Villefranche-sur-mer: Postcards from a perfect visit

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When visiting Nice for a 4 day break with one of my best friends, we decided to hop on the train along the coast to visit the picture perfect Villefranche-sur-mer, a small but beautiful village along the French Riviera.

It was of course, like the rest of our visit, raining. But that meant we had Villefranche largely to ourselves and wow was it beautiful!

Arriving in VIllefranche-sur-mer


Getting to Villefranche is easy from Nice, as it’s just a 7 minute direct train ride from Nice’s main station, Nice Ville.

You’ll need to get to the station early though because buying tickets isn’t simple. You can purchase them from the blue machines in the terminal (there are no people selling tickets), but the queues get quite big so if possible, purchase them the night before. Even when we’d bought tickets the ticket didn’t let us through the barrier and there were no staff on duty to help – so we had to jump the barriers!


Villefranche is the kind of place you go to just ‘be’ – to wander the postcard-perfect hamlet full of vibrant shades of yellows and pinks paving the narrow streets – is a true treat. It’s full of French Riviera glamour, and well worth at least half a day of your time.

The train stops right by the beach, so the first stop of the day is enjoying the beautiful clear waters of the bay. Given it was 9 degrees on our visit, we didn’t go swimming, but it was still absolutely beautiful.

The beautiful beach

Strolling from the beach to the Old Town takes you along the promenade lined with shops and restaurants. It’s the perfect place to grab a coffee and watch the boats/yachts go by on one side and people watch on the other.

Walking along the Promenade looking in land

Without a doubt the star of the show in Villefranche is its stunning Old Town. It’s a maze of narrow streets in beautiful colours and gorgeous walkways. Even better there’s a wine bar around every corner so we paused twice to sample the local (absolutely amazing) wine.

In Villefranche-sur-mer


If you have longer than half a day to a day to spend in Villefranche then there are other options to add on to your trip. You could choose to visit:

  • Eze – the beautiful hilltop medieval village just a couple of train stops away (we did this, spending the morning in Villefranche and the afternoon in Eze).
  • Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild – the picturesque villa of the banking family set in lovely gardens
  • Nice – hop on the train out to Nice for a wander round the famous beach side city
  • Monaco – the glamourous tiny country just 15 minutes along the coast from Villefranche by train
Eze


And that’s a wrap on beautiful little Villefranche-sur-mer. What did you think? We had such a lovely morning exploring and would recommend it to anyone visiting the French Riviera. Stay safe and happy travelling!

24 responses to “Villefranche-sur-mer: Postcards from a perfect visit”

  1. Never been to Villefranche-sur-Mer, but I passed through it while heading to Menton from Nice several years ago! There are so many gorgeous cities along the French Riviera, and I’d love to explore more! Honestly, the French ticket system, while somewhat improved over the years, is still quite antiquated and frustrating; I’ve also had to jump the barriers a couple of times before when my ticket didn’t work…when it comes to security, though, it just depends: some times, they just don’t care, or other times, they’re on a power trip and try to fine you! But as long as you bought your ticket, what can they do? 😆

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    1. It’s such a beautiful area isn’t it, I could have stayed for weeks exploring all the little villages and towns along the way. Well exactly, if you’ve paid for a ticket and nothing works, I don’t think they can complain! It will be interesting to see how efficient (or not) it is at the Olympics!

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  2. Absolutely beautiful! Thank you for the information.

    Liked by 1 person

  3. Looks so lovely everywhere you look and perfect for a stroll through town gawking at the beautiful buildings and streets! 🙂 Thank goodness for the rain which let you enjoy it all without anyone else around.

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    1. It was amazing, and you’re right, the rain definitely has its advantages and I didn’t mind getting wet 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  4. Villefrance-sur-mer looks idyllic and very peaceful! I love the brightly coloured buildings, they’re so full of character.

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    1. It’s so lovely to see such colourful villages, we just don’t have them like that here in England 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  5. The Côte d’Azur has so many beautiful locations. Villefranche-sur-mer looks so inviting; I need to add this to our list.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Absolutely agree, the whole stretch of coastline is just filled with wonderful towns and villages 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  6. So stunning and you can’t beat such a quick train ride! Love all your pictures, so beautiful!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thanks Lyssy – my friend kept saying ‘not another photo’ and I just shrugged and took more – what’s a girl to do when surrounded with such a cute little town 🙂

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  7. So beautiful Hannah, even in the rain!. Maggie

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thanks Maggie, and at least the rain meant less people 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  8. I’d take the gloomy weather if it meant no crowds! Villefranche looks picturesque, especially through the Old Town.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Agree completely, it was really special to have it to ourselves 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  9. I also enjoy visiting Villefranche whilst staying in Nice
    It’s a lovely little place. I think we just hopped on the Monaco bus to get there which was also very speedy.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. It’s a wonderful place isn’t it Marion, and I’m so glad you’ve been too. My next post is Monaco, though we visited on the train which was also quick and easy. The routes and lines are very easy to navigate (once you’re through the ticket barriers!)

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  10. Postcard perfect indeed! Lovely photos, Hannah!

    Liked by 1 person

  11. Beautiful, colourful town. I didn’t visit it but it reminds me a bit of Menton

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    1. It’s just down the road from Menton, and I agree the colours are very similar 🙂

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  12. Ooh, I love little (French) villages where you can “just be.” And I love drinking wine in French villages (and anywhere in France): so cheap and so good!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I agree totally, and you can’t beat a French winery for price and quality 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  13. You just prove that one can visit Villefranche-sur-mer in sunny or rainy weather – if it is this beautiful while it has rained, it must be spectacular when the sun is shining! Love the little church and the narrow streets in the Old Town.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. It’s so beautiful isn’t it, and at least in the rain there are less people to share it with!! 🙂

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About the author

Hi! My name is Hannah, I’m a travel blogger from the UK who fits travel around a full time (and full on) job. In this blog I share my adventures around the world and hopefully help you to find some inspiration for destinations, things to do or places to stay. Thanks for stopping by – stay safe and happy travelling.

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