Today's Riviera, Yesterday's Prices

International Living Postcards--your daily escape

Tuesday, Oct. 11, 2005
Villefranche-sur-Mer, France

Dear International Living Reader,

Cary Grant brought Deborah Kerr here to meet his grandmother in An Affair to Remember…U2's Bono has a home here, as does (separately) Tina Turner…and the U.S. Sixth Fleet called this traditional port home for 22 years between 1945 and 1967.

So, sure, Villefranche-sur-Mer has a few links to the rich and famous, but have you ever heard of it? That's a good thing.

This 700-year-old fishing village is on the same stretch of golden coast as Cannes and St. Tropez…but prices here have escaped the Riviera mark-up.

You'll find plenty of restaurants where you can eat well for 10 euro - 35 euro ($12 - $40) but my favorite is Le Marinier on the harbor, with its beachside terrace--mussels and fries (moules et frites) with salad for 15 euro ($18).

I like L'Echalote on rue de l'Eglise for the views and Le Mere Germaine on the quay is best for fish, especially bouillabaisse. (Le Mere Germaine wasn't always so-called--in the 1950s, the U.S. navy adopted the owner as "mom of the Sixth Fleet.")

I recommend Hotel Welcome on the quay: 68 euro ($82) for a single room; 88 euro ($106) for a double. La Flor, above the harbor, has a pool--rooms from 46 euro ($56) per night--and further up that hill you'll find other good hotels with differing facilities (a children's play area, for example, or gardens).

Draped on a steep hill on the Mediterranean seacoast, Villefrance-sur-Mer is all whitewashed and pastel houses, small working churches, and one of the most peaceful natural harbors I've ever seen.

The town has a population of 7,000, five museums, two churches (including one decorated by artist Jean Cocteau as his memorial to St. Peter and local fishermen he had befriended), and the Saint Elme citadel (dating to the 1500s). Mostly I enjoy simply wandering around.

If you find yourself missing The French Riviera of legend, it's not too far away: Nice is a five-minute train ride--2.80 euro ($3.40) roundtrip; Monte Carlo, a mere six miles; and Cannes is 28 miles from here.

Peter Gossens
For International Living

P.S. Villefrance-sur-Mer is a popular port with Mediterranean cruise ships but don't worry about crowds, most passengers pass right through town in their haste to get to "where the action is." Their loss.

Editor's note: Congratulations to Peter -- this is his first (of many, we're sure) travel writer's byline. Look out later today for a note from International Living publisher Kathleen Peddicord about how you can learn the tricks of the travel writing trade for a dollar.

Also see:

- Bargain hunting in rural France
- Highly recommended: The ultimate book for the international traveler
- Working and living in France is easy…if you follow the advice of this Francophile from Pittsburgh

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