Exploring Saint-Paul de Vence

Situated only 6 km from the coast as the crow flies, the mythic hilltop village of Saint-Paul de Vence has become increasingly popular. After many years, we visited the medieval village on a beautiful weekday in April. In spite of many visitors, the atmosphere was convivial. There were also many more art galleries and small quality shops than before. You don’t find any tourist trinket here, but small boutiques selling local perfumes, quality jewellery, and handcrafted olive wood works.

With this short blog post, we just wanted to share some springtime images of the village. For more detailed info, check here

Café de la Place

St-Paul de Vence entrance

Art shop in St-Paul de Vence

St-Paul de Vence main street

We parked in front of the nearby Fondation Maeght art museum and walked the short distance to the village. The Café de la Place at Place Charles de Gaulle was a perfect stop for a mid-morning coffee. From the square, we took the main pedestrian street which led us directly to the southern tip of the medieval wall (less than 500 m from the square). From here, we had views to the coast and northeast, as far as the to the snow-capped Mercantour peaks. Most of the businesses were located on the main street named rue Grande.

We continued the stroll by exploring some of the side streets, then opted for an informal lunch on a panoramic terrasse.