Top 12 things to do in Nice, France

In Roman times, Nice served as the capital of the region, a role it maintains today as the gateway to the French Riviera. Once part of the Kingdom of Sardinia and a favorite with wealthy British aristocrats in the 18th century, Nice’s coeducation is part of the city’s appeal. Just one step along the Promenade des Anglais (the Promenade of the English) by the sea and you’ll instantly see why this port city was, and still is, a favorite haven for artists and jetsetters, drawing everyone from Matisse to Chagall (they have museums). in the city) with its famous turquoise seas of light and sparkling.

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Pasea por la Promenade des Anglais

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Bordering the shores of glittering Baie des Anges (the Bay of Angels), Nice’s famous Promenade des Anglais stretches 2.5 miles along the coast from the airport in the west to the old town and Quai des États-Unis in the East. Cyclists, skaters and skaters cruise along the coastal stretch, which leads to the stone-lined plage , or onto the beach. Dating back to the 18th century, when the English would overwinter on the French Riviera, the seafront is the epitome of Belle Époque architecture, the most spectacular example being the five-star Le Negresco hotel. With a collection of more than 6,000 pieces of art (including a portrait of Louis XIV identical to the one on display in the Louvre), the haute hotel is an institution that has attracted everyone from Dalí to Grand Dukes Vladimir and Dimitri. Enjoy jazz music while sipping champagne at the Old World-inspired wood-covered bar or soak up the action further down the boardwalk with a cocktail at one of the two lively watering holes with ocean views: Waka and Movida.

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Stroll through the streets of the old town

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Vieux Nice, or the old town, is a maze of cobbled streets that form the heart of the city and the oldest neighborhood in Nice. The sidewalk cafes stretch out over squares dating back to the 17th century, such as Place Rossetti with its baroque Cathedral of Santa Reparata, inspired by Rome’s Santa Susanna.

Perhaps a more iconic landmark is the square’s Fenocchio Glacier, a popular ice cream parlor with 94 flavors to choose from. Once you have your ice cream in hand, continue your walk up the nearby staircase that leads to Colline du Château , or Castle Hill, the original site of the city. The citadel was dismantled in 1706 by the troops of King Louis XIV, but the site today is known for its views of the old town and the Baie des Anges. If you prefer to skip the stairs, quickly take the Art Deco elevator to the top at the end of the Quai des États-Unis.

To buy souvenirs, the old town is your best option. Near O péra de Nice you will find some local specialty shops nestled among souvenir shops selling typical trinkets such as magnets and T-shirts. Get your fix of olive oil at A L’Olivier, which originally opened in Paris’ Marais district in 1822, or pick up more modern versions of the iconic Marseille soap at Compagnie de Provence, which sells beautifully packaged lotions and creams in scents like the lavender field. and fig leaf. Across the street, you’ll also find one of the old town’s trendiest bars, El Merkado, with a tapas theme .. Expect a wait on the weekends, but it’s worth it for the croquettes stuffed with serrano ham. If this place is too crowded for your taste, head to the bar-lined rue de la Préfecture and take a seat on the terrace of one of the best Mexican restaurants to open in town: La Lupita.

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Shop at the Cours Saleya market

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If you’ve seen the classic Hitchcock movie “To Catch a Thief,” the Cours Saleya market may seem familiar. The main street that runs through the old town opens to an extensive daily fruit and vegetable market from 6 am to 1:30 pm, but plan to arrive before noon if you want to get the best produce. Peruse the stalls that sample Corsican cheeses and cold cuts, pausing for a quick snack at the infamous socca stall, Chez Thérésa, where you can sample this regional specialty (a chickpea flour crepe). For an insider’s look at the market, book a tour with food writer Rosa Jackson’s Les Petits Farcis, where you’ll not only learn more about local produce, but also get to sample your market finds with a pink fuel course in her studio. of kitchen. While the fruit and vegetable market ends around lunchtime, the flower market, rated one of the best in the country, sells bouquets and potted plants until later in the afternoon, filling up around 5. : 30 pm as cafes and bistros begin to move their tables on the terraces for aperitifs or pre-dinner drinks. Take a seat and order a glass of vino (wine) at one of the breweries like Le Flore, where you’ll often find jazz musicians at serenade tables. If you’re in town on a Monday, an antiques market takes over the Cours Saleya, with second-hand trinkets, from trunks and tables to Chanel jewelery and furs.

