Europe
France
French Riviera
Nice
What to see in Nice
August 13, 2020
Nice is a beautiful town and it has a bit of everything: beach, hill,
harbour, culture, fancy seafood restaurants, music. There is a lot to do
and see in here. From viewpoints to museums, colourful houses to a
spectacular Russian orthodox church, here is a list of the top things to
see in Nice!
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As I mentioned on my blog post about the
Top Places to Visit in Côte d'Azur,
Nice
is a very family friendly city and the main place to visit when it comes to
the French Riviera. Here is where most people will be based, and if you're not
planning to travel around the Riviera but just want a nice time in Nice,
there's plenty to see, so you will surely be able to fill your days with some
exploring.
TABLE OF CONTENTSHighlights
Museums
Highlights
|
| View from the Castle Hill towards Nice's beach and promenade. |
The English Promenade is one of the highlights of Nice, and there are many
good reasons for that. What other city do you know with a promenade that
extends from the airport to the city? That's right, Nice's promenade is 7km
long and it extends from Nice's airport until Castle Hill, another highlight
of this city.
This is a place for everyone: cyclists, scooter riders, skate boarders,
roller skaters, joggers, tourists, locals. The promenade is wide enough and
has a separation for pedestrians and bikes, so everyone can appreciate the
famous Promenade des Anglais.
At the end of the promenade, you can find the popular "I LOVE NICE", where
many people will be queuing to take the famous holiday picture to show to
their friends and family.
If you're feeling adventurous upon arrival, you can skip the buses and go on
a walk for 1h30 along the coast. A perfect way to start your trip, as long
as you're not carrying heavy suitcases, you are fit enough to walk for that
long and it's not extremely hot - very unlikely I guess.
|
| View towards Nice's Old Port from Castle Hill |
This is the place to visit if you're looking for that popular panoramic view
over the bay (Bay of Angels - Baie des Anges), the whole town and the
mountains - yes, that beautiful view you see when you look for Nice on
Google, and the one on the previous image! Even though most people would
recommend visiting at sunset, I found out that the picture would not look as
nice due to the reflection on the water, so if you want the shot to be nice
and blue, than I would recommend visiting during the morning instead. You
can compare the very first picture on this blog post (taken at sunset)
versus the one mentioned just now (taken in the morning).
On the other side, you will have a beautiful view to the old port, as well
as some beautiful ruins.
In here you can also find an artificial waterfall (Cascade du Château) and a
cemetery.
You can reach the hill by foot (passing
Bellanda Tower, from where you can have nice views), elevator or
mini-train tour, departing from the Promenade (in front of the
Jardin Albert 1er
monument).
And I guess you're probably asking yourself "so where is the castle?", and I
am sorry to let you down, but there is no castle. Not anymore at least.
Castle Hill was once a military fortress (11th to 18th century) built in the
hill and only few ruins remain till today.
|
|
Colourful houses of Nice's old town. Some of them have painted
windows on it, so if you pay close attention to it, not all windows
are real. |
Vieux Nice is a lively part of the town, where you can find many
restaurants, bars, ice cream shops, boutiques, galleries, local markets,
churches, squares and colourful houses nicely aligned along narrow streets.
It's a lovely place for walks and exploring, and from there, you can go up
to the Castle Hill.
|
| Place Masséna with it's beautiful pavement tiles and the statues on high poles |
Place Masséna was one of my favourite places in Nice, not only because of
it's vibrant colours and nice architecture, but also because of it's
atmosphere. It's the main square of the city, and a perfect place for people
watching and to appreciate the occasional concert or other public events
such as
Nice's Carnaval.
When visiting it, you can't miss the beautiful pavement tiles, the seven
statues set on high poles and the
Fountain of the Sun (Fontaine du Soleil).
On each side of Place Masséna you will find two different green spaces:
Promenade du Paillon, with it's amazing Water Mirror on the east and
Albert I Garden (Jardin Albert 1er)
on the west.
5)
Russian Orthodox Cathedral / St Nicholas Orthodox Cathedral
(Cathédrale Orthodoxe Saint-Nicolas de Nice)
|
| Beautiful exteriors of Nice's Russian Orthodox Cathedral |
You won't find this cathedral in many lists of "top things to see in Nice",
which I think it's truly sad, since it's a gorgeous building, and one you
should definitely not miss when in Nice. It is a bit further away from all
other main locations, but it will be worth the detour.
This is the largest Eastern Orthodox cathedral in Western Europe and is
recognised as a national monument in France, but under the property of
Russia.
Photography is not allowed inside of the cathedral.
Museums
Let's admit it, not everyone is into museums! But if you are, Nice will not
disappoint you. There are over 15 museums, so here is a list of the top
museums to see in this beautiful town:
|
|
View to Nice from MAMAC rooftop. |
MAMAC is a quite unique building with very interesting exhibitions,
dedicated to modern and contemporary art. If you visit, make sure you don't
miss the rooftop for some panoramic views. €10 entry fee
Certainly one of the most popular museums in Nice, as the name suggests,
this is where you can find a collection of Marc Chagall paintings. €8-€10
entry fee. The first Sunday of the month is free for any European citizen!
