Èze is an enchanting medieval village in the South of France. It feels like an Outlander or Game of Thrones set bringing us back in time!
My absolute favorite village in the South of France is a tiny little medieval village named Èze. We were spoiled because we got to experience this fairytale with minimal tourists. Typically these narrow pedestrian paths are full of people visiting for the day, but we had the sights and sounds for ourselves as if we were living in the village many years ago. The best way to experience Èze is by staying a night or two. It is not a cheap proposition, but for a once in a lifetime experience, I recommend it. Once borders reopen, unfortunately the village will be crowded again, but if you stay a couple nights you will have the advantage of early mornings and late evenings in the village to explore while most tourists come for late morning to early afternoon.
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Now, Let’s Explore!
The days stood still as we would wander the village, walking on the cobblestones that others have walked for hundreds of years.
A little bit of history!
- The land of Èze was owned by the Romans and the Moors. It is believed that the town was mainly built under the reign of the Roman emperors Augustus and Flavius.
- By 1383, Èze was controlled by the Savoy dynasty that secured the town with new fortifications.
- In the mid 16th century it changed ownership, passing from the French to the Turks.
- In 1706, Louis XIV completely destroyed its fortress walls during the War for the Spanish heritage because of it’s vantage point. Only in 1860 Èze officially became part of France by a unanimous decision of its inhabitants.
You can visit the little shops along the way and towards the top, have a meal or a drink at Chateau Eza, our hotel!
Our Magical Room
This is one of our favorite hotels on our trip because…I mean…do you see this view and this décor? We agreed that we could live in this room forever and never come back to our apartment in New York.
We are suckers for a hotel that has history. Built 400 years ago, I could only imagine what the walls could say if they could talk. This room was the study and library for the Prince of Sweden when he owned the chateau as his private residence.
Advice on Hotels in Èze
We did look at the other 5-star hotel in Èze called Chevre d’or, but we loved the vibe and views from Chateau Eza better. However, to get to and from the hotel, we did have to walk up and down the village to get to the road since the village is strictly pedestrian-only. In this case, Chevre d’or does not have a climb to the road, so that is a huge consideration for anyone wanting to stay in Èze and not want to hike every day. For us, we enjoyed the exercise and the chance to explore every part of the village multiple times.
We saw the Tour de France
During our stay, we had the opportunity to watch the Tour de France in person! We aren’t normally fans of this event, but it was pretty cool that we happened to be there as their route was set to pass by this little village. We got all hyped up with the crowd, waiting for the bicycles to pass and the parades to pass with them (all were required to wear masks thankfully, which was strictly enforced by the local police). While we were down by the main road, we found a busy spot for some amazing pizza. I mean, being so close to Italy, I never ate so much Italian food in my life!
Le Jardin Exotique d’Eze
A beautiful spot at the top of the village is Le Jardin Exotique d’Eze and its a botanical garden full of beautiful plants, flowers, fortress ruins, and incredible views! This is a wonderful spot to take in the beauty of the Mediterranean and read up on the history of the village and fortress ruins.
We spent my 28th birthday at Chateau Eza and what a marvelous birthday it was! Our breakfast even came with a candle for me – How sweet is that! Later on, we spent the night in Monaco (read about our Monte Carlo Experience here).
Èze is the best at night
Lastly, I will finish this post with some photos of the village on our nightly walk.
Picture pure silence, besides the wind and night creature sounds of comfort. It looks so different at night, like we were exploring a new world entirely instead of a new village. Were we in Outlander? Game of Thrones? Yes, all of the above. We escaped our reality all together, held hands, and walked along the ancient stones by the sea.
Thank you for joining me!
Good night my friends, bonne nuit! We will be venturing further down the coast next, so stay tuned! In the meantime, make sure you check out my Instagram stories and Reels for videos of our time here!
Our Previous road trip location: Villefranche-sur-Mer & Nice
