Nice Fance for 3 days

Gal44

Hi all, hoping to head to Nice in France at the end of May/early June.. any recommendation of what to do or where to go? flying with aer lingus.. is the airport far from the city? Thanks

mikedragon32

Airport is about 7km from the city centre. Taxis are expensive so either the 98 or 99 bus might be of some use to you depending on where you're staying.

Tip for your flight: Try to sit on the left hand side of the plane (seats ABC). Flightpath usually takes you down the middle of France and then once it hits the south coast turns eastward for final approach. Sitting on the left means you'll see the alps and then on final approach you'll see Cap d'Ail, Canne and Antibes along with some beatiful seafront properties.

Can you give some idea of what interests you? There is a hell of a lot you can do in and around Nice in three days, so we can give some better suggestions if we know what you're into!

Gal44

great thanks for that. well we are girls in our late 20's heading over. would love to see some nice scenery by the water, some old town? castle maybe? love the idea of little village in the hills with nice views, food and wine! not interested in museums really or that... is Cannes, monte carlo near ish?

mikedragon32

Super. You're hitting the right spot so.

For a nice old town with a castle (and a decent beach), head to Villefranche sur Mer. It's €1 on the 100 bus from Gare Routiers and you'll have a nice stroll down from the public park to the castle and onward to the beach. Then rather than hauling yourself back up the hill for the bus back, just hop on the train. The station overlooks the beach.

If you're looking to do Monaco, then maybe what you could do is head to Monaco in the morning, see the harbour and casino square then get the 100 bus back towards Nice and hop of in Villefranche so that you get two places in in one day.

A village in the hills... Eze. It's between Villefranche and Monaco. Part of the village is on a clifftop with spectacular views.

Cannes is 30 mins away by train and it's nice enough, but to be honest, you're not missing much if you don't go there. Instead jump off the train in Antibes. It's a beautiful town. Nice marina and a lovely old town with a market.

In Nice itself, Vieux Nice (the old town) is a great place to spend a day. Head to Cours Salaya early and you can spend a while walking around the market and absorbing the sights and sounds. Have pastries and coffee on the hoof or take a seat in one of the many cafe bars. If you opt for the latter Les Civettes du Cour is a good spot. Avoid Les Ponchettes, it's a serious rip-off. A walk around the meandering lanes of Vieux Nice is a great way to while away a couple of hours.

For views over the town, head to La Colline du Chateau. Easy to find, just head onto the seafront and turn left, you'll see the hill. There's a lift at the bottom which takes you most of the way up or if you're energetic, you can walk up the steps next to it. There's great views over the city and if you head over to the far side you have a nice view of Nice port too.

Now, where to eat. My favourite is Chez Acchiardo, a tiny place specialising in Provencale cuisine. It's only open Mon-Fri and you'll need a reservation so either give them a call or pop in as soon as you can on arrival in Nice.

If you're looking for a really good and cheap Italian mean, Pizza Jesu, just up the road from Acchiardo is top notch. It doesn't look that great, it's cramped, but the pizza and pasta are fantastic. For a more stylish Italian, you can't go far wrong with La Voglia. HUGE portions of quality food. Do try leave room for dessert though.

If you want to try something a little more special, Brasserie Flo (behind Galleries Lafayette) is amazing. Built in what used to be a music hall, the kitchen now occupies the stage. It's a fine example of Art Deco and it has a real buzz about it. Best to know your french vocab though, menus are all in French only and the waiters will put the Parisiens to shame for their franco-snobbery. The food and venue make it easy to forgive however!

If you had a little more time, I'd recommend a day trip to Grasse, the home of perfume... It's some of the most beautiful countryside you'll ever encounter. Worth a day of anyone's time.

naughtysmurf

Great info Mike, will be making at least one if not two day trips into Nice from Juan les pins during the summer, any must do's that come to mind?

Gal44

Thanks a mill for the info! good stuff! i will probably be here again with more questions once we book it, cant wait to go! it will most likely be may when we head over i hope the weather will be ok...

mikedragon32

Vieux Nice, naughtysmurf. That and Colline du Chateau for the views.

If you're into it and want to see how the other half spend their cash, take a walk from Place Massena along Ave du Verdun and then turn right up Rue Paradis. Along here you'll find all the top designers. It's a bit like Rodeo Drive in LA...

mikedragon32

Gal44 wrote: »

Thanks a mill for the info! good stuff! i will probably be here again with more questions once we book it, cant wait to go! it will most likely be may when we head over i hope the weather will be ok...

Weather will be fab. I'm jealous!

franc 91

In the Old Town in Nice there's le Palais Lascaris museum which is worth seeing, eat out at le Cours Salaya near the market and Ste Réparate. The Musée Chagall is a must. If you hire a car, take the road up to the Corniche Supérieure that passes in front the Observatory. If you have time there's the Villa Kérylos and the Villa Ephrussi, La Turbie and the Trophée des Alpes - I'd better stop there (we usually go back home on le Train des Pignes - but I'm giving away a big secret there)

tricky D

mikedragon32 wrote: »

Tip for your flight: Try to sit on the left hand side of the plane (seats ABC). Flightpath usually takes you down the middle of France and then once it hits the south coast turns eastward for final approach. Sitting on the left means you'll see the alps and then on final approach you'll see Cap d'Ail, Canne and Antibes along with some beatiful seafront properties.

When I was in Nice, they all came in from the southeast and swung around to the south west in front of the chateaux for final approach. With that in mind, I'd check the local wind direction before departure. If it's coming from the south west, sit on the right and vice versa.