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faraway places, flowers

Want to hike to the Lighthouse on Cap Ferrat? Part 1

August 4, 2023 By splendid 2 Comments

I adore exploring the South of France and beyond from our Pied d’Eze~bord~du~Mer. Perhaps even more, I savor sharing all of my favorite destinations, excursions and adventures with others so they can enjoy the French Riviera lifestyle that you may not read about in a guide book.

The Mediterranean Sea, The Med, La Mer, Coastal walks on the Mediterranean, Saint Jean Cap Ferrat, Cap Ferrat, Plage Passable, Plage de Passable, palm trees, Villafrance Sur Mer, orange umbrellas

To me there’s nothing better than a day that incorporates a little adventure, culture and, of course, great food and a bit of leisure. If that sounds like fun to you then come along with me to hike the trail to Le Phare {the lighthouse} on Saint Jean Cap Ferrat. These photos are from two different jaunts around the point, and everyone who joined me absolutely loved it.

The Mediterranean Sea, The Med, La Mer, Coastal walks on the Mediterranean, Saint Jean Cap Ferrat, Cap Ferrat, craggy rocks, coastal pines, figs, dramatic views

The excursion begins and ends at the splendido Place Passable, a family owned and operated beach club with and emphasis on Italian cuisine. It is on the west side of the peninsula facing the bay of Villefranche {see map below}.

The Mediterranean Sea, The Med, La Mer, Coastal walks on the Mediterranean, Saint Jean Cap Ferrat, Cap Ferrat,

There is some street parking and 2 lots, turn right at Place Passable for the Passable parking lot and left at Place Passable to go up the hill to the Lido lot {near the big white apartment building, a right turn off of Chemin du Roy}. There’s also valet parking at Plage Passable. If you look on the map below you’ll see a cruise ship in the bottom left corner, the trail begins just to the right of the tip of the boat, you can see it in red and it going along the coast out to The Phare, where I like to create a loop and go back to Plage Passable on the road. For the Grand Hike of Cap Ferrat you could continue on around the point and finish at the Port du Cap Ferrat.

The Mediterranean Sea, The Med, La Mer, Coastal walks on the Mediterranean, Saint Jean Cap Ferrat, Cap Ferrat, map of Saint Jean Cap Ferrat

I love this little sports dress for hiking, it has a full zip up the front and I can just change my shoes, tie a scarf on my head and be ready for lunch on the beach.

Are we ready? Allonz-y!

The trail is lined with thick vegetation including fragrant pine and fig trees. Many of the pines are on the water side, providing an occasional canopy of shade.

The Mediterranean Sea, The Med, La Mer, Coastal walks on the Mediterranean, Saint Jean Cap Ferrat, Cap Ferrat, craggy rocks, coastal pines, figs, palm trees, dramatic views, Ville de Nice, L'Esterel Mountains

Dramatic craggy rocks, worn away by the Mediterranean Sea over the years. Oftentimes you can find flakes of salt on the rocks.

The Mediterranean Sea, The Med, La Mer, Coastal walks on the Mediterranean, Saint Jean Cap Ferrat, Cap Ferrat, craggy rocks, coastal pines, dramatic views

Along the way there are spots where you can climb down the rocks, often times with stairs to enjoy time on platforms or rocks to swim and sun.

The Mediterranean Sea, The Med, La Mer, Coastal walks on the Mediterranean, Saint Jean Cap Ferrat, Cap Ferrat, craggy rocks, coastal pines, dramatic views, natural swim platforms, swimmer, stairs to the med
The Mediterranean Sea, The Med, La Mer, Coastal walks on the Mediterranean, Saint Jean Cap Ferrat, Cap Ferrat, craggy rocks, coastal pines, figs, dramatic views, swim platforms, stairs to the med

Aren’t these stairs intriguing?

