THINGS TO DO/day excursions from the villa in Tourettes sur Loup:
Great ideas for Provence on Mary Dowey’s site.
Museums:
Marc Chagall museum in Nice
Renoir museum in Cagnes-sur-Mer
Perfume museum in Grasse (and there are many individual perfume shops, this is the village of perfume), such as> Parfumerie Molinard, Parfumerie Galimard
Olive oil tour and tasting at Domaine de La Royrie in Grasse
Houses/Gardens:
Rothschild Villa and Gardens in Saint Jean Cap Ferrat
Greek Kérylos villa in Beaulieu
Parc du château de la Napoule – remarkable garden
Le Vallon du Brec – remarkable garden
Jardin botanique de la villa Thuret – remarkable garden
Kids:
Aquarium in Monaco
Phoenix Park in Nice
Animal park in Monaco
Nice nearby villages/hamlets:
St Paul de Vence– things to do
Gourdon– 8km from Grasse, gardens, restaurant “Le Nid d’Aigle”
Grasse
Eze- the Chateau Eza did a 2 million renovation in 2010
Mougin
MONTECARLO: Aquarium, have lunch overlooking the coastline; Sass cafe piano bar
ANTIBES
Les Vieux Murs restaurant
CANNES
Le Mesclun restaurant
NICE
Maison Auer chocolatier
Fenocchio Gelato in Nice
****
TIPS FROM THE OWNERS OF THE VILLA
Josy-Jo in Old Cagnes (above Cagnes sur mer) 04. 93. 20. 68. 76
Les Bacchanales In Vence
Le Colombe d’Or in St Paul de Vence – eat lunch outside on terrace – great historical significance in terms of art, enjoy Picasso, Matisse on the walls sculpture etc, a real find. Food = average, service good.
Bric a brac market in old Nice on Mondays
La Petite Maison Nice- authentic nicoise cuisine (Cours Saleya Nice) 04. 93. 92. 59. 59
Chateau eze = pretentious and touristy
La chaumiere above Ezes = great 04. 93. 01. 77. 68
Le baton
Les vieilles murs
Museums:
Florian old fashioned candy factory in picturesque Pont du Loup
Fondation Maecht – one of the world’s great art museums in St Paul de Vence.
Drive to Italy for lunch – Ventimiglia or beyond
Drive (off season) to St Tropez – in warmer weather take a boat in Cannes to St Tropez and lunch on the beach there.
Hiking:
Domaine des Courmettes – all three walks are lovely – best of all the one that leads down to the village of Courmes. (lunch in Courmes).
Also see local tourist map in our food cupboard for many short walks around the village
Food Shopping:
Best bread at the baker in the village (which is not also patisserie) ie the one behind the church
Open air market in village square Wednesday mornings – very charming – good local food to buy
Supermarket is LeClerc in Vence – its a supermarket! But convenient. Also there is a mini mart in the village quite well-stocked and clean
Car rental: WE LIKE “SIXT” (at Nice airport) which is good service and seems considerably cheaper than other services.