For a lovely day trip on your next visit to the French Riviera, visit the medieval hilltop village of Èze. With charming shops along car-free, cobblestone streets and magnificent panoramas, Èze is one of the region’s most popular destinations. In this article I describe three ways, not involving a car, to get to this Côte d’Azur stunner – 1) taking a bus directly, 2) riding the train followed by a bus, and 3) riding the train followed by a hike.
Note: Transit information mentioned in this article was accurate as of July 2023. Please check schedules and fares for the most up-to-date information using the websites provided and/or your favorite transit planning app.
Èze-sur-Mer Versus Èze-Village
First populated around 2000 B.C. and at separate times occupied by the Romans and the Moors, Èze is located on the Côte d’Azur between Nice and Monaco. It’s about 13 miles (20 kilometers) from Nice, seven miles (11 kilometers) from Monaco, and 12 miles (19 kilometers) from Menton, which is the easternmost town in the South of France before you reach Italy.
If you look at the schedule and map for the Transport Express Régional (TER) train that serves the Côte d’Azur region, you’ll notice there is an Èze train station. But that doesn’t mean you can just hop off the train and find yourself in the Èze you’ve been dreaming about since scrolling images on Instagram and TikTok.
That’s because Èze technically extends from the Mediterranean Sea (Èze-sur-Mer or Èze Bord de Mer) to the hilltop village (Èze-Village) that everyone posts about.
TIP: If you are using Google or other mapping or transit planning app, make sure you select the correct Èze and don’t accidentally end up at the Èze-sur-Mer train station. The right one will include something about village (sometimes a hyphen, sometimes not), or it could say Vieux Èze.
The Eagles Nest (Nid d’Aigle)
Èze-Village is sometimes described as an “eagle’s nest” (“nid d’aigle” in French) because of its cliffside perch 1,401 feet (427 meters) above the sea. There also happens to be a great restaurant in the village called Nid d’Aigle that you should check out . . . but I digress. The train mentioned above stops in Èze-sur-Mer, not Èze-Village, so if you do take the train, you’ve still got to find your way to the nest!
Now that you understand the difference between Èze-sur-Mer and Èze-Village, here are three ways to get to Èze-Village without a car. For each of the three ways, I’ve provided, as available, information from Nice, Menton and Monaco, three popular bases for people traveling in the region.
Bus Direct to Èze-Village
There are two buses that directly serve Èze-Village from Nice – bus 82 and bus 602 (formerly bus 112, which you’ll likely see referenced in guidebooks). Bus 602 also provides service from Monaco. The bus stops in Èze-Village are a short and easy walk to the medieval center.
There is no direct bus option from Menton, so if that is your base, skip down to the Train + Bus section unless you plan to take a car, taxi or rideshare, which will all be more expensive.
If you are staying in other towns, like Villefranche-sur-Mer, you may want to check those routes separately as there is a vast network of buses in this area, and I am not covering them all here.
Bus 82: Nice – Plateau de la Justice
Operated by Lignes d’Azur, bus 82 travels between Nice Vauban (Nice’s main bus station, or “Route Garrière (R A)” in French) and Plateau de la Justice, with a stop at Èze-Village. Running seven days a week (with less frequency on Sundays) between Nice Vauban and Èze-Village, there are 22 stops, and it takes about half an hour.
Monday through Saturday, the first morning bus from Nice departs at 6:30 a.m., and the final bus departs Èze-Village at 7:57 p.m. (19:57.)
On Sunday, the first bus departs Nice at 8:30 a.m., and the last bus returning to Nice departs Èze-Village at 8:02 p.m. (20:02.)
Visit the webpage for bus 82. If you click on “fiche horaires” you can view, download or print the current timetable PDF.
Bus 602: Nice – Monaco
Operated by ZOU! Proximité, which provides regional train and bus services throughout Provence Alpes Côte d’Azur (PACA), bus 602 travels between Nice Vauban and the Monte Carlo Casino in Monaco, stopping at Èze-Village. This bus runs Monday through Saturday only; there is NO SERVICE ON SUNDAYS OR HOLIDAYS!
The trip from Nice Vauban to Èze-Village takes about 30 minutes. The first morning bus from Nice departs at 7 a.m., and the final bus for Nice departs Èze-Village at 9:30 p.m. (21:30.)
From Monaco’s Monte Carlo Casino, it takes about 15 minutes to reach Èze. The first bus departs the casino at 8 a.m., while the final departure from Èze-Village to Monaco is at 8:45 p.m. (20:45.) There are other stops in Monaco as well, including the train station at Pont Saint-Dévote, but I mention the Casino because it is the terminus.
You can view the most current timetable for bus 602 here, or visit the bus 602 web page shown on the Lignes d’Azur website.
NOTE: You may notice that ZOU! bus 607 (formerly bus 100) provides service between Nice and Monaco as well, stopping in Èze along the way. The stop however is at Èze-sur-Mer, not Èze-Village. Do not take bus 607 unless you are planning to get to the village another way, which is described in later sections.
