Visit Saint Paul de Vence from Nice: Everything You Need to Know!
If you are headed to the French Riviera and want to visit something a little different than a city with a harbor full of yachts, Saint Paul de Vence is a great option!
Though we loved places like Antibes, Menton and Nice we got a little “harbored-out” if you will. So, we loved getting up into the mountains above the French Riviera to see the small village of Saint Paul de Vence.
Here is everything you will need to know about taking a day trip to Saint Paul de Vence from Nice: How to get there, what to do when you get there, how much time you will need and more!
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About Saint paul de Vence: Why Even Visit?
Saint Paul de Vence is a small commune located in the Alpes-Maritimes of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region of France. It is one of the oldest medieval towns in the French Riviera area and still holds a lot of that historic charm!
Not only is the VILLAGE incredibly beautiful, but the whole region and drive to Saint Paul de Vence is very picturesque as well.
Saint Paul de Vence was historically important for its location, sitting high atop a hill on the border of different French regions. The ramparts were built in the 14th century and added on to throughout the next few centuries to further protect the city.
Throughout the years, it molded into a hotbed for artists and creatives. It has been the residence of several famous people including Pablo Picasso and American writer, James Baldwin!
Today, Saint Paul de Vence is a known for its art scene; you will see several different art galleries throughout the town. And, the architectural charm continues to pull people in as well.
How to Get to Saint Paul de Vence from Nice
Saint Paul de Vence is only about an hour north of Nice via car and about an hour and a half via public transportation (depending on bus and train schedules). To get there via public transportation, you will need to take one train and one bus
From Nice, head to the central Nice-Ville station to hop on a train toward Cagnes sur Mer, which will be about a 15 minute ride with 4 stops.
Get off at the Cagnes-sur-Mer train station where you will walk just around the corner to the bus station, Gare de Cagnes-sur-Mer.
You will take bus 655 toward Vence, which is about a 30 minute ride with 18 stops. This bus route does not run as often as the train (about every hour), so time your train ride right so you aren’t waiting a long time at the bust station!
- The bus stop you are looking for is called “village,” but it is easy to tell which stop to will be yours; it is right in front of the village and most people will be getting off with you 🙂
KNOW: You must buy your bus tickets online. Even though there is a counter at the bus station, they informed us to get on the Zou app to purchase tickets.
When you head back to Nice, I recommend walking down the hill to the bus stop labeled “Foundation Maeght” so you can get the panoramic view of Saint Paul de Vence from below!!! (we didn’t know this and had to take photos from the bus at the bus stop 😫)
How to Spend Your Day in Saint Paul de Vence
How to spend your day in Saint Paul de Vence? The village is small and very walkable, so much of what there is to do is to either sightsee or shop at the boutiques and art galleries.
The bus will drop you off a short walk from the entrance to the walls of Saint Paul de Vence. On your way there, you will pass buy a cute cafe and some shops on the right as well as public restrooms if you need those!
Once you get to the gates of the walled city, start your tour of Saint Paul de Vence by taking a right at the gated entrance. Here you will find some of the best medieval architecture and you can begin the walk along the ramparts of the village, which provide incredible views of the valley below.
Continue along the ramparts where you will run into a view of the Saint Paul de Vence cemetery where artist Marc Chagall is buried. This most southern point of the town is where you can get some of the best panoramic views of the cemetery and the valley below.
- From this viewpoint you will also get a view of the old town from a different vantage point and will see the main road of Rue Grande that runs through the center of the old town.
highlights to See and Do in Old Town
Take time to explore the old town! Here is where you will find most of the restaurants, boutiques, art galleries, etc.
A few highlights you will want to see in the old town:
- Fountain of Saint Paul de Vence– An 1850 fountain that stands in the heart of Saint Paul de Vence
- Chapelle des Pénitents Blancs– The White Penitents were a brotherhood that did good works for forgiveness for their sins. In Saint Paul de Vence, this is where they resided until the 1920’s. In 2005, John-Michael Folon began a project to redecorate the interior of the chapel to encaspulate the work of the White Penitents.
- La Petit Cave de Saint Paul– Buy some wine or do a wine tasting in this 14th century wine cellar located down in a cave on Rue Grande
- Maison de Jacques Prévert- This former home of Jacques Prévert is a beautiful moss-covered flat that has incredible views of the sea and the mountains below. You can even stay here for about $575 a night 😬
- Tour de l’Espéron– The Esperon Tower is three story tower that is part of the medieval walls surrounding Saint Paul
Do you have an appreciation for art? This is your place! There are loads of art galleries in Saint Paul de Vence (I don’t even know the total amount.) A few of the highest-rated (4.5 stars and above on Google) art Galleries in old town Saint Paul de Vence:
- Galerie Neel Chourlet
- Galeries Bartoux Saint-Paul de Vence
- Galeries Bartoux Porte Royale
- Galerie Lefakis
- Casa Amor Design
- Di Allure Art
- Alarcon Dalvin Galerie
- Atelier Kleinberg
There are a lot more art galleries than this; you can’t throw a rock and not hit an art gallery in this town!
Before you leave, be sure to finish your walk along the west side of the village as well. Along with finishing the stroll along the ramparts, you will get more great valley views and this is where you will find the Maison de Jacques Prévert, the cute home of the famous poet, Jaques Prérvert.
