A deep bay where cruise ships lie at anchor, an old town that climbs in stairways, and re-embarkation times that are not open to negotiation.
Villefranche has no quay long enough for the large ships: they lie at anchor in the bay and land their passengers by tender at the Port de la Santé. That gives the town a rhythm of its own — arrivals in waves, a few hours ashore, and a return time that tolerates no delay.
We work with that constraint rather than against it. A call is planned backwards: start from the re-embarkation time, subtract the tender crossing, and build the day inside what remains. One sight fewer is better than a ship missed.
The rest of the year, Villefranche remains a town of residences and hotels clinging to the slope, between the lower corniche and the shore. Access is narrow, often private, sometimes by stairway: the exact address matters more here than elsewhere.
The exact fare is calculated and confirmed when you book. No meter, no hidden supplement.
Where the cruise tenders land. The approaches saturate when several rotations follow one another: we agree a precise meeting point rather than a vague "outside the port".
The other harbour, away from the flow of shore calls. For a crew or an arrival aboard a private vessel, give us the boat name and the pontoon.
Stepped lanes, covered passages including the rue Obscure, the Citadelle Saint-Elme, the Saint-Pierre chapel. The car cannot go everywhere: we set you down at the last useful point, never at the furthest one.
Hotels and villas on the slope, between the shore and the corniche, as far as the approaches to Mont Boron. Much of it is private access: the name of the residence is worth more than the street.
A shore call is built backwards: you start from the ship's time, and only then decide what there is time to see.
Cab French RivieraGet your fare in seconds, or reach the house directly.