How to Get From Nice to Eze

The medieval hilltop village of Eze on the French Riviera is said to be one of the most charming and enchanting villages in all of France.

With a reputation like that, it’s no wonder so many people plan a Nice to Eze day trip!

On the map, Eze looks deceptively close to Nice. But many people get tripped up travelling between the two, opting to drive (don’t do it!) or heading to the wrong train station and being forced to walk uphill for an hour!

Before visiting the French Riviera in 2024, I did a lot of research to figure out the best way to travel around the coast. I took both the bus and train between Nice and Eze, so I can tell you firsthand which way is best.

In my guide below, I’ll walk you through the different routes you can travel from Nice to Eze, plus share how to best spend your time once you make it to this beautiful town.

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Don’t get confused! Are you going to Eze Village or Eze sur Mer?

Before you start your journey from Nice to Eze, make sure you know where you’re going.

Many people make the mistake of travelling to Eze by train because they think they that’s the fastest way from Nice. After all, on Google Maps it shows that Nice-Ville to Eze is an easy 15 minute train ride!

But that takes you to the main train station in Eze, better known as Eze sur Mer or Eze bord de Mer.

Eze sur Mer is, as the name translates to in English, located by the ocean. From there, it’s a one hour uphill walk to the main hilltop village of Eze!

So don’t make this mistake. Decide if you want to go to Eze Village (where most people are headed) or Eze sur Mer (by the beach) and plan accordingly.

Or get ready for a tough hike!

PS: If you do mess this up, there’s also a bus from the Eze train station up to the village. So you won’t be forced to hike.

Nice to Eze by bus

In my opinion, the easiest and best way to get from Nice to Eze is by bus. This route is direct and requires the least amount of walking.

Depending on where you are located in Nice, you can take the #602 or #82 bus and arrive in Eze Village in about 40 minutes.

As per my note above, make sure you’re looking for a bus to Eze Village, not just Eze or Eze sur Mer, or you’ll end up at the bottom of the hill from the village!

Note that even taking the bus still requires some walking. The bus will drop you off at the base of the village, but everything is still uphill from there.

It’s not as bad as being dropped off at sea level and needing to climb up to the village, but my thighs were still burning just walking up from the Eze Village bus stop to the Exotic Garden.

If you need to fuel up before walking through Eze, there’s a little grocery store across the street from the bus stops.

Nice to Eze by train

You can take the train from Nice to Eze but remember that the station is by the water, an hour’s walk uphill to the village of Eze.

If you do decide to train, it’ll take about 15 minutes to go from Nice-Ville to Eze. From the train station you can walk (1 hour) or bus (15 minutes) up to Eze Village.

We took the #83 bus from Eze Village down to the Eze train station when we were heading back to Nice. While much faster than walking, the roads were very windy and our bus driver was taking them at a breakneck speed.

Everyone on the bus was looking at each other, bewildered by this man’s erratic driving! Honestly, I was a little nauseous by the time we got to the train station.

Nice to Eze by car

You can drive from Nice to Eze, taking 20-40 minutes, but I wouldn’t recommend it.

For one, this drive can be quite windy and treacherous for inexperienced drivers. But more importantly, there’s a good chance you’ll arrive in Eze and have nowhere to park!

Even when we visited the French Riviera in winter, many of the buses and trains to/from Eze were packed. I can’t even imagine how busy it would be in the summer.

You don’t need a car on the French Riviera. Most of the places of interest are easily accessible by train, bus or day trip.

If you really want to arrive by car, I’d recommend taking a taxi or Uber from Nice. That way, you don’t have to worry about parking and can still enjoy the convenience of door-to-door transport.

Nice to Eze by day tour

Of course, you can skip the hassle of figuring out how to get to Eze by jumping on a day tour.

Most of the day tours that leave from Nice visit Eze along with a few other places on the French Riviera, so this is a good way to see a lot in a one day.

What about going from Monaco to Eze or Eze to Monaco?

