A South of France Elopement with a Spectacular View

an elopement with two amazing locations

This elopement took place in the beautiful village of Cannes Sur Mer (20 minutes from Nice) and – a thirty-minute scenic drive away – at a place called Fort de la Revère, which is becoming one of my favorite spots.

As an elopement destination, the South of France has it all: charming medieval villages, stunning coastline, and beautiful scenery. However, the French Riviera itself isn’t all that big and so its ever-increasing number of visitors each year are visiting in a geographically small place – meaning that often the most beautiful spots are also the most crowded.

By far the biggest problem for me when helping clients organise photoshoots on the French Riviera when it's busy is finding the balance between beauty and privacy; anywhere that is both beautiful and easy to get to will be popular.

Therefore, if you’re thinking of eloping here, assume you’ll need advice on the right place at the right time unless you don’t mind tourists being around (and if you’re feeling radiant and in a wedding dress you may enjoy the warm reception random people give you), but for photoshoots, crowded streets can be a real drag.

If you want significantly more flexibility and better photoshoot options, take that as your cue to hire a beautiful classic car as in this photo album, (or organise or prepare yourself to taxi’d or Uber’d around).

Thinking about Eloping in Eze or St Paul de Vence?

Eze and St Paul de Vence are perhaps the two most popular villages touristically; but the truth is there are a lot of medieval villages in the riviera that look very, very similar. Eze and St Paul de Vence are very similar aesthetically to a handful of old (medieval) village centres –Mougins, Roquebrune Cap Martin, La Turbie, Vence, and Cagnes Sur Mer (pictured below). So, know that you have plenty of options if you like the look of a medieval village but prefer somewhere quieter. There won’t be as many art or craft shops in these places, but there won’t be as many tourists either.

If you are determined to have a ceremony at Eze, the best option is to hire a space from either the Chevre d’Or or Chateau Eza. Believe it or not, there is no view to be had in Eze that is public; the best views are from either of those two hotels or the Eze Exotic Garden (The Exotic Garden costs five euros entry, but you may need to add two or there 0’s if you want to get photography permission and hire a space there; it’s possible but not something that happens often). The reason why there’s no public view from the street is because it’s a medieval village the nature of that architecture restricts any views from the streets.

An elopement ceremony at Fort de la Rivere

Fort de la Revère is a staggering 700 meters up (2,300 feet) and overlooks the sea, Eze village itself, and hundreds of miles of coast. As a venue for an elopement ceremony I think it’s perfect in terms of location, privacy and ease of access. A car can take you all the way to where you need to be, and it’s close to Nice, Monaco, and other popular destinations on the French Riviera.

I could spend a whole day exploring this space – from the spectacular view to the hilly forested terrain. It’s about a 20 or 30 minute drive from Nice (it’s between Nice and Monaco), and maybe the same from Eze village, but as the crow flies it’s very close to both.

It’s quite popular with locals, but it doesn’t seem to be on tourists’ radar. You’ll definitely need a car to get here, whether a hire car or a taxi/uber and there are no shops nearby, so consider bringing water and other supplies if you visit.