COMING SOON !!!

We only had three nights in Nice, staying with old friends Karin and Phillipe who lived near Vieux Port. We were well and truly spoilt and they delighted in showing us to their favourite places and introducing us to the local cuisine as well as taking us to Italy for the day! Nice has a city vibe but it’s also a port with a lovely market and a wonderful old town. Some of the central areas have been rejuvinated and are full of boutiques, tempting bars, cafes and restaurants as well as cheese shops, butchers and fishmongers, something we are sadly lacking in much of the UK.

Leashia and I were joined by another good friend Laura and her husband Owen. We all partied for three nights on the trot and behaved really badly! [Not really].

Introduction

The French Riviera [or Côte d’Azur in French] in the south east of France is a popular all year round destination. The beaches, mild climate, cuisine, rich history and architecture makes it an ideal place to relax or explore or both. Nice can get very busy in the summer but on our visit on a warm weekend in late October it wasn’t too bad. It’s a bit hilly, but that means great views!

Nice is the capital of the area and is the fifth largest city in France. It nestles in the foothills of the Alps facing the Baie des Anges [Bay of Angels], a wide arc of the Mediterranean with the Old Port on the eastern side and the airport on the west. The bay is named thus after the tragic story of Saint Reperata a Christian Martyr from the third century. She was tortured and finally decapitated in Palestine in the 3rd century due to her Christian beliefs. Her body drifted in a boat to Nice accompanied by angels. She is now the patron saint of Nice.

Airport transfer and getting around

The airport is on the edge of the city and it was a doddle [and very cheap] to get the tram from the airport into Nice. The tram stop was right outside of the terminal and we got on the T2 [the blue line] to Port Lympia which is by the Old Port [Vieux Port]. I would recommend downloading the Lignes D’Azur app so you can purchase your ticket in advance. [Note -at time of writing, not all the features were avalable for iphones]. You do need to validate your ticket once you board the tram [or bus].

We walked around most of the city and used the trams and buses on the rare occasion using the same app.

Local food and wine

When Leashia and I travel we want to sample the local food so we were absolutely delighted with what was on offer.

We tried and very much enjoyed Socca, a chickpea based pancake which I sprinkled liberally with black pepper. We also loved Petits Farcis Niçois– oven roasted vegetables [such as peppers and aubergines] which are stuffed with a variety of meaty, herby or cheesy things. Pissaladiere (onion tart) was also yummy and it was great to have the ubiquitous Salad Nicoise in Nice. Local wines are part of the Bellet appellation and consist of white wines often made using Semillion, Rolle and Clairette grape varieties. Red wines tend to use Folle Noir and Grenache varieties. Local[ish] cheeses include Roquefort, Rocamadour and goats cheeses, [all yum]. If you have a sweet tooth, you won’t have a problem!

Things to see and do

I have broken up my pages on Nice into different areas- Vieux Nice, The Promenade, Colline du Château the New Town and Cimiez. These are the areas that are most likely to appeal to most tourists.

Daytrips

There are several options if you fancy getting out of the city and trips to Monaco, Monte-Carlo and Cannes are popular options. However our hosts suggested a trip to Italy which we thought was a great idea! We had a great day in Dolceaqua and we popped into Menton in France on the way back.

Quick Links: