Arriving by bus, you'll be dropped near place du Frêne at the gare routière on place du Grand-Jardin, where you'll find the tourist office (Mon–Sat 9am–12.30pm & 2–6pm; tel 04.93.58.06.38, www.ville-vence.fr) and bike rental at Vence Tous Terrains, 7 av des Poilus, behind the tourist office.Vence is a real town, with affordable places to stay. If you're on a tight budget, your best bet is the rather down-at-heel La Victoire, on place du Grand Jardin (tel 04.93.58.61.30, fax 04.93.58.74.68; under €30); otherwise try the welcoming and peaceful La Closerie des Genêts, 4 impasse Maurel, off avenue M.-Maurel to the south of the old town (tel 04.93.58.33.25, fax 04.93.58.97.01; €30–40), and Le Provence, 9 av M.-Maurel (tel 04.93.58.04.21, fax 04.93.58.35.62; €40–55), with a pleasant garden. A little more luxury, including a pool, is available at La Villa Roseraie, 14 av Henri-Giraud (tel 04.93.58.02.20, [email protected]; €100–125). There's a campsite, La Bergerie (€9), 3km west off the road to Tourettes-sur-Loup (tel 04.93.58.09.36; closed mid-Oct to mid-March). For a special, excellent-value meal, try La Farigoule, 15 av Henri-Isnard (tel 04.93.58.01.27; closed Fri & Sat lunch out of season; menus from €22). The fabled chef Jacques Maximin has opened a gourmet palace in Vence: imaginatively titled the Maximin Restaurant, 689 chemin de la Gaude (tel 04.93.58.90.75), it prepares exquisite fare, with the cheapest menu starting at €40 and rising rapidly in price and indulgence. For more run-of-the-mill fare, try the astounding choice of pizzas at Le Pêcheur du Soleil, 1 place Godeau. You'll find plenty of cafés in the squares of Vieux Vence. La Clemenceau, on place Clemenceau, is the big café-brasserie-glacier, but you might find Henry's Bar, on place de Peyra, more congenial. La Régence, on place du Grand-Jardin, serves excellent coffee to sip beneath its stylish parasols.
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