Things to do

Yummy ice cream

Thanks David and Ingrid for sharing your lovely apartment with us, it suited us perfectly and we felt very much at home... Nice itself is a gorgeous place, so diverse. The park up the hill is a lovely place to spend a quiet afternoon. We loved the old town and the harbour and the market... and of course the yummy ice-cream.

Clare, Neila and Annelie. (Bath)

Ice skating in Monaco

We had an amazing afternoon ice skating on the olympic pool in Monaco port. It costs around €4 per person, and the rink is open from 3rd December through to the end of February.

Sean, Tim, Nick and David (UK)

We adored the old Nice

We adored the old Nice. The markets are just amazing. If you like fish, the market with various restaurants around it is a must. We also walked up towards the cemetery (a gentle climb) which gave you views over the city. Beside this there is a waterfall, the spray is very refreshing on a warm day.

Bill & Ineke (Ireland)

Monaco & Monte-Carlo

Fab! Fab! Fab! €4.80 per person on the train – 20 minute journey. The most beautiful place I’ve ever been – like a fairytale. Make sure you catch the changing of the guards at the palace that takes place every day about 11.50am-ish.

The Aquarium and ‘Musee Oceanographique’ is a must – a most beautiful building containing the aquarium in lower floors. Great place to take the kids. Very exciting.

The Jardin Animalier is good too – with a hippo, white tiger, leopards, pnanther and more. The sports stadium is worth a peek.

Monaco is a must – there is so much to see, you’ll have a packed day. It is very hilly, so best to take the buggies for little kids as it can be a bit much.

Nic, Gen J, Gem G, Gem Mc and Kayleigh (UK)

Shopping

Supermarkets – Cocci Market on the main road to the beach is reasonable and sells English newspapers and a few dated magazines. It shuts altogether at 12 noon on a Sunday and during the week it shuts for lunch between 12.30pm and 3.30pm. There is a bigger hypermarket on the main shopping street (Jean Medecin) which is bigger and sells flowers and a large range of cosmetics, however, we found it more pricey buut good if you want to do a big main shop.

Nice main street – turn righ at end of lane (at Internet cafe) and right again then follow the road until you hit the main shopping street (next to a church). Great shops like Zara, H&M, Etam and berska (sorry, we only know girly shops). Most things are similarly priced as at home, oftena pound or so cheaper, but not much more.
Cannes – a few boutiques, a Mango & Mac makeup shop, but overall not as good as Nice.

For more designer stuff there are shops such as Louis Vuitton and Gucci and Dior dotted all over both Cannes and Nice – oddly next to souvenir shops.

Nic, Gen J, Gem G, Gem Mc and Kayleigh (UK)

Great beaches

Beaches
Cannes – sandy, chances of a bit of celeb spotting (although ythe closest we got to was Minty from Enders). Drinks and food are pricey on the sea front, but go a bit further to save a few cents. Sea is a bit murky but shallow. Overall, not as good as the beach in Nice, it doesn’t live up to the hype, but you can’t not visit – it is Cannes after all. Get the train – about €8.90 per person.

Nice – ‘nice by name, nice by nature’. Stoney, but not as rough as shingle beach. It is much more comfortable than it looks to lie on. Flipflops would be a good idea for walking to and from the sea. The sea is very clean and clear, but it goes deep very quickly! To get there – out of apartment gates, turn left at internet café and straight on all the way until you hit the beach.

Nic, Gen J, Gem G, Gem Mc and Kayleigh (UK)

Marine World & Phoenix Parc

Our children’s highlights have been ‘Marine World’ in Biot and Pheonix Parc in Nice. We all enjoyed Monaco by train and also a trip into italy. Today we spent the whole day at the beach in Villefranche-sur-mer (2 stops on the train) which has tiny pebbles and very clear water.

Katherine, Barry, Amelia and Theodore (UK)

Take a boat trip

Things of interest – we took a short boat trip around the neighbouring coastline. It cost around €12 each and lasted 1 hour. It is organised through the Tourism Office on the Promenande des Anglais. It was well worth the money – the captain gave a very detailed account of what to see on the way (in English!).

Madelaine, Caroline, Matt, Adrian and Mike (UK)

Comfy shoes...

Good time had by all – Monaco is a must see! Nice is a beautiful place, but you do need a comfy pair of shoes.

Karen, Lisa and Jenny (UK)

Walk up to the Chateau Hill

There is a great walk over the Chateau Hill from old Nice to the Port – this includes an old graveyard with some spectacular headstones and tombs.

Ramon, Linda, Inge and Sienna (Australia)

Monaco is a must

If you get a chance, a train trip to Monaco is a must, Train journey around €6 per person return – not bad. They were setting stuff up for the Grand Prix when we were there, which added to the atmosphere – you should try it out.

Nice itself is a lovely town and we’ve had a wonderful week here. Enjoy walking on the front and around the streets – oh and check out the view from the Chateau Hill over the port. Cool.

James & Kate (UK)

Must visit the Negresco

Visiting the hotel Negresco is well worth it. This museum-hotel is on the Promenade des Anglais (it is the one with the pink dome). Pop into the bar for a quick drink and admire the amazing decoration which include a 17th century tapestry and 18th century painting. Take time to wander around the oval hall, and make sure you go to the toilets there – you are unlikely to ever see anything like it again.

Ken & Genevieve (France)