City of Vence in the south of France. The old city of Saint-Paul-de-Vence and the Maillot Foundation

It has simply extraordinary, small town, which has become a place of pilgrimage for connoisseurs visual arts, attracts the eyes of travelers and fascinates them for more than a century. The medieval fortified city, which remembers King Francis I himself, even preserved the architecture of those times - narrow pedestrian streets, powerful fortifications and defensive ramparts, watchtowers, stone fountains....

La Colombe d'Or Hotel

The hotel is located at the entrance to Saint-Paul-de-Vence. It consists of thirteen rooms and twelve suites, prices vary from 335 to 530 euros (depending on the season). La Colombe d "Or closes for the winter from the end of October, with the only exception being the opening at Christmas.

The hotel is famous all over the world thanks to the history of accommodating talented guests, many of whom, as we have already said above, paid for the service with their work.

In the interior of the restaurant at the hotel, masterpieces specially written by eminent Picasso, Miró and Braque are open for viewing.

Address: 06570 Saint-Paul de Vence, France, tel. +33.(0)4.93.32.80.02

Mayo Foundation

Another interesting object of attractions in St. Paul de Vence - Museum of Contemporary Art - Mayo Foundation (Maeght Foundation). Getting to know its exhibits can fill the whole day. The foundation's exquisite collection, which includes an entire Miró sculpture garden, is displayed both indoors and outdoors. It is best to visit the museum on days with good weather.

Working hours: daily, 10:00 - 18:30.

Address: 623 Chemin des Gardettes, 06570 Saint-Paul-de-Vence, France, tel. +33 49 332 8163.

In addition to the attractions listed above, we recommend visiting other interesting places in the town.

Saint Paul de Vence sights and interesting places on the map

1. Olive mill

Olive oil production is still one of the most important sources of income local residents. This craft is an important part of the attractions of Saint Paul de Vence. At the beginning of the eighteenth century, 5 olive mills and two flour mills functioned on the territory of the settlement. The oil was used in the cooking process, they illuminated houses, and large supplies of olive gold were carried out in neighboring Marseille.

2. Esperon Tower

Esperon is one of the most interesting places in Saint Paul de Vence. At one time, it served not only as a fortification, but also served as a powder warehouse for the fortress.

Esperon Tower, photo

3. Gate of Vance

In French, the name of the ancient fortification walls sounds like "Porte de Vence", because the huge stone entrance to the old part of the town is oriented towards the city of Vence. I must say that the remains of the medieval walls of Saint Paul have survived to this day.

Gate of Vence, photo

The tower, rising above the gate, was equipped with several powerful defenses - stone-throwing machines in the upper part, a crossbow on north side and a harrow, from which an old fragment has been preserved, available for viewing. The upper part of the tower, built of brick, was probably added at the request of the military engineer Vauban.

4. Dauphin Bastion

Together with the Royal Bastion in front of it, the Dauphine Bastion protected the northern entrance to the city in the 16th century. The cannons mounted on the bastion prevented the advance of the enemy. Today, one of them, nicknamed Lacan, in honor of one of the artillerymen of that time who served under Francis I, has survived. The cannon can still be seen today, it emerges from the embrasure.

5. The ramparts of Saint Paul

These are one of the first examples of defensive bastion structures built in France (1543-1574) and designed by a French architect. The bastion fence cost the residents of the settlement dearly - dozens of residential buildings had to be demolished and more than 450 residents were forced to leave their homes. In 1945, the bastions of Saint Paul were included in the list historical monuments they became real architectural gem cities.

6. Donjon

Donjon (XII-XIV century) - the main tower of the castle-fortress, its only detail that has survived to this day. The fortress was destroyed due to the frequent rebuilding of the neighboring church, which was carried out in the 16th and 17th centuries. In the lower part of the tower, remains of masonry from the 12th century have been preserved. The bell that adorns the donjon, cast in 1443, bears an inscription in Latin: "hora is somno jam suggestere", which in translation sounds something like this: "Time invites us to think."

