What’s nice around Nice, France?
The Old Town (or Vieux Nice as the locals call it) this triangle-shaped Old Town is one of the city’s main lure and a must-see for any tourist. Aside from the huge amount of historical sites, there are also heaps of activities buzzing both day and night, which makes it perfect to wander around, to get lost in and to get a drink or a good traditional meal at the same time as enjoying the distinctive baroque Mediterranean vibe.
So here’s a quick tour to make sure you don’t miss any of Nice nicest parts, even though I’d advise the most audacious is to just get lost in the rove of the streets – after all, it’s too petite to get really lost and the sea is never too far away.
Starting from Place Massena, just take the pleasant rue St François de Paule, which is lined with sophisticated shops with the striking Belle Epoque Opera of Nice on the right.
Just after the opera on the left, you will get a glimpse of the large Palace Square and straight down the road until you hit the pedestrian area where the street becomes the “Cours Saleya”.
The Cours Saleya is running parallel to the sea, is one of the liveliest streets of Old Nice.
In the morning, the central part of the street becomes a market: mostly for flowers but also for clutter sales or fruits and vegetables depending on the days. The strip is also lined with plenty of restaurants which are reasonably priced.
Once you get to the end of the Cours Saleya, you can either turn right and head towards the waterfront and enjoy some extravagant views over the whole Baie des Anges from the Castle Hill, or else go further left is the rue de la Préfecture which heads back towards Place du Palais and comes to life in the early evenings at around 5 or 6pm. The street is lined with bars mainly English-style pubs and some pretty decent restaurants.
North of the rue de la Préfecture, towards the top end of the triangle, the streets get narrower as cars are banned and this is the ideal place to just wander around the area up to Place Garibaldi to the north.
This area is full of bars and restaurants, especially the southern end, around Place Rossetti, which is another of the nerve centres of the Old Town and an ideal place to just sit down and have a drink on a terrace, under the shade of the beautiful baroque Cathédrale Sainte Réparate, built in the late 17th century.
As you head north of Place Rossetti, towards Place Garibaldi, the roads get slightly less lively and a bit more down market with plenty of kebab and fast food shops and a few excellent restaurants.
Just bear in mind when walking around Old Nice that it’s not just a tourist area but also a prime residential neighborhood – plenty of expats and locals live there due to its central location, mainly the younger ones given that most buildings are 4 or 5 stories high and don’t have lifts. This explains why there are plenty of grocery stores and regular shops catering for the locals, especially in this part of the neighborhood.
Once you’ve reached Place Garibaldi, you can either walk towards the port or head up the Castle Hill for some stunning views over Old Nice.
The French Riviera (Côte d'Azur), this sprawl of pebble beaches and zillion-dollar houses has always captivated sun lovers, socialites and myself. The French Riviera which still remains to be my fave destination in the World.
