Things to see/do in Nice, France

ve

My girlfriend and I are off to Nice for 2 days around Valentines. We're staying right in the city centre, and are looking to sample some of the local tourist offerings. Looking for something romantic, like querky markets, or places with nice views, etc. We're also looking for somewhere decent to have a meal. I've heard reports that Nice is about 10% more expensive than here in Ireland acros the board (is this true?). We also plan to be spending our time going around on foot. We're staying in Nice itself because as I said it's only for 2 days and neither of us have ever really been to France, let alone Nice. We plan on going back to do France properly in the future.

Any suggestions for things to do, places to see/eat in this city?

Cheers

mikedragon32

Buffybot will most likely move this to the "things to do in..." forum, but fear not.

Nice is a great place to visit for a first time trip to France. It's a lot more laid back than Paris and is easily walkable.

The old town of Nice is most likely where you'll spend quite a bit of time. The main highlight of this area is Cours Salaya which adjoins Marche aux Fleurs. From very early in the morning until around 12:30 or 13:00 Cours Salaya is a bustling foodmarket and it's great to have a walk around the many stalls and sample the goods on offer (on Mondays it's an antique market). The great thing about Nice in the off-season is that the locals are a lot more welcoming to tourists and quite happy to let you sample their produce. In summer the place is crawling with day-trippers just off the cruise ships for a couple of hours who just clog up the area and buy nothing.

There are bars and restaurants lining the length of Cours Salaya and Marche aux Fleurs, most are okay, some are terrible and all of them expensive. A few do happy hours in the early evening. Le Safari is a good one to sit on the terrace and have a crepe and a coffee while you watch the world go by. If you MUST go to an Irish bar, Ma Nolans at Marche aux Fleurs is one of the best Irish bars anywhere in the world and is one of the best bars of any theme in Nice.

A great restaurant for dinner in the evening in the area is La Voglia, also on Marche aux Fleurs and three doors from Ma Nolans. It's one of the best Italian restaurants I've ever been to and worth every penny (although it's very reasonable by anyone's standards). Mains cost up to €20. Save room for dessert or you'll never forgive yourself. The Millefeuille is to die for. Seriously.

Take time to explore the winding narrow streets of the Old Town. There are treats around every corner.

For great views of Nice, head out onto the Promenade (again, well worth a stroll along here) and at the end you'll come to the Chateau where you have the option to walk up the steps or take a lift some of the way up. At the top you are afforded views all over Nice. The Old town and City on one side, the Port on the other side. There are Roman ruins on the grounds there too. Walk down the other side into the port and you can admire all the yachts.

In the city itself, the main shopping area borders around Place Messina and Ave. Jean Medicine. Here you'll find Galleries Lafayette, a pretty good department store, although poorly laid out and a little further up Nicetoile, a shopping center. Around Place Messina there are usually attractions like a ferris wheel, but it's not always there.

It's a shame you're only spending a couple of days there. We travel down several times a year and love it. There's an open top bus tour which departs from the Promenade close to Place Albert 1er and it's worth going on to see as much of the town in as little time as possible. If you walk towards Place Messina from there (on the Radisson side of the park, you'll come to all the major designer stores and can see how the other half live!

Recommendations for other places to eat:

Le Tire Bouchon, Old Town. Lovely food, great staff, small intimate dining rooms and as the name might suggest, a fabulous wine list.

Don Camillo, Rue des Ponchettes (street running from Cours Salaya to the Chateau, parallel to the promenade). Used to have a Michelin Star, lost it, changed owner and is on the verge of getting it back. The chef/proprieter is a young progressive chef who is not afraid to experiment with his menu and sometimes its only great and other times its the best food you'll ever eat. A surprise menu of five or six courses will set you back about €70 but is worth every penny if you don't mind having no control over your choice of food.

Brasserie Flo (behind Gallerie Lafayette, more or less). It's part of a chain, but this is the jewel in their crown. Established in a former music hall, the kitchen is on the stage in full view of a very appreciative audience. The food is brilliant, the service typical french (stuffy waiters in long jackets) but the atmosphere is amazing. Well worth it if you're not worried about the bill. Mains start at around €25.

My favourite bar in Nice is Les 3 Diables (the locals call it 3D). It's a buzzy little place with very loud music from about 11pm on, but you can sit outside and the locals will chat with you all evening if you're up for it! It's quite studenty during the academic year. But there are plenty of bars around, no need to stick to the one place.

For more info, have a look at this site: www.allaboutnice.com It's written by an Englishwoman who tends to focus on the fact she has an apartment near the port and that she goes there a lot with her daughter, but there's some very useful tips for the first time visitor and some recommendations for places to see.

