Nice
Nice is an exciting, lively, chaotic and noisy city. Called "Nizza la Bella" by its proud inhabitants and the faded "Queen of the Riviera" by its critics, it has upgraded its appearance during the past years. The construction of the new tramway was accompanied by a massive regeneration of Nice's downtown area with elegant plazas and many pedestrian only streets. Nice has become one of the "hottest" places on the Mediterranean coast to invest in real estate.
Nice is the capital of the Département Alpes Maritimes and next to Marseille the most densely populated area in the Provence. Long gone are the days when well heeled English, Russian and other European noblesse descended on the town during winter and spring. What reminds us of these times are the Belle Époque hotels on the Promenade des Anglais and the Regency style buildings along the Cours Saleya.
Nowadays Nice is not solely dependent on tourism, it is the commercial hub for the eastern Provence and has a very diversified and dynamic cultural life. With a population of roughly 350.000, it is part of a contiguous metropolitan area of about 1 million inhabitants, consisting of separately incorporated towns stretching from here to Théoule sur Mer southwest of Cannes and expanding inland to Grasse. If it were officially regarded as a metropolitan area, which it is not, it would be France's 5th largest. All of this growth has its usual price tag - congested roads and highways, public housing (lots of it), crime and seemingly endless lotissements, the French version of suburban residential developments. Nice was notorious for its corrupt public officials, albeit it has been suggested by the media that in recent years the situation has improved. But like in most cities, the visitor can choose to see very little of the seamier side.
In case you arrive in Nice by car there is a huge public parking garage at the Promenade du Paillon (between Blvd. Jean Jaurés and Avenue Felix Faure) close to Vieux Nice. Other good choices are the public parking spaces on Rue Rivoli near the Hotel Négresco and at the Vieux Port (enter from Quai Rauba Capeu). The public parking below Cours Saleya is small and normally full.
The top attractions are the Promenade des Anglais, Vieux Nice (historic downtown) and the Cours Saleya , the Vieux Port and Château Hill, Place Masséna and the Masséna pedestrian zone and the Cimiez District, with its public gardens and Matisse Museum.
Of the many annual festivals held in Nice, Carnival is the best known. Since 1878, when the first Carnival took place, Caramantran (King Carnival) appears a fortnight before Lent, followed by costumed processions, floats, people with grotesque masks, confetti showers and fireworks. King Carnival is burned in effigy on Shrove Tuesday and on Ash Wednesday the lively Battle of Flowers ends the festival.
Promenade des Anglais
The broad promenade along the seawall provides for ample entertainment. You see the Niçoise doing their daily walk, jogging, rollerblading, skate boarding and the many visitors admiring the blue sea with a keen eye on many a beauty sunbathing on the beach. Some sections of the beach are privately run with the usual offer of bistro type food, drinks, sunbeds and sunshades. But you have unhindered access to the entire beach and can stroll along the surf, most likely with your sandals on as it is a pebble beach. The promenade is rather utilitarian, not as elegant as the one in Cannes or Saint Raphaël. There are plenty of palm trees and manicured lawns as a divider between the eight lane street which runs behind the beach promenade, but the pedestrian part of the promenade is rather plain.
The walk passes the Musée d'Art et d'Histoire Masséna (Promenade des Anglais/Rue de Rivoli) housed in a 19th century Italianate mansion. It was built by the great-grandson of Marshal Masséna, a native of Nice, who was regarded as a military genius by the Duke of Wellington. There is an extensive collection of local artwork and religious items from the First Empire until 1939. The next building walking west is the Hotel Négresco with its pompuous doorman in historic costume. It was built in 1912 by Henri Négresco (1868-1920), an immigrant from Romania and concessionary of the Nice casino, and frequented in the few years before World War I by royalty and the mega rich, the Rockefellers included. The Edwardian style building was classified a National Historic Monument in 1974. It is a privately owned 4 star hotel with elaborate public rooms. Reportedly the lavatories are more lavishly ornamented than most luxury hotel lounges.
The Promenade des Anglais continues for about 6km until the Nice airport. Just before you reach the airport, on No. 405 Promenade des Anglais is the Musée des Arts Asiatiques in a modern building designed by Japanese architect Kenzo Tange. Just before the airport Promenade des Anglais becomes a bit unsavory in the evening.
