2 days in Saint-Paul-de-Vence, Provence | EUROtoday

With its vibrant cultural and spiritual historical past, the Alpes-Maritimes city of Vence can also be the right place to remain to discover each inland and the coast.

Stretching north from the Mediterranean in the direction of the mountainous landscapes of the Alpes-Maritimes for which it’s named, the division of Alpes-Maritimes is house to among the largest vacationer honeypots of the Mediterranean coast comparable to Nice, Cannes, Antibes, Menton, Èze and Grasse.

Just over an hour (and solely €1.70) by bus from Nice, the city of Vence is commonly missed in favor of the close by hilltop village of Saint-Paul-de-Vence, however with its wealth of fascinating sights, it positively warrants a go to in its personal proper. At the doorway to the Parc naturel regional des Préalpes d’Azur it affords loads of outside actions in addition to being house to the well-known Chapelle du Rosaire designed by Matisse and France’s smallest cathedral – Notre-Dame de la Nativité. Visit the vacationer workplace within the Villa Alexandrine on Place du Grand Jardin and the web site www.vence-tourisme.com (French solely) or www.provence-alpes-cotedazur.com

Villa_Alexandrine_635By GFreihalter – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0

Day 1

MORNING

Take a wander round one of many city’s markets. On Tuesday and Friday mornings, crowd stalls the slim Rue du Marché contained in the outdated city partitions, whereas the Place du Grand Jardin hosts distributors each day, together with natural and native specialties on Saturdays and a flea market on Wednesdays. The Grand Jardin of the title was as soon as the gardens of the Château de Villeneuve, which is now house to the Musée de Vence. Nothing may be very removed from anything in Vence. A great browse of the markets could effectively have taken you as much as lunchtime, and la Régence Café is an effective guess for conventional brasserie fare and nice folks watching.

Vence credit score Myrabella CC by sa3

AFTERNOON

The close by Villa Alexandrine is the city’s Tourist Office however the lovely Belle Époque constructing was as soon as house to Polish author Witold Gombrowicz and the constructing now additionally homes a museum to his life and work. Enjoy a 15-minute post-lunch stroll out of city to go to the Chapelle du Rosaire. Henri Matisse’s masterpiece of spirituality, constructed for the Dominican nuns of Vence is completely distinctive and a go to is price each cent of the €7 entry payment.

Street within the outdated city of Vence pic Lara Dunn

A wander across the gardens affords nice views again over to the city and the path to and from the chapel cross the Villa Le Rêve the place the artist lived from 1943 to 1949. If all that strolling has labored up an urge for food once more, attempt a cracker from Maison Palanque close to Place du Peyra, the creators of Vence’s emblematic cake. Tea cracker is made with puff pastry, sugar and caramelized almonds and is a agency favourite with each residents and guests alike. A stroll across the winding streets of the outdated city exhibits the city’s historic historical past, courting again to Roman instances when it was referred to as Vintium, earlier than being fortified with defensive partitions within the Middle Ages. Much of the unique structure of the medieval city continues to be seen inside the 13^th-century ramparts.

EVENING

Cathedrale_Place_Godeau_Colonne_Romaine credit score Renbe Boulay cc by sa3

An aperitif at a bar within the serene Place Godeau provides an amazing view of the cathedral tower and likewise the second of the columns donated by town of Marseille in 230 in honor of the god Mars Vintium – the primary column resides within the Place du Grand Jardin. There are loads of eating places to get pleasure from in Vence, from small native eateries comparable to Restaurant Coté Jardin to Michelin-starred institutions.

Vence Old Town by Night pic Lara Dunn

Day 2

MORNING

After breakfast, head for the Notre-Dame de la Nativity Cathedral. This Romanesque cathedral often is the smallest in France, however it’s filled with issues to see, together with ornate carved wood choir stalls and a set of fifty polychrome wood statues depicting the stations of the cross. One of the excessive factors is a mosaic created by Marc Chagall in 1979 depicting ‘Moses saved from the waters’ – the artist lived within the city between 1950 and 1966. A tiny ‘treasure room’ is house to among the church’s most spectacular objects together with silverware and an array of astonishingly detailed dioramas made within the 17^th and 18^th centuries by nun’s during times of spiritual seclusion, utilizing solely supplies that they needed to hand comparable to paper and bread. It’s exhausting to think about what a jewel field the cathedral is when seen from exterior! Relax over a scrumptious lunch inside view of the beautiful fountain within the Place du Peyra. Vence has over 20 fountains!

Cathedral_of_the_Nativity-of-Mary creditr GFreihalter cc by sa4

AFTERNOON

After lunch, make for the Musée de Vence on the Château de Villeneuve however be sure that to benefit from the views out in the direction of the Chapelle du Rosaire with the hill of the baou des whites behind it earlier than you go inside. The museum is housed in a formidable 17^th-century townhouse which was gifted to the city by former mayor Emile Hugues and has a everlasting assortment of Matisse’s work, together with research for his work Jazzbut in addition hosts visiting exhibitions and cultural occasions.

White Penitents Chapel

EVENING

A blow-out remaining night time’s dinner may embrace the Michelin-starred restaurant at Le Saint-Martin on Avenue des Templiers with views from its terrace almost as spectacular as its menu (and costs!). The tasting menu is €145.

If you might have extra time in Vence, there’s some nice strolling to be loved within the baoux that stand up behind the city. There are additionally loads of fairly perched villages to go to within the Alpes-Maritimes and close by Var departments, in addition to no fewer than 11 Plus Beaux Villages throughout the 2 departments. The coast with its stylish resorts is barely an hour away too. Vence is a wonderful location from which to discover the perfect of the Alpes-Maritimes.

View of Les Baoux from Place du Frene Vence

SELECTED ACCOMMODATION

www.lamaisondufrene.com (3* resort)

www.oetkerhotels.com Chateau Saint-Martin & Spa (5* luxurious resort and Michelin Star restaurant)