mike

going to nice this summer. any feedback on how the beaches are? residents are pleasent?etc.
thanks

Christina

The beaches are terrible, there is no sand, they are rocks. The residents are very nice (ha, ha). Seriously, it's not a touchy-feely place, rather staid and conservative, but I didn't deal with the residents that much as a tourist. There are some great jazz clubs down in the old quarter where you can end up dancing on the tables late at night. I guess waiters/service people etc were pleasant enough, I don't recall any problems. Strong Italian feel, especially the cuisine--only place in France I've found that makes a decent pizza.

lisa

We did not much care for the beaches in Nice. They were all pebbles, stones, and rocks, not sand, and wall-to-wall bodies, very crowded. You can find better beaches in other nearby towns.

Didn't have any remarkable experiences with the residents one way or the other; on the "friendliness meter" I would rate them right in the middle.

Thyra

Christina, with all due respect, I didn't have that impression at all of Nice's Beaches. When you say rocks, I am assuming you mean larger then normal grains of sand, not huge volcanic rocks such as you would find in say, Big Sur, when we were there, a lot of people were laying out on the beaches which we thought were nice, and there was a pleasant promenade to stroll along. As for the locals, they seemed fine to us, not as outgoing as maybe they can be in other places, but pleasant. I will second the vote about the pizza, they have some great pizza places in town.

Ohlala

Nice is really nice when the ladies are sunning topless on the beach showing off their nice hooters.

adrienne

Thyra,

When Christina says “rocks” she means rocks. Not sand. The rocks are relatively flat on top and about 3 inches by 4 inches, oval shaped, and bleached from the sun. They’re clean, but they are hard rocks. When I was poor and traveling and couldn’t afford to buy souvenirs I picked up some rocks from the beach in Nice as a souvenir and still have them (along with some rocks from Brighton Beach).

Art

Yes the beach are all rocks and also in the water. Buy or take some filp/flops to wear on the beach and in the water. It's been a long time but the water was clear, blue and warm when I was there. Enjoy your trip. Let us know if there are still turkish toilets there in your trop report.
Art

Lisa

I was there (in Nice)this past July; the beach has NO sand, AT ALL! It is made of ROCKS! I have a collection of small glass bottles (all different styles), with a small amount of sand from every beach I've been to( plus, sand from the 18th hole of the Ryder Cup Tournament, held in Rochester, NY about 5/6 years ago). "Sand" from Nice was hard to get (had to dig down a bit, at the waters edge, for the smaller "rocks" that would fit in my little bottle). The next day we went to Monaco...let's just say this: THAT bottle is still empty!

As for the residents: They were very helpful trying to help me find my hotel when I got lost...one woman was excitedly waving her baguette in the air while grabbing me by the arm and pulling me down the street, trying to get me to understand my hotel was right around the corner! I am still trying to live that one down! My friend had left me to shop only 5 blocks from the hotel, we were to meet in one hour to check out. I found what I wanted to buy in fifteen minutes, but I was half an hour late (cuzz I got lost, remember?), and found him double parked in the street, standing outside the car, hands on his hips, scanning the horizon for me...looking very worried and a bit ticked off. At least THAT event got him to shut up about when I lost the toll ticket in Spain a few days earlier! Yep, apparently I am a real treat to travel with...my friend says he's developed a facial twitch cuzz of that trip! lol

Randall Smith

Bonjour,

My wife and I have been to Nice 3 or 4 times and love it. It is also a great airport to fly into if you are planning on spending time in the South of France. The old town is wonderful, quant old streets and buildings. There is definitely an Italian influence in the food and archetecture.

Since we don't go to France to lay around on the beaches we didn't mind the large smooth stones. If you want sandy beaches try Cannes or better yet Cassis or Bandol.

Good luck and enjoy Nice. Try to get away from the coast and visit some of the perched midieval villages such as St. Paul de Vence, Gordons, etc.

Ciao,

Randall Smith

Carol

Hi Mike,

I agree with Randall Smith, Nice is a delightful small city with a great old town, several terrific museums, good shopping and an excellent location as a base for visiting the towns along the Cote d'Azur. But--it is not really a beach resort like Cannes, St. Tropez. BTW, no-one has mentioned that people don't generally sit directly on the rocky beaches, they rent beach chaises.

Kristin

One town over, Antibes, has sandy beaches. I believe they brought the sand in, but, in any case, we liked it alot! Kind of spoiled I guess by the sandy Lake Michigan beaches near home.

Sue

Randall,
Since you have been to Nice a few times, do you have any suggestions for hotels (preferably not 4-star).

Mary

Mike,

We usually go to Nice in January, although we have been there in the summer. Traffic is terrible! And the beaches are very rocky. We usually stay at the Hotel Gounod, a three star hotel owned and operated by the Hotel Splendid, next door.

The nearby town of Menton has nice beaches, but I guess it would be very busy as well.

Hope this helps.

Joe

The Cours Saleya in Nice is the most spectacular outdoor food and flower market that we've found in Europe. Well worth a visit.