Èze Village walk via the Nietzsche Path - a stunning walk near Nice and Monaco in the south of France

A stunning view from the Nietzsche Path walk looking over Eze-sur-mer on the way down from Eze Village in the south of France. You can see Cap Ferat in the distance and the bay of Villefranche where many Cruise Ships dock. If you want to do a little walk and explore in this part of France then this one from Eze Village is excellent.

The Nietzsche Path walk & Eze Village near Nice

Whilst on a long weekend holiday in Nice, France, I wanted to visit the medieval village of Eze and I'd heard of the Nietzsche path that connected Eze village (which is perched about 1000ft high up over looking the coast) to the village at sea-level. 

The Nietzsche path gets its name from the German philosopher, Friedrich Nietzsche, who supposedly climbed this trail daily when he was living on the French Riviera in the late nineteenth century. I tried to find out as much as possible on the internet about planning this little trip - and didn't find any particular great resource - so I thought I would share some info to make it easier for others to plan a trip!

Here you can see where the Eze Medieval Village is and the Nietzsche Path 5km walking route is shown in yellow over a satellite map to show the kind of terrain that the trail covers from Eze at sea-level. Don't let the shortish distance fool you though as it's quite steep path!

Helping you be prepared for your Nietzsche Path Walk

What the map above doesn't show is that the elevation of the route is 1000ft from the bottom to the top (which catches many people out who arrive by train at Eze Train station which is at sea-level) The distance is around 5km, and a sign at the bottom of the path at sea level lets you know that this can take around 1hr 30mins to complete up hill. Be warned it is quite steep, and can be quite tough in the baking heat of the middle of summer - so take water, suncream and a hat if it's sunny & hot. The path is clearly marked and is often a gravel path or bare rock. It's pretty safe, so can be done with children who are up to the challenge and it can be walked in sturdy trainers - I would strongly advise against flip-flops! On the occasion I done it - I actually went from top to bottom - much easier and more enjoyable as it was July with temps of +35c and I passed a few people sweating buckets who where doing bottom to top.

The easiest way to explore Eze and walk the Nietzsche Path

The easiest way to arrive at Eze Village is via the famous Moyenne Corniche road - which passes right by Eze Village at the same elevation. If you don't have a car - then there is a bus that travels between Nice & Monaco - with a stop just near Eze Village. On my visit I got the number 112 Bus from Nice (to Monaco) - which took 30 mins to get to Eze Vilage and cost €2 (Please doube-check bus numbers and fares!) After a stroll round Eze Village - I walked the Nietzsche Path down to Eze Sur Mer (at Sea level) - and then got the frequent train back to Nice after soaking tip some rays on the beach.

How long does it take to walk the Nietzsche Path?

It will take you about 1 hour 30mins if you are walking up the path from sea-level with a 1000ft hike up-hill. Walking down from Eze village will be much easier and take about 45 minutes.

A brief introduction to Èze Village

Eze village dates from Medieval times and is perched on a rocky peak 1400 feet above the Mediteranean, and just above the famous “Moyenne Corniche” road linking Nice to Monaco. 

Èze village is constructed in a circular fashion around the base of an ancient, now ruined castle and you can see here it's strategically perched right on the top of a rocky outcrop.

The narrow streets are idyllic to wander round in the quiet of the early morning before the tourist rush when it can lose much of it’s charm and get quite packed. So a little tip - get hear as early as possible

When in Eze Village a must visit place is Jardin Exotique, where over 400 Mediterranean cacti, citrus trees and tropical plants from around the world surround the castle ruins. You also get some stunning views from up here. Again - early morning is the best time to visit to avoid the rush.

Eze Village has two 5-star hotels – the Chèvre d’Or and Chateau Eza, the latter being the former palace of the King of Sweden – both have fantastic, pricey food and views.

For any visit to Eze - if you can pay a visit to the terrace at the Chèvre d’Or to soak in the amazing views. As I visited here early in the morning I was able to easily get a table and enjoy a coffee and bite to eat

The Nietzsche Path walking route guide

After spending maybe an hour at Eze Village exploring, it was then onto the Nietzsche Path, and the easy way to walk it - ie. down :-) Unless you really do fancy a strenuous hike, then I would recommend walking from Eze down to sea-level on the Nietzsche Path and not up, as it's a climb of 1000ft and you will be pretty tired after that walk - so much so it may put you off exploring Eze!

A glimpse of the garden terraces of Eze Village as I begin to make my walk down the Nietzsche path

The path is cleary signposted at both top and bottom. As you can see it's a well marked path - although loose rocky gravel - so don't tackle it in flip flops! I was wearing trainers and it was fine.

The path is well maintained and is step like in places. What this picture doesn't get across is how hot it was with zero breeze. I was roasting here and was beginning to get a sweat on just walking down - temps were maybe 38c (July). I felt for those who where walking up - now they did have a sweat on :-)

First glimpse of the shingle beach at Eze sur-mer - I'll be catching the train down there (after a drink and a dip in the sea though

The Nietzsche Path is quite steep in parts - but I always felt quite safe and secure under foot. the views where incredible and felt I could enjoy them much more waling down the path rather than up it

You can make out the train tracks here leading to Eze Train station where I'll catch the train back to Nice

Here's the sign at the bottom of the Nietzsche Path - telling you it will take 1hr to get up. On a hot day like today I reckon it would take longer as you will need plenty of rests. It tells you not to wear flip flops - and should tell you to take plenty of water.

The trains are pretty regular around here - but I needed to wait 20 mins or so for the next one to Nice - but there's no complaining as it's a 2 min walk to this stunning beach to chill out for a while. I believe the singer Bono once head a villa around this area

It was very tempting to head back to Nice via a Kayak that was lying around haha

The little train station at Eze sur-mer - where it's a cheap, 10 min ride back into Nice. Job done - and another walk ticked off the bucket list! 

I hope you have enjoyed that little write up - and it inspires you to want to visit Eze Vllage and walk the Nietzsche Path. I really recommend fitting it in if you are in this area in the South of France. Hopefully this blog post helps you in planning a visit :)

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Happy Hiking!

Post by Stuart Hodgson 

'The Hiking Photographer'

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