Provence (France)

I recently went to St Paul-de-Vence for my holiday. I am lucky enough to have a friend who owns a beautiful 5 bedroom house with a large swimming pool, so accommodation wasn't a worry for me. I was quite happy to sit by the pool and soak up the sun, but I also enjoyed going down to the village to look in all the lovely small shops and local markets. I thought I would write this review and share it with you. I hope you enjoy it"

St Paul-De-Vence.
Dating back to the 11th Century, St Paul-De-Vence lies between mountains and sea, overlooking the Mediterranean sea on the world renowned French Riviera. It stretches over 1,700 acres and is home to over 3,000 inhabitants, 300 of which live within St Paul village.

St Paul de vence is one of the most visited, best preserved and well kept medieval towns in France. No cars are allowed into the town because of the narrow streets, which adds to the charm of this town. Only residents are allowed to take their cars into St Paul so visitors must park in a large car park at the bottom of the village and walk up the steep road. With over 300 days of sunshine, it gets very busy during the summer months and the small cobblestone streets are filled with tourists. It is known for its art and is full of original art from famous artists who paid there bill with unsold pieces of art before they became famous.

While you are there you should visit the world renowned Foundation Maeght, just outside the village. It houses a collection of 20th-century paintings, sculptures and ceramics which are of very high quality. The Museum itself is beautiful, with its running water, grass, nature, and trees.
You can hardly take a few steps in Saint Paul without seeing an art gallery. Even if you aren't ready to spend money on original artwork or prints, it is simply enjoyable to gaze at the various works.
The Russian born painter Mark Chagall is buried in the Saint Paul-de-Vence cemetery. At the entrance, take the first right and the next left. Chagall has a simple white tomb. The small stones are added by visitors as tributes (from a Russian and Jewish tradition).

It is full of cobbled streets, gardens, little shady squares, ancient fountains, gateways, porches, fantastic leaded windows. St Paul is a favourite place for photographers.
Before you enter the village, it is worth stopping off at the Café de las Place. It is in a beautiful tree covered square, where you can sit and watch the locals play their game of boules as well as admiring the views around you.

You enter the village through the north gate called La Porte Royale which then leads to the Rue Grande, a narrow, cobbled stoned street that runs the full length of the village.
It is also possible to walk all around the perimeter of the village and see some wonderful views and the surrounding hills, and the sea in the distance. Also you will be able to see the thousands of villas, with swimming pools and tennis courts around the countryside.

Shopping.

There are lots of art galleries in St Paul where you can just go and admire the work…..unless you have lots of money to spend!
As an artists' village, it is also filled with more affordable artwork in the form of various crafts. The costume jewellery on sale at many of the shops is quite affordable and unique. There are interesting and creative knick-knacks for decorating your home throughout the town. You can also find a variety of Provencal fabrics on sale, as well as local gourmet delicates like olive oils, wine and fruit liquors.

Places to visit.

Visit the village. The Collégiale church and its treasure. Chapel St Mathieu.
Museum : Foundation Maeght - paintings, sculptures, drawings, ceramics.
Local history museum. Municipal museum.
The only downside to visiting Saint Paul is that you won't be alone. This is a bit of a tourist trap, and can be overrun at times (300 people live within the fortified walls, but 2.5 million tourists visit annually). The other problem is it isn't the easiest town to get to, since it isn't accessible by rail.

Getting There.

From Nice airport you can reach St Paul by taxi, it takes about 20 minutes and costs about 38-40 Euros, depending which part of St Paul you are staying.
By Road….the highway A8, with access and exit are in Cagnes-sur-Mer, is the link between France and the main European cities.

By Railroad….and by bus, the station is situated in Cagnes-sur-Mer. There is a commuter bus daily to St Paul.

I really enjoyed my holiday, but I was really tired after a day in the village. With so many tourists, you are fighting to get into the shops, along the narrow streets or to get a drink or something to eat. Maybe if you went out of season, you would enjoy it more.
I will be going again though, as it was a lovely palce to visit.
We even drove to Monoco for the day.....it took us about an hour in the car and that was a fantastic place to visit. I would like to spend more time there, but I will have to win the lottery first!!!!

Hope you enjoyed this review. Thanks for reading it.
Karen xx