One of the most beautiful holiday destinations, Nice offers many leisure options. In addition to going to the beach, in this sunny city you can enjoy many experiences. So here is a list of 10 things to do in Nice:
At any time of the day or night, a walk on Promenade des Anglais reveals the life and rhythm of the city. The walk on the Promenade des Anglais, as it has been called since the time of English tourists, follows both the sea line and the corniche base road that crosses Nice, from the airport to the port, of about 7 kilometers. From place to place there are benches and chairs from which you can admire the story of the sea.
The castle of Nice or Colline du chateau is located at the end of the Promenade des Anglais from the old town or the port. The beautiful panorama of Nice and the cliff opens after climbing about 5 floors. Schedule: 8: 30-18 (20 p.m.). Try to stay until the sunset in this place, it’s spectacular.
The Old Town or Vieux ville has some great restaurants, the morning market and the flower market in the Cours Saleya (not on Monday mornings). A walk through this area means a tour of the Rossetti Square (Place Rossetti), the Place du Palais de Justice where the Sainte-Réparate Cathedral in Nice is located. There is a very small fish market in Saint François Square.- The Cimiez district is one of the oldest places in Nice. Here lie the ruins of the former Roman city of Cimeneleum, the Roman capital of the Maritime Alps province. Also in Cimiez there is the Archaeological Museum, the Henri Matisse Museum, the Marc Chagall Museum. Details about their program and access can be found here. The Franciscan monastery has free admission (Schedule: Mon-Fri, 10-12; 15-17: 30). The well-kept park next to the monastery has a garden with aromatic herbs and offers a splendid view of Nice. To get to Cimiez from Nice downt, take bus 15, 17 or 20.
- In Nice, the Russian community is quite large, and the Russian Orthodox Cathedral is a historical monument, being the most important cathedral outside Russia. It can be visited indoors.
- Less known, the pedestrian coastal road from Nice to Cap Ferrat is parallel to the corniche basse road, and 90% of the time it follows the sea (there are 3 parallel roads that go to Menton as direction: basse corniche, corniche moyen, corniche inferieure; corniche = coast road). The coast road consists of two parts.
The first part of the pedestrian road starts at Coco Beach and leads to Cap de Nice through a series of stairs and picturesque passages. The second part of the road starts with a descent down the stairs to the Materlinck Palace and goes to the port area of Villefranche Darse. The walk takes around 1.5-2 hours, depending on the starting point. If you feel tired, you can take the bus no. 100 which connects Villefranche-sur-Mer to Nice.
Although it seems idyllic, the nicoise beach is not the most comfortable because of the stones, but also the sea water, which suddenly becomes deep. For this reason, I recommend the beaches with fine sand located in Villefranche sur mer and Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat. They can be easily reached by bus or by the road described above.- A walk in the eastern part of Nice – Mont Boron – means spectacular views of Nice from the mountain peak towards the port of Villefranche sur Mer. Bus no. 14 takes you to this place.
- Other places in Nice that can be visited are: Phoenix Park (entrance 4 euros), Archaeological Museum, Museum of Modern Art, Lascaris Palace, Museum of Fine Arts, Massena Museum. Museums in Nice are visited with the “Nice Museums Pass”, which is 10 euros / 24 hours or 20 euros / 7 days.
- Local food is a mix of French, Mediterranean and Italian cuisine that should not be missed. Local dishes are:
– Socca – a salted pancake baked in the oven or on the stove,
– Niçoise salad – a mix of salad, tomatoes, onions, boiled egg, tuna and anchovies;
– Le Pan Bagnat – Niçoise salad in sandwich;
– Pissaladière – a kind of pizza with onion, anchovy and olive topping;
– Ratatouille – specific Niçoise food, it is a pot of vegetables seasoned with aromatic herbs;
– Soup au pistou – a bean soup with pistou sauce, made from cloves, basil and olive oil;
– Try dishes with seafood in pasta or rice, or fresh fish;
– In the morning, a coffee with a croissant is a must.
In other article you can read about visiting Nice and Cote d’Azur almost for free.