Looking for an unusual medieval village in Europe? Èze, France is in southern France, in the popular Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region, and is a medieval village that sits entirely on top of a mini-mountain with commanding views of the Mediterranean Sea.
To get to Èze you must either take the TGV (express train) from Paris, fly into the closest airport which is Nice or come in by a ship (mostly cruise ships). Closest major city is Monte-Carlo in the country of Monaco and it can be said that traditionally the country of Monaco ended where Èze began. Today the country of Monacos borders start some 3.5 miles to the east of Èze’s border by road.
ShawnVoyage explores Èze
I traveled to Èze, France in April 2010 to see the Provence region. First our tour went to St. Tropez, then Nice and finally Èze. When I first arrived at Èze, I was shown a perfume factory called, Fragonard Parfumeur. They make perfume and cologne that is only sold in France and they are always coming with new fragrances.
On the Factory Tour they show you how the fragrances are made and concocted. The tour then brings you to where you can buy some Fragonard perfume. I had to buy cologne and perfume for my family! There isn’t a gift from France that speaks more French than buying perfume and cologne, so I bought a few. It was very expensive but I think one of them most unique gifts I could have bought. When you visit Èze you must visit the Fragonard Parfumeur. It’s all very French and a great gift in a region known for it’s perfumes.
The factory sits at the bottom of Èze village so once I was done with buying all the cologne and perfume, it was time to climb the village. Now I have pictures for a visual of how steep and far everybody needs to climb. Èze is very strange city in that you must continue going around the mini mountain to go up to the top. Each step you pass by buildings that could be as old as the 14th century.
My goal was to reach the top of Èze and explore the ancient churches, and buildings still left on the mountain top. I didn’t have much time before I had to head back down but I was lucky enough to climb the top and view the surrounding countryside. Luckily the day our tour went, the sun was fully out and it was perfect. When you travel to the top of Èze you finally get views of the surrounding countryside and spectacular views of the sea. At the top I was at 1,401 feet above sea level and it was worth the climb.
The truth is, is that nobody actually really lives in the village. Many of the people have homes down from the village and then open shops for tourists. There are a couple of hotels in Èze and you can imagine that it’s packed in the summer time and almost deserted during the winter time. It is one of the best preserved medieval villages in France and may be a nice idea to stay over for a night. Unfortunately I didn’t have the option to stay although I know hotels exist.
Why you should go?
Èze is a treasure in a world where most things are becoming modernized. You step back on to land surrounded by buildings who have seen different countries and people take them over. And there was with plenty of violent times!! And miraculously, somehow, this little medieval city keeps on surviving intact, relatively unchanged from history.
The fact that Èze is in the Provence region is reason enough to visit. So you spend a day in Èze and then move on to Monaco, Nice, or St. Tropez. That’s all you need in this tiny city anyways. There really isn’t much to do but just to be apart of history and to explore beautiful medieval buildings. Could life be that simple and easy!?
Èze is the perfect place to take some pictures and take a break from a hardcore travel itinerary. And you can say you visited buildings from the 14th century and saw that man was able to build on this mini mountain. Thankfully it has lasted centuries and Èze truly one of the most unique places in the world.
