The French Riviera has plenty of well known villages for you to explore but 2 villages which get overlooked are definitely the village of Peille and Peillon. You might not have heard of these charming hillside villages and opt to visit the more popular Menton, Eze, Villefranche sur Mar and other interesting villages along the French Riviera in their own right. However, I will highlight the beauty in these peaceful French villages that really swayed me and I got captivated by their simplicity and charm.
Things to Do in Peille
The best thing to do while in Peille is definitely to immerse yourself and get lost in the narrow and windy streets of the village center. Its cobblestone streets with charming archways and ancient stone houses are the identity of this French village and gives it the medieval ambience making it perfect for just exploring and capturing photos of the architecture. I went during off peak season and there was not a soul wandering around the village. It was the definition of peace in nature and a journey back in time!
Hiking Trails around Peille
Peille village is also a good option for outdoor enthusiasts. Whether it is hiking or cycling, the surrounding hills and countryside leading to Peille gives a good challenge for all different kinds of difficulty for the less avid hiker to the more experienced. I myself opted to catch a bus to Peille and then hiked down to the village of Peillon. I will go into more detail further on in this post but first I want to highlight on how to reach this beautiful village.
How to Get to Peille
Renting a Car
It can get a bit tricky to reach Peille as it is a relatively secluded village hidden away in the hilltops. As such, you can rent a car or a moped if you are doing a French Riviera tour. Be warned that the roads are narrow and windy leading to Peille and parking space is limited. However as I said previously it doesn’t seem that it is as popular so you should be able to find parking.
By Taxi
Another alternative is to get a taxi. Depending from where you are visiting but assuming you are based in Nice, then a taxi will cost you in the region of 70 euros.
By Bus
Luckily we are all about saving that well earned cash and we have alternatives to reach Peille on a budget rather than breaking the bank on a taxi.
There is a bus which departs from Nice bus station. This is not frequent at all and you will definitely need to be there on time as no one is going to wait for you. Keep in mind I went during off peak season but there were only 2 buses going to Peille both in the morning. You can find the detailed timetable here. Once on the site set the departure point to Vauban and arrival at Peille Village. This will ensure that you get up to date timetables whenever you are reading this blog post.
After a journey of around 45 minutes (and hanging on to my life as the driver put the gas on the pedal) we arrived straight into the heart of Peille village. For context the journey was supposed to take an hour but the driver whizzed past every bus stop as no one was waiting and we were in Peille in no time.
This is definitely the most convenient way to reach the village as it drops you off right next to the village. However the timing may not accommodate your travel plans and as such there is another way albeit with a small caveat and that is…
By Train
Since Peille is a village perched in the hilltops it is naturally difficult to be served by a train station. However there is one if you are down to have a bit (or a lot) of a walk. It is a 1 hour uphill trek to the village of Peille. The trains are more frequent if you don’t want to be bound by the time constraints of the bus timetables I would suggest to come here by bus and then do the walk downhill to the train station.
Hiking from Peille to Peillon
This was one of my highlights of my trip to the French Riviera. I remember I was determined to do this hike so much so that I decided to go even with a strong possibility of train strikes effecting my journey back.
I made my way to Peille by catching number 604 as highlighted above and after spending an hour or so exploring Peille, I started heading down the other side of the village towards Peille train station where the starting point of my hike began.
Down the winding twists and turns of the french hilltops, I spotted a couple of bus stops and around half way down, a nice elderly lady stopped by and offered me a lift. She was determined to give me a lift all the way back to Nice but I politely declined as I wasn’t done exploring. A short drive later I was dropped off near the train station and stared my hike towards the village of Peillon.
Going past the train station entrance the initial part of the hike followed the train tracks before taking a left into the french countryside. After about half an hour the village of Peillon is in sight and it is now time to explore yet another perched medieval village.
Things to do in Peillon
Admittedly, there isn’t much to actually see here but in a sense it is more of the same but different. It is difficult to put in words and describe to you as a reader. Instead try to imagine the scenario with the following images
The streets are somehow even more medieval and it is more like a scene from an assasin’s creed than a village in 2024. One notable attraction is the church of Saint-Saveur and its frescoes making it of historical significane. Another thing to do is the ruins of Chateau de Peilon. Although in ruins it is still a worthy stop as from up top you can see a nice view of the surrounding valleys and hills.
How to Get to Peillon
All the same rules and tips that I mentioned in the How to get to Peille section apply to get to Peillon as well so I am not going to go into detail once again.
By Car/Taxi
You can definitely rent a car and there are some more options for parking in Peillon then there is in Peille. Taxi costs are somewhat similar.
By Bus
However if traveling from Nice there is no direct buses to Peillon and the bus stop is right next to the train station so I don’t recommend getting to here by bus. There is a direct bus from Menton which is bus number 614. Do check the frequency as there might only be a couple of buses a day.
By Train
Luckily the train station for Peillon is not an hour away but a more modest 20 minutes away. This is definitely the way to go if you want to only visit one of the two villages and only relying on public transport as it is the most convenient. In my travel tips section later on I will highlight my complete route on how I combined the two villages. Trains back to Nice only costs around 5 euros
Summary – Tips for Visiting Peille and Peillon
I visited these 2 amazing villages in 1 day and granted if you don’t have a rental car it can be a bit tiring but well worth the experience. The best way to visit both on foot and public transport is to take the bus from Nice to Peille and start exploring here.
Then you make your way down an hour walk to the train station of Peille and then you can either wait for a train to take you to Peillon or continue on walking among the french countryside. Here is a map of the trail and a link to AllTrails so you can check it out by yourself here
After you arrive at Peillon and take some time to immerse yourself in this medieval village, it is time to call it a day and head back to Nice or otherwise by walking down to the train station of Peillon. You can walk in the road or you can take the scenic route catch one last glimpse of the village and keep following the same trail I linked above.
One last tip is that I would recommend for you to pack some lunch and plenty to drink as there isn’t a lot of places where you can buy food/drink. I did stumble on a bar in Peille though but I wouldn’t hedge my bets on it so I would prepare before hand
The costs of this trip amounted to 7.50 Euros which includes the bus and train tickets mentioned. Make sure to visit my other posts and ideas on cheap travel such as the Macedonian capital here
