Explore my photos & itinerary in the quaint fishing village of Villefranche-sur-Mer, outside of Nice, in the South of France!
Villefranche-sur-Mer is one of the cutest, underrated villages on the Côte d’Azur. And for 007 fans, it’s one of the filming locations in Never Say Never Again! The village is full of life, color and tranquility. This is the one place I really felt the French Riviera charm around every corner. When we travel, we always like to go to the non-touristy places so that we can experience local life at it’s finest. Villefranche-sur-Mer is a breath of fresh air just outside of Nice and easily accessible by train from any station along the coast.
The best way to see the village is to stroll and explore the narrow (and hilly) residential streets. Visit the boulangerie, grab a croissant and a baguette for later and make your way to the marina, which comes to life at happy hour with all the bars and restaurants along the water.
Lets go for a walk, shall we?
The Welcome Hotel made us feel the most welcome!
The Welcome Hotel is an amazing choice for accommodation. Every room has a balcony and a view where you can have breakfast every morning and enjoy the quiet marina morning sounds as this quant fishing town starts to wake up (pretty late in the morning actually, 9 or 10am). And the balcony is just as enjoyable at night. We loved having a drink and watching the marina come to life as the sun goes down. There are many restaurants on this main road with a mix of French and Italian cuisine, and a lot of fresh seafood!
I love slow mornings in Villefranche-sur-Mer
Let’s grab a pain au chocolat on this lazy morning and walk to the beach!
Compared to the other Riviera beaches, this one is relatively lowkey and not many tourists know about it. Granted, we went during the border closures when tourists were not allowed, but many EU tourists were still travelling and they stuck to the more popular beaches in Nice, Cannes, and more west.
In the afternoon, we explored Nice and took the train for an easy 10 minute ride (bonus tip: always have coins on you as the ticket machine was broken and couldn’t take credit card).
[We did not rent a car until after we left the area to head south towards Saint Tropez a few days later because parking is pretty difficult around here. We recommend taking the train or taxi from the TGV station or airport if you intend on staying in this village for more than 1 day.]
Nice was a mediocre city in our opinion. After spending time in Paris and also being from New York, we got the same metropolitan vibes that we didn’t come to the Riviera for, so we only visited the Promenade des Anglais. We had a long and lovely lunch on the beach before wandering back through the city to get to the train. It was pretty busy because the city was getting ready for the Tour de France to come through the next day! Take about timing- if we came one day later, all the roads would have been closed haha.
Before leaving the area, make sure to visit Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild ask pictured below!
