The coastal path from Nice to Villefranche-sur-Mer starts at Port Lympia in Nice and runs along the coastline all the way to Villefranche. I was 3.3 miles in when I hit the port of Villefranche, and a little over 4 miles by the time I ran to the end of the beach. It's a mix of boardwalk, cobblestone path, dirt trail, a brutal cliff staircase and some paved road, with amazing ocean views the whole time.
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Quick facts
- Start: Port Lympia, the port of Nice
- Finish: the fishing village of Villefranche-sur-Mer, then the beach just past it
- Distance: 3.3 miles to the port of Villefranche, a little over 4 miles to the end of the beach
- The hard part: a cliff staircase at about a 20 percent grade
- Shortcut: the 15 bus to the Maeterlinck stop skips the first half
- Bring: good hiking shoes, and time to swim
- Heads up: it's always pretty windy out there
This is one of my favorite hikes in the area. It's not very busy, there are places to sit along the way, and honestly I think it's way more beautiful than the Promenade.
Port Lympia to Coco Beach
The hike starts at Port Lympia, one of my favorite spots in Nice, full of super yachts.
- At the end of the port, take a left toward the church and head up the stairs to the left of the church.
- At the top of those stairs, turn right toward the ferry port and stay on that road for a little bit.
- At the crosswalk, turn left.
- Follow the little boardwalk along the ocean until you reach Plage des Bains Militaires, the first beach of the hike. There are so many beaches on this route, so if you're already getting hot or want a break, you can stop and chill here.
- Just ahead is Le Plongeoir, a beautiful restaurant overlooking the ocean. The name means "the diving board," and you can see why: there's a diving board out there with the restaurant below it.
- From there it's a short walk over to Coco Beach, an amazing beach with places to sunbathe and cliff jump.
The first trail section
Keep going down the sidewalk until you reach a staircase. Go down it, then turn left to continue on the trail. This is where the hike starts getting really beautiful. You're literally right on the ocean the whole time.
Follow the path until you see a staircase on your left. Take a left, head up those stairs for another amazing view of the coastline, then go down some more stairs and onto the first dirt trail of the day, with views of crystal clear water. This is also a famous cliff jumping spot in Nice, if that's your thing.
From the end of Coco Beach, this stretch is about half a mile long. It's pretty narrow and covered in cobblestones, so it's a little technical and it's easy to roll an ankle. Make sure you're wearing good hiking shoes.
There are a bunch of little inlets along here that are great to swim and snorkel in, and some of them you can even jump into. Start the hike early enough in the day that you can relax and enjoy the swimming.
The cliff staircase (the hardest part)
Up ahead is the most difficult part of the hike: a very, very steep staircase straight up the side of a cliff. The stairs are at about a 20 percent grade, and there are somewhere between 100 and 150 of them. As you can see in the video, I was not excited about it.
About halfway up you get your first amazing aerial view of the coastline. Then it's back to the stairs. At the top, turn right and keep going up some more stairs.
The road section
- After the top of the second set of stairs, take a left to continue up the road, then stay to the right.
- At the end of that road, turn right. You'll see the main road.
- Take another right and stay on the main road for about half a mile.
Shortcut: a lot of people skip everything up to this point by taking the 15 bus to the Maeterlinck stop. From there it's just a couple hundred feet to the start of the second part of the hike.
My favorite part: a mile right along the ocean
When you see the sign, turn right and head down the stairs. This trail takes you to my favorite part of the hike, about a mile of trail that runs right along the ocean.
On the way down the stairs you get probably the most amazing view of the whole hike, so take your pics. At the bottom, keep walking straight ahead and you'll reach a little strip of path that takes you right up to the water. Look behind you for views of Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, the rugged cliffs and the coastline back toward Nice.
Back on the trail you'll pass a World War II bunker, which is where the trail continues. This part is pretty technical, but the views are incredible: blue water right below you the whole way. That water is the Bay of Villefranche-sur-Mer, between Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat and Villefranche.
A little farther on there's another beautiful swimming spot with another World War II bunker right above it. A couple hundred feet after that is a little rock formation that makes a perfect natural diving board.
Into Villefranche-sur-Mer
After the diving board rock, the trail is done. The rest of the hike is on paved roads.
- Follow the sidewalk, take a right, and go underneath the apartment building.
- Keep following the sidewalk until you see a road on your right. That's a short little promenade, only 0.2 miles long, about a three minute walk, with Plage de la Darse up ahead.
- Follow the promenade until you see a set of stairs on your left. Go down them into the port.
- After the port, keep going until you see a red and white post. Go under it and continue down the road toward the big stone fortress, La Citadelle.
- Follow that path into the quaint little fishing village of Villefranche-sur-Mer.
That officially marks the end of the hike. You can go up into the main village, or head back down the road you came in on and grab something to eat and drink at one of the many restaurants along the water.
Don't skip the beach
If you want to go to the beach, which I highly recommend, walk another couple hundred feet to one of the most highly rated beaches in the south of France. Of course I wasn't done there: I ran all the way to the end of the beach for the best views of Villefranche-sur-Mer. Definitely worth it.
Would I recommend it?
Absolutely. It's one of my favorite hikes around here: quiet compared to the rest of Nice, full of swimming spots, and right on the water almost the whole way. Just wear good shoes for the cobblestones, save some legs for that cliff staircase, and start early so you have time to swim.
If you like big views on foot, my run up to Lac du Grand Laus in the Alps is another favorite. Have you done this hike, or are you planning to? Tell me in the comments on the video.