Many famous French personalities have visited the tower, including the military architect Vauban, who served under Louis XIV, King Francis I, Raymond Berenguer V, Count of Provence. In 1951, the French singer and actor Yves Montand and his fiancee celebrated their wedding in the tower Simon Signoret.

7. Collegiate Village Church

L'église Collégiale - its construction began in the distant XIV century and lasted four hundred years! The temple building is a symbiosis of styles and eras. In 1662, the church was elevated to the rank of collegiate. The decoration of the temple - furniture, a pulpit, and other necessary items for worship are carved from wood, date back to 1668.

But the main decoration of the temple is the chapel of St. Clement - a real pearl of the Baroque era. It was erected in the early 1680s at the expense of the Bernardi family. Currently, relics from the Christian catacombs are kept in the chapel. ancient rome. Both the church and the chapel are richly decorated with decorative stucco and frescoes.

8. Chapel of the Brotherhood of the White Penitents

The Chapel of the White Penitents (La Chapelle des Pénitents Blancs) was built in the 17th century, where the Brotherhood of White Penitents gathered - Christians who decided to lend a helping hand to the destitute, the sick, the needy, victims of disasters, lost travelers and poor pilgrims. Members of the brotherhood fed and watered them, arranged for the night. The brotherhood lasted until 1920.

In the early 2000s, the temple was restored, and a few years ago, the Belgian artist Jean-Michel Folon decorated it with his paintings and frescoes.

9. Big Fountain Square

The Great Fountain Square (La place de la Grande Fontaine) experienced its reconstruction twice - first in the 17th century, and then in the 19th. But all these years it was the center of meetings of the inhabitants of the town. According to legend, St. Paul himself came to the square to stock up on water and water his mules and donkeys.

Nearby, in the stone bowl of the washbasin, local laundresses washed clothes, and around, on the square, there was a local market.

10. Ponty

Ponti (le pontis) - an architectural structure that connects the two parts of the building, such a stone bridge, under which there may be a window or front door. On the territory of the town, a ponti of the 15th century has been preserved - a structure that crosses Grand Street (la rue Grande) and connects two parts of the building, standing on opposite sides of the street.

11. Cemetery Saint Paul de Vence

It is located on a small hill - the Le Puy plateau, which at the beginning of the history of the town was the place where the first development began. All buildings of that time (X-XII century) were located around the church of Saint-Michel, in which the community gathered to make major decisions. The current chapel that has been preserved on this site dates back to the 16th century.

Famous people buried in the Saint-Paul cemetery include the artist Marc Chagall, who lived and worked in Saint-Paul de Vence from 1966 to 1985. In another part of the cemetery, the famous founders of the Mayo Foundation, Aime and Margarita Mayo, are depicted in the form of statues, as if they stood still at the grave of their son, who died at the age of 11 years.

On the map below, you will find all the sights of the city, marked with numbers that match the numbering given in our description. Only under No. 12, the diagram indicates the neighborhood of Saint-Paul, which we described below. The Historical Museum is not marked on the map, it should be searched for at the address below.

12. Historical Museum

The Historical Museum of Saint-Paul de Vence (fr. Le Musée d "Histoire Locale) is located in an old house. In its exposition - wax figures famous people who visited Saint-Paul, which were made in the workshops of the Grivin Museum in Paris. All the characters presented are related to the history of the town - King Francis I, military architect Vauban, Queen Jeanne and many world famous while others have gathered in the halls of the museum, they are dressed in the clothes of their time, ready to tell you about the events that make up the history of a small French town.

Museum - unique place on the French Riviera.

Ticket price: 4 euros, for students and children under 16 years old - 3 euros, for children under 6 years old - free of charge.

Working hours: the museum is open all year round, May 1 - September 30 - 10.00-12.30, 14.00-18.00; October 1 - April 30 - 10.30-12.30, 14.00-16.00. Closed every year in November, as well as on December 25 and January 1.

Address: Place de l "église 06570 Saint-Paul de Vence, tel. 04 93 324 1 13.

Attractions around Saint Paul de Vence

Chapel of Notre-Dame-de-Gardet

The Notre Dame des Gardettes chapel is also listed as a historical monument, as it dates back to the 15th century. The frescoes decorating the building were painted in the 1920s.

