Nice City Guide

The French city of Nice is situated within its famed Côte d'Azur region (the French Riviera) on its southeastern Mediterranean coast. Nice was founded by the Greeks who named it after Nike, the goddess of victory but it was the Romans who popularized Nice as a vacation destination for it possessed the hill of Cimiez within its folds, which was famous for its mineral springs.

The Romans then went on to build baths and an amphitheater at Cimiez and these structures are some of the best preserved attractions in Nice today. In fact the Roman amphitheater is currently used as hosting venue for the city’s famed annual event- The Nice Jazz festival, which is held in July and attracts scores of visitors to vacation in the city.

In addition to this music fest, the medieval city of Nice also hosts yet another popular and heavily tourist-trafficked annual event, the Nice Carnaval, which is held over three weeks in February and features many parades, floats and masked balls.

Nice may have lost some of the glamour that it had in the early 19th century when it was a favored vacation hotspot for British and Russian aristocrats but city continues to attract its fair share of holiday-makers who come to enjoy its quaint old world attractions, amenable weather and exciting annual events.

The Promenade des Anglais, which lines the shingle filled beaches in Nice for approximately five miles (8 km) is one of the star attractions of the city. This promenade has featured as favored recreational spot since Victorian times. Joggers, strollers, walkers, roller-bladers, all converge on the sea front in Nice to appreciate the sea view and the gentle sea breezes. The Promenade des Anglais is home to some of the best and most luxurious hotels in Nice which are immensely popular with celebrities and other members of the jet set.

The Vieille Ville of Nice is its Old Town area, which is a pedestrianised enclave. This ancient heart of the city features picturesque, narrow winding streets that host closely packed houses that sport red-tile roofs. Also located here are numerous ancient churches, fantastic restaurants, bars and the famed ice cream parlors of Nice that offer a wide assortment of treats in unusual flavors like fig, tomato, lavender and rose.

Other attractions located here include the city Opéra and the famous Cours Saleya flower and food market. The Vieille Ville area of Nice offers a wide variety of accommodation options that include reasonably priced boutique and historic hotels and cottages and pensions. If you enjoy a bit of local flavor on your vacation, then the Vieille Ville promises to be the perfect fit for you.

Masséna is the verdant town center of Nice. Located here is the city’s main square, Place Masséna, which is surrounded by iconic red buildings. Also located here are many lush parks like the Albert I Gardens and the Masséna Gardens along with the city’s main shopping locales like Avenue Jean-Médecin and the pedestrianised Rue Masséna. If the focus of your Nice vacation is to shop for French fashions then the Masséna area hotels should probably get your vote on where to stay in Nice.

The Matisse museum in Nice commemorates Henri Matisse who spent the last few years of his life in Nice. The museum features many artworks that he created in Nice along with other works that have been donated to the museum. The permanent collection at the museum contains some of his famous masterpieces like the Portrait of Madame Matisse, Nymph in the Forest and Nude in the Armchair with a Green Plant. If you are an arts enthusiast then the Musée Matisse should feature as a must-do attraction on your vacation to Nice.

The Colline du Château Park is situated on a hill between the Old Town and the harbor is one of the many verdant enclaves in Nice that offers gorgeous views of the Promenade des Anglais, the Old Town and the wide expanse of the Mediterranean Sea. The park also offers added attractions in the form of ancient Roman ruins and a waterfall.

The Musée des Beaux-Arts Jules Chéret gallery is yet another prominent arts repository in Nice and is housed in the former home of the Ukrainian Princess Kotchubey. This collection features modern contemporary works of the 19th and 20th centuries and offers sculptures by Rodin, Rude and J.B. Carpeaux and artworks by masters like Renoir, Monet, Boudin, Raffaelli and others.

Nice’s famous main market, the Cours Saleya is a constant hub of activity that offers a cornucopia of sights and tantalizing, smells. This market which captures the essence of Nice is populated with vendors of flowers and fresh produce. The market also offers many restaurants, cafes and souvenir stores, which are definitely worth perusing on any visit to Nice.

The Russian contemporary art master Marc Chagall spent much of his career in France. The Marc Chagall museum in Nice offers the largest permanent collection of his works and includes paintings, sculptures, ceramics and lithographs. The Marc Chagall Museum is a highly recommended attraction in Nice.

