4 days on the "Route des Paysages" (Landscape Route) around Nice

We started this day by strolling through the narrow streets of the baroque Old Nice with its colorful facades before ending with the discovery of the famous "Cours Saleya", classified among the most exceptional markets in France!

We opted for two Niçoise specialties to take with us and taste at the top of the castle hill.

We were spoilt for choice, I chose "la pissaladière", a specialty based on cooked onions and Frédéric chose "la socca", which he describes as a chickpea cake, cooked over a wood fire with olive oil. A treat!

We found the remains of the castle destroyed by Louis XIV... From the top, the panorama on the Baie des Anges, the port and the Mercantour massif is superb!

We departed with Frederic, by electric car, in the direction of Vence. It is there that our journey on the tourist road of the route des paysages began!

After 20 minutes of driving, the change of landscape was already incredible! We saw the first mountains, the "baous" ("small mountain with a flat top") and in the distance the mounts Macaron, Chauve and Alban.

A short trip through the historic city of Vence, where we enjoyed the narrow streets, the medieval and Renaissance houses, the squares and the Rosary Chapel, designed and decorated by Matisse, which he considered his masterpiece, not to mention the many artists exhibited in the stores and galleries of this charming place.

During our visit to the information office, the receptionist advised us to take a hike on the "baou des blancs".

A must-do on our next visit here!

Day 2: Discovering the perched villages of the middle country

After a night spent in Vence, Frédéric drove us to Saint-Jeannet, a magnificent perched village nestled at the foot of its baou.

It is in this village that we find wine growers who mature their wine in the sun, just like in Roman times!

Not far from there, a saffron producer offers a range of products for sale.

When we arrived in the village, the Place Sainte-Barbe offered us a breathtaking panorama of the French Riviera and the vineyards of Bellet.

The view was so clear that we had glimpses of Corsica!

Heading back to Carros, we could admire the meandering plain of the Var and we passed by the perched village of Gattières.

Then, the perched village of Carros was revealed, before our eyes, with its impressive medieval castle and contemporary art.

After a quick passage through the village of Broc with its medieval houses, we stopped between noon and 2 to have lunch at the restaurant labeled "cuisine nissarde" in Gilette.

On the menu, ravioli with daube and a niçoise salad, a real treat!

We ended the day at the Lou Ferouil museum which preserves the techniques and tools of the ancient trades as well as their creations.

Outside the museum, the garden is full of bric-a-brac: old cars, bicycles, oil mills, presses of all kinds...

We were welcomed by the passionate and fascinating forge master.

We spent the last hours of this beautiful day at the gîte "Lou Ferouil".

View of the perched village Le Broc

Photo: Frédéric Aguilhon, Métropole Nice Côte d'Azur

Day 3: The terraces of olive trees ''olive de Nice'' and ''le vin de Bellet

We left for the neighboring village of Bonson, a perched village surrounded by groves of olive trees!

Frédéric continued to impress us, leading us to a magnificent viewpoint located on the square of the Saint-Benoît Church, which dominates the convergence of the Var and the Vésubie rivers.

Then, a short stop at La Roquette-sur-Var on a belvedere offering a 180° view from the Mercantour mountains to the Var plain. It is also from this village that we were able to see the entire path that we had walked the day before, on the other bank of the Var plain.

The cool break in the magnificent village of Levens allowed us to discover the sumptuous chapel of the white penitents on the village square, characterized by its blue color and presenting polychrome altarpieces in wood or gypsum, oils on canvas of biblical scenes, polychrome carved wooden statues and well-preserved stalls.

Then, we left with Frédéric to visit the workshop of Jean-Pierre Augier, a world-renowned sculptor, especially for his work on the "crochet couple".

We continued our itinerary towards Saint-Blaise, where we met an olive grower who showed us his plot of land and most importantly tasted his products, including Nice olives and, our favorite, olive paste! We left with bottles of olive oil and small jars of olive paste.

The variety of olive trees most cultivated in the Alpes-Maritimes is the "cailletier" and two protected designations of origin distinguish three products: olive oil, olives and olive paste from Nice.

To finish the morning, we took a lunch break under the lime trees of the restaurant "Chez Michel" where we enjoyed an exceptional panorama on the Var and a geological attraction "les vallons obscurs" (the dark valleys) made of puddingstone, not to mention some delicious Nice specialties.

A small detour to the Cistercian Abbey Notre-Dame de la Paix allowed us to taste home-made chocolates, like the small stuffed ones!

Day 4: Towards the coast of the French Riviera and its turquoise waters

After waking up early, we couldn't resist a morning swim in a small cove located below the coastal path of Cap de Nice.

We discovered another facet of the city, in all tranquility, on a small part of the GR de Pays® Lou Camin Nissart which leads from the seaside to the hills of Nice.

New discovery for us: the pan Bagnat, a delicious Nice sandwich made with seasonal products “baignés d’huile”(bathed in oil), vinegar and pepper. Excellent!

What more can we say about this picnic on the beach, the swim in the sun with the sublime panorama of the Baie des Anges (Bay of Angels)!

Before leaving Nice, we went to a local store that sells the best products of Nice: olive oil, jam, cakes, honey, cheese...

Finally, the road leads us to the superb perched village of Èze with its steep streets and its exotic garden overlooking a view of incredible beauty!

Èze is one of the most beautiful villages in France, where the mountains meet the Mediterranean Sea.

Alas for us, it was time to go back to Nice station and our night train to Paris... We left with our eyes full of memories and our arms full of local products to taste.