Next to the chapel is the Mayo Foundation, a tall example of modern art collections, opened in 1964. The building of the foundation, which was designed by the Spanish architect Josep Luis Sert, received the honorary title "Heritage of the 20th century".

The Chapel of Notre-Dame-des-Gardets and the Fondation Maillot can be reached by following the old country road from Saint-Paul de Vence (tourist route no. 2).

Book now your tickets to Saint Paul de Vence at the best price!

Tourist Office of Saint-Paul-de-Vence

At the tourist office (fr. l'Office de Tourisme) you can order a tour of the town and its environs, agree on a list of sights of Saint-Paul de Vence that you would like to see, get answers to your questions related to the historical past of the town.

By the way, the history of the town is quite entertaining, find out some of its facts and events on the page about Saint-Paul de Vence.

Tourist office address: 2, rue Grande, Saint-Paul de Vence - tel. 04 933 286 95.

And finally, I would like to give you a small task, dear travelers, the first photo shows the sculpture "The Thinker", the author's work of the great Rodin. This is a copy made by the sculptor himself, it is installed on one of the streets in Saint-Paul de Vence. You just have to find it...

Saint-Paul-de-Vence - small pretty medieval city ok in the Alps, the impressions of which we have somewhat diverged. But before we went to the mountains, we had a little more ride around the outskirts of Cannes.

Content:

Our reports are written by Tanya, and I only supplement the text with inserts highlighted in green italics.

6. Saint-Paul-de-Vence

Morning in Cannes again began with the sea. It was so warm and wonderful that I later regretted more than once that I had succumbed to Serezha's persuasion in the afternoon, instead of the beach, to go to the mountain village of Saint-Paul-de-Vence.

In Cannes, we also had a few sights left, so in the afternoon we went to the Grand Jas cemetery, where the first burials date back to 1866 and, in addition, several famous people. Unfortunately, at the entrance there is no map with the names of the buried, as, for example, was done in the cemetery near the church of Peter and Paul, where Kafka is buried. Therefore, we did not find any of the famous personalities - neither the jeweler Carl Faberge, nor the writer Prosper Merimee, nor Olga Ruiz-Picasso - the first wife of the famous artist, nor the pilot Nikolai Popov, who in 1910 was the first to fly over the Lerenes Islands, nor the microbiologist Louis Pasteur, who proposed pasteurization technology.

But we noticed how many centenarians are buried here. Every tenth lived more than ninety years, and a few people - more than a hundred. Probably, the ability to live in comfortable conditions still affects life expectancy.

Well, so, Grand Jas is an ordinary European cemetery, which is nothing special.

In the Grand Jas area, Cannes is like an average southern European city. Here you don’t feel that literally a kilometer away the streets are bursting with expensive restaurants and hotels. On the contrary, we hardly found where to dine. It turned out to be a cheap pizzeria run by Arabs. The taste of pizza corresponded to the few euros paid for it - we, frankly, were not delighted.

And after lunch, we went to see the villa of the popular French fashion designer Pierre Cardin. It is also called the Bubble Palace and looks amazing in the photos. We entered “Boulevard de l” Esterel, 33” into the navigator and arrived in the wrong place, because we had to go to a neighboring village called Théoule-sur-Mer, and we ended up on a boulevard with the same name in Cannes. And, of course , did not see anything unusual, except for a large white cat posing for us from the window of one of the houses.

As we found out later, Pierre Cardin's villa is located at 33 Boulevard de l "Esterel 06590 Théoule-sur-Me, coordinates N43.488579, E6.943510.

But, there is nothing to do, and we went to Saint-Paul-de-Vence. The road from Cannes took us only 50 minutes and was pretty nice.

Saint-Paul-de-Vence is a medieval village perched on a mountain, which became famous largely due to the fact that in the 20th century it was chosen by such personalities as Modigliani, Chagall and Picasso. Thanks to them, Saint-Paul-de-Vence became place of worship for fans of the fine arts and a must-see for celebrities visiting Provence. Brigitte Bardot, Sophia Loren, Catherine Deneuve, Jean-Paul Sartre, and many others have been here.

