Parc de la Grande Corniche

The vibe

The Parc naturel départemental de la Grande Corniche covers 712 hectares between La Trinité, Villefranche-sur-Mer, Èze and La Turbie, from Mont Leuze to Mont Bataille. It's a vast area of scrubland and pine forest overlooking the French Riviera, with several spectacular viewpoints over the bay of Villefranche, Cap Ferrat and, on a clear day, as far as the Principality of Monaco.

What to know before you go

The full official regulation for this departmental park was found as a PDF on the Département's website (an official source): collar and leash are mandatory year-round, category-1 dogs are banned, category-2 dogs must be muzzled — the same rules that apply at the Parc du Vinaigrier, a regulatory framework common to the Alpes-Maritimes' departmental nature parks. The park is reachable by car from Nice via the Route Métropolitaine de la Grande Corniche (RM 2465), heading towards La Turbie, as far as the Col d'Èze; the main car parks are at the Fort de la Revère and the Plateau de la Justice (whether they're free is not officially confirmed). The park is open from 7:30am to 8pm from April to October, and from 8am to 6pm from November to March. Current note: the Forna trail is closed to the public until further notice (the official wording) — this is no longer a simple "occasionally temporary" closure.

Nearby

The hilltop village of Èze, the Trophée d'Auguste in La Turbie and the bay of Villefranche-sur-Mer are just a few minutes away by car, to extend the outing.