The further east you head along the coast of the Riviera towards Italy, the more spectacular the scenery becomes, especially once you hit the beautiful border town of Menton. The mountains just blend in with the Mediterranean Sea and the hills behind the town contain some spectacular treasures, in particular the gorgeous medieval villages of Gorbia and Sainte Agnes. Both of these are easily accessible from Menton, Monaco or Nice but a car is more than advisable to enjoy the scenery with maximum freedom – and I’d definitely advise you to visit them in this order. Also, both villages are ideal to be visited all year round as they are rarely snowed in during the winter and they offer a cooler alternative to the coastline in the summer, although some restaurants may be shut out of season.

Gorbio

Gorbio is located on a rocky outcrop at an altitude of 354 metres in the Rail valley, more or less behind the town of Roquebrune Cap Martin, and just east of Monaco, tucked away behind one of the viaducts of the A8 motorway. The road up there from the coast is pretty windy and hard work for somewhere so close to the sea (20 minutes but only about 3 kilometres as the crow flies) but this small village is worth a visit to see how people used to live (and still do live) in some pretty medieval conditions and it’s just a nice place to wander around.

Despite its geographical location, the village of Gorbio is culturally closer to Nice, especially when it comes to the local dialect, than the other nearby settlements like Menton or Sainte-Agnès, which are culturally closer to Monaco and Italy. It remained part of the County of Nice for several centuries, notably as part of the Savoy kingdom, until it was reattached to France in 1860 along with the rest of the area.

Once you’ve finally made your way up there, the entrance to the village is on the main square, the Place de la République, which is a pretty pleasant place for people watching, dominated by a large elm tree which is almost 300 years old, and the location of one decent restaurant and one exceptional one (see restaurant guide below).

Like all the local medieval villages, the core is full of winding alleyways, dark staircases, quaint little flowerpots and doorways, a baroque church, stone arches, and the intimate town hall dealing with the affairs of this commune of just 1200 people where everybody knows each other.

So it’s a very pleasant place to wander around for about half an hour: at the tip, the large castle is that of the Counts Alziari de Malaussena (those who will have lived in the region long enough will notice how recurrent some names are) and there is also the Lascaris tower, which has a very nice shaded garden with olive trees at its foot for those who want to have a picnic.

Gorbio is also a very convenient place to start off on hikes around the area as the mountain peaks surrounding the village are at an altitude of over 1000m; plenty of interesting itineraries can be found on the excellent Randoxygène website. I also once used it as the halfway point of a nice 4 hour loop from the beach of Roquebrune via Roquebrune Village, which is worth doing as the climb isn’t very steep.

Sainte-Agnès

Once you’ve taken a look around Gorbio, get ready to get your mind blown away by Sainte-Agnes, which has a well-deserved reputation of being the highest coastal village in Europe, perched on a cliff overlooking Menton and the Mediterranean Sea at an altitude of 800m.

In addition to the standard medieval history shared with the rest of the surrounding villages, Sainte Agnès is notable for its strategic location, which was highlighted by the building in 1932 of the pretty imposing concrete bunker, the Fort de Sainte Agnès, a military fortification which marked the southernmost point of the Maginot Line used (not to much avail) to defend France during the Second World War against the opposing Italian forces located just a few kilometres away. The village is therefore frequently visited by military history buffs and the fort is worth checking out for anyone with a passion for artillery and gun turrets (I’m afraid it’s not my case so I haven’t visited it).

I would advise to park at the north car park towards the back of the village. You can work your way through the alleyways and little staircases of the old streets, which are a bit airier than those in Gorbio, given that the buildings aren’t as high (at least that’s the impression that you get wandering through), past all the restaurants and cafés.

Then head towards the sea and the Fort de Sainte-Agnes: once you’ve got past the bunker and the south car park, you will be able to take advantage of the absolutely splendid panorama from the viewing terrace just behind, which makes the whole trip to the village worthwhile.

The view stretches from the Italian border to the east to Cap Martin to the west, with the towns of Menton and Roquebrune/Carnolès just by the sea in front. There’s also a great view over the surrounding peaks which reach up to 1200m at the border between Italy and France just above the village of Castellar – to the west, the impressive peaks of Mont Agel and Mont Gros block the view towards Monaco.

This view really explains why the region is called the Maritime Alps, with the mountains dropping straight into the sea. The panorama is only slightly spoiled by the A8 motorway viaducts cutting through the hills underneath but to be honest, where else could they have put the motorway? These considerations shouldn’t get in the way of economic development – after all, it is the main transport route between Italy and Spain so rather essential to keep the region prosperous.

Once you’ve finished enjoying the amazing view, if you stroll back north, there’s a small pathway heading up to the ruins of the castle.