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Visit the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art

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+33 4 97 13 42 01

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Centrally located near Place Garibaldi, the marble-covered Carrera Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (MAMAC) features exhibits of pop art and New Realism artists such as Andy Warhol and Yves Klein, whose work you will find on the rooftop terrace. , showing panoramic views of the city. The permanent collection of 1,300 pieces exhibits works by more than 300 different artists. While the collection of pop art by artists like Roy Lichtenstein and Claes Oldenburg is quite impressive, what really makes this museum stand out is the work of the School of Nice, conceptual artists who helped lead the modern art movement in the town. 1960.

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Spend the afternoon in Cimiez

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+33 4 93 81 59 57

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While Castle Hill may offer a signature snapshot over Nice, the best views of the city are found further up in Cimiez, the regional capital when the Romans ruled the area in 14BC. You can still see remains of the ancient Roman city of Cemenelum in the form of a small amphitheater, or arènes , and Roman baths dating from the 3rd century. At the nearby Musée d’Archéologie, examine artifacts from the ancient site, as well as objects from Nice’s first inhabitants, discovered at a 400,000-year-old site belonging to the elephant hunter camp. The area is also home to a small community of Franciscan friars, with a 15th century monastery and a museum of sacred art open to the public. The real treasure, however, is in the Sainte-Marie des Anges church in the form of three masterpieces by the Nice artist Louis Bréa. Right next to it, you will notice another famous name, Henri Matisse, whose grave is in the cemetery of the monastery. As you stroll, head to the edge of the Italian-inspired monastery gardens (the former orchard and orchard of the monks) for perfect views of the sea.

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Explore the Marc Chagall museum

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+33 4 93 53 87 20

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Chagall opened his namesake museum in 1972 to showcase his 17-piece masterpiece, the “Biblical Message.” Located at the foot of the hill leading up to Cimiez, the Marc Chagall museum houses the largest public collection of the artist’s works, with more than 400 selected paintings, drawings and pastels around Old Testament themes. Begin by admiring a gallery of 12 oversized paintings depicting scenes from the first two books of the Old Testament, Genesis and Exodus, before entering a smaller hexagon-shaped space where you will find five Solomon-inspired red and pink canvases. . Song of songs. Not only is the collection worth a visit, so is the space itself, set in the ruins of a turn-of-the-century villa, which Chagall renovated with mosaics and a stained glass auditorium.

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Visit the Matisse museum

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+33 4 93 81 08 08

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At the end of the 19th century, Boulevard de Cimiez took an elegant turn with Belle Époque villas and hotels, such as the Excelsior Régina Palace (a former favorite of Queen Victoria), which served as a military hospital before going out of style. Many of the other faded beauties along the boulevard. Now these villas serve as some of the most impressive museums in the city, such as the Matisse Museum. Matisse lived in an apartment on the Cours Saleya before spending time in Cimiez. Housed within a 17th-century Genoese villa between the Roman arena and the excavations at Cimiez, the museum displays a collection of Matisse’s works dating from the 1890s (when he produced “Nature Morte Aux Livres”) to later clippings from early 1950s, some of the last created before his death. Visit another of the artist’s masterpieces in the nearby town of Vence, where Matisse spent four years designing the stained glass and ceramic artwork that line the walls of the Capilla del Rosaire or Chapel of the Rosary.