Other Things to Know About your Day Trip
Better to be over prepared than underprepared! Here is a little more information to make your day trip as seamless as possible.
How Much Time you Will Need
The proximity to Nice and size of the town make Saint Paul de Vence a easy day trip option. Again, it will take you about an hour and half to get to/from Nice and the town is small and super walkable, so you can see most of it in just a few hours.
We spent about 2 hours exploring the village including time to sit down and have lunch.
In total, I would prepare for no less than 5-6 hours for transportation to/from and for exploration of Saint Paul de Vence!
Cost of a Day Trip on Your Own
You can visit Saint Paul de Vence for a very reasonable price. The main expenses will be train fare, bus fare and then whatever you decide to spend on food and activities while in the village.
- Train Fare: Around 5 euros one way
- Bus Fare: 2-4 euros one way
- Lunch: ~25 euros for two (one coffee, no cocktails, wine, etc)
Where to Eat in Saint Paul de Vence
We just walked into a restaurant while walking through town without doing research. La Terrace restaurant had open seats, so we opted to eat here.
- Pros: It was affordable and the meal we chose was pretty good. It also has a terrace with nice views outside.
- Cons: Pretty crowded on the inside and the bathroom was a little dirty
It did the job for us for sure! However, if you are doing research beforehand, here are some highly-rated restaurant options in Saint Paul de Vence:
- Las Ramparts– Another restaurant with a terrace providing great views
- Malabar- A French/Mediterranean restaurant with a rooftop that also boasts incredible views
- Toile Blanche– If you want to splurge, Toile Blanch is a highly rated restaurant that is a little fancier but still has incredible views. Or, you can go for a Michelin star at La Table de Pierre!
Guided Tours to Saint Paul de Vence
As small and close as Saint Paul de Vence is to Nice, most guided tours combine it with a few other stops in order to make more of a day of it.
A few of the tours combine Saint Paul de Vence with places like Antibes and Cannes. Though those towns may be worth visiting (especially Antibes!), they are quite large and, in my humble opinion, you won’t have much time to see each of the towns.
If I were going to take a guided tour to Saint Paul de Vence I would choose one that combines it with other smaller villages.
- Two highly rated tours that combine Saint Paul de Vence with smaller villages are below; a tour combined with a visit to a winery and one combined with a visit to the smaller towns of Grasse, Gordon and Tourettes-sur-Loup.
Saint Paul de Vence + Winery in Saint Jeannet
If you have a love of wine and medieval villages, this could be your dream tour! Leave from Nice and head to Saint Jeannet, another commune in the hills of Alpes-Maritimes. Saint Jeannet is less popular and can be a good break from the common crowds of the French Riviera and even Saint Paul de Vence.
- Here you will spend about an hour and 15 minutes touring through a winery, wine cellar and tasting local wines.
After the wine tasting, you will take a short drive to Saint Paul de Vence where you will have an hour to explore the small village.
- Duration: 4 hours
- Price: 88 euros
Saint Paul de Vence + Stops in Grasse, Gordon and Tourettes-sur-Loup
Another highly-rated guided tour includes Saint Paul de Vance combined with Grasse, Gordon and Tourretes Sur Loup.
Grasse is well-known as the lavender-capital of France and its perfume production. Here you will have free time to explore the town before heading to Gordon.
Gordon is a small village also located in the hills of Alpes-Maritimes, just 30 minutes from Grasse. Gordon is one of the highest-perched villages in the Alpe-Maritimes and is home to a beautiful castle and great shopping of local crafts and produce.
Tourettes-Sur-Loup is another beautiful, medieval hilltop village. It is similar to Saint Paul de Vence in that it is known for its art scene as well. Here you will have lunch and a guided tour through the town.
- We wanted to try to visit Tourettes-Sur-Loup on our day trip, but ultimately decided to just visit Saint Paul de Vence due to bus scheduling. So, if you want to visit both, a guided tour could be the easier option.
You will end your tour in Saint Paul de Vence where you will have an hour and a half to explore the town on your own.
- Duration: 8 hours
- Price: 135 euros
Is it Worth Visiting Saint Paul de Vence?
Saint Paul de Vence is undoubtedly a beautiful place. The architecture is beautiful, the region is beautiful and it is such a good chance of scenery compared to the cities on the French Riviera (though they are incredibly beautiful! Just very similar).
However, as far as mountainous day trips go, it is one of the most popular from Nice. This means, of course, that the crowds in Saint Paul de Vence can get large and the streets of Saint Paul are narrow and not well-made for high-traffic.
If you plan to visit the French Riviera during the summer time you probably are probably prepared for crowds anyway 🙃 But, if you really want to visit a smaller French village with less crowds, Saint Paul de Vence is probably not your best option.
If you want to visit a small French village with less crowds consider Saint Jeannette or Tourettes Sur Loup (or somewhere further from Nice). But, know, most places will have crowds during peak season!
final Thoughts on a Day Trip to Saint Paul de Vence
We absolutely enjoyed visiting Saint Paul de Vence. We visited in September, so the crowds were probably less than the summer, but still there nonetheless. Even with them, we found the village to be very charming!
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