Treasures of Traveling in Nice
The south of France is known for its many beaches along the French Riviera, also known as le Cote d’Azur and Nice is just one of the many cities that stand out. It’s a great place to visit because of the beautiful beaches where you can relax and enjoy the blue water of the Mediterranean Sea. It also has many cultural attractions like Nice’s Carnival as it’s one of the largest Carnival celebrations in the world. Since Nice is located along the Mediterranean sea, it has a mild climate year round and perfect for relaxing on the beach from May to October. The boulevards are lined with palm trees and tropical flowers giving visitors the perspective of being in paradise. Nice has beaches, delicious restaurants, amazing views and a wonderful culture. Nice is just one of the many treasures of traveling throughout the French Riviera.
Beautiful Weather
Nice has a wonderful climate most of the year. On average they have 300 days of sunshine a year! If you like sunny weather, Nice is a great place to visit during any of the seasons. If your main goal is to enjoy the beach, then Spring and Fall will be the best times to go since it is generally warm and sunny, but not extremely hot! July and August, the summer months are generally the hottest months and therefore also the busiest times of the year as tons of tourists flock to Nice to vacation.
Nice’s Carnival
Nice’s Carnival is one of the largest carnival celebrations in the world and if you are an individual who loves to explore the different types of carnival celebrations around the world from Rio to New Orleans, you definitely won’t want to miss Carnival in Nice. Check out the official website for up to date information if you plan on adding this event as something you must experience. View this video of the Best of Nice’s Carnival from 2017.
The Promenade des Anglais
This world famous Promenade des Anglais (English Promenade) has been a famous resort area for English people vacationing away from England during winter months. It is easily the most famous tourist attraction of Nice today as so many people come to bask in the Mediterranean sun. The promenade is seven kilometers long and runs from the Nice airport to Castle Hill (La colline du Château). A beach boardwalk runs alongside the Promenade des Anglais, where you can see many locals jogging or walking their dogs and just hanging out with friends on the benches underneath the palm trees. There are many upscale and expensive boutiques along the boulevard that you might find interesting if shopping is one of your hobbies. The promenade is ideal for people to take their time and enjoy from either walking, running or riding their bike or even skating.
Beaches of Nice
There seems to be an endless amount of white pebble beaches along the Promenade des Anglais because it stretches for seven kilometers. It is made up of many different beaches from public beaches to others that are owned by hotels or restaurants and provide services for locals and tourists from drinks and food to tables, sun chairs and umbrellas. If you decide to use those beaches be prepared to spend extra money on all the different amenities. Some people won’t want to pay the extra money for the amenities and that is fine because there are public beaches you can visit for free. The beaches of Nice aren’t the best beaches to swim at because the water gets very deep very quickly. Just be warned that the beaches of Nice aren’t the most comfortable because they are so rocky. You will want shoes or sandals if you plan on walking along the beaches as they are covered in jagged rocks and pebbles, which can become hot in the sun and it might feel like you are walking on fire and coals. If you don’t like sandy beaches or at least feeling like you have sand all over your body, you will probably love Nice beaches, but if you want sandy beaches you will have to venture to other nearby towns that have sandy beaches. Because the beaches have so many rocks on them, most people like to rent chairs because it isn’t the most comfortable laying a towel on top of the rocks, although many people do that. Just think of it as a free rock massage!
Old Town of Nice
Nice Old Town (le Vieux Nice) is well known for its beautiful cobbled streets, colorful buildings and small alleyways. The majority of it is pedestrian only and it’s packed with restaurants, cafes, open markets and cafes. You might easily bump into locals or other travelers because there are many narrow winding streets. There are some small hotels in this area of Nice as well, but many people just come to this area of Nice to explore. The famous market and flower market (Cours Saleya) is held almost every morning, except Monday when it transforms into a large open air flea market.
Enjoy some Gelato or Italian Ice Cream
While visiting the Old Town of Nice you can easily enjoy some of the traditional Italian ice cream called Gelato in the summer heat. You might be wondering why there is so much gelato, a famous Italian ice cream, in France and that is because this part of France was under Italy’s rule until the Treaty of Turin in 1860.
Delicious Food
Nice is located very close to the Italian border and once upon a time was actually part of Italy so there is a lot of good Italian food as well as good French food. There is a tasty local dish that you definitely should try when you visit. One is called Socca and is made from chickpea flour, olive oil and water. These ingredients are poured together into a large pan and when cooked make it look like a gigantic crispy pancake. Socca shouldn’t be completely dry, but just a little creamy inside. Socca is famous in this region of France so it is a must try when you visit and it’s easy to find because it is an excellent type of street food. You can easily find Socca and other local favorites in the old town of Nice.
Castle Hill Park
Castle Hill Park (le parc de la Colline du Château) is located on the hill overlooking Nice Old Town. The name of the park comes from the military fortress that overlooked the bay of Nice for centuries. The views from Castle Rock Hill are beautiful and definitely are a must visit as the views of the Angel Bay, the beach, the promenade, the Old Town of Nice and the Port of Nice are fantastic. At the top of the hill is also a nice park with a waterfall and a cemetery full of trees and places to relax and enjoy an escape from the city. To get to the top you can either take the free elevator to the top (this is especially helpful for many people during the summer heat) or you can walk to the top climbing the stairs along the Bellanda Tower. You can also walk through the cemetery back down to the city. One of the easiest ways to get to the top of Castle Hill is to take the Nice miniature train. You can catch this train at the Promenade des Anglais all the way to the Castle Hill Gardens.
Visit a Park in Nice
There are many public parks throughout Nice that can be a wonderful place to visit and just relax while visiting Nice. From small neighborhood parks like the Square Alziari de Malaussena to large city parks like Albert the 1st Garden which flows into the Promenade du Paillon park. The interesting thing about these parks is that they have been built on top of the Paillon River, which began to dry as most of the water was used before it reached the Meditteranean Sea. They have made a wonderful green space throughout the city where the river used to be and actually still runs underneath it. It just doesn’t have the flow it once did. They have also built the National Theater of Nice, the Modern and Contemporary Art Museum of Nice, along with the Palace of Congresses and Exhibition Center of Nice (basically the city’s Convention Center) and a number of other open parks to explore and exercise in.
The Port of Nice
The Port of Nice might be on the smaller side, but it has been the city’s port since the mid 18th century. It is located on the eastern side of the city, on the other side of Castle Hill Park. From the park there are nice overhead views of the port, but it is nice to view the port up close and see all the boats, yachts, ships and other water vessels next to very colorful buildings.
Visiting Neighboring Cannes
There are many neighboring cities and small villages to visit that are close to Nice and very easy to visit as they are accessible by using public transportation. The city of Cannes is a great city to visit along the French Riviera as well. It’s just a short train or bus ride away from Nice. Take a look at the 15 places to visit on a walking tour of Cannes.
Treasures of Traveling in Nice
There are many treasures of traveling to visit in the city of Nice, along the French Riviera from the open air markets, the Old Town, the beaches and Castle Hill Park. Cannes has many things to offer any tourist and is filled with a few of the interesting treasures that France has to offer. There are many other wonderful French cities to discover along the Mediterranean coastline like Cannes that you also don’t want to miss while exploring the French Riviera.
Check out the map below to see where Nice is located!
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