The Gay Nude Beach at St. Laurent - Eze

The whole of the Cote d'Azur provides endless gay and gay friendly places to explore, from one end of the region to the other.

One area I am going to mention is quite the local favorite, the popular gay nude beach at St. Laurent-Eze, located just east of Nice, past Beaulieu-sur-Mer on the way to Monaco.

Before you go though, there are a few things to mention.  First, bring along a big bottle of water and whatever else you want to eat or drink, as there are no shops nearby to buy any of these things once you get there.  Second, keep in mind that the beaches are small and discreet.  Third, the beaches boast different terrains, ranging from sandy to pebbly and rocky, and some people even choose to sunbathe right on the big beach rocks.  For this trip I would recommend wearing running shoes to negotiate the terrain, but of course also bring along your towel and/or beach mat.

In general, people will tell you the gay nude beach is in Eze, but to get there you want to make sure you have the location right because if you are traveling by bus or train, you'll end up in the lovely village of Eze instead, and then have quite the hike to get to the beach in St. Laurent-Eze.

Just North of the red marker, at the curve is the starting point.

If you are in Nice and plan to take the bus, take the number 100 Menton bus that can be found going through many areas of Nice.  A good place to spot the bus if you do not know where they pick up people in Nice would be to try the Port area, just across the street from the big Catholic Church.  It only costs 1 Euro for one way and it travels the autoroute, a very scenic route along the sea to Monaco.  It does make regular stops along the way, but be sure to tell the bus driver that you want to get off at St. Laurent-Eze for the beach.

Transit Information

The bus stop is also beside a small, usually filled to capacity, parking area.  Trains do not stop at St. Laurent-Eze: only at Eze, and then Cap d'Ail.  St. Laurent is between those but still it would be quite a walk to get to the beach this way.

Bus stop/Parking lot

If it works out better for you to take the train, just take it to Eze, get off at the station and the bus stop is literally just outside the station, so wave down the 100 Menton bus when it comes your way.  The cost for the train will be about 3 Euros one-way, then another 1 Euro for the bus.

If you are driving, it’s a breeze to get to St. Laurent-Eze.  Just follow the direction the buses take along the autoroute.  Leaving Nice from the Port area, go around Mont Boron and into Villefranche-sur-Mer, which will then bypass Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, into Beaulieu-sur-Mer, which very quickly leads into Eze and the next stop will be St. Laurent-Eze, where you will see the parking area back into the valley.

Once you are in St. Laurent-Eze, cautiously cross the busy autoroute and you will likely see others heading down into the valley towards the sea on the trail.  The trail itself is called “Castelleret – Inferieur”.  It’s obvious where to go as the trail stands out.

The trail has lots of steps and walkways all leading to the same place along the path for a 10-minute walk down towards the sea to the public beach.  You’ll know when you are practically there because you will have to walk through a big tunnel carved into the stone.  This is a very safe and beautiful area, and you won’t get lost on the trail.

Once you hit the public beach, you'll want to turn right and head to the end of the beach where you will see what used to be a gated staircase.  Proceed up the stairs and carefully continue your way in the western direction.  You’re going to be walking on low cliff edges, up and over some rocks, but the scenery is amazing.  Although at this point you can stop wherever you find a spot you might like, the actual gay nude beach itself is about a five minute hike from that point.

Looking back at the public beach from the top of the stairs.

You’ll know you are getting closer when you start to see more hot naked men around and the gorgeous Hotel Cap-Estel not far away.  There’s a rope on-site to help you climb down the man-made steps carefully on to the actual beach itself.

Once you have found a spot, which can get quite busy especially on the weekends, it’s up to you if you want to strip completely down or not.  Personally I had no qualms about it and was soon swimming in the sea.  The area we were at even had a little man-made spring with fresh water and a bucket, so after you get out of the sea, you could just grab a bucket of the fresh water and pour it over yourself to remove the sea salt before you go back to sun tanning or whatever you wanted to do.

I have found the people on the beach were from all over the place and very friendly.  I didn’t notice any attitude at all, and think it’s a fantastic way to spend a glorious afternoon.

As for the cruising thing: yes, it happens.  If you met someone in the beach area that you are interested in, people tend to get back on the path going east towards the main public beach again where men will just walk off the path a bit to other man-made paths and fool around in the bushes.  Honestly, I didn’t see this being something that people get carried away with; I think it’s an in-the-moment type of thing.  It seems people are content simply being surrounded by other beautiful men in an extraordinary place.

For obvious privacy reasons I have no pictures of the nude beach itself, but believe me, you won't be disappointed.

Avenue Jean Médecin

I've mentioned avenue Jean Médecin quite often because it's one of the most popular avenues in Nice and it is where you can find anything you might need.

The street is named after former Nice Mayor Jean Médecin and his son Jacques, who together held the position of mayor for a combined 57 years.

As it is a commercial hub with several amenities as well as luxury shopping, it's definitely one of the major arteries in the city.  Here you will find the architecture is a mixture of traditional and modern.

I love walking down avenue Jean Médecin at any time of the day or night, but especially in the morning when the city is just waking up.  Watching the locals head to work and shops opening give the perfect start to my day.

I usually don't even bother to take the tram that goes down the avenue as part of the main route as I prefer a leisurely stroll to get me to where I want to go.

At the South end of avenue Jean Médecin, closest to the beach and right at Place Massena is the national department store Galeries Lafayette, located at: 6 avenue Jean Médecin.

Close by is a very large Sephora at: 8 avenue Jean Médecin, and next door is the equally sizeable Zara boutique at: 10 avenue Jean Médecin, where you will always find very hot, yet professional, retail clerks working.

