Nice’s unofficial anthem is Nissa La Bella, and you can’t help but agree with this sentiment when you visit the French Riviera’s largest city. Nice’s beauty comes from the 19th-century mansions on its promenades and boulevards, from the city’s Italianate old quarter and the rugged natural terrain that provides countless wondrous vantage points.
Artists have always cherished this scenery, rendered even more beautiful by the unique light. So Nice is now also one of the best places to go in Europe for art galleries, with museums dedicated to Chagall and Matisse. Add great cuisine, a perfect climate and more than a dash of Riviera glamour, you’ve got a very special place.
Lets explore the best things to do in Nice:
1. Promenade des Anglais
There are seaside walks, and then there’s the Promenade des Anglais, which is more than just a grand walkway next to the Mediterranean: It’s been an integral part of Nice city life (something the recent attack won’t change) since this embankment was built in the 1820s.
Parades for the ebullient Nice Carnival come by in February, while the rest of the year joggers, couples skateboarders and families pass all day long.
The promenade bends for seven kilometres, and on the eastern side is skirted by regal 19th-century palaces.
You can take a seat on the benches and find shade beneath pergolas and palm trees.
2.Beaches
Nice’s beaches are pebbly, and while they’re beautiful to wander past, they may not be to everyone’s taste for sunbathing.
There are private sections providing the comfort of sun loungers, and occasionally even laying sand.
Everywhere else you can still pass a relaxing afternoon in the sun, but the currents might be a bit strong for little ones and the beach shelves quite steeply too.
One beach guaranteed to delight the kids is on the other side of Mont Boron at Villefranche-sur-Mer, where the waters are shallower and screened from the open sea by the headlands at Cap de Nice and Cap-Ferrat.
3.Vieille Ville
The oldest part of the city is a change from Nice’s broad boulevards and expansive squares like Place Masséna.
It’s a mesh of alleys with local shops and restaurants, darkened by tall ochre-painted apartment buildings and dominated by the Colline du Château to the east.
Glaciers, crêperies and cafes all flow onto the squares, which are often lively until the early hours.
There’s a strong Italian feel about the architecture and setting, which is no coincidence as Nice wasn’t French until the Treaty of Turin in 1860.
4.Parc de la Colline du Château
In the park at the top of this steep hill on the east side of the city you’ll be presented with some of the French Riviera’s great panoramas.
You can look back over Nice and the azure sea in the Baie des Anges, and it’s a sight you’ll want to pause over for as long as possible.
You can pick out all the landmarks, like Hotel Negresco and the port to the east.
If you’re feeling fit you might reach the top on foot from the Vieille Ville, but there’s also a free elevator, which is recommended in the summer.
5.Mont Boron
Between Nice’s port and Cap-Ferrat is a peak that rises steeply from the water, reaching a height of almost 200 metres.
It’s a rare piece of open terrain left to olive, carob and pine groves.
You can walk to the southwest side where Nice rolls out into the distance next to the Baie des Anges, and even the Colline du Château looks small.
On the other side is a comprehensive view of Cap-Ferrat, while you walk along the ridge back to the Fort du Mont Alban.
This bastion was constructed in the mid-16th century is open to visitors in the summer.
