Valbonne

Valbonne is a beautiful medieval village on the French Riviera, just a few miles in from the French coast. There is a regular bus service to and from the village, although it’s a spotty service and it’s probably easier to drive in.

The village proper is a walled town and it’s not possible to take cars in, but there is ample parking on the edge of the town and it’s a short walk in.

The main square is surrounded by cafés and restaurants with hundreds of tables and chairs laid out almost like a private party, but don’t worry about that, just take a seat anywhere and someone will come out to serve you.

All around the square and throughout the village is a series of narrow alleyways that make Valbonne so picturesque. Most of the town houses run to four or five floors and many inhabitants keep their potted plants out in the street. There is a real community feel to this town and it’s nit unusual for tourists to accidentally sit at someone’s private bench in the street thinking it’s part of a restaurant’s furniture. But, once again, don’t worry, they’ll probably bring you a cup of tea anyway.

Just outside the main part of the town is a large outdoor exhibition space that regularly hosts arts and crafts fairs. The local tourist information center has regular updates on what is going on and they can be found at:

Valbonne Tourist Office

Just a few miles away is Sophia Antipolis, the “silicon valley” of the south of France, and many American and English ex-pats choose to live in Valbonne and commute to work there.

But, be warned. The town houses are almost too cute to resist, but living in them on a day to day basis is a challenge, especially of you have children. They look wonderful, but the reality is:

A second, third or even fourth floor kitchen with steep steps all the way up through the house. No cars are allowed into the town. This means that all groceries must be carried into the street and up several steep flights of steps. All trash must be taken out the same way. A quick dash down several flights of steps to answer the phone. All furniture must be man-handled up the outside of the building and put in through a window. None of these buildings have elevators.

Having said that, they are beautiful and there is a genuine community here with all the kids playing in the streets together and it’s not unusual for parents to come home from work and discover three extra mouths to feed at supper time.It is also a wonderful place for honeymoon travel and you will be made extremely welcome.

The narrow brick alleys tend to be relatively cool in the summer and there are all the usual amenities such as a large (albeit expensive) grocery store, a DVD rental shop etc.

As a tourist it is definitely worth a trip because it still has some of that “old town” feel that many tourist destinations seem to lose as they become more popular, although I will offer one of my usual tips for traveling abroad - do not leave anything ion your hire car. Valbonne has managed to maintain it’s authenticity and some of the old buildings are amazingly well-preserved. There is a good range of food available in the local restaurants and the square on a busy day is an interesting place for lunch.