Saint-Paul-de-Vence changes completely at the end of the day. The coaches leave, the hurried visitors disappear, and the village regains its rhythm, its inhabitants, and its light. This is the best time to discover it, and that's when Pierre takes you.
Meet at the Café de la Place, at the entrance to the village. You'll start the walk at the Saint-Charles Saint-Claude Chapel, where one of the most beautiful panoramas of Saint-Paul-de-Vence awaits you. From above, you can see the village bathed in the glow of the setting sun and the Mediterranean turning red in the distance. This is a moment to take your time, listen to Pierre tell the storey of the village, and take your best pictures.
You then go back down through the narrow cobbled streets. Pierre takes you past the Colombe d'Or, the legendary inn where Picasso and Matisse paid their bills with paintings. The Porte de Vence and its cannon welcome you at the entrance of the fortified city, before you walk along the 16th-century ramparts to the view of the Baous.
It is here, at an exceptional vantage point, that Pierre sets you up for a Provençal aperitif as the sun finishes its descent. Rosé de Provence, tapenade, olives, and local cheese. You watch the light shift, the Mediterranean turns from pink to orange, and you are exactly where you needed to be this evening.
Return to Place de Gaulle to end the evening like the people of Saint-Paul: a game of pétanque on the court that runs along the entrance to the village. Pierre hands out the balls and introduces you to the rules if you don't know them. Each game ends with a small friendly competition, with a souvenir of Provence for the winner.