Go to Saint Paul de Vence, they said. You won’t regret it they said and they were right.

What a town ? What a town ? If you have spent any time in my corner of the internet; you already know that I am a big fan of the South of France. However, in all my visits, I was yet to visit Saint Paul Vence and I had to remedy that on this trip. The trip almost did not happen because the region experienced a morning of torrential rain and because of how tight my itinerary was; I had to be heading back to Nice by 1:30 p.m. which meant braving the rain. Thankfully the worst of it was over by the time the bus arrived in Saint Paul Village. Before I get to the good stuff; some of the basic bits.

To get to Saint Paul, take Bus 400 which historically use to depart from near Palace Massena, but appears that has now changed so I found the best spot for me to join the bus was at the Airport bus stop; this is the same stop I recommend if you are heading to Cannes (Bus 200) or Grasse (Bus 500). The cost for a one way journey is 1.50 Euro and it takes about a half hour. With the rain it took a bit longer. Bus 400 is headed to Vence, with a stop at St. Paul Village. Make sure to get off at the Saint Paul Village stop - to help, just tell the driver where you are heading and you wont miss it, you will see the town perched on the hill as you approach.

While I found it to be an incredibly lovely town; I wish the weather was nicer because I imagine it is bursting with life and activity when folks are not holed up hiding from the cold/rain. Now this is not really a guide because I think a guide limits your ability to explore and discover your own Saint Paul Vence; pick a path and just walk; take all the turns and go up narrow stairways and discover homes covered in Boulengerie which is still incredibly beauty while shedding it purple petals. The streets alerted with shops; art galleries; museums; restaurants; offices; hotels; homes etc. A few things the tourism office recommended to see - the church (which is open from 2 to 4); the fountain; the cemetery where you will find the grave of Chargall (Plot number 152). If you can brave it, also walk along the city walls, there is low ground to this trek; but there is also a high ground which I would have done if the ground were not slippery; the upper trek is along a path that is not protected by railings so If I slipped and fell, there was no barrier to catch the fall. I chose to skip this on this trip.

I walked around the town; taking every turn I could; walking down narrow alleyways and discovered some beautiful sights along the way. One thing I loved about it was three people can visit on the same day and end up with completely different set of photos because there are so many different beautiful scenes and something will inspire one person more that the other. Here are the scenes that caught my eye and also the reason, I recommend it for you South of France itinerary.