Now it's just a nice little town, consisting of several streets, which somehow reminded me of San Marino. Everything is here for tourists - an atmosphere of comfort, preserved and restored medieval squares with fountains, chapels and stone facades, hundreds of restaurants and coffee houses, shops with souvenirs, paintings, wine and jewelry.

Our acquaintance with Saint-Paul-de-Vence began with unusual sculptures. Blue women, pink elephants, robot cats - they are everywhere.

Putting the car on paid parking(2.5 hours cost us 9 euros), we walked along the fortress wall to the cemetery. The fortress walls of Saint-Paul-de-Vence were built in the middle of the 16th century, they form a ring only 1 km long - you can imagine the size of the village. This is one of the first bastions of France.

The cemetery of Saint-Paul-de-Vence is interesting because Marc Chagall, who lived here for the last twenty years of his life, is buried there.

There is also a Collegiate Church, the construction of which stretched from the 14th to the 18th century. She is very pretty on the inside.

But the main attractions of Saint-Paul-de-Vence are, of course, its streets, which you want to wander around without any maps, just admiring the stone facades, small galleries, stopping at the windows of cozy shops, inhaling the smell of coffee and pancakes roasted in numerous pancake shops. .

We went to one of these shops and bought a lot of memorable and useful little things - several sets of Provence herbs, toilet water from Grasse, the capital of perfumery, olives and lavender honey, tomato-basil sauce. Found and wine Vault, in which they bought alcohol, which they read about in the same book “Provence from A to Z”, - pastis and Beaumes-de-Venise muscat wine, which really turned out to be one of the most delicious that we tried. But it also costs accordingly - 14 euros for a bottle of 0.375 liters.

We had lunch there, in the pancake shop, located under the arch of one of the houses. Made my little dream come true - to eat pancakes in a cozy atmospheric place in France.

The town is literally filled with cute little details. The gaze stops either at a very pretty mailbox, or at beautiful old vases put on the windowsill for everyone to see, or at an unusual sculpture in the back of a courtyard of a house. All this creates the atmosphere of such towns and villages, and that is why I want to return to them again and again.

And on the way back to the parking lot, we watched how men - old and not very old - play the national French game petanque, the meaning of which is that the players of two teams take turns throwing metal balls, trying to place their ball as close as possible next to a small wooden ball , called a cochonnet (from the French word for "pig"). In this case, the metal ball can hit the jack or knock down the opponent's ball to push him away. The main thing is that at the end of the game one or more of the team's balls are closer to the jack than the opponent's balls. One point is awarded for each such ball.

Before the onset of cold weather, we often play petanque at work during our lunch break. I can responsibly say that despite the outward simplicity of the game, the process is incredibly gambling!

In general, Saint-Paul-de-Vence left, of course, a positive impression. But since I had already seen similar villages, I was not very interested, and I would have preferred to spend this day on the beach. But if you've never seen anything like it, it's definitely worth a trip.

And I really like such medieval villages, even despite the fact that I also happened to be in such places more than once. There is something in them. Cozy and soulful.

Conducted by Ekaterina Istomina

On March 28, 1985, Marc Chagall, who sincerely loved this small town, died in Saint-Paul-de-Vence. At the beginning of the 20th century, Leger, Miro, Matisse, Picasso and Braque lived here. In 2003, an exhibition of the Russian avant-garde was held here, and, as Liberation wrote at the time, "it featured 150 paintings by the largest representatives of the Russian avant-garde from 1908 to 1930." But do not think that St. Paul de Vence is some kind of luxurious artistic place.

The town of Saint-Paul de Vence, often called a village, is located in a triangle between Grasse, Cannes and Nice, in the depths of the French Riviera, from the sea - 30 minutes by car (15 minutes from Cote d airport `Azure). This is a true provincial hole, a small medieval town, which, having survived to this day, very wisely did not want to change - there are cafes of the 16th century, ceramic workshops and souvenir shops of the 15th century, cars are not allowed here. Saint-Paul-de-Vence is an authentic Middle Ages like the village of Eze, next to Monaco.

