Èze Perched Village

Èze is a medieval perched village in the Alpes-Maritimes, clinging to a rocky peak at 427 metres above sea level between Nice and Monaco, directly above the Côte d'Azur coastline. The village occupies virtually the entire rocky summit — its outer walls are the cliff edges themselves — and the interior is a dense network of vaulted stone passageways, arched tunnels, and stairways climbing steeply to the ruined 14th-century castle at the apex. At the summit, the Jardin Exotique d'Èze (€6 adult) is a cactus and succulent garden established among the castle ruins with panoramic views extending across the Mediterranean to Corsica on clear days and westward along the Riviera toward Cap d'Antibes. The garden is planted with over 400 species of cacti and succulents from the Americas, Africa, and Australasia, arranged over terraces that use the castle ruins as natural planted beds. The village streets between the entrance gate and the garden are commercially developed with galleries, ceramics studios, Fragonard perfume boutique (one of the brand's main sales outlets), jewellery shops, and several restaurants. The Chapelle des Pénitents Blancs at the top of the village contains two notable 18th-century glazed Catalan altarpieces. Two historic paths connect the village to the coast below: the Grande Corniche road (D2564) at the summit level and the Basse Corniche road and railway at the coast; the Nietzsche Path, a steep 40-minute descent, connects the upper village to Èze-sur-Mer railway station below. The philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche reportedly wrote the third part of Thus Spoke Zarathustra during long walks on this path in 1883. The Riviera views from the upper terraces and the Jardin Exotique are among the finest from any single viewpoint on the French Côte d'Azur.