Today’s scene on the Promenade des Anglais is very different from its 19th-century counterpart. When Henri Negresco’s palace first opened it’s door in 1913 they pointed north:150 years after Tobias Smollet introduced sea-bathing here, it still had not dawned on anyone that the future of tourism lay in hotels with resplendent fronts, not their backs, to the sea.

If you would like to see what Nice looks like now, go to the Nice Webcam which is located on the Promenade des Anglais.

Another favourite with the locals is the nearby Baroque Chapelle de l’Annonciation. A few blocks north-east, thorugh bustling streets of litlle shops, the Palais Lascaris is fascinating museum in a lavishly decorates 17th century home, a reminder that this was once the aristocratic quarter. Further up, rue Droite goes into rue St-François , busy with local food shops along with tourists trinkets and some curious ecological clothing. Place St-François is the city’s 17th century former town hall and the campanile from a former Franciscan monastery (entrance rue de la Tour).

But the heart of the vieille ville lies to the south, along Cours Saleya, where cut flowers perfume the air and the stalls plied high with lush fruit and vegetables, olives and candied fruit operate from dawn to lunch, Tuesday to Sunday; Niçois institution Chez Thérèse cheerfully touts her chickpea socca – the cheap but fulfilling snack that is Nice what the hotdog is to New York – from a stand every morning.

On Monday there are antiques, junk and second-hand clothes. All around, shoppers and onlookers crowd bars and eateries. There’s another fancy Baroque edifice on the cours itself, the Chapelle de la Miséricorde, but it is only open in visits organised by the Palais Lascaris. On neighbouring place du Palais de Justice there’s a book and print market on Saturdays. Towards the seafront, the Opera de Nice is grandly belle époque.

Rising up the eastern side of Vieux Nice is the Colline du Château, a grassy park with an impressive waterfall but not château: this was destroyed in the 18th century.If you don’t fancy the long slog up (steps climb from rue du Château or rue Ste Claire in the old town) to the magnificent view from the top, there is a lift (open 8am-6ampm daily) by the Tour Bellanda, home of the Musee Nval, on quai des Etats-Unis.

Continuing round the quai, or reached from place Garibaldi, you arrive to the attractive Vieux Port, which is lined with tall, colourful-washed houses, neo-classical chuch known as Notre-Dame-du-Port and plenty of simple cafe where you can snack on a pan-bagnat and watch the coming and going ferries to Corsica.

East of the Colline Château, the Parc Forestier le Mond Boron is an idyllic spot for a picnic, with winding paths through acres of aleppo pines and breathtaking views of the coast. Between the two hills, in an area still dotted with fanciful late 19th-century villas and documents the area’s earliest settlement.

The hill now has a beautiful park is a big favourite with locals and tourists alike. Surrounded by a typically Mediterranean backdrop of pine trees, carobs, figs and aloes, the park’s impressive waterfall, children’s play area, breathtaking views over the city, medieval ruins and Maritime Museum are all part of its appeal. Get here on foot, by car or take the lift from Rue des Ponchettes at the foot of Bellanda Tower. Admission is free.

Tour Bellanda,
Nice, France
Tel: +33 4 93 85 62 33

Chapelle de la Miséricorde, the baroque masterpiece church is situated on the extremely popular cours saleya, one of the most delightful areas of the old town, this chapel belonged to the high brotherhood of Black Penitents. It was built in the 17th century by Guarino Guarinone and contains a beautiful Rococo interior.
Its rich decoration is immediately striking, though that’s just a veil for the magnificent architecture, the basic design. According to art historians, this is one of the ten most beautiful baroque buildings in the world.

Musée Ephrussi de Rothschild (Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild)  is one of the finest of the villas built on the Cape Ferrat peninsula and is a must if you venture out this way. Created by Beatrice Ephrissi de Rothschild (1864-1934), in 1912, it combines Moorish and Italian elements with marble columns, mosaic flooring, Renaissance religious artwork and numerous hangings and tapestries, of the highest quality. The Villa has been opulently decorated with exquisite furnishings, fabrics and art. In addition to the stunning villa and contents are formal gardens that are truly breathtaking. The garden design themes vary, amongst others; there is one to resemble the prow of a ship, one Florence garden and another Japanese garden. However, the villa holds a rather sad tale of poor Beatrice. Four years after the completion of the mansion her beloved husband died and Beatrice never lived there again.

Phoenix Parc Floral makes for a great family destination to get out of town, if only for a few hours.

