GUIDE TO NICE
Beaches, promenades, narrow medieval streets, restaurants, cafes, markets, shopping, art - it's all here in Nice. It just depends on what you fancy doing. Lazing about and soaking in the warm sun often feels like the best option, but if you want to get out and about and experience the best of the French Riviera, Nice is the place to be.
We have been coming to Nice on holiday for the last six years and we have put together a small guide of what you can do and see in the city. It is by no means definitive, but it covers all the main subject areas: outdoor stuff, shopping, museums, things for kids to do, eating out, markets to visit. If you want to read what our guests have been saying about Nice just go to the Guest Book.
THINGS TO DO & SEE
Nice and the Cote d'Azur have lots to offer. All the benefits of a warm & sunny climate by the sea are obvious (and delicious), but if you add the close proximity of the mountains for skiing, great food and wine, addictive shopping and some fascinating cultural and historic sights you get the perfect holiday city. Below is a selection of some of the great things you can do in Nice.
BEACHES & OUTDOORS
There are a number of private (i.e. paying) and public beaches along the Promenade des Anglais - they offer sun loungers, drinks, snacks, showers and a number of activities (parascending, beach volleyball, jet skiing and even the odd bouncy castle). The public beaches are all pebble or shingle but some of the paying beaches have patches of sand.
CULTURAL
Nice is not just about sunshine, food and wine - there is an impressive choice of museums within easy reach of the centre (Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Asian Arts Museum, Massena Museum, Chagall Museum, Matisse Museum, Fine Arts Museum & Museum of Naive Art) as well as the impressive Cimiez Monastery and the Roman Site of Cemenelum.
On top of the museums, there are areas of Nice worth visiting just for the cultural experience. The most obvious is to work your way around all the parts of Nice that have Russian influence, starting with the amazing Russian Church.
SHOPPING
Take your pick. For antiques, trinkets, independent clothes stores and bric-a-brac head for the narrow streets of the old town. If you are more interested in high-street stores like Zara, H&M, Sephora, etc... look no further than Avenue Jean Medecin (5 mins from our apartment). This street also has a shopping centre called 'Nice Etoile' which has four levels of smaller shops selling clothes, toys, linen, pictures and the like. If shopping malls are the best way for you to get your 'happy shopping glow', then take a bus (or drive) to Cap 3000 which is in St Laurent du Var just next to Nice airport. It is a big mall (by European standards) and caters for all shopping needs. You can spend at least half a day there without seeing the same shop twice.
EATING OUT
It is rare to find a bad restaurant in Nice. You may find some that are expensive for what you are getting, and others that offer incredible value and great service, but we have never found a bad restaurant. The great thing about Nice is that there is the full spectrum of places to eat from the Negresco's gourmet restaurant (Le Chanteclor) with special 'dégustation' menus hovering around the €100 per person to queuing up for a portion of socca (chick-pea pancake - a Nice speciality) in any of the socca cafés in the old town for less than €5 per person.
Like many people who visit Nice, we have our own favourite - an Italian restaurant called 'La Trattoria' on Rue de France. To read about the restaurants our guests recommend themselves, just read the postings in our Guest Book.
STUFF TO DO WITH KIDS
If the weather is dry, and the kids get bored of the beach, there are a number of parks worth a visit. Most of the parks and gardens have playgrounds, but the most impressive of them all is the Castle Hill as it also has the best views in the whole city. The Parc Phoenix is a sizeable park with a huge lake, over 20 different gardens and a 22-metre tall greenhouse with a number of exotic plants and trees inside. It also has a snack bar, a good playground and offers a great half day out for all the family (kids from 7 upwards will find something of interest here).
Beyond Nice there is always the Aquatic Parc (Marineland) in Antibes which is a sure fire hit with children - make sure you see the killer whale show. Next door to Marineland, there is 'La Petite Ferme' (the little farm). Monaco offers loads for children: the Aquarium alone is worth the trip, but don't miss the mini zoo (Parc Animalier), the wax museum as well as loads of playgrounds.
FURTHER INFORMATION
Photos of things to see in Nice
Photos of things to see around Nice
Nice Carnival photos
Nice Weather
Holiday apartment details
Nice live web-cam - Promenade des Anglais - check out what's happening in Nice this very instant!
USEFUL LINKS - EVENTS
Monaco Grand Prix (English - the official site of the Monaco Grand Prix)
Nice Carnival (English - the official Nice Carnival site)
Nice Jazz Festival (English - the official Nice Jazz Festival site)
USEFUL LINKS - GUIDES TO NICE
Lonely Planet Guide to Nice (English)
Independent Guide to Nice (English)
Provenceweb Guide to Nice (English)
USEFUL LINKS - GENERAL
Nice Tourist Office (English - guide to everything going on in the area)
Nice Town Hall site (French - excellent resource to search for activities, addresses, things to do)
Nice Airport (English)
Nice Acropolis Convention Centre (English)