Villefranche-sur-Mer Provence-Beyond (Beyond the French Riviera) ® Alpes-Maritimes (06230) Population: 8080 Altitude: 20 m Nearby:      [ Beaulieu-sur-Mer 3 km | Eze 8 | Falicon 16 | Nice 4 | Roquebrune-Cap-Martin 21 ] Photos:             1  Across the red roofs of the vieille ville to the bay. (43 k)             2  A view down on the Rade de Villefranche and the village. (32 k)             3  The train arriving, just above the beach. (40 k)             4  Terrace cafés along the seaside quai. (41 k)             5  A narrow street with vaulted passage in the Vieille Ville. (29 k)             6  The long arched passage of the Rue Obsura, with ghost passing. (30 k) Below: [ History | Dates | Office de Tourisme | Reader's Comments |Transportation | Hiking | Lodging ] This is a busy town in a busy part of the Côte d'Azur. A couple of features that make it attractive to visitors are the seaside, with long sandy beachs, terrace cafés and restaurants, and the very nice old town, vieille ville. From the main road above, you can look down across the red tile roofs of the old town, with the distinctive church and bell tower in the center. Like the medieval villages of the "back country", the narrow cobblestone and bricked streets slope steeply down (in this case towards the sea) or traverse along the slope, with vaulted passages beneath the houses. There's quite a medieval feeling here, with just the many little restaurants to remind you you're in tourist country. There are also quiet little squares, like the Place Félix Poullan beside the church, and the Place de l'Eglise just below, with a bench circling a beautiful big tree. The most extreme example we've seen anywhere of a vaulted passage is the Rue Obscura, a street about a block in from the seafront that's completely covered for about half its length [photo-6]. Lighted only by white, wire-gridded lamps in the roof, the "obscure" street reminds you of the days when the town's population sheltered here from bombardments. Cross streets open out onto the sunny upper village or the even brighter seafront below. Famous Visitors Among the glitterati of the region, Tina Anna Bullock (better known as Tina Turner) has a palatial villa here, at the peak of the Colline du Vinaigrier. She's in residence about one weekend per month, which is pretty frequent considering her schedule. Reader's Comments These comments were contributed by Robert from Canada, April 1998: We were in VilleFranche "Pierre & Vacances" March 6th to April 4th 1998. They have a wonderful resort very reasonable i.e 2 weeks for approx 5,000 FF; 2 1/2 apartments fully furnished, maid service included; from November to April 4th. This is for 2 weeks and a bonus of 2 weeks no charge. In the old village of VilleFranche we had the most delightful meal at a tiny restaurant called the "L'Echalote" rue de l'Eglise, if you happen to be in the area, please try them out... Name First record, 12th century: Castrum de Montolivo; 1295: Villa franca History Prehistoric--Roman: Iron-age and Gallo-Roman pottery shards and other artifacts were found at Mont Leuze, overlooking the current seaside location. The ancient Montolivio was also on the hill set back from the sea. Medieval: The port was created in 1295 by Charles d'Anjou. The Rade de Villefranche (the protected deep-water bay) is the best on this part of the coast, and was the most important port until port of Nice was opened in the 18th century. Dates   Every Sun   Brocante   29 June   Fête des Pêcheurs   15 Aug   Illuminations de la Rade (lighting the bay)   29 Sep   Fête Patronale Office de Tourisme Located in the corner of a lovely little park, beside the main N7 road. Tel: 04 93 01 73 68; Fax: 04 93 76 63 65 Transportation Rail. Villefranche-sur-Mer is on the main Nice-Monaco-Menton-Ventimiglia line, with frequent service [main-line rail map]. The rail line curves around the edge of the bay, running just above the beach to the east of town [photo-3]. Bus. The Nice-Monaco-Menton bus line has frequent service. Hiking Maps: Michelin "green" #115 (1/100,000) - "French Riviera - Alpes-Maritimes" IGN (1:25,000) 3742 OT "Nice-Menton" Didier Richard (1:50,000) #26 "Pays d'Azur" This is seaside-resort area, not hiking country. However, there are some walks out around the Cap de Nice, and around the Cap-Ferrat peninsula (presqu'ile). Also, in the hills north of Villefranche, towards the Col d'Eze and only about 3 km away, the Parc de la Justice offers some nice walks. Lodging [The Beyond lodging list]