There are numerous other retailers in the immediate vicinity.  Crossing the street will put you at Virgin Megastore, located at: 15 avenue Jean Médecin.
Update: Unfortunately it was announced in late 2012 that all the Virgin Megastores will be closing for business across France.

Back across the street and a few blocks down you will come across Nice Etoile shopping mall, located at: 30 avenue Jean Médecin.

Etoile is so large that it takes up its own block of services and specialty shops covering a number of floors.  I will explore this mall in greater detail in a later blog post.

Keep in mind that avenue Jean Médecin is the place to go too if there is something you forgot to pack for your trip.

One block over and you will find Monoprix, located at: 42 avenue Jean Médecin.  This is a big grocery and department store.  Any food, clothing or drugstore item you may need can be found there.  Did I mention that the store also has a fully stocked liquor area with a number of great wines?

Next door you will find Fnac at: 46 avenue Jean Médecin.  Fnac is a national chain that sells everything from books, concert tickets, audio and visual equipment to CD's and DVD's.  Fnac is quite a large store that covers at least 5 floors, I love how the interior and exterior architectural details have been kept and maintained.

In the same building as Fnac, on the corner is the ever trendy Bershka shop and literally across the same side of Avenue Jean Médecin is the popular Pull & Bear.  Both are great places to shop if you wanted to find something quick and casual for everyday use or a night out!

If you need to do some banking, there are also several major bank branches along the way.

You'll find a little bit of everything on avenue Jean Médecin, discount 2 Euro shops (that's "dollar store" to North Americans), sports stores, tourist shops, a wide variety of hotels plus wonderful cafes to relax and people watch.

From one end to the other, avenue Jean Médecin is a great place to explore, find what you need and use as a guide as a first timer to the city in order to find your way around.  It's a main corridor that I have always found safe and friendly to use.

Le Six

 

From the moment you walk into Le Six you’ll feel like you have found a hidden gem in Vieux Nice.  As a more intimate-sized lounge, Le Six's personality seems to extend beyond it's physical confines.

Le Six
  

To find Le Six, head towards Vieux Nice (Old Town).  If you are near Place Masséna, walk towards the main fountain that has the newly replaced statue of Apollo in the center of it at the edge of Vieux Nice.  Walk behind the fountain and down the stairs towards Le Chateau, in the opposite direction of where Le Meridien is located.

You should now be on rue Alexandre Mari.  Walk about two blocks until you are at the cross street, rue Raoul Bosio.  Turn right towards the sea, and you will find Le Six on that block at: 6 rue Raoul Bosio.
 

Le Six is marketed as a gay-friendly club/lounge with the feel of being an intimate high end private club, just without the private club fees.  The clientele is predominately gay but everyone is more than allowed to join in the fun.

 

Once you step inside you’ll notice the club has a high-tech, metal-type decor gently mixed with the building’s original beauty and character.  Contrasted with the ornate ceiling, it seems to work style-wise.

 

Immediately to your right is the main bar and surrounding most of the rest of the space are the different lounge areas. 

But what really stands out is the impressive shower power room, where you will be witness to a variety of sexy dancers getting soaked, soapy and slowly stripping it off for your viewing pleasure.

Its one of the reasons I call this place a gem: you can see a lot from virtually any vantage point in the room.  And at it's busiest times, expect to be up close and tight with the other patrons, it's a quick way to make new friends.

If you wanted an even better view of the action, climb the stainless-steel ladders to the above loft, where plenty of guys go to dance, watch the crowd below, and get yet another view of the shower power show taking place. 

Drinks are reasonably priced and the staff are sweet and flirtatious.  Le Six’s hours of operation are Tuesday to Sunday from 10pm-2am, some nights until 5am.
You’re in the French Riviera, live a little. 

Le Six is a fun place to go if you want to set your night off before hitting the bigger clubs.  It’s also one of those places where you could decide to just stay all night and never feel like you’re missing out on anything despite the abundance of other venues in the city.

Le Six gets packed quickly and judging from all the eye candy, that makes it very hard to leave.

Photos © Le Six

Pink Parade

Here is what I like about the Pink Parade in Nice.
It feels very of the moment, natural and growing.

 

The difference I have found with the Pink Parade weekend in Nice compared to what I have experienced in North America is that it feels community minded once again, back to the roots.

In France, many of the basic equality rights we might take for granted in North America (and we all still have a long way to go), they are still fighting for around the country.

I also like the fact that it is not overly sponsored and full of promotions for whatever many circuit type parties might be happening that weekend.  Overall, it doesn’t seem so money based.

Of course the celebratory atmosphere is still there, and so are the hot party boys.

You’ll notice right away the Pink Parade involves everyone, meaning everyone is encouraged to participate ahead, along and behind the floats, together as one.

If you have missed this year’s Pink Parade, my suggestion would be to check out the AGLAE website, they are the ones who have helped put together Pink Parade in Nice since day one. 

The next Pink Parade will be held in Nice on Saturday, June 16, 2012!

AGLAE

The AGLAE was created on July 14, 2003.
Gay & Lesbian Association Azuréenne Expression
Organizer of NICE PINK PARADE since June 2004

AGLAE is responsible:

• To present and defend the interests of its members.

• To develop, for its members, any action to be taken into account the specific lifestyle of homosexuals.

• To promote gay culture (arts, entertainment, nightlife, relationships with others).

• Disseminate and inform its members in connection with the prevention of sexually transmitted infections.

Feel free to also stop by the new LGBT Community Center for any other information you might need, or click on the links below:


LGBT Community Center Website


Gay French Riviera LGBT Community Center Post


Here are some photos, information and video from this year’s Pink Parade!

The Pink Parade and events really only got underway in 2004, and every year the LGBT community gets together and is stronger than ever bringing strength and spirit to all the events.   Anyone is welcome to attend!

See you there in 2012!!!