The French Riviera or Cote d’Azur oozes in charm and color. My daughter and I recently did a girls’ trip to the region for her college Spring Break and visited several beautiful towns. Using Nice, France as our base, our first day trip was to neighboring Villefranche-sur-Mer. Follow our day and see the things to do in Villefranche-sur-Mer.
Villefranche-sur-Mer is a picture postcard fishing village. It is only about 4 miles (7 km) from Nice. Its close proximity allows for several options to get there. We chose the bus ride going there and taking the train back.
Getting to Villefranche-Sur-Mer from Nice
We took Bus #100 from the Old Port of Nice. Check Google maps for any updates and other options to get from Nice to Villefranche-sur-Mer. Each bus ticket costs 1.50€ and you can buy it directly from the driver. We had the 10-ride multi-voyage card for €10 which saved us some money but 3 or 7 day bus passes were also available.
Insert your ticket to be stamped in the bus’ validating machine if you have the pass or card. The bus ride gave us some amazing views of the coast heading there. Try to sit on the right side of the bus to see the scenery better and for the first glimpse of the spectacular coast and Villefranche-sur-Mer’s bay.
Look at the list of stops and look at the signs on each bus stop to see how far you are from your destination. The ride was about 15 minutes.
Get off the ORIOTE bus stop which is one of the first stops as you hit the town. Make sure you or someone else has pressed the red button so Arret Demandé flashes above the driver before reaching the bus stop.
Things to do in Villefranche-sur-Mer
Visit the Tourism office
The bus stops in front of a small park overlooking the water. There is a small tourism office here. Do not miss talking to them.
They were very helpful with recommending a route to take, what was open/close and where to eat and handed us a map. This walking map was such a great resource. Bonus, there are free restrooms right behind the tourism office.
Explore the Citadel
Just a few minutes from the tourism office is the 16th-century Saint Elme citadel. Don’t miss this area with some beautiful views of the “La Darse” harbor. The trapezoid-shaped citadel was built in 1554 to protect the town from any attacks from the sea.
It has withstood time and the elements and served many uses throughout the years. The Russians used its as a barracks in the 1850s, a French military base afterwards and the US Navy used it at from 1945 to 1962.
The Villefranche-sur-Mer city council bought the citadel and put the town hall, museums and theater here.
We loved walking through the charming buildings and gardens here. There were several sculptures that blended well with the foliage.
It was such a wonderful place to sit and relax. And they made it easy with perfectly placed seating to enjoy the views and tranquility of the gardens.
Entry to the citadel is free. Unfortunately, the museums were being renovated during our visit.
Walk the Old Town of Villefranche-sur-Mer
Across from the citadel was this small wall that gave us a glimpse of the colorful Old Town, the sea and the promenade. The red tile roofed buildings were scattered along the hillside looking down into the sea.
We made our way through a main road into the Old Town. It was almost like stepping back in time to the medieval ages. The maze of narrow cobblestone streets held so many stories for centuries just as much as the old houses hovering over it.
We’ve visited many colorful places around the world. But, Villefranche-sur-Mer definitely has one of the most colorful buildings and houses.
We loved walking through these alleys of pastel buildings which blended so well with the Mediterranean background. It was such a joy to explore the old town filled with so much charm.
We were here during the first week of March. The big advantage was there were no crowds and weather was wonderful.
Unfortunately, many shops and restaurants were still closed during the off-season. This was a similar experience we had when we visited Positano in Italy in late March. But, there’s still plenty to see here.
The narrow streets were flanked on both sides with shades of pinks, oranges and yellows with the shutters and garden boxes. Coming here can totally cheer anyone up with the whole town’s vibrancy even when the trees and flowers aren’t in full bloom yet.
Step inside St. Michel Church
The most prominent structure on the Old Town is the 18th-century St. Michel Church’s bell tower. Located on top of the steep set of stairs, this historic baroque-style church is worth the effort to take a closer look. I never pass up going inside European churches and lucky for us that it was open and we had it to ourselves.
Step inside to see its arches and colorful interior that matched its bright exterior. Though smaller and simpler than many European churches, it was lovely.
The church has a carving of Christ that was made by a galley slave. There were beautiful paintings in here as well.
Walk Rue Obscure
One of the most popular attractions in town is the Rue Obscure( Dark Street). This 430-foot long walkway looked more like a tunnel than a street underneath the village’s buildings. This covered medieval lane certainly lived up to its name.
This street was built in the mid 13th-century for the soldiers to easily move through the village as defensive walkway. It served several uses over the years from a wine cellar to a WWII air raid shelter and even once used by the villagers to house their livestock.
As the village grew and real estate became scarce, houses were built on top of it until most of the street was completely covered and became hidden. This is a designated historic monument.