If you've anymore questions, feel free to PM me and I'll answer them for you.

cson

Excellent post Mike. This is what I love about boards, the way people take a few minutes to post such a detailed and helpful response. + Respect. :cool:

Anyway, I'm off to Nice for 2 days as well with the GF the weekend after Valentines weekend. We've a bit of French between us and love France (apart from the weird telly and the spuds are ****e). Question: Is it hard to get from the airport to the City Centre? I had a gander on Google Earth and it looks close enough...

mikedragon32

Thanks cson!

It's about 6 or 7km to Old Nice from the Airport and the taxi fare will be anything from €25 to €40 depending on your French!

There's a bus-stop right outside arrivals and you can get a bus into Gare Routier, which is inbetween the old and new parts of the town for around €4 and the ticket is valid for the rest of the day on Ligne d'Azur buses. From Gare Routier, you can also get the Tram up to the main train station.

H2G2

The only things I can add to Mike’s detailed post is that neighbouring Monte Carlo is well worth a look. Its less than 30 minutes away and a wonderful place to walk around during the day – but rather costly to eat/drink at night. If you are in Nice for more that 2 or 3 days I think MC is a must.
Some interesting places to see; Casino Square (and the Casino itself if you have the cash); The Palais du Prince; Port of Monaco (where all the fancy yaches are) and Avenue Saint-Martin.
To get there, quickest is the train with 2-4 services per hour from Nice "Gare SNCF" or the bus - route 100 (about every 15 minutes) from the centeral bus station (Gare Routière) in Nice and costs €1.30

ve

Holy crap mikedragon32, you're a credit to us all, and I really REALLY appreciate the effort you went to here. Seriously thank you!

I wasn't expecting such a contribution of knowledge, seriously thanks to all

Aard

If you're centrally located, then it's possible to do everything by foot, bar getting to and from the airport. It will cost about 30euro to get to the city centre. French taxi drivers are worse than those in Dublin - don't get on the wrong side of him!


Mike, thanks for those restuarant recommendations - I'll have to try a few out! Another great restaurant is Côté Marais in the Old Town. Three course meal for two is less than 80euro, and the food is great. If you want something more Michelin Starry, then go to Keisuke Matsushima on Rue de France - it's not too expensive, and the food is better than some other starred places I've eaten in.


If yous like shopping, make sure you visit the Zone Pietonne (Pedestrian Zone). Streets like Avenue du Verdun and Rue Paradis have boutiques such as Chanel, Louis Vuitton and Hermès - sure to keep the girlfriend happy! Around the corner is Avenue Jean-Médecin, the main thoroughfare of the city. Both Shopping Centres mentioned above - Nicetoile and Galeries LaFayette - are located here and there are many other big stores like Sephora and Virgin. At the bottom of this street is Place Masséna, a big pedestrianised square with the new tramway running through it. The ferris wheel is there atm, so it should be there in two weeks time too. There's also very few tourists about right now - it's the ideal time to visit.


A few pointers:
-most people have some English, and if you use a little French before asking if they speak English, they'll usually be happy to switch. If you just go in speaking English at the start, you may be met with a stoney face.
-the pedestrian crossings on roads are death traps. Pedestrians have right of way at these (unless there is a Walking Man signal). The only thing is that even if the man is green, cars still drive by. You have to have your wits about you at all times, especially on the busier streets.
-there is a woman walking around pretending that she is a lost tourist with stolen baggage (or some other modification of this story) and asking for some money to help her get a train home. Don't fall victim to her, she's a con.
-watch out for dog poop. Everybody, and I mean everybody, has a dog or two, and there doesn't seem to be any laws regarding cleaning up after them. Consequently, the footpaths are a mess.
-it's really warm around midday (think tshirts and sunglasses), but at night it gets very cold. Make sure to wrap up!
-you will get hooked on espresso. Except over here it's spelled 'expresso'. And if you ask for 'un café', you'll get what we call espresso. I gave up trying to ask for a regular coffee, and instead just got addicted to the strong stuff!
-if you're hiring a car, the drive to and back from Monaco on the 'Basse Corniche' is wonderful. The road winds around the coast. If you take the 'Moyenne Corniche', there are some wonderful views over the bay.


Enjoy your trip to Nice, you'll have a great time!

ve

Again Aard, thank you very much for the sound advice and suggestions.

