Travel Notecards: Still walking the Cote d Azur

Friday 30 September 2011

Still walking the Cote d Azur

Tour du Cap d'Ail

The Tour du Cap d'Ail walk if you complete it in it's entirety, (walking to Plage Mala and then back all the way to the Port de Cap'Ail), is quite a bit longer than the Carnoles to Roquebrune Cap Martin walk, but equally as gorgeous.

Once again taking the train from Nice Ville get off at Cap d'Ail station (18 minutes from Nice and only a couple of kilometres from Monaco), and walk down towards the sea, its a 2 minute walk to the coastal path.

Restaurant 2 minutes from Cap d'Ail train station at the start of the coastal path

At the beginning of the path, there is a cool restaurant / bar with a magnificent view of the sea, you can stop for a drink or lunch before you start the walk or maybe dinner after, (your choice)! If you have packed your own food, there is a picnic spot ready and waiting for you just next door to the restaurant (photo below)

Picnic area

I'm sorry to say I have no idea of the name of this Restaurant / Bar, having not jotted it down at the time (the blog was not yet in mind)!

When you get to this restaurant area turn right onto the coastal path and you will be heading in the direction of the gorgeous Plage Mala (Mala Beach).

The scenery walking to Plage Mala from Cap d'Ail

Rock terrace out on the sea

Approaching Plage Mala

On this beach you will find two great restaurants / bars with their own beach facilities, Eden (website here) and La Reserve (website here).

You can sit and relax for hours here in couch seating on beach decking and eat and drink at any time of the day or night, or take a beach lounge and umbrella, or even have a massage, its all here. There are kayaks, boats, rubber tyres, snorkeling, in short, every water activity that exist, its a fun, relaxing, less hectic and beautiful part of the coast.

Comfortable seating at Eden on Plage Mala - Photo Susan Blair

There is also the public area of the beach if you are not wanting the creature comforts, but I have to admit to loving the private beaches and everything that comes with them! (Maybe they are to be avoided on weekends in high season though, but that applies to the public areas as well).

Pizza and Rosé for us......and it was one of the best pizzas I have ever tasted! Photo Susan Blair

After the beach, you can make your way back to Cap d'Ail station by heading upwards and out onto the streets of Cap d'Ail where you could spend hours just marveling at the magnificent villas in the area. Or you could take the same path back and this time continue on passing the Restaurant just down from the train station and heading towards Monaco, passing gorgeous Belle Epoque villas including 'The Rock' where Greta Garbo liked to spend some of her spare time.

Path heading towards Monaco

You will walk along the Chemin des Douaniers where these villas are situated and at the pointe des Douaniers or Cap Fleuri there is rocky plateau where you can again stop for lunch or dinner at Le Cabanon, I didn't, but it certainly looks like somewhere I would like to eat for the location alone.

These stairs carved into the rock can be found all along the coastline

All along the path are panels of information detailing the flora and fauna that is found in this area and very much adds to the interest of the whole experience.

I did not walk all the way to Monaco, but you can..... let me know what its like!!!

Map of French Riviera

Millie