Bus Fares
Lignes d’Azur (Bus 82)
The one-way, regular adult fare for Lignes d’Azur buses and trams is 1.70€., with discounts kicking in if you purchase fare value for more than 12 trips. (Various day passes are also available and may be worthwhile if you plan to spend a lot of time in Nice.)
Note that effective July 1, 2023, fares on Lignes d’Azur buses and trams must be paid with a reloadable fare card available at Lignes d’Azur point of sale locations, tram stop ticket machines or via the Lignes d’Azur mobile Ticket app. The card costs 2€ initially, but you may be reimbursed this fee when you are done with the card and turn it in at a ticket office. NOTE: Drivers do not accept cash on board Lignes d’Azur buses unless you board without a card. In this situation, the driver will sell you a card for 2€ and charge you the bus fare. The driver will then instruct you to download the Lignes d’Azur Ticket app so you can “top off” your new card with additional fare for your return trip. Since most Lignes d’Azur bus stops do not have ticket machines, I recommend getting your card and loading value onto it in advance.
ZOU! Proximité (Bus 602)
Because Lignes d’Azur is part of the ZOU! Region Sud public transit network, you should be able to use a Lignes d’Azur fare payment card on bus 602 to Èze-Village. The reason I use the word “should” is that since Lignes d’Azur overhauled the fare system on July 1, 2023, I am not 100% sure if the reloadable fare card works on ZOU Proximité. To be safe, if you are riding bus 602, I would have 2.10€ handy. This is the regular one-way fare for ZOU! Proximité buses, and their drivers do accept cash on board. You can find more information about ZOU! fares here.
Where to Catch the Bus in Nice
The Vauban bus station is on the east side of town, so not super convenient if you’re more centrally located. Walking from Gare de Nice-Ville (also known as Gare Thiers), for example, it’s 1.7 miles (2.7 kilometers), and from Vieux Nice it’s 1.1 miles (1.8 kilometers). Fortunately, you can get to Vauban from both locations on tram line 1 for 1.70€. From the train station it’s less than 15 minutes by tram, and from Vieux Nice, about half that.
Train + Bus
As I mentioned at the start of this article, the train that runs along the coast stops in Èze; however, it does not go to Èze-Village. That doesn’t mean you can’t take the train though. There’s a bus to get you from the train station to the village, although it does not run frequently.
Whether you are coming from Nice, Monaco or Menton, take the train to the Èze-sur-Mer station. Board Lignes d’Azur bus 83, which stops right in front of the station and winds its way up to the “eagle’s nest” in about 20 minutes. You’ll need to use a Lignes d’Azur reloadable card to pay the fare on this bus.
Check the bus schedule in advance and coordinate carefully with your train (don’t forget about the return trip too!) because even though bus 83 operates seven days a week, it only runs about every hour. The first bus picks up at the train station at 10 a.m., and the last bus departs Èze-Village at 6:15 p.m. (18:15.) During high season especially, the lines for this bus can be long.
As for the train ride, it couldn’t be easier. From Nice, you take the eastbound train toward Ventimille (or Ventimiglia in Italian) on the French-Italian border. The fare is 3.10€, and it takes about 15 minutes.
From Menton or Monaco, you take a westbound train toward Grasse (via Nice). The trip from Menton takes about 20 minutes for 3.80€, and from Monaco, you’re there in only seven minutes with a fare of 2.20€.
Menton to Èze-Village Via Monaco
Another option for people coming from Menton is to take the train to Monaco and then take bus 602 from Monaco as described above. Bus 602 isn’t quite as hairy a ride as bus 83 from Èze-sur-Mer is, and it’s a good way to combine visits to both Monaco and Èze. Keep in mind thought that bus 602 does not run on Sundays or holiudays.
Train + Hike
If you’re in good condition and up for an adventure with stunning views, then consider hiking up to Èze-Village instead of taking the bus. I would encourage you to make this decision before you leave however, as you will want to wear appropriate hiking attire, including sturdy shoes and a hat for sun protection. Water is a must, and if you’re thinking about doing this in the summer I would only go very early in the morning because of the heat.
The Nietzsche Footpath, named after the famous philosopher, Friedrich Nietzsche, who liked to walk here while on vacation, is a steep and rigorous 1.3-mile/2-kilometer trail between Èze-sur-Mer and Èze-Village. It takes about an hour to go up, depending on how many breaks you take, and roughly 40 minutes to come down.
As someone who hikes a lot in mountainous areas of California, I have to say this short little hike packs quite a punch. The roughly 1,300-foot/396-meter elevation gain in little more than a mile had me huffing and puffing most of the way, and I was pretty much a sweaty mess by the time I reached the top.
TIP: The trek down in my opinion is considerably easier, so one option if you’d like to see the trail but don’t want to endure the rigorous climb is to take bus 83 up and then hike down.
How to Get to the Nietzsche Footpath
Fortunately, this trail is well-marked and easy to follow. When you get off the train, exit the station by heading away from the sea. Approaching the road, you’ll see a white sign that says “SENTIER NIETZSCHE, EZE-Village: 1 h” with an arrow pointing to the right. For the first few minutes you’ll walk along the main street that parallels the sea. Then you’ll cross the road and be on your way to the “nest.” Be sure to bring plenty of water, take your time and enjoy the views along the way!