Access Nice Where the Alps come down to the sea.

Nice cote azur

NICE · CÔTE D’AZUR

An Italian old town that woke up French.

Ochre lanes and baroque churches on one side of Place Masséna, a Belle Époque seafront on the other, and the Alps close enough to see from the beach.

Kevinbeets1995, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Nice in brief

Country	France — Alpes-Maritimes, on the Côte d'Azur
Size	France's fifth-largest city, and the biggest on the Riviera
Language	French. English is widely spoken along the seafront and in the old town
Currency	Euro
Getting around	Walkable end to end; a tram for the rest, and the coast train for day trips
Arriving	The airport sits at the western end of the bay, with the tram into the centre
The beach	Pebbles, not sand — the whole length of the Baie des Anges
Heritage	The winter-resort city is a UNESCO World Heritage site

1388Nice gives itself to the Counts of Savoy

1706Louis XIV destroys the castle

1807Garibaldi born in Nice, a Sardinian subject

1860Nice becomes French

1912the Russian cathedral consecrated

2013the Paillon river becomes a park

Start here

Ten sections. Nice is two cities that met in 1860, and the join is still visible.

TWENTY PLACES, ONE PAGE EACHThe SightsEverything in Nice that is worth a page of its own, and what each one is actually like.A CITY BUILT FOR WALKING, WITH A TRAM FOR THE RESTGetting AroundHow to move around Nice without a car, and when you actually need one.A CUISINE OF ITS OWN, NOT PROVENÇALEating and DrinkingSocca, pissaladière, stuffed vegetables — what niçoise cooking actually is.PEBBLES, NOT SAND — AND WHAT THAT MEANSBeaches and the SeaHow swimming in Nice actually works: public and private, the pebbles, and the drop.WHY NICE LOOKS ITALIANThe Old Town and the BaroqueFour hundred years of Savoy and Sardinia, written into the streets and the churches.WHERE TO STAY, AND WHAT EACH AREA IS LIKENeighbourhoodsSix parts of Nice, and who each of them suits.A WINTER RESORT THAT BECAME A SUMMER ONEWhen to ComeWhat each season is actually like, and what the crowds do.THE COAST IS THE POINTDay TripsFour places within an easy ride, and why the train beats the car.BUILT AROUND WHAT IS SHUTItinerariesFive lengths of stay, arranged so you climb each hill once and never lose a day to a closed door.WHAT ACTUALLY NEEDS ITBooking AheadMost of Nice does not need to be booked. These are the exceptions.

All twenty sights

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