Vence is a serene and beautiful market town located in the hills about 9 km north-west of Nice. Vence has a lovely market square which is surrounded by cafés and restaurants, so you can sip a café au lait and watch the locals play boules, before taking a stroll through the cobbled streets of the medieval centre. The main gate of the 13th century wall that encircles the old town leads to the pretty little Place du Peyra with its refreshing drinking water fountain.
At the market you can buy everything from fresh flowers and plants to local cheese and honey, not to mention the tastiest fruit and veg so fresh it’s as if it’s just been dug out of the ground. There’s also a very busy socca stall. Socca is an Italian chick pea pancake and wonderful as a mid-morning snack.
The southern Alps form a spectacular backdrop to Vence and nearby Saint-Jeannet has some of the best rock climbing in the region with bolted routes to suit all abilities.
Worth visiting near Vence is the Chapelle du Rosaire, 800 metres north of town on the Route de Saint-Jeannet, whose interior was designed and decorated by Matisse.
Vence Address Book
Vence bike shop
TENDANCE CYCLES
LA LAUVETTE, 102 AVENUE HENRI GIRAUD, 06140 VENCE
Tel: 0493325992
Vence travel info
Getting to Vence. To get to Vence, you can take bus number 400 or 94 from Nice bus station. Departures every 30 to 45 minutes. On week days, from 6:55am to 8:20pm, on Saturdays from 7:50am to 8:30pm ; on Sundays and bank holidays from 8:10am to 8:30pm. The journey from Nice to Vence by bus takes about 1 hour and costs €1.30.
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