Nice – Great Things To Do In Nice, France
Nice, named after the Greek word, Nike (victory,) has been a temperate, seaside playground since the time of the Greeks. The center of France’s “Cote d’Azur,” (azure coast,) Nice is the largest city between Marseilles and Genoa. If you are lucky enough to find yourself in Nice along the Mediterranean coast of France, there are a variety of things to see and do in this delightful climate.
-The Beach. It’s glamorous and chic. Stretching over ten miles from the port to the airport, the beach (plage in French) at Nice is made of small, smooth stones. The major hotels along this strip have beach pavilions with shore-side drink service and small cafes. There is usually a charge for a chaise, but the experience is well worth it.
-The Promenade des Anglais. Much loved by locals and visitors alike, the palm-tree-lined Promenade des Anglais (English promenade) stretches for several miles along the Mediterranean shore. Named after a 19th century English visitor, Lewis Way, who financed the construction of the two-meter wide path, the promenade is popular with roller-bladers, skateboarders, dog-owners, and those just out for a leisurely stroll. Along the promenade are the Ruhl Casino; the fabulous, art deco Negresco Hotel; and the Musee Massena a neo-classical mansion devoted to decorative arts (see more on the museum below.) Best of all, there is no charge to enjoy the breathtaking sea views. The promenade is lined with delightful, seaside restaurants and boasts some of the best street food around – fresh crepes, fruit drinks, and pan bagna sandwiches, a kind of nicoise salad on a bun.
-A Day-Trip to the Principality of Monaco. The former home of Princess Grace and the ancestral home of the ruling Grimaldi family, Monaco is just fifteen minutes outside of Nice by train or car. Everything about Monaco screams luxury. The casino there is a “belle-epoque” masterpiece with gilt ceilings, sweeping staircases, and dripping, crystal chandeliers. This is not “Vegas.” There is a strict formality to the casino here as well as a dress code. Roulette is the game of choice here, although slot machines and blackjack (called vingt-et-un here) are also played.
-The Old town. The old town of Nice is located in the center of town, just up from the port. This area is a maze of narrow streets, italianate facades, and terra cotta tile. The area is teaming with activity. Here are the less expensive, ethnic restaurants of Nice. Try a pissaladiere, the nicoise, onion and black olive pizza. Located within the old town is the pedestrian zone, lined with cafes, bookstores, clothing stores, and food shops. Pause a minute to enjoy the street entertainers who people the zone.
-The Lavender Fields and Perfume Manufacturers of Grasse. Violets, roses, jasmine, and most notably lavender, are grown here for the French perfume industry. Rows of lavender plants in full bloom basking in the sun evokes the feel of an impressionist painting. They also produce a light, lavender perfume in Grasse. Many of the manufacturers are open to visitors. There is even a perfume history museum there. This is worth the trip just for the natural beauty.
-The Matisse Museum. The sunny, bold colors of the Riviera are visible throughout the work of Henri Matisse. The Mediterranean Sea sparkles through open windows in many of his paintings. This comprehensive museum showcases his vast body of paintings, sculptures, engravings, drawings, and paper cutouts from his early efforts to those of his later years. Opened in 1963, the Matisse Museum’s core collection was donated by the artist himself to the city of Nice, where he lived from 1918 to 1954. Located on Cimiez Hill, the museum also features some of Matisse’s own household items and the artwork of his many artist friends. A gift shop sells Matisse prints.
-The Port. The Port of Nice in the center of town is home to delicious seafood restaurants, trendy dance clubs, and sweeping water views. This is a major working port, second only to Marseilles along France’s Mediterranean coast. Sit at a café table along the wharf and watch the bustling activity as ships are loaded and unloaded. This is also a major ferry port with boats departing for St. Tropez, Corsica, and beyond.
-Get Out of town. Nice is centrally located along the Riviera coast. Just a short drive or train ride away are Cannes, home of the famous film festival and a beautiful, sand beach; Beaulieu-sur-Mer, a chic beach-side community with a small casino, relaxed atmosphere, and breathtaking views; Antibes, another thriving beach town and home of the Picasso Museum; and Villefranche-sur-Mer, Nice’s nearest neighbor to the east, a lovely Provencal shipping village with traditional, narrow streets and taupe stucco architecture. For a day-trip, take the ferry to St. Tropez, that playground of the rich and famous, and stroll along the rows of million-dollar yachts.
-Other Museums. Many artists have been inspired by the Mediterranean coast and temperate Provencal climate. Picasso, Monet, Sisley, Dufy, and Degas have all left a body of work depicting this area of the south of France. Many fine examples are housed in the Musee des Beaux-Arts (the fine arts Museum) in Nice. This 19th century italianate mansion – worthy of a visit itself – houses a large collection of Dufy paintings as well as works by Boudin, Sisley, and Degas. There is a lively exhibit of belle-epoque commercial poster art as well.