If you try to count all the houses in St. Paul de Vence, you get somewhere around 50 stone buildings - undersized, with crookedly carved windows, narrow doors. It is difficult to call them houses in the modern sense of the word, and it would be wrong to divide them into separate buildings. They have long since grown together with each other. As in the Middle Ages, here they measure the distance not by individual houses, but by entire streets, of which five have accumulated in Saint-Paul-de-Vence over all the centuries. St. Paul de Vence is somewhat similar to a shell overgrown with other shells, younger and smaller. Saint-Paul-de-Vence is an old town, like a turtle, as inactive, but alive, like a single organism.

The town stands on a hill, surrounded by a grove of pine trees, which smells pungent when the sun burns the trees. The first buildings here date back to the 12th century, in other words, by the standards of homespun Provence, Saint-Paul-de-Vence is a very young city, a new building. First, there was a tower on the hill, then the tower was surrounded by a fortress wall, it collapsed, but the holes in the walls were plugged with new stones - and now you can see how medieval masons "darned" the battle fortifications. The building heyday of Saint-Paul-de-Vence is attributed to the era of the reign of Francis I, a respected king in France, who waged bloody wars in Provence (including with the rulers of Monaco Grimaldi), and after he won, ordered to rebuild the destroyed province anew. So, the residential center of St. Paul de Vence is the work of the masons of Francis I, and since then the houses have hardly been rebuilt. Under Francis, a new fortress wall was also built, beyond which the city has not gone since then, which is why St. Paul de Vence is also called not only a village, but also a fortress city.

The style of Francis I is a mixture of rustic Provençal and Genoese. And this is feng shui - there is always water in the form of fountains (stone flowerpots, bowls and even lion muzzles), there are flowers and trees - in flowerpots or wooden tubs. More modern buildings, erected after Francis I, were already built under the hill, but they also look like shell antiquity - a small market, two pharmacies, a bank.

Try to live in a medieval house for a day - a great adventure. There are two hotels in Saint-Paul-de-Vence, the oldest one is Hotel Le Saint-Paul. It is located on Grande Street, which means Central. The fact that this is a large and serious street can be judged by the fact that not two people, but three can disperse on it (two people can hardly disperse along other streets of the fortified city). Hotel Le Saint-Paul in the distant past was an ordinary inn with a ceramic shop, and in the 16th century this courtyard was bought by a bourgeois who got rich in the manufacture of olive oil and turned into his own city house. It is difficult to say why this bourgeois did not rebuild it at all - there is not a trace of the French bourgeoisness known to us here.

Medieval people were shorter, but more complete than we are. Having settled in the Hotel Le Saint-Paul, we realized that medieval Europeans were very tiny: where a family lived, today even one person can hardly turn around. Hotel Le Saint-Paul is a stone labyrinth, a beehive, where instead of honeycombs - hotel rooms with walls made of limestone fragments and small-sized iron furniture.

The second hotel is world famous - "Golden Dove" (Hotel de la Colombe d`Or) with the restaurant of the same name. This is one of the most famous hotels on Cote d'Azur, and in appearance - a simple village tavern. The wedding of Yves Montand and Simone Signoret was played in the Golden Dove, and there are many black and white photographs on the walls of the hotel confirming this fact: Montand with a cigarette, Signoret with a scarf around his neck and with a glass of white wine. Opposite the hotel, they still play bowls, or rather, petanque, and Montand also played here many years ago.

But much earlier, in the 1920s, the Golden Dove had one wonderful owner, his name was Paul Roux. Sublime, captivating and in many ways advanced nature, this Monsieur Roux was completely delighted with the avant-garde and tried to draw himself - Pablo Picasso suggested this to him, most likely for the sake of a joke. Paul Roux did not succeed in drawing the way he wanted. But the failures did not harden him, Paul Roux wanted to see and hear the artists in his own house, in his "Golden Dove", and became for many of them a long-term friend, assistant and companion. Braque, Matisse, Picasso, Robert and Sophie Delaunay, Léger were guests at Roux's house. They left pictures here, just like that, just as a gift to the owner, and so gradually the hotel and tavern turned into a decent art gallery. The paintings of the great masters calmly decorated the walls of the lobby and the restaurant. Unfortunately, the "Golden Dove" was ruthlessly plundered 20 years ago, however, all the paintings were found later, but now you cannot enter a hotel or a restaurant without a preliminary order. Jacques Prevert, François Truffaut, Brigitte Bardot, Jean-Paul Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir, Romy Schneider - all these people have visited the Golden Dove more than once, leaving noisy villas and secular hotels of the brilliant French Riviera for it.

