Perched villages of the Nice hinterland

Warm stone and wild rosemary set the tone in Peillon, where lanes coil up a limestone spur at 370 m and the only sound is the bell marking the hour. Medieval houses climb by stairway, and Saint-Sauveur church still shows 15th‑century frescoes. A short drive brings Peille with its former Bishops of Nice palace and the 1892 railway viaduct striding the valley; higher up, Sainte-Agnès stands at 800 m facing the sea, its intact Maginot fort open to visits. Finally La Turbie, crowned by the 7 BC Trophy of Augustus, links the route back to the Grande Corniche and Roman history.

Your driver collects you from your Beaulieu-sur-Mer hotel at 9 am in a Mercedes, keeps the pace while you taste and explore, and remains on standby for tweaks en route. The car is at your disposal for impromptu pauses: a coffee on Peille’s square, a village-inn lunch in Sainte-Agnès (Niçoise stuffed vegetables, maybe socca if on the board), and a photo stop by Col d’Èze. Expect about 30 minutes to Peillon, 20 more to Peille, then 35 to Sainte-Agnès via Col de la Madone, before dropping to La Turbie and gliding home along the panoramic Grande Corniche.