Shopping in Eze

[nana2D]

Are there any great shops with some wonderful things to bring home from Eze?

[Susan-M]

I thought they were pretty interesting (and the shops themselves cut into the rock are worth a visit for the setting alone). There seemed to be a lot of shops as well... but I shop as little as possible on vacation, so I'm not a great source of info.:) However, here's a link to info from others that might give you some ideas of what to look for there. Click here ... scroll down past the first post on that site.

[TLCOhio]

Are there any great shops with some wonderful things to bring home from Eze?

 

There are nice shops with wonderful things all over Europe, but I'm not sure that you will find that many things to be good values or buys to merit purchasing them there. With the high VAT or Value Added Tax jacking up the retail prices, plus the current dollar to euro conversion rate, you might not be happy with the costs in Eze and other places.

 

If you can work in a Provence or country market, that can be BOTH fun and a better value. Costs are high in Europe, period. It's not like American bargain shopping.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

For more details, great visuals, etc., from our July 1-16 Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle Silver Cloud experiences:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

 

 

Here’s a visual sampling of the fun at a market day in Provence:

 

 

[nana2D]

I thought they were pretty interesting (and the shops themselves cut into the rock are worth a visit for the setting alone). There seemed to be a lot of shops as well... but I shop as little as possible on vacation, so I'm not a great source of info.:) However, here's a link to info from others that might give you some ideas of what to look for there. Click here ... scroll down past the first post on that site.

 

I forgot about checking Virtual tourist! Found all kinds of things for my trip.

Thanks so much!!

[texancruzer]

There was one really neat wood carver shop there. He did large spoons forks etc. & bowls, but I found his driftwood old men faces to be the coolest things. I would have loved to have one - but omg $$$$$$$$ can you say e-x-p-e-n-s-i-v-e ?????

 

I did buy my dd a beautiful hand painted silk scarf in one boutique, irises which are her favorite. The lady was having a sale and then she gave me 15% off that :o I also picked up some neat prints of Eze. Thats all I bought there.

[Travlover]

I found St Paul de Vence to have nicer boutique souvenir shops than Eze, fyi.

[Hlitner]

In Eze we have noticed that shops seem to fall into two categories. There are some shops that are simply tourist shops with typcial touristy stuff. The more interesting shops are more a combination of shop and art gallery and have some interesting arts and crafts. Quite a few of these small shops are actually owned and operated by the artist. As to St Paul de Vence (mentioned in a previous post) this is one of our favorite places in the south of France. This town has evolved into a real quality artist colony with quite a few first rate galleries carrying paintings, crafts, and sculpture. Some of these galleries are truly world-class (with world class prices) while others sell things in a price range accessible to most tourists. As a quick comparison of Eze to St Paul de Vence one can say that St Paul de Vence is a larger town (still very walkable) with more variety and options. One reason that Eze has become so popular for cruise passengers is that its location is excellent for ships calling at either Villafranche or Monte Carlo whereas St Paul de Vence is a few miles inland and somewhat more difficult to access with public transit (there is a bus from Nice).

 

Hank

[TLCOhio]

In Eze we have noticed that shops seem to fall into two categories. There are some shops that are simply tourist shops with typcial touristy stuff. The more interesting shops are more a combination of shop and art gallery and have some interesting arts and crafts. Quite a few of these small shops are actually owned and operated by the artist. As to St Paul de Vence (mentioned in a previous post) this is one of our favorite places in the south of France. This town has evolved into a real quality artist colony with quite a few first rate galleries carrying paintings, crafts, and sculpture. Some of these galleries are truly world-class (with world class prices) while others sell things in a price range accessible to most tourists. As a quick comparison of Eze to St Paul de Vence one can say that St Paul de Vence is a larger town (still very walkable) with more variety and options. One reason that Eze has become so popular for cruise passengers is that its location is excellent for ships calling at either Villafranche or Monte Carlo whereas St Paul de Vence is a few miles inland and somewhat more difficult to access with public transit (there is a bus from Nice). Hank

 

THANKS, Hank, for the nice summary! We have been to Eze and loved it. We are looking at a Celebrity cruise next June that tenders in Villafranche and our group of four is considering a rental car to reach St Paul de Vence and other smaller villages. We are there 7 am to 8 pm. We want to get away from some of the "urban congestion" along the coast. Other suggestions and tips??? Appreciate your help. Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

For more details, great visuals, etc., from our July 1-16 Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle Silver Cloud experiences:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

[nana2D]

Again, thanks for the responses, I appreciate all of them!!!!

[Hlitner]

With 4 we think renting a car is certainly the best way to go and will give you the most bang for the buck. One hassle about renting cars in Villefranche is getting to a rental car agency (most are in Nice). If you are in Villefranche on a Sunday it is really a problem since most rental companies are closed on Sundays (except at the airport). Many have reported good results by using a regional rental car company that usually will offer delivery and pick-up right at the tender pier. You can find them at:

http://www.locauto.fr/index_uk.htm

 

The best and most fun route to St Paul de Vence is just to drive right through Nice (along the coast) until you go past the airport and find the turn-off towards St Paul de Vence. Life is a little easier if you can rent (or own) a GPS which helps make sure you do not miss the turn (there are some signs). Once you turn off the coastal road (this is near Cagnes sur Mer) you do need to b alert for a few other signs that keep you on the right course. There is an excellent paid parking garage located just past the St Paul de Vence entrance and we have found it usually makes sense to pay for the garage rather then waste a lot of time trying to find a free spot along the road (maybe you will get lucky). If you are art lovers you might also want to visit the Foundation Maeght which is located only a few minutes from St Paul de Vence and is very easily accessed when you have a car (there are some signs near St Paul de Vence). They have a web site at

http://www.fondation-maeght.com/en/index.html

 

Have fun.

 

Hank

Hank