The Russian Orthodox Cathedral is acknowledged as one of the most beautiful buildings in Nice and dates back to a time when the Russian nobility holidayed here in the early 19th century. This typical onion-domed topped Russian Cathedral which is the largest cathedral outside Russia was built by Tsar Nicholas II in 1912. Today the structure presents a rather incongruous but interesting sight on the palm fringed landscape of the French Riviera.

Nice is bestowed with a typically Mediterranean climate that is characterized by hot summers and mild winters. The hottest months in Nice are usually July and August when temperatures usually register daily highs of 81 F (27C). The maximum temperatures recorded in winters in Nice are usually 50-59F (10-15C). It is estimated that the busiest months for tourist arrivals in Nice are generally February and July, for this is when the city hosts its famed annual cultural extravaganzas. Hotel and flight rates to Nice during this peak tourist time are usually quite high but if you plan to book your travel to Nice through Fare Buzz, you have no cause for worry, for you are assured of great flight and hotel deals at all times.

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Nice is served by its Nice Cote d’Azur airport, which is located four miles (6km) to the west of the city. The Nice Airport welcomes a whole host of air carriers from all parts of the globe, which make getting to choice vacation destination extremely easy. The Nice airport is connected to the city center by way of public buses, airport shuttle buses, taxis, trains( the TER and SNCF train stations are located close to the airport) and even chauffeur driven motorbikes.

Transport within the city is provided mainly by public buses and taxis though much of Nice is compact enough to navigate on foot. However if you want to visit the other famous destinations of the Cote d’Azur like Cannes, Antibes, Monaco , St Tropez and others which are located outside Nice then it makes sense to rent a car for the duration of your vacation in Nice.

The Nice airport is equipped with outposts of most of the popular rental car agencies, however if you wish to have more favorable car rental rates, you would do well as to book your car rental with Fare Buzz before you arrive in Nice. We at Fare Buzz offer a wide array of well priced car rentals for Nice which can be easily reserved via our regular booking platforms.

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Nice offers a plethora of shopping opportunities in its main shopping locales like Rue Masséna, Avenue Jean-Médecin, Rue de Verdun, Place de Magenta and Rue Paradis. Located here are the outposts of many famed French stores like Galeries Lafayette, Nice Etoile, Bonpoint, Sephora, Petite Bateau, Monoprix and Comptoir des Cottoniers, which offer a plethora of wares guaranteed to gladden the hearts of the most avid shopper.

Other popular shopping locales in Nice include its port area that offers many antique stores along with historic fine food stores like Confiserie Florian du Vieux-Nice, which is known for its delicious candied fruits, crystallized flowers, Provençal honeys and exotic jams.

Nice like many other French cities also hosts vibrant, treasure filled flea markets, which are definitely worth a mention like the Marché à la Brocante held at the Cours Saleya on Mondays from 8am to 5pm and Les Puce de Nice, which is held on the Place Robilante near the port on Tuesdays.

If you enjoy French food, then you will find yourself in heaven in Nice. The city offers numerous excellent restaurants run by renowned chefs who are famed for their innovative creations crafted out of fresh local ingredients. Some of the best and highly ranked French restaurants in Nice include eateries like Flo, Au Petit Gari, La Gauloise, L’Univers and Rive Droite.

Nice additionally offers a variety of global cuisines at establishment like Byblos(Lebanese), Delhi Belhi( Indian), Transsibérien ( Russian), Casbah( Moroccan) and the Petite Sirène( Danish) which cater to patrons who would rather eschew French fare.

Nice like many other cities on the French Riviera offers a vibrant nightlife scene. The bastion of culture in Nice is its magnificent Opéra de Nice that offers a variety of performances that attract legions of opera loving fans to Nice.

Additionally, the city offers a good number of bars, lounges, and dance clubs which are popular with tourists and locals alike. Popular nightlife haunts according to recent surveys include establishments like Blue Boy Enterprise, Le Ghost, Bar de Oiseaux, Akathor Pub, Paddy’s Irish Pub, Wayne’s and Le Pub Opera.