Also atop Cimiez Hill is the Marc Chagall museum. Exiled from Russia, Chagall became a French citizen in 1937. The museum in Nice is devoted to his biblical themes. The paintings, lithographs, engravings, and stained-glass windows displayed here were a gift from the artist. The bold colors and abstract designs positively jump from the walls.
Also worth a visit is The Massena Art and history Museum (mentioned above) on the Promenade des Anglais. This mansion houses a large collection of decorative arts representative of the Nice-Piedmont region: furniture, faience ware, jewelry, and ceramics.
-The St Pierre Chapel in Villefranche-sur-Mer. The Chapel St-Pierre in nearby Villefranche-sur-Mer (just five miles east of Nice) is breathtaking in its simplicity. The stone walls of this romanesque, 14th century chapel are covered with frescos by artist, author, and film maker, Jean Cocteau as a tribute to the fisherman of Villefranche. His designs are soft, circular, and moving. No longer used for regular services, this small chapel is a wonderful place to stop for a moment and reflect.
-The Flower Market. Nice’s flower market is colorful, bustling, and inviting. Located in the old town, this daily market boasts fresh produce as well as a myriad of exotic and affordable flowers: violets, jonquils, birds of paradise. On Mondays, the market switches to a flea and antiques market. (also fun.)
Categories: Cannes Shopping Tags: france, great, nice, Things
Great Things To Do in South of France
Things To Do in The Var Region in France
The Var has an ever-changing landscape, from beautiful coastline with pastel-coloured villas to fertile plains of vineyards and olive groves or spectacular gorges and lakes or rugged back country with old medieval villages perched on hillsides.
The Var has 430km of coastline with many beautiful beaches and bays. One of the most beautiful bays of the Riviera has to be the Golf of St Tropez with its very famous village of the same name.
Ste Maxime is situated on the other side of the bay at the beginning of a spectacular coast road leading to Fréjus with its Roman ruins and the seaside resort of St Raphaël.
Just inland are the villages of Gassin, an ancient fortified village, Ramatuelle, a typical Provençal village and Grimaud with its feudal castle.
Beyond these villages are the Maures Mountains, rich in cork oaks and chestnut trees. The Maures are dotted with traditional villages such as La Garde Freinet, Plan de la Tour and Le Luc.
The Argens Valley runs along the centre of the Var with several Provençal villages, each with its own charm. The medieval village of Les Arcs, Brignoles with the Palace of the Counts of Provence, Draguignan with its war cemetery and interesting museum of Provençal trades and customs, Taradeau, renowned for its excellent rosé wine, and Lorgues with one of the longest avenues of plane trees in Provence.
The Upper Var region has many picturesque villages worthy of a visit. Here, the pace of life is slower and gentler than on the coast and theway of life has unchanged little over the years.
Tourtour, nicknamed’ the village in the sky’, Cotignac, home to many artists, Salernes, capital of hand-made tiles and further east to the hilltop villages of the Fayence region. Fayence is Europe’s largest gliding centre, Montauroux, Mons, Seillans, Bargemon, Claviers and Callas have all preserved their former charm and have a rich cultural and historical heritage.
Things To Do in Alpes Maritimes Region in France
The Alpes-Maritimes has had a turbulent history, with Nice belonging to Italy until 1860. Although it is renowned for its stunning coastline, 80% of the department is mountainous, offering great skiing in the winter, yet only an hour’s drive from the Mediterranean. The landscape changes radically from the coast with turn-of-the-century mansions and luxury villas to craggy peaks and winding roads.
Nice, the capital, is a bustling city with quaint old quarters and a delightful flower market and is set in the beautiful ‘Baie des Anges’ which you can view strolling along the ‘Promenade des Anglais’.
Menton, on the Italian border, is famous for the Lemon Festival, Eze is perched on a hillside with wonderful views of the Mediterranean, Biot and Vallauris are known for their pottery and glasswork, Antibes has its own harbour and hosts the Picasso museum.
Nearby is the Cap d’Antibes with its sumptuous properties and panoramic sea views.
Cannes became known to the English aristocracy during the mid 19th century as a popular holiday resort and has remained so ever since. Away from the coast, the old village of Mougins sits on a hilltop with splendid sea and countryside views.
Valbonne has a pretty main square with 17th century arcades, Sophia Antipolis is a modern technological and industrial centre, Grasse is the capital of perfume-making and is a picturesque town.
Nearby is the Loup Valley where the gorges rank among the most beautiful natural sights of Haute-Provence.
Tourrettes-sur-Loup is a fortified village with sweeping views down to the sea, St Paul-de-Vence is famed for its art galleries and medieval appearance of cobbled streets and ancient ramparts.