This museum is not included in the Museum card, which I will explain below.
3)
Cimiez
|
|
Ruins at the entrance of Cimiez Arena Park |
Cimiez used to be an ancient Roman city, and it's ruins can be visited at
Cimiez Arena Park (Parc des Arènes de Cimiez), where you will find both
Cimiez Archaeological Museum (Cimiez Musee D'Archeologie)
and
Musée Matisse. You can admire the arenas (les arènes de Cimiez) at the entrance
of the park, and the remaining ruins (including a thermal bath complex and
some villas) at the Cimiez Archaeological Museum - €10 entry fee.
If you like art, then you can find Henri Matisse and Pablo Picasso paintings
in Musée Matisse. Also €10 entry fee, or you can buy a 7 day Museum card,
that will cost you €20 and offer entry to all 14 municipal museums for a
week, which includes both of the museums in Cimiez (but does not include
Marc Chagall Museum as mentioned previously)
While in Cimiez, don't miss the
Cimiez Monastery (Monastère Notre-Dame-de-Cimiez)
and it's
gardens (jardins du monastère de Cimiez)
for a panoramic view over Nice town and bay.
If you're short on time, you might skip this location as it is considerably
away from the centre of Nice.
|
| The beautiful and colourful exteriors of Fine Arts Museum, Nice. Stock image edited with my presets |
Located in the former private mansion of the Ukrainian Princess Elisabeth
Vassilievna Kotschoubey, this fine arts museum displays paintings and
sculptures produced by local artists. While it's interiors will certainly
attract art lovers, it's exteriors will please almost anyone due to it's
beautiful architecture and gardens. €10 entry fee. Under 18 go free.
As I mentioned above, these are only the top museums since there are many
more that you could explore.
Others
There are other things to see in Nice that are certainly less popular
attractions, and I will include three of these on this list:
1)
Nice's Old Port
Nice's old port might not be on the list of top things to see in Nice, but
if you like ports like me, you have plenty of time to kill, and don't mind
walking a little bit further east, you might want to pass by and admire
the colourful boats by the port.
La Reserve is a quite interesting restaurant sat on a rock, with great
views to the port, the bay and the ocean blues.
When I read that I could visit a 7 hectare zoo and botanical garden, with
one of the largest green houses in Europe and some animals for only €5,
Parc Phoenix got my attention. I've always loved to visit green houses and
zoos! I saw pictures of the garden, with beautiful palm trees and the
green house, and I was sold!
However, despite the amount of good reviews I saw (and still see) on
Google, this is not a place I would recommend.
Even though we did enjoy the place to a certain extent and the gardens
with the green house look stunning (as you can see on the photo above),
Parc Phoenix did not have much to offer, and it felt like €5 was actually
not cheap for what we saw. I have never seen a green house that looked so
abandoned and lacked maintenance like this one. The areas where you can
see animals, many of them where empty and overall, we felt like there
everything was quite basic, poorly maintained and there wasn't much to do
here.
This was our experience when we visited in August 2018, and I am rarely
picky with green spaces and zoos.
Also, be aware that even though this is very close to Nice's airport,
there is no luggage storage, and you will be denied entry if you carry
luggage with you, so unfortunately, visiting on your way to the airport or
upon arrival is simply not possible.
Tips to use the map above
- You will find different layers on this map, showing you all points of interest by categories. To see these, click on the tab icon (top left). All layers will be enabled by default. By clicking on the check marks, you can disable/hide a specific label to better understand the info you're looking for.
- To view more detailed information on any point of interest, click on it's icon over the map.
- You can save this by clicking on the star on the top of the map (right next to the title). This will be added to your Google Maps, and you will be able to access it from any device (Google Maps - Your Places - Maps)
TO HELP PLANNING YOUR TRIP TO NICE
TOP PLACES TO STAY IN NICELuxurious hotels: Hotel Negresco, Hyatt Regency Nice Palais de la Méditerranée, Boscolo Exedra Nice & Spa and ABA Luxury B&B - Place MassénaBudget travel hotels/apartments: Villa Joriane and Bienvenue sur la Cote d'AzurBudget travel hostels: Meyerbeer Beach, Antares hostel, Villa Saint Exupery Beach Hostel and Hostel OzzBooking.com
READ MORE
This list does not include things to see near Nice nor any day trips from
Nice, which you should definitely consider if you're planning to explore
this side of France. Hope this helps you decide where to go on your next
journey to Nice!
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1 Comments
Bonjour Daniela, just so you know, the picture you have in your article for the restaurant La Réserve is wrong. It is totally misleading and we actually booked at La Réserve as we wanted to eat in the exact patio your picture shows but when we got there, we very disappointed to realize, the restaurant in your picture is actually Le Plongeoir. La Réserve did not meet our expectations.
ReplyDeleteI would recommend you make the correction required so you have accurate representation….
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