Opposite the airport is the Parc Floral Phoenix, a truly remarkable garden park. Outside are a lake, rockeries and numerous trees and plants, the real magnificent feature is the Astronomical Garden, a conical greenhouse, the largest in the world. It is divided into seven sections each of which has its climate automatically controlled, simulating one of the world's tropical areas. You can wander through areas of tree ferns, among exotic orchids and watch birds and butterflies.
Masséna
Make a right turn at the Negresco, walk one block on Rue Rivoli until you reach Rue de France. You might want to visit the Jules Chéret Museum of Fine Arts, which is a fair walk west on Rue de France to Boulevard François Grosso (turn right and then next left into Avenue des Baumettes to No.33). This magnificent 19th century mansion houses an extensive art collection from the 17th century to the 1940's, including sculptures by Rodin, a fine collection of Flemish school paintings and works by Raoul Dufy and Picasso.
Walking east on Rue de France you reach the pedestrian only Rue Masséna, which is lined with elegant shops, cafés and restaurants. You will reach Place Masséna, Nice's most impressive square with imposing red coloured buildings lining the square. Walking south you will reach Jardin Albert I, with its outdoor modern art, especially Bernard Venet's huge yet elegant arc.
Vieux Nice and Cours Saleya
The highlight of a visit to Nice is walking through picturesque Vieux Nice, old town. Narrow streets with colourful old houses, the boutiques, shops, cafés and restaurants - you are back in the 18/19th century. Between Place Garibaldi to the north, Place du Palais de Justice and Cours Saleya to the south you find this surprisingly genuine part of Nice, largely untouched by gentrification and with an Italian vivacity. Walk down Rue Pairolière with its little shops and you will be tempted to buy some cured olives, Provençal herbs, or taste the farcis (vegetables stuffed with meat), the socca (a chickpea pancake) or have a pissaladière (Niçoise onion tart) for lunch.
On Rue Droite you find the baroque style Palais Lascaris, a Genoese mansion house, the former residence of the Counts of Ventimiglia. The palace is beautifully decorated, the tapestries and trompe l'oeil ceilings are outstanding. On the ground floor an 18th century pharmacy from Besançon has been reconstructed. The fish market is held on Place Saint François. On Place Rossetti is the 17th century Cathédrale Sainte Réparate, a couple of cafés and Glacier Fenocchio, the famous ice cream store. On Rue Gallo you find a false door and behind it a vaulted passageway and staircase leading to Boulevard Jean Jaurès. Rue du Marché is lined with many pottery and souvenir shops. Picturesque Rue de la Préfecture has a lot of pubs. Rue de la Poissonnerie will lead you to the small Église Sainte Rita, the patron saint of lost causes.
At the northern end of Vieux Nice, on Rue Neuve, is a bas-relief erected in 1923, the Monument de Catherine Ségurane, the "Eroina nissarda", who allegedly defended the then Italian town against the French and their Turkish allies in 1543. She was a bugadiera (laundress) and myth has it that when she lifted her skirt and showed her bare behind the enemy fled. Nearby on Place St.Agustin is Église St.Martin-St. Augustine a marvelous little gem from the end of the 17th century with a beautiful baroque façade. Inside are works from the famous Niçois painter Bréa, including a Pietà and fine polychrome marble work.
Cours Saleya is loved by locals and visitors alike for the many cafés and restaurants and above all the market - fruits and vegetables on its western part, flowers on its eastern part (go in the mornings, Tuesday to Sunday). A flea market is held here each Monday.
A bit further west is the Place du Palais de Justice, which like many other areas in the center of Nice has been given a much needed facelift. Attractive stone pavement, a pretty fountain, the impressive staircase of the recently renovated law courts, the small bell tower - a fine place to sit in one of the cafés and enjoy this relaxing atmosphere.
Nearby, on Rue St.François de Paul is the Opéra de Nice, central to the city's cultural life with its opera productions and concerts. The current structure, the third on this site, was built in 1882, a gorgeous façade with pink columns, but easy to overlook as it is located in a relatively dark street.
Place Garibaldi
At the northern end of Vieux Nice lies Place Garibaldi dominated by the statue of the great man. The square was designed in the late 18th century by Antoine Spinelli, who also created the beautiful Chapelle du Saint Sépulcre. Close by is Muséeum d'Histoire Naturelle de Nice. Amongst the many exhibits is a remarkable collection of shells, some of them very rare, from all over the world - one of the best malacology collections in Europe.
