Suggestions for Nice
 

I am travelling to Nice and would like to know some general information on that city. <BR>If anyone has any suggestions, please let me know.

I spent a week in Nice this past September, staying at the Hotel West End (Best Western) on Promenade des Anglaises with an oceanfront room overlooking the Med. This is the prime tourist stip, accessible to everything tourists expect to see or do, but at the same time it is accessible to the other Nice, the one occupied by local residents. If you have time you must sample both sides of Nice. The other side of Nice is easily accessed -- you simply walk 6 blocks back from the Mediterranean and you are in local neighbourhoods with local markets, bars and restaurants. The further back in you walk the more local the character, the more reasonable the price. I do not know if you are planning to have a rental car, but my advice, if you have contemplated it is not to, unless you need it for a very specific purpose after which you will return it. I say this for the following reasons: traffic in the city is incredibly heavy, all day and well into the evening. The only day when traffic is reduced on the Promenade is Sundays when traffic beyond a certain point is not allowed and bicyclists and walkers and skatboarders use the Promenade to strut their stuff. This idyllic world lasts till noon then the cars return. Worst traffic, most noise -- you almost wish you did not have an oceanfront room, is Saturday night when the cars are bumper to bumper and the noise intense till dawn. But it is also fun to observe -- dozens of wedding parties, dozens of parties for the sake of party. Parking in Nice is horrendous. You cannot park on the streets -- not enough room and you need a local resident permit to park, so you must use the parking garages. The parking spots in these garages are approximately 6 inches wider and longer than the car you are driving and everything has pillars and posts in inopportune places. If you park more than 2 hours you will find you have paid the day rate -- about $20 US a day, and more in some garages. Better you should use local taxis or the local bus service -- I used this to go to the Matisse museum at the back of Nice after being persuaded that it was too much of a hassle to get there in my rental car. Cost to go and return, about $3. It is also easier to access local tourist sites, from Monaco to St Paul de Vence to Grasse to Cannes, Mougins etc. by local bus. If you enquire at the tourist bureau on Promenade des Anglaises they will provide you with a bus schedule. Alternatively there are a number of day tours you can do that looked to be good value for the money. As I had a rental car and am familiar with this part of France having been there a few times before, I drove, but on a couple of occasions the taffic jams were so horrendous that it took me literally hours, and a tankful of gas to get where I was going. With gas prices some of the highest in Europe (my rental car was an $80 fill up (my Cdn. dollar does not go as far as the US dollar) you do not need to be sitting in traffic on a steaming hot day inching towards your destination. In terms of restaurants, there are dozens of wonderful local restaurants to enjoy and I did my best to sample a goodly assortment of them during my stay. I was not looking for awarded restaurants but rather those that provided excellent quality food inventively prepared and cleverly presented. A walk through the city past the restaurants that fill each block will give you a flavour of what is on offer. I was disappointed only once in selecting a restaurant strictly at random. You will find it hard to go wrong if you do the walk past test as I do every time I travel. If you have specific questions, don't hesitate to e-mail me and I'll do my best to help. <BR> <BR>Lanny

Geoff, <BR> <BR>The town of Nice has several good art museums. Old Town Nice is good. Depending on what time of year your going the beach is there. Of course there is alot of day trips from Nice that are good. St Paul de Vance is a really neat walled in city. So is Eze. Monte Carlo is about a half hour train trip from Nice. The Italian border is fairly close also. <BR> <BR>Have fun!

Geoff-our family spent a week there last spring. I would echo the statement about not renting a car. The buses go everywhere(there are three main lines,station right in the middle of town. We took one to Monaco,another to St. Paul,etc.) The train provides excellemt transportation to both Cannes and all the way to the Italian border. Please make a stop in Menton which is the last city before the border-famous English retirement community. We would highly recommend the Oceanographic Museum in Monaco,The unusual Russian orthodox church in Nice(best I have ever seen out Russia) and our favorite wood baked oven pizza at the Tavern Massena! We stayed at the Sofitel which is 3/4 blocks in from the sea and in a a more local type setting.E-mail if you want more info. <BR>

Hi! My favorite thing in Nice was the rose garden attached to the Monastary (sp? place where the Monks live :) )right next to the Matisse Museum. Go through the park to the other side, and you'll see it. The building isn't spectacular, but the rose garden is fantastic. There's even a lookout over the ocean, and when I was there a wedding was getting ready to happen, and I got to see all the wedding party practicing and all the guests arriving. It was truly beautiful! Also, the beach is rocky, not sandy, but still nice. Overall, it reminded me of Florida a lot. <BR>

Be sure to visit the market in the old town (I think it's on Saturday) - food selection is wonderful

A hidden treasure in Nice is the Cours Saleya, the flower market. The spice and flower stalls are like something from an Arabian Nights tale, and there are other dealers as well. It's aimed at the locals, so it's easy to find inexpensive souvenirs. The socca vendors sell a snack food - - sort of a chickpea pizza - - that's unique to the area. The market is a little hard to find because it's sheltered by an arcade of buildings, but it's easy to get to once you locate it on a map or guide book so you can spend a short time or linger and explore. It's located just behind the beach on the Promenade des Anglaises(?).