After five nights in Provence, Merritt and I headed further South to explore a bit of the Côte d’Azur or French Riviera as some refer to it. I had visited this region before – once during a two week France trip during high school and then Nice again when studying abroad but it was really nice to return as an adult and soak up the gorgeous weather and beautiful seaside views.

We started our last day with an early morning to the beautiful medieval village of Eze that sits high atop the hills between Monaco and Nice. The village is famous for its spectacular views and I had fond memories of this pedestrian-only town from when I visited in high school.

After wandering the quiet streets first thing in the morning, we ascended to the famed Jardin Botanique d’Èze (botanical gardens) and were first in line to soak them up before the tour groups started arriving. You’ll pay a small fee to experience these dynamic gardens with sweeping views of the Mediterranean sea and it is well worth it.

Eze gets extremely crowded so arriving early is highly recommended. As we made our way out of the main village, we made a pit stop for some morning crepes and watched as tour group after tour group streamed into the tiny village. Be prepared for crowds. Before you leave Eze be sure to pop into one of the Fragonard boutiques to do a little shopping from their famous selection of fragrances, candles and soaps.

Just next to Nice (where we stayed for our two nights in the region), is the colorful village of Villefranche-sur-Mer. Once a fishing village, Villefranche is bursting with beautiful pastel buildings and narrow streets full of charm. You’ll find plenty of restaurants and a small yet bustling waterfront.

I wore this comfortable ASOS midi dress for the ocassion paired with my favorite sneakers for exploring.

As an aside, when I was about eighteen months old my parents lived in Villefranche while my Dad took an intensive French course for his job. They have fond memories of this part of France and I thought it was such fun to return over 30 years later!

After our visit to Villefranche we took a quick Uber ride back to Nice where we had a delicious dinner at Le Comptoir du Marche in the old town. The menu was full of French classics and had great service. It’s a great spot for dinner should you be visiting Nice. I personally don’t need to ever go back to Nice (I don’t find it very charming and much prefer the towns surrounding it) but it does make for a good home base to explore the region.

What I Wore:

Asos Lace Midi Dress (US size 6) // Common Projects Sneakers // BaubleBar Bow Ponytail Holder // Staud Bag // Red Jumpsuit (size 6 – also comes in black. I LOVE this jumpsuit and also spotted this, this and this by the same brand) // Talbots Bow Sandals // Staud Cage Bucket Bag

As an aside: Amazon Prime Day is kicking off today – I’ll be rounding up some favorite deals tomorrow morning but in the meantime you can shop all my Amazon Favorites here and also be sure to check out the following stand-out deals:

• 4 months of Amazon Music Unlimited for 99 cents
• The Amazon Echo Dot (3rd-gen) for $25
• An InstantPot for under $60!

p.s. my summer toolkit and my summer reading list.