Hôtel Château Eza

The buildings of Château Eza were raised more than 400 years ago inside the medieval ramparts of Èze, and the hotel is still recognisable as a blend of several individual houses rather than a single château.

Its modern history begins with Prince Wilhelm of Sweden, who fell for the setting of Èze on his first visit in 1920. He bought the houses one by one and joined them into Château Eza, which became his winter residence. When the prince left the village in 1953, his estate broke up again into separate properties.

Between 1976 and 1980 André Rochat, Delegate General of the Red Cross, bought the houses back to restore Château Eza to its former standing. To share the property with the public he opened a tea room in 1982, followed by guest rooms, and Château Eza officially became a hotel in 1987. The MICHELIN Guide now awards it Two MICHELIN Keys (as of 2026) for an exceptional stay, and the hotel says it has welcomed many celebrities, among them Hollywood stars and international sports figures.

The hotel stands at the highest point of Èze, some 400 metres above sea level and a few minutes up the coast from Nice, with views that the MICHELIN Guide describes as reaching up and down the coastline. The hotel itself speaks of one of the highest summits on the Mediterranean, overlooking Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, which it calls a billionaire enclave.

Èze is entirely pedestrian, and the hotel credits the village with a mild climate and spectacular views of the cliffs and beaches of the Côte d'Azur. Cars are left with the hotel's valet service below the village, and from there a five-minute walk leads to the top of Èze.

To find the valet service, drivers take the small road between the two lower car parks at the foot of the village, turning left when coming from Monaco and right when coming from Nice; the valet stand is 50 metres along on the right. Monaco is 15 minutes away by car and Nice 25 minutes.

Every room and suite is individually designed, pairing the medieval setting with the comforts of a luxury hotel. The Suite Présidentielle, of 60 m², has a terrace with a private outdoor hot tub and a 180-degree view over the Côte d'Azur, while the Suite, also 60 m², has a balcony looking out to sea. The Junior Suites measure 45 to 55 m² and face the sea; each is designed around a different atmosphere, and all have a sitting area.

The Junior Suite Family, of 50 m² for four guests, is laid out over two floors in the medieval village, with a private sea-view balcony, a living room with a fireplace and a second bathroom; the main bathroom has a spa bath with a view, a shower and a separate toilet.

Among the rooms, the Chambre Deluxe, of 30 to 40 m², has a private balcony over the hills of the Côte d'Azur with a partial view of the coast, and the Chambre Supérieure, of 25 m², has a private balcony facing the hills. The Chambres Elégance, set within the medieval village, each have a real fireplace, and the Chambre standard, of 25 m², has a design of its own in keeping with the quiet, traditional village around it. All rooms have satellite television and L'Occitane toiletries.

Château Eza has three places to eat and drink: L'Horizon, La Table Gastronomique and a bar lounge. La Table Gastronomique serves refined French and Mediterranean cuisine in a 50-seat dining room whose bay windows give it a semi-open feel and plenty of daylight, and the MICHELIN Guide notes the views from both the dining room and the terrace. Dinner is served from 19:30 to 21:30, and elegant dress is preferred.

Château Eza has featured in the Michelin Guide for decades, with chefs including Dominique le Stanc and Bruno Cirino between 1988 and 1995 and Axel Wagner from 2007 to 2015, and Justin Schmitt won its current star in March 2023. Originally from Alsace and a former student of the Ferrandi school, he trained under Alain Senderens at Lucas Carton, Guy Martin at Le Grand Véfour, Michel Guérard at Les Prés d'Eugénie and Eric Fréchon at Le Bristol, then worked at the Crillon and at Laurent in Paris. The hotel describes his cooking as sensitive and highly precise.

Lunch depends on the season. From 1 April to 31 October it is served at L'Horizon, the Mediterranean restaurant, from 11:30 to 14:30, with a menu by Justin Schmitt that puts local flavours first and mixes tradition with modernity; in winter, lunch moves to La Table Gastronomique.

For more privacy, meals can be taken on two small balconies of four seats each, looking towards Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, which can be booked for private dinners; the hotel suggests them for proposals and birthdays. The Salon Royal seats 16 and has its own terrace with a panoramic sea view, suited to small weddings and company events, and in the wine cellar the sommeliers lead tasting menus with food and wine pairings.

The bar lounge, with stone walls and a fireplace, seats 18 inside and 20 on its adjoining terrace, serving cocktails, teas, coffees and snacks with a panoramic view of the Côte d'Azur. It is open from 14:00 to 18:00, and dress there is casual.

The concierge service designs outings to order, from golf at Monte Carlo Golf Club to tours of the Riviera's towns by limousine with a private guide or dinner at a Michelin-starred restaurant. For a view from above, a 30-minute guided helicopter tour passes over the Casino de Monaco and the Formula 1 circuit and along the cliffs and beaches of Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat and Villefranche-sur-Mer. Closer to home, the hotel offers champagne tastings in the wine cellar.

Massages and beauty treatments are given in the room, including a 60-minute massage with a beauty treatment, subject to availability. Reception is open 24 hours a day and room service runs around the clock, and the hotel's list of services, offered as options at an extra charge, also covers a VIP airport transfer and laundry and dry cleaning.