Further inland lie the ski resorts of Isola 2000, Valberg and Foux d’Allos.
Things To Do in The Provence Region in France
Provence has long been popular with all nationalities as a place to live or holiday in and one of its major attractions is the climate. Summers are hot, but spring and autumn are very pleasant with warm evenings. Even winter often offers the chance to have lunch on the terrace.
It is a land of contrasting landscapes, from its azur-blue sea and sandy beaches, to lavender fields, olive groves and vineyards, or ski resorts in the Southern Alps.
The Provençal cuisine is legendary, and the Côtes de Provence wines are light and abundant.
It hosts a range of sporting and cultural events, from the Grand Prix of Monaco and the Voiles de St Tropez to the internationally-acclaimed Cannes Film Festival and Nice Carnival to local village fêtes and jazz concerts.
Categories: Cannes History Tags: france, great, South, Things
AntiChrist: Lars Von Trier stirs things up in Cannes 2009
Panel on the movie “AntiChrist” with director Von Trier and actors Willem Dafoe and Charlotte Gainsbourg, in Cannes festival 2009
Mediterranean Island Holiday: Things to Do
Wine and dine on the healthy Mediterranean cuisine, sun yourself and get a tan on the beaches of Côte d’Azur on the Riviera or on the sandy shores of Cannes, experience a bit of water sports in Corsica, be a beach bum in Croatia, scuba dive a shipwreck in Malta, or simply tour the Mediterranean island holiday destinations such as Sardinia, Sicily, Capri, Greece, Ibiza, and Corsica with the golden sand.
Greece is known as the cradle of the old civilization in the western world. Temple ruins are exciting sites to tour. Sicily boasts cobalt beaches as well as an interesting archeological site. Malta is one of the few English speaking areas around here. Mallorca and its coves are a favorite family destination. The beaches here are clean and well managed. Sardinia is the best for swimming. St Tropez on the French Riviera is a chic place to go, while Ses Salines in the island of Ibiza can cap off your day with a wonderful sunset. Here the sun goes down in accompaniment to jazz.
Aside from these regular holiday offerings, the Mediterranean is replete with history, mythology, and culture. Experience the Grecian, Roman, Byzantine, and Arabian cultures, all of whom fought for supremacy in this region. Nowadays, the contest is about who has the best beaches and the best sites for tourists and visitors.
All these experiences are accessible via ferry boat. Thanks to a booming tourist industry, ample sea ferry companies now ply this route. Online inquiries and bookings are possible. A holiday route can be mapped out in advance, complete with timetables, schedules, rates, and things to expect. Some of the more popular routes go the Corsica-Sardinia-Riviera way, the Greece-Italy-Albania-Croatia-Cyprus way, the Baleares-Morroco-Gibraltar way, and the Malta-Sicily way. Good hotels and other accommodations are not a problem around these popular vacation spots. It is also possible to go on guided tours. This way, knowledgeable guides can take you around. For a fee, you will be spared the language confusion and the aimless wanderings.
Things to do before the planned Mediterranean ferry boat island holiday are to get all the information about the places in the Mediterranean, arrange all the necessary bookings and accommodations, work on your visa and passport papers, get proper luggage for a week o two of island hopping, brush up on your French, Spanish, and Italian; stock up on sunscreen lotion, get your sea legs up and working, and enjoy yourself.
Categories: Apartments In Cannes Tags: Holiday, island, Mediterranean, Things
Best things to do in Rome, Naples, Dubrovnik (Croatia), Venice, Messina, Barcelona, Cannes, and Florence?? :-)
My fiance and I are going on a Mediterranean cruise for our honeymoon (June 2008), and since we only get to spend a very short amount of time in each location, we want to make sure we spend out time in the best way possible! We’re both really into history, architecture, science, nature, animals, wine… We’re also both in the medical field, so anything that combines any of that stuff or you think we might find interesting, please let us know!! Even good places to eat, and I’d like to buy artwork in each place we stop to hang in our new home, so advice on that too if you have it! Also, does anyone know what the deal is with buying wine and bringing it back to the US? I mean, we will be spending a lot of time in Italy… Here’s our itinerary:
Rome, Italy (depart)
Naples, Italy (11 hours)
Dubrovnik, Croatia (12 hours)
Venice, Italy (overnight; 27hrs)
Messina, Italy (10 hrs)
Barcelona, Spain (10hrs)
Cannes, France (11hrs)
Florence, Italy (12hrs)
Rome (2 days)
Thanks!!
Wow thanks mareeclara! Pompeii is a place I’ve read a lot about and it never even occurred to me that we were going to be right there. We will definitely be visiting, I already found some sites that offer day trips from Naples. I can’t wait! All of the info you gave is fantastic, thank you so much!