There are real museums in St. Paul de Vence. This is a lovely museum. musical instruments, which will be funnier than a similar museum in Vienna (it is located next to the "Golden Dove"). But on the other side of the hill, in a pine grove, in 1964 they built a fund-museum of modern art, also known as the Maeght Foundation (La Fondation Maeght). It was built by the architect Louis Ser, interior decoration was done by Miro and Braque, and the wall mosaic panel was made by Chagall - the great artist lived here for almost three decades. Marc Chagall is buried in the local cemetery of Saint-Paul-de-Vence, located outside the South Gate.

This is the most ancient city islands.

Colonial mansions are located in a wide strip on the coast, the streets are saturated with the atmosphere of France, but at the same time, the city has the flavor of a tropical island.

Saint-Paul is a unique African-European cocktail of emotions and impressions!

Climate and weather

The climate in Saint-Paul is the same as throughout Reunion - humid tropical. And this means that in summer the temperature in Saint-Paul rises to +31 °C, and in winter it does not fall below +19 °C.

Not the most pleasant feature of the climate of this island is getting into the cyclone zone from December to April. This period is characterized by heavy rains and strong winds, there are frequent storms.

Nature

Saint-Paul is located on the west coast of Réunion. The coastal zone is beaches and a riot of tropical vegetation, and then begins mountainous relief because the island is of volcanic origin. Reunion has volcanoes, mountains, waterfalls, and mountain valleys with rivers and lakes.

From the vegetation here you can find tamarind (this is an Indian date), bamboo, coconut palms, mango, lychee, breadfruit, lemon and ebony trees. Also, more than 100 varieties of orchids and 240 species of ferns grow here.

Wild boars, hedgehogs, rodents live on the island, there are snakes, but they are not poisonous. Chameleons, snails and many varieties of butterflies also live here.

Previously, there were many relict forests on the island, there were huge turtles. Now there are no forests, no turtles. Today, other species of animals are on the verge of extinction, so their numbers are controlled by local authorities.

Attractions

Saint-Paul is an interesting and colorful town. Previously, it was the capital of the island, colonialists lived here. Since then, colonial-style houses have remained in Saint-Paul.

There are many historical buildings along the seaside boulevard.

In the south of Saint-Paul is the district Simetière-Marty. Bright and well-groomed, it is the best suited for walking. Wander its streets and plunge into the past of this amazing city, with colonizers, merchants, merchants, sailors. Simetière-Marti is built up with interesting houses and estates that reflect the past of the city.

Not far from this area is the largest cemetery Reunion. The pirate of omens is buried here Olivier Levasseur. The place of his burial is indicated by a skull and crossbones.

He is considered the last of the pirates indian ocean. Levasseur was captured and executed in Saint-Paul in 1730, but there are still dreamers who believe that his treasures are hidden on the nearby islands.

Nutrition

Visit the island and not try the traditional local cuisine? This is impossible! Especially when there are such delicious dishes from the most caring chefs.

A lot of dishes here are prepared with seafood. In Saint-Paul, you can try lobsters, barracuda, tuna, trout... And all this is cooked with rice, vegetables and even fruits!

In general, fruits are held in high esteem here: they are also added to dishes with pork and poultry. The food acquires a very original taste and aroma.

Often, the local branded rugay sauce is added to food. It is made from lemons, pistachios and tomatoes.

They drink fresh juices and coffee in the city, which here has a very interesting aftertaste. For alcohol, try rum. In Reunion, it is prepared not only on sugar cane, but also on herbs and fruits. Well, you can definitely try rum punch only here, so don't miss this opportunity.