Honestly, it’s worth it as there’s a lovely garden on top with some nice ruins and a great view, despite the best efforts of the very talkative “park ranger” who will encourage you to make a “voluntary donation” for the upkeep of the place.

Given that it’s well-maintained, it’s just about worth donating a couple of pieces of shrapnel. Anyway, after a big lunch, a small uphill walk can’t do any harm!

Where to eat

Both villages, in addition to being extremely picturesque, have some truly memorable places to eat without breaking the bank.

In Gorbio, head straight for Restaurant Beau Séjour, which is the classier of the two restaurants on the main square.

This traditional family-run place, which was opened in 1924, is a favourite for locals and its reputation is well-deserved. The inside is beautiful (it looks like an interior decoration catalogue, rightly so as it’s especially designed and furnished by the owner’s wife) and the food served with wonderfully friendly service from the owners: menus start at 27€ with some excellent regional dishes. The presentation of the dishes shows great creativity with the use of slate plates and local flowers which add a touch of colour. The view from the back looking down the Vallée du Rail is also stunning.

Just bear in mind that the restaurant is only open from April until late September, so it’s best to book in advance to avoid heading all the way to Gorbio for nothing!

The restaurant bar opposite, Les Terrasses, whilst lacking the charm and refinement of the Beau Séjour, isn’t a bad place either for a quick, filling and slightly more reasonable meal or a quick pastis aperitif on the village square to optimise the Provencal experience.

In Sainte Agnès, there are several interesting places but my personal favourite is the Restaurant Saint-Yves which also provides accommodation for those who wish to stay overnight in the village.

Located on the main street heading north to south, it’s a typical family-run place with friendly service and a very reasonable local menu starting at 16€ for 4 courses, including some excellent rabbit or wild boar stew and trout with almonds.

The homemade tarts for dessert are also to die for. Make sure you book or come early in order to get a place on the wonderful terrace at the back, which has a sweeping view towards the east and the coastline not so far in the distance – in the winter, there’s also a lovely wood-fired chimney to enjoy.

Another attractive looking option is the Righi restaurant which is at the southern tip of the village, close to the panoramic view over the coastline and the fort. I haven’t tried it yet but it doesn’t seem too bad, especially judging by the positive Tripadvisor reviews – if anyone has some feedback on this or any other restaurants I mentioned, please feel free to share it.

All these places, like plenty in the hinterland villages, have in common the fact that they are run and managed with dedication by their owners, who are often either in the kitchens or in the dining room in charge of the service. This confirms my number one restaurant rule of thumb for the Riviera (and also elsewhere in the world): head for places which seem as authentic and traditionally-run as possible, you are less likely to end up being ripped-off in a tourist trap and highly likely to enjoy a wonderful culinary experience.

Special treat for hikers

For those wishing to hike between the villages, there’s a great loop that can be done between the two villages, just follow the Circuit de Bausson itinerary on the consistently excellent (even though it’s only in French) Randoxygène website. Park your car in Gorbio, walk up to Sainte-Agnès for lunch (500m climb, it takes about 2 hours) then saunter back down to Gorbio. The scenery is amazing – walking through the scrub and the mountains, you tend to forget how close you are to the sea and the views over Sainte Agnès on the final approach are stunning, so I highly recommend this itinerary. Just make sure you have proper hiking boots, plenty of water, a charged mobile phone and avoid the walk during the summer months (from mid-May to mid-September) as it can get very hot on the side of the mountain.

Getting there

As I mentioned, for all hinterland villages, a car is more or less essential as it provides much more flexibility and saves both time and planning. However, it is also possible, but more tedious, to get to both villages by public transport.

Gorbio

By car: by far the easiest and recommended option. head to the Point de l’Union roundabout at the border between the towns of Menton and Roquebrune Cap-Martin then take the small road winding north in the direction of Gorbio crossing between the motorway viaduct, allow about 20 minutes.

By bus

Menton bus line no. 7 runs a bus service more or less every hour (less frequent on Sundays) from Menton railway station to Gorbio, timetables are available on this link. Allow about 30 minutes to get there.

Sainte Agnès

By car

–          Coming from Nice or Italy on the A8 motorway (it might be an eyesore from the top but it’s convenient to get from A to B quickly!), just get off at the Menton exit then follow straight afterwards the signposts towards Sainte-Agnès, allow about 20 minutes up a bendy but not too difficult road.

–          Coming from Menton, it’s a 20 minute uphill drive from sea level to 800m, heading north up the Borrigo valley. Again, the road has a lot of hairpin bends but not too difficult a drive as long as you’re not excessively scared of heights (then again, it’s not the scariest road on the coastline).

By bus

Menton bus line no. 10 runs only three buses a day between Menton railway station and Sainte Agnès, see the timetables on this link. Allow about 30 minutes to get there.