4 Days in Nice, what not to miss
 

I will have 4 days in Nice this summer and want to spend my time wisely. I will be spending one of my days in Monaco, but what should I do for the other three days. I have never been to Nice before and the chance just came up and I don't know much about it. I will spend some time at the beach but thats all I know.
Thanks

you have the Chagall museum, Musée Matisse and the little known(I love him) the Peynet Museum devoted to this sort of a Chagall romantic comic type artist famous for his "lovers"other French comic illustrators are also on exhibit.

Be sure and go to the market and eat some socca!

What is socca--an I thinking a chick pea crepe?

If you like modern art, Nice has a good comtemporary art museum,(if the walkway is open on the top floor, the views are terrific) and Renior's house and studio and some of his art are nearby, as well as a Picasso Museum in Antibes.

There's so much to see in the area. Since it's impossible to see it all, it really depends on your tastes. I too always wanted to see Monaco & when I finally got there (on my 3rd trip to the area) I had to agree with others that it's just "nice."

If you like gardens, the Villa Ephrussi in nearby Cap Ferrat is quite something. They have a website so have a look & see if it interests you.

There's a Picasso museum in Antibes.

A visit to one of the medieval walled villages gives a very different view of the area. Eze is not far from Nice. St Paul de Vence is a bit further west.

socca is fried chickpeas, the dish of nice, and very inexpensive.

We enjoyed the Maeght Museum near St Paul de Vence. I think you can take a bus from Nice...Mary

Eze, Eze, Eze!!! It's very closeby (and someone else posted that you can take a bus/train) and gorgeous! It's a small village that goes uphill through winding paths - at the top is a Jardin Exotique that costs 3 euros to enter - and worth every penny - not so much for the gardens, but for the VIEWS! It's truly breathtaking. It was our favorite part of the trip.

Others on here seem to downplay Monaco. Personally, we loved it. There is easily enough to do for a day trip. The casino alone could fill a day if you don't have kids with you! The gardens and fountains outside the casino are just beautiful. There are cute shops to check out, and of course people-watching is great here! We didn't make it to Prince Rainier's palace, but I've heard the changing of the guard ceremony at 11:55am is neat to watch.

If you are in Nice on a Monday, go to Cours Saleya. It's an antiques market on Mondays, and there is some very cool stuff there. I don't know anything about antiques, and I still had fun looking around. It's right on the water, basically.

Have fun!!!

Mount Boron has a spectacular view of the beach area, and the cemetary at the top is interesting. There are ruins of a Roman bath and a small museum at the top in Cimiez as well. The beach itself is rocks, not sand. The Promenade Anglais, which follows the beach for miles, is one of the best places in the world to just relax and people watch. There are many, many excellent museums. The Nice Observatory was designed by Gustave Eiffel.

Try to have lunch or dinner at the lovely La Columbe d'Or In St. Paul de Vence. The food is heavenly, as is the view from the garden terrace! After lunch, you can tour the old house which is full of paintings by Picasso and others, all done in exchange for room and board long ago.

For a wonderful wood oven pizza or chicken-go to Taverna Massena on the street of Massena(closed off shopping area)!The Chagall Museum and the Russian church were interesting (as they had alot of the Romanov types there looking for sun/fun).The Russian Church is something you usually do not see outside of the Soviet Union.I love the shopping in Old Nice area and the various little places to stop for something to drink.Do yourself a favor and go to the Monaco Aquarium up on the stone hilltop for a morning or afternoon with lunch on the rooftop overlooking the Monaco harbor with the yachts. Jacques Cousteau and Prince Ranier's grandfather and father started this aquarium many years ago and it is quite interesting-one of our favorites!

WOW, Thanks for all the replies! I'm sure their are tons of great Museums in Nice, however I think things outdoor would be better. Walking through the city to eat the socca sounds great, and the trip to Eze sounds awesome. I will definetly do both. And since it will be a long time until I return, I will have to see Monaco!

What is the best part of the City? I heard Nice has a cool Vieille Ville!
Anyone have any other ideas?

I agree with dutyfree about the pizza at Piazza Massena (the other dishes looked great too). Very inexpensive and delicious. We liked them so much we got one to go for lunch the next day. (We were staying in a time-share, so had a 'frig).

The Cours Saleya morning market in the "vieille ville" area..the Matisse Museum...take a walk up the petite montagne, the Chateau, stroll along the Boulevard Des Anglais, there is so much to see and do in vibrant, bustling Nice.

Perhaps one of your days, you could take a bus ride from the Place Massena bus terminal up the mountain to the town of 'La Turbie'. It is located high in the hills above Nice and overlooks the French Riviera with wonderful coastline views all the way to the Italian border. Dante stopped in this town in the 1400s as did Napoleon in the 1800s. It is a charming, quiet, quaint town with little shops, restaurants and quiet streets. Its claim to fame is the huge Roman arch (trophy=turbie) built by Caesar's legions to commemorate the victories over the Gauls and neighboring Italian tribes. It marked the boundary between Gaul (France) and Italy and is a commanding monument high upon the hill. Truly awesome!

The Cours Saleya morning market in the "vieille ville" area..the Matisse Museum...take a walk up the petite montagne, the Chateau, stroll along the Boulevard Des Anglais, there is so much to see and do in vibrant, bustling Nice.

Perhaps one of your days, you could take a bus ride (from the Place Massena bus terminal) up the mountain to the town of 'La Turbie'. It is located about 35 minutes away, high in the hills above Nice and overlooks the French Riviera with wonderful coastline views all the way to the Italian border. Dante stopped in this town in the 1400s as did Napoleon in the 1800s. It is a charming, quiet, quaint town with little shops, restaurants and quiet streets. Its claim to fame is the huge Roman trophy monument (trophy=turbie) built by Caesar's legions to commemorate the victories over the Gauls and neighboring Italian tribes. It marked the boundary between Gaul (France) and Italy and is an imposing site high upon the hill. Truly awesome!

Ok all those places sound awesome!! Anyone else have any other ideas?

I don't think I have many new suggestions above those already given, but having lived in the south of France for a while these are my 'unmissables' for a four day trip.

-Eze, for stunning views and the beautiful old village. There are a number of other villages perches to visit if you'll have a car, but if not then Eze gives you the general idea of what they're like.
-The Picasso museum in Antibes. I found this much more impressive than the Matisse one in Nice.
-The modern art museum in Nice (if you like modern art).
-The old town and market.
-Sephora if you're female - fantastic shop for makeup etc, next to Galeries Lafayette.
-Monaco and Monte Carlo.
-The little tourist train which goes from the promenade in Nice. Good for when you first arrive to get an introduction to the place, both in terms of orientating yourself and from the commentary. It also takes you up to the top of the hill so you don't have to bother walking up later!

The beach in Nice is stones rather than sand - going to a sandy one further along the coast (e.g. Cannes) may be preferable if you're going to be sunbathing.

ok great thanks!! I might try Cannes just to see the difference!!

i do not see it mentioned here but one site that we really enjoyed was the russian church which is in the direction of the airport...we thought it just lovely...

don't waste your time or money on the inside of the prince's palace in monaco....the outside and its setting is lovely however and the area in back offers good shopping and restaurants...there is a lovely little park which hugs the edge of the cliff going away from the palace on the right...
if you are diriving there is a huge parking garage under the palace section of town with elevators up to the top level....you enter at sea level...just keep going down...