Tarif:
Adults: 2 Euros
Childs: Free (till 12 years old)

Address
405 promenade des Anglais
06200 Nice, France
Open
Tue-Sun (1st Apr- 30th Sept) – 9:30am-7:30pm
Tue-Sun (1st Oct- 31st March) – 9:30am-6:00pm

1. Promenade des Anglais
The Promenade des Anglais, the little coastal road that was then used by about 100 English families ad their carriages has today become one of the most clogged through fares in France. It is an eight-lane highway, 8 km (5 miles) long, on which only aggressive survive, and you need to be alert. Watch your window, too, if you stop at the lights in summer: resplendent with marching palms and flowerbeds, the Prom (even the french calling that way) has an automatic watering system and the sprinklers are liable to turn your car into a jacuzzi if your reflexes aren’t sharp enough. [...]

2. Cours Saleya Flower Market
One of Nice’s greatest pleasures is wandering the outdoor markets along the Cours Saleya. Blooms of every colour and shape burst to life. Row after row of spices beckon. There are grapes the size of golf balls and olives glimmering in the sun. Fresh fish are stacked in icy display cases. [...]

3. Matisse Museum
A magnificent 17th century Genoese villa with a trompe-l’oeil painted façade is devoted principally to the works of Henri Matisse (1889-1954). Architecture and the evolution in the work of this celebrate painter may be followed, from his very first practice sketches to the famous découpé gouaches from towards the end of his life. [...]

4. Vieux Nice, or Old Nice
Vieux Nice is Nice’s most colourful neighbourhood – tiny serpentine alleys where countless shops, galleries and restaurants nestle among the stacked medieva; buildings with laundry hanging outside the windows like pastel banners. Once shunned as crime-plagued and poverty-stricken, it is fast becoming the city’s trendiest district. [...]

5. Le Chateau
This popular hillside park in the promenade area provides a very pleasant alternative when the crowds in the city are becoming too much. But don’t expect to find a château – it was knocked down in the 8th century. Colline de Château, the hill between the old city and the port, where there used to be a castle until its destruction in 1706 by Louis XIV. [...]

6. Rue de France Pedestrian Zone
The Nice pedestrian zone, or “zone pietonne,” is a hub of activity. Shopping street runs from the end of the Place Massena, roughly parallel to the seaside. This area is full of shops, including some exclusive clothing boutiques, and restaurants and cafés with outdoor terraces – a great place to sit and watch the world go by, while you eat or drink.

7. Theatre de la Photographie et de l’Image
A recently restored pink ‘belle époque’ theatre, now a vast space for big-name photography shows, lectures, an Internet archive and a convivial coffee bar. [...]

8. Russian Cathedral
The Russian Orthodox Cathedral, Nice (Cathédrale Orthodoxe Russe Saint-Nicolas de Nice) is a Russian Orthodox cathedral, and a national monument of France, located in the city of Nice. Built in 1859, it claims to be the oldest Russian cathedral in Western Europe. There is currently an ownership dispute between the parish and the Russian government. [...]

9. Nice Archaeology Museum and Roman Ruins
The ruins of the old Roman amphitheater are still largely intact. It’s one of the areas as a stage for the Nice Jazz Festival each summer, but on this day, it was being used as a parking lot. This is just a warm-up for the bigger ruins we’re about to see at the Archaeology Museum. [...]

10. Nice Port
The port of Nice is also known as Lympia port. This name comes from the Lympia spring which fed a small lake in a marshy zone where work on the port was started in 1745. Today this is the principal harbour installation of Nice – there is also a small port in the Carras district. [...]

The Nice Archaeology Museum boasts some major ruins of Roman baths. The museum is free, but they’ll ask where you’re from for record-keeping purposes and give you some info about what you can find in the museum. There are some sculptures and artifacts inside, which you can explore if you’re a true archaeology buff, but the real draw is past the welcome desk and outside. Grab a laminated guide by the door and head outside to the ruins. Follow the path around and use the map to see what structures you’re looking at. It’ll take about 20-30 minutes to see the ruins, and longer if you walk through the museum inside.

Ah don’t forget to stop and greet the friendly museum staff on your way in and out.

The Nice port is the first port cement manufacturer in France, linked to the treatment plants of the rollers of the valley of Paillon.

Fishing activities remain however the number of professional fishermen is now less than 10. Nice, being the point of continental France nearest to Corsica, has ferry connections with the island developed with the arrival of NGV (navires à grande vitesse) or high-speed craft. Two companies provide the connections: SNCM, a partially public company and Corsica Ferries – Sardinia Ferries, an entirely private company. Located in front of the port, the Place Cassini has been renamed Place of Corsica.