My Favourite Cruise Ports – Villefranche

This lovely little town on the Cote d’Azur, South of France is surely one of the prettiest places on earth! The approach is impressive with the steeply terraced streets of this centuries old village set against a densely wooded backdrop creating a timeless picture.

This is a tender port, meaning the ship anchors in the deep bay and you are taken by local boats from the ship to the small jetty at the edge of town. There is a tiny terminal with an information desk with tourist leaflets, bus timetables etc. Most people use Villefranche to access the larger towns of Nice, Cannes and Monaco, all easily reached by local bus or train, but it is a lovely town in itself, full of narrow streets that wind up and down the hills, with great views as you go higher. You can spend hours strolling through the streets and alleyways with lots of little cute bars dotted around to stop and refresh and some really traditional restaurants serving up some lovely seafood as well as a variety of shops from your tacky souvenir shops to patisseries, to designer boutiques.

Then there is the waterfront, lined with bars and restaurants and as you walk along you come to a great little beach which at weekends can be very crowded as it is popular with the locals. Despite all the boats bobbing around in the bay the water is really clear and great for swimming and snorkelling.

There is also a small flea market that is open at weekends and also when there is a cruise ship in selling lots of local crafts as well as herbs and other French delicacies.

If you want to explore further afield the train station is a 10 minute walk from the terminal. Nice is a 7 minute journey, Cannes 25 minutes or Monte Carlo (opposite direction) 20 minutes, or you can take the bus which takes a bit longer but you see a bit more scenery and it is cheaper.

Being a tender port and because of the very hilly nature of the town, it would be challenging for anyone with mobility issues, but if you like beautiful views, taking lovely photos and don’t mind lots of walking, you will love it here. I do.

Dee