Opposite the Natural History Museum is the Musée d'Art Moderne et d'Art Contemporain (MAMAC), an impressive array of square blocks and passageways, the work of Yves Bayard and Henri Vidal. The entrance is on a huge piazza and the collections include works by Yves Klein and artists of the Pop Art movement.
Colline du Château
Heading east on the Promenade des Anglais you will reach the Rauba Capeu human sundial. The name means "steal hat" in the Nissard language and alludes to the fact that there can be a lot of wind on this promontory. Standing in the center of the sun dial you can see what time it is by looking at your shadow. Continue left for about 50m and you will see the bottom of the stairway to the Colline du Château. Climbing the steps you can visit the Bellanda Tower, built in 1830 and its small Maritime Museum. If you don't want to climb the many steps you can always pay to take the lift, just continue a bit further on Quay Rauba Capeu.
On top of the hill is a park with many beautiful trees, shrubs and flowers of the Mediterranean. Most rewarding are the extensive views over Nice and the Baie des Anges to the west and the Vieux Port and Mont-Boron to the east. Kids will relish the playgrounds and the chance to tobogganing. The château itself is long gone - it was destroyed in the reign of Louis XIV. The few ruins you see are of a medieval cathedral. Before you leave you might want to visit the Cimitière du Château, a Jewish cemetery, one of the most beautiful resting grounds in the world.
Vieux Port
The Port of Nice, also referred to as the Vieux Port, is flanked by the Colline du Château to the west and Mont Boron to the east. Very picturesque with some fishing boats and a lot of expensive yachts. From here you can reach Corsica either with regular ferries (6-8hours) or the NGV high speed ferries in about 3 hours. The port is protected from the sea by a sea wall (dique) with a lighthouse (phare) at the very end - a good place to take a stroll.
Not far from the port, on 25 Boulevard Carnot, is the Musée de Paleontologie Humaine de Terra Amata, a little paleontology museum, which describes prehistoric fauna, flora, climate and tools. It is probably more for Nice's school children than foreign visitors.
St. Nicholas Russian Orthodox Cathedral
The cathedral with its onion domes on Avenue Nicolas II (a side street of Boulevard du Tsarevitch) was built in 1912 with the "solicitude and generosity" of Czar Nicholas II, for the many rich Russians who vacationed or settled on the French Riviera. It is a real work of art inside and outside, beautiful! Recently the Russian Orthodox church tried to claim or as they say reclaim the property, read more about it here.
Cimiez District
Cimiez, the former Roman Cemenelum, is one of the best residential districts of Nice. Many of the houses are in Belle Époque style with well tended gardens. Main sights are the beautiful Cimiez Gardens with the 17th century Cimiez Monastery with its Franciscan Museum, exhibiting many religious works of art, showing the the Franciscan way of life from the 13th century to the present day. The Cimiez Museum and Archaeological Site (entrance is on Avenue Montecroce) shows well-preserved Roman baths from the 2nd and 3rd centuries AD, vases, jewelery and other artifacts found in excavation here and around Nice.
The Musée Matisse (164 Avenue des Arènes de Cimiez) is housed in a beautiful red mansion near les Arènes, the Roman amphitheatre. Henri Matisse lived in Cimiez from 1917 until his death in 1954. Paintings, drawings and many of earliest works are exhibited here, mostly paintings but also some sculptures. Further south on Avenue Docteur Ménard, where the Cimiez district begins, is the Musée Chagall in a somewhat somber building. Chagall was born to a poor Jewish family in Russia in 1887. He moved to Paris and then to southern France. He died in St.Paul de Vence in 1985. Chagall's paintings portray scenes and events in a quasi child-like but very vivid way. He painted 17 huge canvases that form the basis of this museum, depicting scenes from the Books of Genesis and Exodus, and the Song of Songs.
A bit it out of the way, on 59 Avenue St.Barthélémy, is the small Museum of the Vieux Logis Priory or as it is officially known, the Musée des Arts et Mobilier de la Fin du Moyen-Age. Verify opening hours (very short) before you going there. The museum in this beautiful villa houses an interesting collection of religious art as well as everyday objects and furniture of the Middle Ages.
