station, so it’s the perfect place to relax once you’ve walked down the hill. It’s a pebbly beach so it’s not the most comfortable to walk on with bare feet. But if you can endure the discomfort, it’s a lovely place to go for a paddle in the sea. Eze beach was my final stop on my 4 days exploring the French Riviera from Nice. It was the perfect ending to a really amazing, unforgettable trip.
Enjoy spending 4 days exploring the French Riviera from Nice! After visiting Nice, why not check out some nearby beautiful European destinations, such as Lisbon in Portugal with a day trip to Sintra. Or head over to Spain to visit the beautiful Seville, Cordoba and Granada.
Nice and the French Riviera are one of my favorite places on earth!
Oh this post brings back so many memories from my school trip to Nice & Cannes many many years ago! The French Riviera is just so pretty!
Looks like such a beautiful area. I’d certainly love to visit one day.
I’ve always wanted to visit this part of France, but I had no idea you could take the trains between places! I feel like Autumn would be a great time to visit and make summer last just a bit longer. Definitely saving this post for later!
The French Rivera sounds like a great place to visit in the Spring. I’d love to get around by train and see all the fun things. Thanks so much for the suggestions.
Sounds wonderful! I lived in France my junior year of college and have been wanting to go back. Adding Nice to my list of places to visit.