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Attend the Nice Carnival

A more familiar version of the Rio Carnival, the Nice Carnival is the highlight of the winter season, and one of the oldest and largest carnivals in the world. Dating back to the 13th century, the Nice Carnival now draws more than 1 million visitors each year for the multi-week event, which usually takes place in late February or early March. More than 1,000 musicians and dancers perform alongside parades that take place in the city center around Place Masséna. Parades of more than 20 floats with oversized puppets (called grosses têtes or big heads) make their way down the street as crowds dressed in costumes and masks throw confetti. While the neon-lit night parade is definitely a party, the Bataille de Fleurs during the day (Battle of the Flowers) is something unique to the Nice Carnival. Throughout the festival, 100,000 fresh-cut flowers, 80 percent of which are local, are woven into whimsical floats, which the artists pluck and throw to the audience along the Promenade des Anglais.

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Dance at the Nice Jazz Festival

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+33 4 97 13 55 13

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Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald were among the first leading artists at the Nice Jazz Festival, the world’s first jazz festival. Now, more than 70 years later, the event continues to reign as one of the French Riviera’s top annual attractions, attracting big names like The Roots and Dr. John. More than 30 bands perform during the week-long event in mid-July, which takes place at Place Masséna and at the Théâtre de Verdure. Now, in addition to the official concerts, hundreds of fringe “Jazz Off” performances appear in different neighborhoods of the city, transforming Nice into a music-filled outdoor party throughout the month.

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Sunbathe at a beach bar

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+33 4 93 88 17 23

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Nice may be a seaside city, but don’t expect white sand from the Caribbean. More than four miles of shingle covered plages , or beaches, line the Nice Bay of Angels. Stairs along the Promenade des Anglais divide the beaches by name, with public venues interspersed with seasonal private bars and restaurants, open from April to October. Reserve a beach bed and umbrella at one of the trendiest restaurants, Le Galet, where you can spend the day in true Riviera fashion: sipping rosé in a hammock by the sea. In the next city, Villefranche-sur-Mer, a smaller bay has more beautiful coastlines, plus a restaurant and a private beach by the Nice Déli Bo transplant.

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Take a coastal walk

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+33 4 93 26 53 02

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One of the Riviera’s most popular hikes starts 20 minutes away down the coast in Eze, with a path leading up to the storybook-perfect medieval town hovering over the sea. For something quicker that’s more of a local secret, pack a pan bagnat (a Niçois salad-filled sandwich) and make your way to Coco Beach on the opposite side of the port from the Old Town. The path winds around the coastline over moon-like white rocks and wooden footbridges, with cliffside perches prime for picnicking along the sea. The hike only takes around 45 minutes, but if you’re up for more of a challenge, head up the staircase to Mont Boron and continue the seaside trek all the way to the next village, Villefranche-sur-Mer. On your way back, stop for a glass of rosé in a spot equally as scenic: Le Plongeoir, a restaurant sitting on a rock over the sea that was once housed in a fishing boat when it originally opened in the late 19th century. 

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Sample Nice Specialties

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+33 4 93 13 99 08

Marseille is birthplace of bouillabaisse fish stew and Aix-en-Provence crafts candied calissons. And while Nice may be known for its namesake salad, you’ll find plenty of other famous fare on menus throughout town. Of course seafood is a given (you are on the Mediterranean coast, after all), but the city also whips up specialties like street food fave socca (also known as farinata), as well as petits farcis (ground beef and rice-stuffed vegetables ), pissaladière (a pizza-like onion tart) and a meat stew dubbed daube . Sample some of these dishes at a takeaway stand in the Old Town called Lou Pilha Leva or take a seat at local legend Chez Palmyre, an intimate bistro formerly run by a mother-daughter team with a daily changing menu based on regional recipes. Packed weeks in advance, this is one place you’ll want to call ahead to make sure you have a table. When it comes to the best socca, most locals agree with Chez Pipo, whose brick-and-mortar restaurant is tucked away on a side street behind the harbor.