GMP

I'm looking at going to nice in the summer for a few days for our first year anniversary. Do you mind me asking what hotels have the rest of you booked or can you recommend a hotel to stay in, central?

mikedragon32

It depends on your budget GMP. Around €100 a night will get you a room in Hotel Suisse which is right at the end of Promenade des Anglais. A couple of minutes walk from Vieux Nice and the port. Nice is a very walkable town and it's an ideal base. This place is the nearest hotel to where I stay when I go over.

You can get hotels to suit all budgets and rooms are generally small unless you start paying over €200 a night for a room.

There are plenty of places to rent too and they can offer better value than hotels sometimes.

Just back from Nice this morning. Was over with 27 team mates for the weekend. I think we left it pretty much as we found it.

We stayed in Hotel Acanthe, 100m from Place Massena. Very small rooms and very basic, but for €55 per room for a twin or triple, it's not that bad! Probably wouldn't be spending my anniversary in that place though!

GMP

Thanks for that Mikedragon32, lucky you just back from there.

Had alook at hotel sussie, looks lovely and the reviews on trip advisor are brill but abit out of our budget, as in the summer season working out to be 150 per night. we might stay longer than a weekend, as meant to say it's actually our wedding annivesary. Our budget would be 100 per night or less if possible but isummer season, might be hard pushed to even get something for 100 per night.

you mentioned about renting a place, the link that you gave in one of your posts about the englishwomen all about nice, it has links for appartments to rent, have you heard about them or ever stayed in them?

mikedragon32

No, but the woman who owns that site is lovely and very reliable. When I first started going to Nice a couple of years ago we used to have e-mail chats and her advice was bullet-proof.

She doesn't put links on her site without checking them out first and most of them are Irish or British ex-pats.

If you can't find somewhere decent in Nice for that sort of money, then have a look at St. Laurent-du-Vars, just next to the airport. It's nice enough and only a short bus ride from Nice. The beach there is nice enough too...

legalmillie

Hi,

Just wondering if anyone has any suggestions for restaurants in Monte Carlo. My boyfriend won a trip there so we have 3 nights to eat out and would love some recommendations.

Thanks

Aard

My only advice for eating in Monaco is to bring lots of money.

legalmillie

ha ha thanks!!

notsobadinc

hi all.
my gf has suggested that we go to nice this year in july for 6 nights. she has big ideas on where to stay but our break in budapest last year cost me way too much last september. so being realistic i dont want to spend more than €800 on flights and hotel for the 2 of us. i think 4 nights is plenty?. i was bored in budapest last year after the 3rd night.
also dubrovnik has been considered as has the states. my preference is bundoran caravan park:D or for foreign fare, barcelona.
the sheckles this year are tighter so all suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
thanks

mikedragon32

The thing about Nice is that it's a great base from which to explore the whole Riviera, as well as the Italian side of the border, so six days would fly by!

July is really peak season, particularly with Bastille day slap bang in the middle, so you'll be doing well to even get a below average hotel within your budget, but it is possible. Check out the chain hotels like Ibis and Mercure. I mentioned a hotel in a previous post here that would certainly come within budget (Hotel Acanthe), but I don't know if I'd stay there for 5 or 6 nights! The only thing is, if you're checking in early you can ask for one of the corner rooms which have views over Place Massena. They're not bad. In fact one of my friends stays there whenever he goes over.

There are some half decent hotels around the area of the port too. Maybe take a look at www.venere.com for some options and sort by price.

notsobadinc

thanks mikedragon32
thats all taking into consideration. its going to clash with my gfw6 training in july anyway so ill try put it off til late august early september. is that too late in the season and will the weather hold up. etc.
i can tell from your posts that you have all NICE things to say about NICE. will my little bit of conversation french be enough or do i need to brush up.
have you any experiences of dubrovnik or barcelona, both places seem very different from each other and the best times to go there.
again any info is appreciated.

mikedragon32

Hi. Weather is still great in September and even into October, but the evenings can get chilly. Days are still lovely though. Have spent a couple of weeks there around those times in the past and while you may get a little bad weather, it's not like there's nothing else to do! Lots of museums, galleries and shopping to be done.

WRT having a small amount of French, it's not a problem. Nice isn't Paris and the locals will happily converse in English, but appreciate you making the effort first. Around the markets, most don't speak English but most transactions seem to go smoothly nevertheless...

Aard

I was there last September and it was warm enough to swim in the sea, so that should give you an indication of the temperature.

djcervi

I've just had a look at this thread. It's really helpful. I'm heading to Nice for 2 months to study French. I'm studying for a degree in French so I need to spend time in France. Anyway what would you definitely recommend me to see over there, provided that I'm on a tight student budget. Judging from what you said, would you say the French would actually speak to me in French, (Unlike the parisians, who talk back in English, although they want you to talk in French to them).

