Nice has more genuine Belle Époque grandeur than any resort town on the Riviera, plus a working old town (Vieux Nice) that keeps it from feeling like a museum piece. It's also the practical base for exploring the coast, from Monaco's casinos to the hill villages behind Antibes.
The Promenade and Vieux Nice
The Promenade des Anglais, Nice's palm-lined seafront, is best walked at either end of the day, early morning for the light on the Baie des Anges, or dusk when the Belle Époque hotels along it start to glow.
Vieux Nice, the old town behind the promenade, has a daily market at Cours Saleya selling Provençal produce, flowers, and socca (the local chickpea flatbread), arrive hungry and eat standing at the stall, the correct way to have it.
Day Trips Along the Coast
The train along the coast to Monaco takes about twenty minutes and passes some of the most expensive real estate in Europe, worth doing even just to see the casino at Monte Carlo and the palace changing of the guard.
Èze, a medieval village perched on a clifftop between Nice and Monaco, is reachable by bus and offers one of the Riviera's best views from its hilltop botanical garden, looking straight down to the Mediterranean.
Recommended Stay · Nice · Promenade des Anglais
Hotel Negresco
A pink-domed Belle Époque landmark directly on the Promenade des Anglais, with an art collection worth touring on its own, the single most recognisable hotel silhouette on the Riviera.
