Saint-Paul-de-Vence

Saint-Paul is a ramparted village on a ridge above the Riviera hinterland, walled under Francis I in the 1540s. From the 1920s the Colombe d'Or inn took paintings in place of payment from artists who could not settle their bills, and the collection that resulted, with works by Picasso, Braque, Miro and Leger, still hangs in its dining room. Chagall lived in the village for the last twenty years of his life and is buried in the cemetery at the far end. Just outside, the Fondation Maeght, opened in 1964, is a purpose-built modern art museum with a Giacometti courtyard and a Miro labyrinth.

What you actually see

• The Fondation Maeght - a modern art museum with Giacometti and Miro outdoors.
• The ramparts - a walk around the sixteenth-century walls with valley views.
• Chagall's grave - a plain stone in the village cemetery.
• The Colombe d'Or collection - paintings taken in payment, in the dining room.

When to go

April to June and September to October; the village is extremely crowded in summer and on the single main street there is no way past. Early morning is the only quiet time.

Honest expectations

The main street is a solid line of galleries selling to day visitors, and the village can feel like a shopping arcade. The Colombe d'Or paintings are visible to diners, not to the public. Parking is outside and charged.

Nearby

Vence lies north; Nice is southeast.