Private chauffeur in Saint-Paul-de-Vence

The heart of the village is closed to traffic. Cars stop in car parks on the outskirts, which are full by mid-morning in summer, forcing you to walk several minutes with the crowd. A chauffeur drops you as close as the permitted entrance allows, leaves without parking and collects you at the agreed place and time: you save the parking time, and your lunch starts on time.

For lunch in one of the village's well-known restaurants, such as La Colombe d'Or, give the booking time and the finish time you want: the chauffeur is there at the exit, with no wait.

The Maeght Foundation, at the entrance to the village, houses a collection of modern art in a building and gardens by a major architect, with works by Miró and Giacometti. The village galleries show contemporary artists all year. In neighbouring Vence, the Rosary Chapel, decorated by Matisse, is another place to visit. In Cagnes-sur-Mer, the Collettes estate preserves the setting where Renoir spent his last years.

A half-day chauffeur lets you build an art itinerary: the foundation in the morning, lunch in the village, the Vence chapel in the afternoon, with a return to the coast at the time you choose.

Between June and September, and on holiday weekends, the village is packed between eleven and four. For a pleasant visit, arrive when the galleries open or late in the afternoon, when the groups leave and the light on the ramparts is at its best. On weekdays and out of season the visit is much calmer.

The village is about twenty kilometres from Nice and roughly the same from Antibes: it is an ideal half-day destination, which you can combine with Mougins or Grasse in a full day.