Nice and the French Riviera

I made this trip to Nice not because I felt a sudden urge to sip wine and tour the ever inviting French Riviera, though I ended up doing exactly that. I came to Nice it is the closest major city to Monaco, another European country on my list. Nice took my breath away literally the moment I hopped out of the airport bus at the sea front.  Years of doing mainland backpacking, I need to be reminded why resort, seaside travel packages sell like bread. My first stroll along the promenade, watching the city so lively at late night, I knew immediately Nice has stolen a piece of my heart.

The strike prompted the cancellation of my flight, and I had to fly out one day sooner. What a pity! I could imagine being stuck here indefinitely.

Trip brainstorm

–  Flower market at Cours Saleya and have a meal there after.

– Wander through a maze of small streets at the Old town.

–  Listen to violin street busker playing Edit Piaf’s songs at Place Du Palais.

–  Stroll Promenade des Anglais, a 5-km boulevard stretching along the Mediterranean sea.

–  Check out the most beautiful building on Promenade des Anglais, Hotel Negresco, a  pink dome, white paint building designed by the same guy who designed the famous Eiffel tower.

–  Sunbathing on the pebble beach.

–  Place Massena, the main square connecting Nice’s Old and New towns. Don’t miss the naked statues sitting on top light posts.

–  Nice has many worth visiting museums: Musee des Beaux-Arts, Museum of Chagall, Modern Art museum…

–  Visit nearby Eze village, the former artist colony at St. Paul de Vence. Have enough of mountain scenery, make your way to the coastal city of Antibes-Juan-les-Pins.

–  Canes, the city made  famous by the Canes film festival is nearby and popular with tourists. I was told that Canes was nothing special; it’s just a city.

Eat

• Chow-down all you can eat mussels at Le Festival de la Moule @20, Cours Saleya, the restaurant quarter.  For €12, you can order buckets after buckets of fresh mussels prepared in many different flavors: spicy salsa sauce, garlic, and wine, creamy sauce… Yum yum. French fries come for free. I missed this restaurant on my first day here. The next night it was closed. I had to try it in the afternoon right before rushing it to the airport.
• Fish soup (soupe de poision)

Accommodation Nice

Transportation

• Low-cost easyJet has frequent flights to Nice airport from Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, UK.
• The airport bus 98, 99 takes you to major hotels along the sea front and to the bus station.
• Good coach bus network sending tourists to all cities and villages (€1 single-ride) in the France Riviera, including Monaco.
• Good local  train connections operating the same routes as the buses and cost only a few euros more.
• There are trams but you probably won’t need it.
• Ride around Nice on Velo Bleu bicycles. You pay nothing if you use the bike for less than 30 minutes before returning it to any Velo locations and pick up a new one.

Note: I was in Nice during the strike (so typical for the French). While trains and buses to major cities stopped working, the local Riviera buses still worked.

Sample cost

Accommodation

• Hostel: from €14
• Budget hotel: from €23 / person (double room)

Transportation

• Bus single-ride to other destination in the French Riviera: €1
• Train single-ride to other destination in the French Riviera: ~ €3
• Velo bike registration fee: €1/day. 1st 30 minutes free. Next 30 minutes €1. Next hours €2.

Food

• Wine: €4
• Tourist menu: €12

Guidebooks

Nice and the French Riviera

Nice Photos

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Antibes Photos

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Eze Photos

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Saint Paul de Vence Photos

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