I spent three nights in Villefranche-sur-Mer during my time in the French Riviera and it was the perfect home base for exploring the area. One of my favorite parts of the entire trip was just wandering around Villefranche-sur-Mer. The buildings are charming and colorful, with pastel shutters and balconies overlooking the steep, winding streets. Around every corner is a new restaurant with a chalkboard menu and rickety bistro tables out front. Or a shop to pick up souvenirs (my favorite find was a packable straw hat). The waterfront is packed with cafes, fishermen showing off the morning’s fresh catch, and markets selling food and souvenirs. There is a small pebble beach and a beautiful harbor filled with fishing boats, luxury yachts, and small shuttle boats. It was so easy to take a boat across to Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat (check out my post on One Day in Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat here). I hope this guide will help you in making the most of your time in this charming French Riviera town.
Where is Villefranche-sur-Mer?
Villefranche-sur-Mer is a small seaside town in the French Riviera that is refreshingly laid-back. The setting is so picturesque that you may have seen Villefranche-sur-Mer featured in movies such as An Affair to Remember (one of my favorites), The Transporter, or The Bucket List.
Villefranche-sur-Mer is in the Alpes-Maritimes department in the Provence-Alpes-Cote d’Azur region. This French Riviera town is located just west of the Italian border. You will find many Italian influences in the menus, architecture, and culture of the area.
Villefranche-sur-Mer is centrally located just minutes from bustling Nice and Monaco by train or car. You can also easily access the hilltop Eze-le-Village.
The town may be smaller than neighboring Nice and Monaco, but there is so much to discover. Y ou can take a day trip here, or make Villefranche-sur-Mer your home base during your time in the French Riviera, as we did.
How to Get to Villefranche-sur-Mer
Getting to Villefranche-sur-Mer is actually very easy!
If you are visiting from a surrounding town, you can take the train or drive. There is a paid parking lot in the center of town, just down the street from the harbor.
We rented a car at the Nice Cote d’Azur Airport airport and drove to Villefranche-sur-Mer. Parking in town was tricky and, because we arrived late, our hotel did not have any remaining parking. We parked in the paid lot down the street, which was fine. But note that you may run into parking issues if you arrive late at night.
Best Time to Visit Villefranche-sur-Mer
There is no bad time to visit Villefranche-sur-Mer. The weather beautiful year-round.
The French Riviera gets over 300 days of sunshine a year. When we were there in June, there were a few overcast mornings. But otherwise, it was warm and sunny.
If you are planning on spending a lot of time at the beach or swimming, you may want to avoid winter and spring when it’s a little cooler (think 50-60 degrees F).
What to Do in Villefranche-sur-Mer
Villefranche-sur-Mer makes a great day trip from Nice or Monaco, but I would recommend making the town your home base. Many of the things to do in Villefranche-sur-Mer can be accomplished in the morning or evening, leaving your day open to visit other towns that may have more restricting opening hours.
1. Walk the path from Villefranche-sur-Mer to Nice.
This is the perfect early morning activity before it gets too hot. There is a very pleasant path along the coast that takes about 1.5 hours to walk.
Start by heading west from the Old Town area and follow the footpath around the citadel (also worth checking out). Continue past the Port de la Darse until you reach a small private road that is open to walkers. The path begins with a rocky section that juts out into the sea. Keep an eye open for the ladders that lead down to the water if you want to swim. Once you reach the Batterie de la Rascasse and the Pointe des Sans Culottes (translates to Point of No Pants, interesting), you are approaching Nice. There is one final climb up to the Boulevard Princesse Grade de Monaco at the Cap de Nice and then you will arrive in Nice near the port.
You can walk back to Villefranche-sur-Mer along the same path, but I would recommend taking the train back, which only takes a few minutes.
2. Have a beach day.
If you walk along the coast you will find several beaches within fifteen minutes, including Plage des Marinieres and Plage de la Darse.
Plage des Mariniers is a beautiful beach for swimming. This is a great option if you want to relax on a sandy beach (most beaches in the area are pebble beaches). This beach also has a great view of the old town across the bay.
Plage de la Darse is a smaller pebble beach in the area that is also worth checking out.
You can also take a shuttle boat across to Plage de Passable on the Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat peninsula. Read my post on this experience here.