We used our handy paper map to find part of the street and there were also some signage from the upper village. There is also an entrance from the seafront area using Portal de Robert (the remaining gate from the fortified walls) which is what we used to exit into the promenade area.
Eat Lunch at the Promenade
Being in the French Riviera, we were looking forward for some seafood lunch along the water. The waterfront promenade area was filled with several restaurants and dining areas by the water’s edge. It was really hard to choose from their varied menus.
We settled on Tastavere where they seated us at the water’s edge and had one of the most memorable meals due to its ambience and location. The blue water of the Mediterranean was so clear that we felt like we were near the aquarium watching the fish swimming from our seats.
Prices were quite reasonable. It was actually cheaper than some of the meals we had in Nice. Our seafood pasta and mussels and frites were delicious and the local wines from the nearby Provence region were divine.
The seafront area is a wonderful place for a stroll. Steps from our dining table were fishermen’s boats that just returned from their trips. The small harbor area of Port de la Sante is a commercial and fishing port that has welcomed many fishermen, yacht and boat owners and cruise ship passengers over the years.
Villefranche-sur-Mer’s bay has some pretty deep parts a short distance from the shore which makes it quite attractive for various fishing and pleasure boats and cruise ships.
If you’re here around February (check specific dates every year), Villefranche-sur-Mer hosts the annual Sea Battle of the Flowers (Combat Naval Fleuri). The traditional fishing boats or pointus are decorated with local grown flowers, like carnations and mimosas, with various “motifs”.
The battle part is when the people on the decorated floats/boats throw hundreds of flowers at the spectators. The spectators in turn throw them back to the floats. So, it’s like a food fight but with flowers which sounds so interesting I kept a mental note of returning here just to participate sometime in the future.
Check out St. Pierre Chapel
Around the corner from the port is the historic and beautiful St. Pierre Chapel. Its ornate facade was decorated by renowned artist and filmmaker, Jean Cocteau. With its proximity to the port, it was no surprise that this chapel was dedicated to St. Peter’s (patron saint of fishermen) and to the local fishermen.
We really wanted to see the chapel’s interior since it had several frescoes showing St. Peter the Apostle’s life. Unfortunately, the chapel was closed during our visit. The chapel is closed on Monday and Tuesday. It charges €3 per person for admission.
Hang out at Squares
Place Amélie Pollonnais was a small square next to the Welcome Hotel and across from the St. Pierre Chapel. There were some tables and chairs here which made for a wonderful spot to relax and admire the ocean views.
We also found the lone souvenir store that was open throughout the town here. I’m sure it’s a different story in the summer months. A market is here when cruise ships come into town.
After enjoying our delicious lunch, we had to walk off our meal by exploring more of the old town again. It’s easy to get lost but since it’s small enough, we found ourselves somewhere familiar again shortly.
Sometimes, jet lag and food coma kicks in and you just have to find a small square to relax. We found our perfect spot next to the St. Michel church.
Relax at the Beach
Plage des Marinieres is the popular beach in Villefranche-sur-Mer. Beaches here were free and easily accessible to the public.
We had to dip our toes in the Mediterranean Sea which was still quite cold. Like the beach in Nice, the shoreline was filled with gravel. It was something quite different than we are used to in our San Diego beaches. But, sitting at this beach gave us wonderful views of the beautiful bay.
There weren’t that many people during our visit. Despite it being early March, the sun was shining and it was warm.
I can only imagine how crowded it gets here during the summer. The beach was the perfect spot for us to relax, enjoy the views and spend the last moments of our day trip in this picturesque town.
Returning to Nice from Villefranche-sur-Mer
You can always take the same bus back to Nice. But, for only a few more euros, you can take the train on the other side of the town. Your feet will thank you too for saving it from a walk back up the hill.
If you end your day at the beach or promenade area, the train station is right on top. The stairway to the station is right off the beach path with several signs so you can’t miss it. You’ll also see the trains passing by on its way to/from Nice and Monaco.
Be sure to get the train schedule before your trip to plan your return to Nice accordingly. There are two train tracks and the one going back to Nice was on Track 2 (go straight up the stairs instead of going across).
There are ticket machines at the platform. The train ride was a quick 10 minutes back to Nice.
We highly recommend this day trip to Villefranche-sur-Mer from Nice. Half a day trip will work too! It is such a beautiful town and the speed and convenience to get here makes it an easy excursion.
Walking around the colorful pathways and spending some time looking at the glistening bay made this such a wonderful day trip. Villefranche-sur-mer captivated us and we can’t wait to return to this charming French village.
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*Check out these tours from and around Villefranche-Sur-Mer
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