[TOURRETTES-SUR-LOUP, FRANCE] — I was on my way back from nine blissful days in Greece and heading toward the southwest of France.  Having already done most of the coast, I wanted to find a new place to explore. I opened a new travel website I kept hearing about i-escape.com and started scouring pictures for something that grabbed my eye. And then BOOM. I saw a the picture above.

That was all it took.

This is in France?  Looks more like Italy, or maybe Corsica. An ancient village perched high above the Côte d’Azur in the mountainy Alpes-Maritime region of France. I’ve always heard about this region, but had never been. So that’s where I pointed my car as I hopped off the plane in Nice.

The Stunning Village of Tourrettes-sur-Loup

Tourrettes-sur-Loup sits on a peninsula of pointy land that thrusts out over the famous Gorges du Loup. Clinging to the edge of a steep cliff, this medieval village is car-free, with narrow streets and steep stairs tucked cheek-by-jowl between the crooked houses — you can actually see the deep blue sea and the yachts around Antibes from here.

This is a real town, it seems. Not one of those over-touristed villages like Saint-Paul-du-Vence that have basically turned into high-end art galleries and stores to sell things to tourists, with few locals around. In contrast, this cute little village is loaded with artists, working right-there, making things in their own shops. Painting. Weaving. Sculpting. You get a feel for a real artists’ community.

It’s quiet. Has a great market day and the whole surrounding area seems to thrive off its bustling main square.  Didn’t see a single tourist. There’s even a Michelin-starred restaurant and several other great places to eat. And the views….don’t even get me going about the views…

Room With a View at Histoires de Bastide

I came to Tourrettes-sur-Loup to stay at this super cool B&B, Histoires de Bastide. From the reviews and pictures on i-Escape.com it was everything I love in a hotel, great rooms, killer views. There are only four or so rooms in the whole place, on a quiet street end just steps from the main square. The rooms all have their own baths, are good sized.

But once I saw this view I knew I had to come here.

[Note: after recently updating this post I noticed that Histoires de Bastide is no longer on i-escape, but you can book directly on her website.]

The beautiful owner, Sandrine, is the most delightful host…and, even better, the perfect tour guide, grabbing a map and making suggestions on where to go each day.  More importantly, she says “Non, don’t go there. Not worth it.  Go here instead.”  My kinda gal.

I normally steer away from B&Bs, I don’t always like sharing space with other people and live-in hosts raising an eyebrow whenever you come back and fixated on what time you want breakfast. But this was a great place. Lots of room in your room. Sandrine lives down the road, but meets you there.

I lucked out that I was the only guest when I stayed, so had the whole place to myself. And these views…

There’s a great modern kitchen and breakfast room, so nice I’d move in in a sec. Sandrine brought over fresh-baked croissants and I sat on the ample terrace, giggling at the view in front of me. Pinching myself.

You Should Eat Here in Tourrettes-sur-Loup

There is a Michelin star restaurant in the village, Clovis, that people come from miles around to visit, but I really fell in love with this delightful little restaurant, Cinq, literally across the alley from the hotel. Super simple menu — 2-3 things a night, very reasonably priced. No wonder it gets completely packed.

The food was amazing, the service better still. The chef, Stefan, standing center-stage in his open kitchen that roosts between the two small dining rooms. Just Stefan, the sweet server and the cutest dishwasher I’ve ever seen. All three running this place like a top.  They don’t even have a website, still today.

Stopping mid-cooking, hurriedly wiping his hands on his apron, Stefan said to no one in particular: ‘Must have Tom Waits right now!’  Then tapped on his iPad music player, propped center stage near his stove like it was another cooking pan. And then Tom came on. He smiled, nodded and went back to cooking.

The place is jammed every night. Such a blast. This was one of the best experiences I’ve had in a while. I would come back all the way to Tourrettes just to eat here. As perfect as it gets.

Touring Around The Alpes-Maritimes 

From Tourrettes-sur-Loup, you have the Gorges du Loup and the whole of Alpes-Maritime to explore. The farther away from the sea, the higher the mountains get. I didn’t build in enough time, so many cool places I had to zoom through. Definitely coming back.  

I didn’t even know it at the time, but there’s a ton of canyoning and “wild swimming” all up and down the gorge. I can’t believe I missed it.

Gourdon

Keep going upupup to the highest ridges and you finally reach the stunning hilltop town of Gourdon. A little touristy, but some nice looking cafes and killer views all the way down to the sea.

Saint-Paul-De-Vence

I was so looking forward to coming to legendary Saint-Paul de Vence, for years on my must-visit list. I long wanted to stay at the famous La Colombe d’Or. It had always been on my dream to stay here, swim amidst all the world-class artwork dotting the gardens, but alas, the hotel was already booked when I was looking for rooms.

I dunno, I didn’t like SPdV so much, maybe I was just off that day. It was super crowded, choked with tourists like me, but more annoying. Seemed like everyone was a loud-talking American group in wrinkly linen and Panama hats.

It felt like every square inch of the town had been turned over to selling expensive things to tourists. One high-end gallery after another, looking to slide a painting under the arms of someone from Grosse Pointe or North Shore Chicago.

No one seemed to live there, didn’t even hear many French people, it felt a bit like a Disneyland creation.

I got over my funk and thought I’d just go have an amazing lunch at La Colombe d’Or, actually got giddy at the thought. But I was shunned at the door by the very uppity Maître d‘, actually the rudest I’ve been treated in dozens of years.

I didn’t have a reservation — the thought! — and I would be only one person taking up a valuable table. I remember him actually saying “How could I give one person a whole table when there are so many groups wanting it?” After 25 years of solo travel, that’s the first time I’d ever heard anyone actually say that to me. Especially in Europe.

I don’t hesitate to splash a thousand bucks a night at an amazing hotel, and I tried to but they were all booked. But I that day I was treated like I was trying to get in and go table to table shaking a can for loose Euros.

My dream, crushed. I sniffered away like a kicked cat and found somewhere else to eat at a cafe down by the boule courts. The wine helped.

— Last visited October 2016; Post Updated July 2024 —

Resources:

Here’s a great overview of Tourrettes-sur-Loup from one of my favorite resources Provence Web. And TripAdvisor’s guide. And another great resource, BeyondFR’s guide.

Here is Histoires de Bastide’s web page. Here’s a great article from Conde Nast Traveler about the stunning Alpes-Maritimes region.

And here’s a great overview of Gourdon on Provence Web. More on the Gorges du Loup on TripAdvisor here, and on Beyond.fr.