3. Shop at the Villefranche-sur-Mer Market.
The Villefranche-sur-Mer market sets up in the center of town every Wednesday and Saturday. This is a great place to pick up special souvenirs. You will find fresh produce and cheeses from local farms, scarves, hats, trinkets, dishes and ceramics, fabrics, flowers, olive oils, and spices.
4. Stroll along the harbor.
Villefranche-sur-Mer’s harbor is the perfect place for a pre-dinner stroll if you’re staying in town. You will pass fishing boats, yachts, shuttle boats, and you may even spot an enormous cruise ship docked off shore.
Cruise ships can usually be seen anchored off the coast of the town in the deep harbor, which can make Villefranche-sur-Mer crowded with tourists at times. There was a cruise ship docked off the shore during our stay here, but the town did not feel busy or crowded. Especially because we spent only the mornings and evenings in town. In fact, the cruise ship set off some amazing fireworks at night, which was a very pleasant surprise during our stay!
5. Get lost in Old Town.
I usually keep to a schedule while traveling. But if there is ever a place to wander with no destination, it’s Villefranche-sur-Mer. The pastel buildings that line the streets in Old Town Villefranche-sur-Mer date back to the 12th century. Rickety balconies look over the winding cobblestone streets. And the streets are lined with beautiful plants and flowers. There are so many different narrow streets to explore. So even if you like to plan, like me, make it a priority to just wander at least once.
6. Visit St. Pierre Chapel.
St. Pierre Chapel has an interesting history. This 16th-century chapel was once used by fishermen as extra storage. When it was renovated in the 1950s, murals depicting Villefranche-sur-Mer fishermen were added as a nod to its past. The chapel is open Wednesday-Sunday and is closed during lunch. There is a small 3 Euro entrance fee, or you can admire the chapel from the street while exploring Old Town.
7. Take in the view from the Citadel of Villefranche-sur-Mer.
For a breathtaking view of the French Riviera coastline, walk up to the Citadel of Villefranche-sur-Mer, a fortress dating back to the 16th-century. This is a great place to enjoy a sunset or sunrise.
Where to Eat in Villefranche-sur-Mer
The food in Villefranche-sur-Mer is outstanding. The menus are packed with seafood and Italian favorites, as well as classic French dishes. I would recommend ordering le menu at a restaurant if they offer this (check the chalkboard out front). Le menu will include few courses to try – usually including some favorite local dishes and le plat du jour (daily special).
Le Serre
For a casual meal, I would recommend Le Serre. They have an extensive pizza menu, including one pizza for each of the fifty US states. Very entertaining to read the toppings associated with each state. Be sure to also check the chalkboard for le menu. We sat outside under the awnings and ordered le menu and a pizza. Everything was delicious.
La Grignotiere
La Grignotiere is a very charming little restaurant with a great menu and terrific prices. I would recommend sitting outside under the awnings and ordering seafood or one of the many pasta dishes.
La Caravelle
La Caravelle has a more modern vibe than some of the other restaurants listed. Known for their impressive wine cellar, fresh seafood, and excellent service.
La Belle Etoile
La Belle Etoile is a hidden gem. The perfect place for a special, yet still affordable, meal. White tablecloths, terrific service, and a creative menu featuring the catch of the day.
Where to Stay in Villefranche-sur-Mer
We stayed in Villefranche-sur-Mer and I would recommend this over the surrounding areas. We spent mornings and evenings in the town when there were no tourists from cruise ships. The rest of the day was then free to explore elsewhere.
Many of the attractions in Nice and Monaco had specific opening hours. Villefranche-sur-Mer is less about museums and tours, more about strolling and relaxing. Staying here allowed us to make the most of the mornings and evenings on our trip.
There are many beautiful apartments to rent in the Old Town or hotels along the harbor.
Welcome Hotel
We stayed at Welcome Hotel right on the harbor, which I would highly recommend. Our room was comfortable and had an incredible view of the harbor. We enjoyed the huge breakfast buffet each morning and took our plates to the tables outside to watch the boats come and go. Also worth noting that Welcome Hotel arranges a shuttle boat (and towels) across to Plage de Passable, if this is an outing you are interested in doing. During our stay, we had an unexpected medical emergency and the hotel was very kind and helpful in finding us medical care, making phone calls, and extending our stay. I can’t speak to any other hotels in town, but Welcome Hotel was an exceptional place to stay.
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