Accommodation

Hotels in Saint-Paul meet the most high standards. The service here is at the European level, and the prices are slightly higher. For example, for Double Room per day you will have to pay 100-150 €. The most popular hotels in the city: Novotel St Gilles La Reunion, Hotel Blue Beach and Hotel Les Filaos.

All hotels offer guests a lot of entertainment: tennis, golf, gym, swimming pool, spa, massage, etc. Near big hotels there are bike, scooter and water sports equipment rentals.

You can rent an apartment or a villa on the coast. Prices for them depend on the time of year and the size of housing.

Entertainment and recreation

The beaches of Saint-Paul are great for relaxation: coral and volcanic sand are mixed here.

There are excellent conditions for diving on the coast: Coral reefs and underwater caves beckon with their beauties, and tropical fish strive to play with you!

Here you can also go surfing or other water sports sports. If you do not have special equipment, then you can easily rent it. There are rental shops in most hotels. You can also hire an instructor there if you are a beginner.

Walking tours are popular among tourists. You can go explore the city or its surroundings, because the nature of Reunion is amazingly beautiful!

Saint-Paul hosts various national festivals and holidays. If you get a chance, watch an impromptu dance performance Sega. It is performed to music with songs. According to legend, in this way the slaves were distracted from their hard work and everyday worries.

You can also relax in Saint-Paul in nightclubs or restaurants. They are here for every taste.

Purchases

Saint-Paul has many shops and shopping centers. They work according to French rules. For example, sales in them are strictly regulated: they start in February and last at least 6 weeks.

In addition, you can make purchases in the city markets. The markets of Saint-Paul are another unique attraction: they have a very special atmosphere. This the best place to buy souvenirs and get to know the locals better.

As a memento of a trip to Saint-Paul, tourists usually bring figurines from exotic trees and marine souvenirs. You can buy handmade embroidery or perfumes. They also often buy high-quality local wine and rum.

Transport

The most convenient way to get around Saint-Paul is by car. Here tourists come to the rescue of car rental companies. Renting a car is easy: you need to have international driver license and driving experience for more than a year, and you must be at least 21 years old.

Don't want to rent a car? Then you can take a taxi. You can also rent a scooter or bike. Their rental points are close to many major hotels.

Buses run around the city. And comfortable minibuses run from Saint-Paul to other cities of Reunion.

Connection

Russian operators mobile communications provide roaming services in Reunion. Communication here meets the standards GSM 900/1800. If desired, you can use the services of local operators. You can buy a SIM card in stores or service centers of these operators.

You can make an international call from call centers, or you can order such a call from a hotel. True, the second option will cost you a little more.

There is an internet cafe in the center of Saint-Paul. In hotels and public places, tourists can use wifi.

Safety

Saint-Paul is characterized as a calm and safe city. Here you can walk the streets without worrying about your safety.

However, some precautions are necessary. For example, do not buy food or water from street vendors: there is a high probability of catching an intestinal infection.

Before traveling to Saint-Paul, it is better to make all the necessary vaccinations: against diphtheria, hepatitis A, typhoid and tetanus.

Business climate

The business climate on the island and in Saint-Paul is very favorable for investment. Tourism and services are actively developing here. Thanks to the economic support of France, industry is developing. True, there are also disadvantages here: the island's economy is dependent on the French.

The industry is export-oriented. The main products are rum, sugar, vanilla, essences and flavorings.

The main trading partners are France and the countries of the European Union, Madagascar, South Africa and the United States.

Real estate

Real estate in Saint-Denis can be purchased both for recreation and as an investment. The prices here are quite high: you will have to pay at least 100,000 € for a modest apartment. per villa with good view on the coast, you will need to pay many times more.

It is possible to purchase housing while it is being built - then the price will depend on the specific project.

But the real estate market in Saint-Paul has one feature: prices are constantly rising.

It is forbidden to bring certain types of medicines, as well as foodstuffs, into the city.

Jewelry is subject to declaration.

Rare species of plants and animals cannot be exported from Reunion. Shells and seeds are subject to inspection when crossing the border.

Shops in Saint-Paul are open from 9:00 to 18:00 with a lunch break from 12:00 to 15:00.