The Mediterranean Sea, The Med, La Mer, Coastal walks on the Mediterranean, Saint Jean Cap Ferrat, Cap Ferrat, craggy rocks, coastal pines, figs, dramatic views, swim platforms, stairs to the Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea, The Med, La Mer, Coastal walks on the Mediterranean, Saint Jean Cap Ferrat, Cap Ferrat, craggy rocks, coastal pines, figs, dramatic views, swim platforms, stairs to the Mediterranean Sea, black sport dress, Kaenon sunglasses, Nike shoes, the adventuress domestista
The Mediterranean Sea, The Med, La Mer, Coastal walks on the Mediterranean, Saint Jean Cap Ferrat, Cap Ferrat, craggy rocks, coastal pines, dramatic views, swim platforms, stairs to the Mediterranean Sea

For the daring sort there are also cliffs to jump from.

The Mediterranean Sea, The Med, La Mer, Coastal walks on the Mediterranean, Saint Jean Cap Ferrat, Cap Ferrat, craggy rocks, coastal pines, figs, dramatic views, swim platforms, cliff jumping

As you get further out on the point the view expands to see the city of Nice and L’Esterel mountains in the far distance to the west.

The Mediterranean Sea, The Med, La Mer, Coastal walks on the Mediterranean, Saint Jean Cap Ferrat, Cap Ferrat, craggy rocks, coastal pines, figs, dramatic views, Ville de Nice, l'Estrel mountains
The Mediterranean Sea, The Med, La Mer, Coastal walks on the Mediterranean, Saint Jean Cap Ferrat, Cap Ferrat, craggy rocks, prickly pears, black sports dress, orange backpack, Kaenon sunglasses, the adventuress domestista, nike shoes

Prickly pear cacti and succulents thrive in this arid climate.

The Mediterranean Sea, The Med, La Mer, Coastal walks on the Mediterranean, Saint Jean Cap Ferrat, Cap Ferrat, craggy rocks, prickly pears, succulents
The Mediterranean Sea, The Med, La Mer, Coastal walks on the Mediterranean, Saint Jean Cap Ferrat, Cap Ferrat, craggy rocks, prickly pears

As does this Nigella and other wildflowers.

The Mediterranean Sea, The Med, La Mer, Coastal walks on the Mediterranean, Saint Jean Cap Ferrat, Cap Ferrat, Nigella, love in a mist
The Mediterranean Sea, The Med, La Mer, Coastal walks on the Mediterranean, Saint Jean Cap Ferrat, Cap Ferrat, Nigella, love in a mist
The Mediterranean Sea, The Med, La Mer, Coastal walks on the Mediterranean, Saint Jean Cap Ferrat, poppy
The Mediterranean Sea, The Med, La Mer, Coastal walks on the Mediterranean, Saint Jean Cap Ferrat, Cap Ferrat, Nigella, love in a mist

Just before Pointe Malalongue you’ll see a sign and stairs to the left to climb up to the lighthouse. This section of the hike takes about 45 minutes to an hour, at a steady pace to make it out to the phare. This is a rugged trail with loose rocks and ups and downs so I definitely recommend wearing tennis shoes.

The Mediterranean Sea, The Med, La Mer, Coastal walks on the Mediterranean, Saint Jean Cap Ferrat, Cap Ferrat, Cap Ferrat lighthouse, Le Phare de Cap Ferrat
WE MADE IT!

After taking in the views and a commemorative shot we were ready for the next phase of the hike, the “real estate tour”, section a look at all of the mansions {or at least the gates of the mansions} along the pine shaded winding roads of Cap Ferrat. Then, lunch and lounging at Plage Passable.

Au Bientôt!

Filed Under: faraway places, flowers Tagged With: coastal hikes, hiking in the south of France, roam, South of France, splendid faraway places, Splendid roaming, the adventuress domestista, the French Riviera

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Shannon Lampman says

    August 4, 2023 at 2:42 pm

    This looks BEAUTIFUL Emily! I would love to tackle this hike the next time i am near Nice. Thanks!

    Reply
    • splendid says

      August 4, 2023 at 4:17 pm

      Thank you Shannon! I hope you do, you and your boys will love it!! There’s more to come, walking down the windy, piney roads of Cap Ferrat and then a great beach club. Hoping you’re having a great summer! xbox

      Reply

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