Sights · Our pick on the Riviera
The perched villages: the back story
The back story
Photo Credit
Image courtesy of © Miniwark · CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia CommonsAbout The perched villages: the back story
Behind the Riviera’s beaches, the old villages sit on rocks and ridges, built high for safety and views. Èze hangs over the sea between Nice and Monaco; Saint-Paul-de-Vence stands on a spur in the hills behind Cagnes; Mougins looks down on Cannes.
Èze
Stone lanes too narrow for cars climb to the Jardin d’Èze at the top. The Chemin de Nietzsche drops steeply to the sea at Èze-Bord-de-Mer, and both the Château de la Chèvre d’Or and Château Eza hold MICHELIN stars (2026 guide).
Saint-Paul-de-Vence
Walk the ramparts for the view to the sea; La Colombe d’Or is at the gate, and the Fondation Maeght in the pines below.
Go early in the morning or near sunset: at midday in summer the lanes are packed.
Mougins and the hills above Cannes
Le Mas Candille is in Mougins, and La Villa Archange in Le Cannet. Grasse, the perfume town, is further up.
Our advice: pair a village with a museum, Èze with the Villa Ephrussi or Saint-Paul with Renoir’s Les Collettes, and you will have a perfect day.
Why it's on our list
- Èze
- Saint-Paul-de-Vence
- Mougins and the hills above Cannes
- Our advice
Opening hours, prices and seasonal openings change, so please check with The perched villages: the back story before you go.
Hotels nearby
The closest hotels in our guide to The perched villages: the back story, as the crow flies.
- Château Eza150 m2 min walk
- Château de la Chèvre d’Or150 m2 min walk
- Cap Estel1.5 km19 min walk
What’s nearby
Distances from The perched villages: the back story are approximate, measured in a straight line (as the crow flies). Times are approximate too: walking at about 80 metres a minute, cycling at about 15 km/h and driving at typical city-traffic speeds. Traffic and routes vary.
Key sights
- Èze village100 mWalk 1 minCycle 1 minCar or taxi 5 min
- Villa Ephrussi4.5 kmCycle 18 minCar or taxi 13 min
- Musée Matisse7.0 kmCycle 28 minCar or taxi 17 min
- Cours Saleya (Vieux Nice)7.9 kmCycle 32 minCar or taxi 19 min
- Promenade des Anglais9.0 kmCycle 36 minCar or taxi 20 min
- Nice Côte d’Azur Airport14 kmCar or taxi 29 min
- Musée Picasso, Antibes25 kmCar or taxi 48 min
- Palais des Festivals34 kmCar or taxi 63 min
Main railway stations
- Nice-Ville8.5 kmCycle 34 minCar or taxi 20 min
- Menton12 kmCar or taxi 25 min
- Nice Saint-Augustin (airport)14 kmCar or taxi 29 min
- Antibes25 kmCar or taxi 48 min
- Cannes34 kmCar or taxi 63 min