St Paul de Vence is one of the most popular medieval hill top villages in the South of France and is about a thirty minute drive from Nice. It’s picturesque, photogenic, loved by artists and popular with tourists and features heavily on organised tours.

1. The best tip I can give you is to arrive early (at about 8.30am) to avoid the major ‘organised tours’ from Nice and Cannes. This gives you three advantage points.

• There will be hardly any other people about, so it’s easy to explore.
• Less people means better photographs.
• Not too hot so easier to explore.

2. Wear comfortable shoes as the streets are steep and uneven.

3. Enjoy a coffee or breakfast at Le Cafe de la Place which is the cafe at the foot of the village, convenient before or after you have finished exploring. You might even see some locals playing boules.

There are great views of the surrounding countryside from the ramparts, beautiful homes and shops with painted shutters, a range of boutique style shops and galleries and many places to eat.

We stayed at a beautiful self catering cottage with a pool in nearby Vence