Èze: clifftop village, Exotic Garden and Nietzsche path

Èze is the most recognisable “eagle” village of the Côte d’Azur: stone streets climb the cliff to 429 metres, and at the top, among the ruins of the medieval castle, grow the cacti and agaves of the Exotic Garden. It is twelve kilometres from Nice and eight from Monaco, and you can reach the village not only by bus but also on foot, along the path Friedrich Nietzsche walked.

Three Èzes: the village, the sea and the pass

The commune is scattered across the slope and consists of three parts. Èze-Village is the cliff-top village itself, 429 metres above the sea. Èze-sur-Mer is the seaside settlement with a beach and a railway station. Col d’Èze is the pass on the Grand Corniche, from where the road climbs to around 700 metres. There are few permanent residents in the whole commune: 2,144 people according to the 2023 census, and they mainly make their living from tourism.

Ligurians, Moors and Louis XIV

The rock was settled around 200 BC. How lively this coast once was is shown by a hoard of Greek silverware from the 3rd century BC, found in Èze and now kept in the British Museum. The village was held by the Moors for about eighty years — they were driven out by Guillaume of Provence in 973. From 1388 Èze belonged to the House of Savoy, which fortified the village because of its proximity to Nice.

The castle on the top of the rock was demolished in 1706 by order of Louis XIV during the War of the Spanish Succession — only fragments of the walls remained, and it was in these that the garden was later planted. In April 1860 the inhabitants unanimously voted to join France.

What to see in the village itself

Cars are left below: fortified 14th-century postern gates lead inside; beyond them, it is only on foot via steps and paved passages about two shoulder-widths wide.

The oldest building in the village is the Chapel of the White Penitents (Chapelle des Pénitents Blancs), also the Chapel of the Holy Cross, dating from 1306: it was where the brotherhood that cared for the sick during plague epidemics used to meet. The main church is Notre-Dame-de-l’Assomption, built in 1764–1772 by the architect Antoine Spinelli: a neoclassical façade outside, Baroque inside. Since 1984 it has been listed as a historic monument, and since 2022 it has been closed — it is undergoing restoration of the frescoes and masonry, for which funds are being raised worldwide.

The Exotic Garden on the castle ruins

The garden was planted in 1949: the mayor, André Gianton, invited Jean Gastaud, the creator of Monaco’s Exotic Garden, and he planted succulents right into the fortress ruins. Today it is terraces of cacti, agaves and aloes mixed with Mediterranean plants, and among them are placed thirteen sculptures by Jean-Philippe Richard — elongated female figures that look out to sea. A permanent exhibition opened in 2004, and in 2018 the sculptor donated his works to the commune.

The view from the top terrace is the main reason people come here: on a clear day you can see the whole Cap-Ferrat headland and, if the weather is kind, the coast as far as Saint-Tropez. Entrance in summer 2026 costs €10, children under 12 enter free. From July to September the garden is open from 09:00 to 19:30, in April–June and October until 18:30, and from November to March until 16:30.

Nietzsche’s Trail

From Èze-sur-Mer to the village runs the Nietzsche Trail (Chemin de Nietzsche) — 2.1 kilometres and about 400 metres of ascent. It takes roughly 45 minutes to go down and about an hour and a half to go up. The philosopher visited the Riviera from 1883 and, by his own admission, thought out the third part of Thus Spoke Zarathustra on this trail.

The path is rocky, with steps and little shade for much of the way, so take water and proper footwear, and in summer set off early in the morning. At the bottom the trail ends in Èze-sur-Mer, from where trains run both to Nice and to Monaco.

Perfumery, panoramas and neighbours

At the foot of the church stands the Fragonard factory-laboratory: tours are free, no booking is required, just go to the desk. Slightly lower, by the road, is the Galimard factory and museum, also offering free tours, the last of which is conducted at 17:00. Both show how a perfume composition is assembled, and both end in a shop — that’s an honest part of the deal.

At the top of the rock operates the hotel Château de la Chèvre d’Or. According to local legend, Walt Disney, who stayed in Èze in 1956, suggested turning the fortress houses into a hotel; later the hotel was among the founding members of the Relais & Châteaux association.

Above the village, on the Grand Corniche, stands Fort La Revère — a former military fortification around which there is now a park and an ornithological station where, in autumn, they count migratory birds. And from the top terrace of the garden you can clearly see the neighbouring headland — Cap-Ferrat, which makes a logical next-day trip.

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Photo: Tobi 87 / Wikimedia Commons