Tourrettes

Tourrettes, a hilltop village in the Var department of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, consistently makes every list of day trips from Nice. It's exactly what visitors dream of when they talk about “discovering” a place in the South of France that seems like it's all their own.
The pedestrian-only and oldest part of the town is a warren of narrow streets lined with stone homes, many with ground-floor shops that could empty the wallet of even the most budget-conscious traveler. With brightly painted doors and perfectly grown creeping vines and flowering plants that would make Martha Stewart swoon, even an hour spent in Tourrettes provides plenty to take in. The intoxicating smell of violets is everywhere, and there are also the outer roads, which offer borderline-vertiginous views of the valley below and the neighboring hills. It's nothing short of stunning.

Practical Info

It's best to drive to Tourrettes; it's just under an hour from Nice city center, and there's plenty of parking in several squares located outside the old town. If public transport is the only option, take the local bus from Nice Airport to St-Laurent-du-Var, then the 400 bus to Vence, then the 510 bus to Tourrettes.