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

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.

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 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}.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

Aren’t these stairs intriguing?

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

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.

Prickly pear cacti and succulents thrive in this arid climate.

As does this Nigella and other wildflowers.

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.

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!