We actually visited Eze on the way back from Monaco, and then continued on from Eze to Nice. You can do this by day tour or you can DIY it on the bus.

From Monaco, take the #602 bus to Eze Village. Once again, make sure you’re heading to Eze village and not Eze train station or one of the Eze beaches.

Depending on where you catch this bus in Monaco, it should only take 15-25 minutes to reach Eze. That’s how long our journey was when we caught the bus by the casino in 2024.

However, Google Maps is reporting this journey to take an hour (as of Jan 2025). The moovit France transport website still says it’s closer to 22 minutes though, so Google might just have this one wrong.

Luckily, there’s a #602 bus stop right outside the tourist information centre in Monaco (where you can also get a Monaco passport stamp!), so you can ask them for the most updated timetable.

I would check on the bus schedule before planning your day. When we went to catch the bus in Monaco, it wasn’t coming for another 30 minutes so we had to kill time at a cafe.

Alternatively, you can train from Monaco-Monte-Carlo station to Eze in just eight minutes and then walk up the hill (1 hour) or take the bus (15 minutes on bus #83) to Eze Village.

And if you’re visiting Eze first and then Monaco, you would just do this bus or train route in reverse!

Top 6 things to do in Eze

Once you reach Eze from Nice or Monaco, finally cresting over that first viewpoint of the hilltop town, what’s there to do?

Well, catch your breath, and then check out one of these options:

• Explore the village of Eze: Even though it’s hilly, Eze is such a charming little village to discover. We walked past lots of cute souvenir shops and art galleries.
• Walk around Eze Jardin Exotique: The main draw of Eze is definitely Le Jardin Exotique. I loved seeing all of the cacti and greenery, plus stunning views over the rooftops of Eze and down to the ocean. There were also some very cool statues, a secret grotto and a waterfall.
• Go on a perfume factory tour: There are two perfume factories in Eze, Parfumerie Fragonard and Parfumerie Galimard. Both offer free guided tours and, of course, the opportunity to bring home a new scent!

• Eat at Eze restaurants: We actually didn’t stop for a meal in Eze, but I had two places on my shortlist if we had been hungry: Le Cactus and Deli’, both serving more affordable sandwich/dessert dishes. Note that many restaurants in Eze are only open seasonally.
• Hike the Chemin de Nietzsche: The main path from Eze train station to Eze Village is the Nietzsche Path, named after philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche who was said to have walked the grueling path daily.
• Enjoy the beaches in Eze: If you find yourself down by Eze sur Mer, you can hit the nearby beach! The main beach in Eze is simply called Plage d’Eze, a narrow and rocky strip by the water.

Conclusion: Is an Eze day trip from Nice worth it?

Before our trip to Nice in the winter, I had heard a lot about Eze and how it was the most beautiful town on the French Riviera. And I have to say, it was quite pretty!

The town itself is very charming and I enjoyed walking around the Exotic Garden. Those views were amazing!

But I can see how Eze can get overly crowded in the busy summer season. It’s a small place and there isn’t a ton to do, so everyone flocks to the same areas. Even in winter, parts of Eze felt too busy for my liking.

Eze is also a bit of a hassle to get to, since there’s no easy direct train ride from Nice and you have to walk uphill even if you take the bus.

And, to be honest, Eze wasn’t my favourite day trip we went on. That honour belongs to our Antibes day trip from Nice!

So all in all, I’m glad I visited Eze. I think I would have wondered if I was missing out if we hadn’t made it and I did enjoy my time there.

But would I go back or recommend an Eze day trip to everyone? Probably not.

I say you can skip Eze if:

• Other places on the French Riviera sound more interesting to you
• You’re short on time
• You don’t mind missing out on the views
• Mobility is a concern and you don’t want to tackle the hills
• It’s the height of summer and every bus, train and taxi to Eze is fully packed!

But if you just have to see those hilltop views for yourself like I did, or the Exotic Garden is calling your name, then I hope this guide has helped you plan the best Nice to Eze day trip!