You are very Nice, France (Travel guide to Nice, France)
This was the first sunny city I went to after being freezing cold everywhere else before so I have a slight biased for liking this city. With that being said, I really liked Nice and it's going down as one of my favorite cities even though there isn't a ton to do.
Attractions:
Free Walking Tour: I love my walking tours! This was run by the same company that did the pub crawl the night before so I knew the tour guide and the other people on the tour since we all went out together. Therefore, I enjoyed it because I felt like it was a group of friends hanging out instead of going on a guided tour. But with that being said, there isn't a ton to see or do in Nice so the tour can be skipped or done on your own. The history of Nice is also not that relevant or interesting. If you have some free time then why not!
The Beach: all you need to do is get some snacks and alcohol and you are set to have a great day sitting at the beach. The entire city of Nice is just along the coast so anywhere you are you will be right next to the beach. When I first got there, I brought my lunch to the beach and then took a 2 hour nap. I didn't see anyone swim in the water but it was also mid-late March so maybe it wasn't the season for swimming yet.
Promenade des Anglais: this is the huge sidewalk that was built along the beach. It is the BEST place for running. You get you enjoy the beach while not having to struggle with trying to run on the sand. There are also a ton of restaurants along here where you can eat right next to the water but it's pretty pricey. At night, this whole place gets filled up with music and street performers.
Jardin Albert: this is the city's central park. It's a huge strip of land in the middle of the city from the beach running into the inner areas. There's a huge ground fountain in one section, a kid's playground in another, an art simulation at the other end, and a lot other cool random things here. You can go here to take a nice stroll under the sun or have a picnic.
Cours Saleya: The most famous part of the Cours Saleya is the flower market; there are rows of fresh flowers and plants covered by brightly striped awnings. But there are also plenty of stands selling fruit, vegetables, sweets, preserves, honey, Provençal soaps, olive oil, cheeses, cured meats, fish, and tourist knickknacks. It is a famous open-air market just a block off the beach in Nice's Old Quarter. It's open every day, although on Mondays the vegetables and farmers are replaced by antiques dealers.
Nice Port: the best view of the port is from the top of Le Chateau (which is the next point) but this is literally a picture out of a travel magazine. There is really nothing more to it than enjoying the view and picturing what it'd be like to own one of those yachts. Walking around the port isn't as nice as Marseille because it's surrounded by construction, or at least when I was there, so from the top is definitely the best view.
Le Chateau: I cannot stress how amazing the view from up here is. You need to go up to watch the sunset because it is breathtaking. I went here twice and the first day I stayed up for about 2.5 hours. The gate to the entrance closed before I left so I had to scale the side of the wall to get around the gate. Le Chateau is huge! You can see the entire city from every angle. There is also a small man-made waterfall at the top. Warning, the walk up a a bit steep since you get really high up but definitely worth every once of sweat. There are also small sitting areas all along it so it's a nice place to hangout when the weather is nice out. There is an elevator that will take you down if you are not inclined to climb down all the stairs. This is hands down the #1 MUST DO/SEE in Nice!
Food/Drinks:
Socca: a chickpea crepe like snack that is a specialty of Nice. It's interesting... It isn't the best thing you'll ever eat but you should definitely try it since it's small and pretty cheap.
I cooked all of my meals when I was in Nice since restaurants here are pretty pricey and I already had good French food when I was in Paris. I would recommend cooking to save money.
Tips:
- The city is very small so you can get around very easily just by walking. Nice is not a city for you to jam back your entire day with activities. It's a cute little town that's perfect to relax and take it easy.
- You can take buses to nearby cities for really cheap such as Monaco, Cannes, etc. I didn't stay in Nice long enough to take advantage of this but I would next time. You can also look into using BlaBlaCar to get to and from different cities.
Overall Thoughts:
Nice will have a special place in my heart! I just really enjoyed the small city feel and how amazing the weather was. The people were great and everyone just seemed so happy, compared to Paris. I also loved that they have the best path for runners, I think that sold me to the city immediately.