What areas also should I stay away/ cautious? I've very dark skin, so I hope I don't stick out as a foreigner too much

mikedragon32

There's always loads of events going on, check out the local Metro paper.

With regard to the locals, lost would have good English and are happy to converse in either. There is a huge anglophone population there thanks to the Brits and some Irish. Generally if you kick off your conversation in French, they'll respond in French and will generally keep it up unless your French is bad, then they slip into speaking English!

rebel105

Hey everyone!

Has anyone any experience of renting apartments in Nice? I'm hoping to go for a week in the summer with some friends, doesn't look like it would be too expensive between 4 or 5 of us...any recommendations for reliable sites to book through? Some of them want the full amount paid over a couple of weeks beforehand which I'm a little wary of? Also location, someone said the old town is the best place (we'd like to be central, close to bars etc!)??

Thanks in advance!

Aard

The Old Town is likely to be expensive. Anywhere around there, the Carré d'Or, Musiciens, or around Jean-Medecin is well within walking distance of the pubs and clubs. Don't be fooled by anyone suggesting Cimiez, Magnan, Mont Boron or the likes - they're close enough but too far to walk in and out of every day. Nice Nord, Cagnes-sur-Mer, and Villefranche would be a complete no-no for walkability.

rebel105

Thanks for that Aard, much appreciated!
Did anyone do any day trippin up towards the alps when they were out there? or is that just mad? I mean just in the general direction like, to see another side of the south of france other than just the coast...

Aard

There are plenty of busses that go up, but you might be better off getting the train. The buses leave from the Nice-Ville train-station (Gare Thiers tram-stop), and the Gare Routière bus-station (iirc, Cathédral-Vieille-Ville tram-stop). The train ride towards Cuneo is nice. I've only ever gone as far as Limone, which is also in Italy. In the other direction (west), there's Grasse, but you won't get any snow up there.

Aard

Aard wrote: »

My only advice for eating in Monaco is to bring lots of money.

I have since found a resonably-priced restaurant in Monaco! It's called Pasta Palace, and it's in the little shopping centre on the casino end of Blvd des Moulins. Two generous lasagnas, two coffees, and tip for €25!

hunnybee

Nice is one of the best places I have been on a holiday- going to go back again this year..loads to see and do- Antibes, Monaco only a small train ride away- not impressed with Cannes- €7.50 for a coke!!:eek: ended up in an Irish bar there, I know cliche...If you are looking for a kinda upmarket restaurant try "Les Viviers", www.les-viviers-nice.com (I kept the card)if you are a fish lover- omg- its devine- prices above the average but worth paying for- equivalent to Les Fréres Jacques in Dublin

cynder

Off there in june, staying for 3 weeks, plan to go to

antibes - marineland http://www.marineland.fr/
eze
Cannes - to go to the ile saint- Marguerite ??? french spelling ??? (man in the iron mask) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%8Ele_Sainte-Marguerite
Monaco including helicopter ride 55€ per person. http://www.heliairmonaco.com/home.html
canyon verdon (they do white river rafting for ages 7 and over)
maybe grasse (make your own perfume)
st raphael
maybe st tropay
nimmes - les arenes

also there is a labyrinth http://www.azur-labyrinthe.com/

and hope to do a glass bottom boat ride think thats available in antibes. http://www.visiobulle.com/


and maybe venture into Italy.

planning on mostly picnics as we have 3 kiddies traveling with us.

rebel105

hunnybee wrote: »

Nice is one of the best places I have been on a holiday- going to go back again this year..loads to see and do

Where do you normally stay in Nice hunnybee?

Aard wrote: »

There are plenty of busses that go up, but you might be better off getting the train. The buses leave from the Nice-Ville train-station (Gare Thiers tram-stop), and the Gare Routière bus-station (iirc, Cathédral-Vieille-Ville tram-stop). The train ride towards Cuneo is nice. I've only ever gone as far as Limone, which is also in Italy. In the other direction (west), there's Grasse, but you won't get any snow up there.

Thanks for that! I dont really care about seeing snow, maybe just some mountains and green valleys!


Grindlewald, that helicopter trip in Monaco sounds amazing!

hunnybee

I was there last year in Oct and we stayed here- http://www.hotelwindsornice.com/
v central..it was nice- big enough rooms, clean- nice breakfast- you can eat in garden if its sunny. It was around €180/€190 for a double room. We are heading back in Sep and thinking of staying around the old town somewhere