I now see why people love this part of the world. The dramatic coastline, beautiful deep blue Med, stunning buildings and balconies, incredible food scene, culture and history and buzz of activity… I could go on!
Here’s a list of some noteworthy things we did and places we visited on this amazing holiday.
Nice
Art, history, culture
We browsed the interesting open air photo exhibition at Place Garibaldi for the 80 years anniversary of Nice’s liberation from Nazi occupiers.
We visited the Musée de la Photographie Charles Nègre, where we saw the exhibitions Pourquoi m’as-tu abandonnée? by Bettina Rheims and You were not chosen by Marine Foissey.
After travelling to Saint-Jean Cap Ferra (celebrating “120 years heritage and history”) we visited the villa of Ephrussi de Rothschild. We wandered around the patio, rooms and gardens, stopping for breathtaking views of the bay. We finished at the French Garden at the back of the villa which, with its water jets, is pretty special.
Place du Pin and Rue Bonaparte, which we discovered towards the end of the trip, is a bustling little street of modern bars and restaurants. We didn’t have enough time to try too many places but enjoyed some lovely greek street food at Kalos.
Food and drink
Socca (chickpea flour, olive oil, pepper) at Therese’s food stand next to the photography museum. It’s tasty! I also tried La Pissaladière – a bread dough with white onions, stewed pepper salt anchovies and small olives niçoises.
While at Place Rossetti we had Salad Niçoises for lunch (when in Rome…) at restaurant La Claire Fontaine, then some ice cream (flavours like rhubarb and lemon) from Fenoccio café.
Movida, a little drinks and tapas bar on Quai des Etats-Unis with roof seating overlooking the bay. Serves good cocktails including fiery margarita.
Maison Margaux at Place Magenta for sea bass and rosé wine.
Maybe our best meal in Nice was at Le Bistrot on Rue St Honoré, part of Hotel du Couvent and discovered by Clair. We enjoyed a set meal of Oeufs Mimosa, Vitello Tonnato, Capellini a la sauge, Bavette a l’echalote and Clafoutis mirabelle. Everything about this place was interesting and stylish – building, decor, music, staff, food and drink.
Areas
Our hotel was near Place Masséna, with its beautiful, colourful buildings and art installation by Jaume Plensa featuring seven figures on pillars “in conversation”. The wider area include Rue Masséna and adjoining streets is great and we ate at various places. It gets busy at night, but always felt enjoyable and never too overcrowded.
The old town with its winding, cobbled streets, squares and scores of interesting bars and restaurants is fantastic.
Place Rossetti is a beautiful square with a fountain and Cathedral Saint-Marie, where we ate lunch while busking violinists did their thing. A vibe!
Villefranche-sur-mer was nice for a short visit. We might have taken a short boat trip there if we’d had time to organise it in advance.
Shopping
Antic Boutik is a brilliant clothes shop. I picked up a couple of bits before being given a complementary Merci Bien! t-shirt by the friendly assistant.
I visited two record shops: Kosimi the lovely Evrlst where I spotted for the first time a physical copy of the Apogee & Perigree LP although they knew their prices so I resisted the urge.
Accommodation
Hotel Seize: friendly staff and great old-fashioned elevator.
Miscellaneous
parks
The city bus tour we took on Day One served as a great initial orientation, taking us along the grand hotels and casinos of Promendade des Anglais then past the Russian Orthodox church and musicians‘ district up to the train station, continuing into Place Garibaldi, Port Lympia and even onto Villefranche-sur-mer and Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat.
Other places we visited / info we picked up
Our lovely hosts at Hotel L’Esprit D’Azur passed on a digital map guide for Nice with categories for museums, free parks and museums, restaurants, indoor activities and around Nice.
La Casita in Antibes provided one of our favourite meals of the trip. It’s on a busy little street just down from the market. I had John Dory while Clair had Boulettes Viande.
La Petite Garoupe restaurant in Antibes – a stunning location on a stormy night. We had just received bad news and raised a glass to our friend.
L’Elephant Bleu in Antibes, a Thai restaurant on Boulevard d'Aguillon