Tips for waiters are usually given in the amount of 5-10% of the bill, and for taxi drivers they simply round the amount up.

Insect bites on the island are not fatal, but very unpleasant, therefore, so that the rest is not spoiled, it is better to use mosquito repellents.

Saint-Paul-de-Vence, located on the Cote d'Azur of France, is a place that is not just worth visiting once "for show", but which you should definitely visit whenever you find yourself in these parts. And I'll tell you why.

Saint-Paul-de-Vence until a certain point remained one of the many such settlements in the area. Like Eze, Gourdon, Peillon and other villages, it was formed far from the sea (from where the Saracens made their raids in the 8th century) on a mountain that could be surrounded by a fortress wall and effectively defended in case of emergency.

Passing over the centuries under the rule of one or the other owners of these territories, Saint-Paul existed relatively quietly and peacefully until the beginning of the 20th century. It was difficult to surprise any of the locals with the magnificent nature and views in those parts, however, with the rise of the Cote d'Azur as a resort, artists such as Bonnard, Vlaminck, Signac, Modigliani, Utrillo and many others came here in search of inspiration in the 1920s.

Some of them were little known at that time, some were not at all, but it was they who began to create the history of Saint-Paul-de-Vence as a bohemian and sybarite place. Usually, Parisian painters stayed at the Golden Dove Hotel (La Colombe D’Or) and painted landscapes of the surroundings, and then they also paid the owner of the establishment for food and a roof over their heads. The owner, named Paul Rouault, turned out to be far-sighted and in every possible way welcomed poor artists, whose works have grown significantly in price over several decades, and some are simply fabulous. Today, the heirs of Rouault own the works of such masters as Picasso, Modigliani, Cocteau, Chagall, Bonnard and many others, and the Golden Dove hotel and restaurant have become a cult place.

The fame of Saint-Paul-de-Vence was multiplied by French celebrities of the first magnitude - Brigitte Bardot, Catherine Deneuve, Yves Montand and Simone Signoret, Francois Truffaut and Jean-Paul Sartre. Today, nothing prevents you from having lunch at a restaurant and staying at a hotel within walls that not only remember the color of world cinema and fine art, but are also hung with masterpieces. But it’s worth considering that you won’t get here just like that, you need to book rooms and tables much in advance.

A place with such a history, of course, is very popular and is included in all sightseeing routes along the Azure Coast. Therefore, closer to dinner, there is no free parking space at all entrances to Saint-Paul, large sightseeing buses bring more and more portions of tourists, and the streets of a small town sometimes resemble the subway at rush hour. So that the charm of this place does not evaporate under the influence of the crowd, go there, if possible, in the morning or in the evening, when numerous noisy groups have already subsided. Passing by the "Golden Dove" and a cafe located to the right of it with a playground for playing petanque, you can not join the slender flow of tourists, but immediately turn right. The landmark is a statue of a horse made of horseshoes. Going around Saint-Paul-de-Vence on the right side, you will see several restaurants and cafes with a gorgeous view of the surroundings. Choose your terrace and menu to your liking, order wines and enjoy the way the representatives of the French bohemia enjoyed here over the past century. Indeed, in essence, a person does not need so much to be happy - you feel it keenly right here in Saint-Paul-de-Vence, and you want to repeat this feeling again and again.

What else not to miss in Saint-Paul-de-Vence:(the largest collection of contemporary art in France)

The famous hotel and restaurant "Golden Dove"

Sartre, Chagall, Picasso, Brigitte Bardot and hundreds of other celebrities walked along these streets.

No matter how you look at it, it's beautiful everywhere!

This guy works here, and I've never seen a more effective silent barker.

After dinner with wine in such a place, even the thought of eternity when looking at the local VIP cemetery (Marc Chagall is buried here) does not set you in a sad mood, but rather awakens reflections that even after death everyone is far from being on an equal footing . Who wouldn't want to rest like that? According to the "view from the window" - the Mediterranean Sea, Cape d'Antibes and the valleys of the Riviera - this cemetery on the Cote d'Azur, in my opinion, is second only to the cemetery