Nice

Nice (pronounced like the English word "niece") is a large city in France on the French Riviera. It's a popular destination for vacationers young and old, with something to offer nearly everyone. It is well known for the beautiful view on the Promenade des Anglais, its famous waterfront, and is an ethnically diverse port city. In 2021 the waterfront and a considerable part of the city were listed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Understand
Nice's origins can be found among the Gallo-Roman ruins of Cimiez, in the hills up the boulevard de Cimiez from downtown. Cimiez also contains a monastery and some museums, but nowadays, most of the city's inhabitants live closer to sea level. Nice was part of the Italian Duchy of Savoia and then the Kingdom of Sardinia until it was ceded to France in 1860. The ancient local language is Nissart, and some of the street signs are bilingual. However very few people speak Nissart, and even the elderly know and speak French. Don't assume everyone you encounter will speak English &mdash; an effort at French will always be appreciated.

Climate
Nice has a Mediterranean climate with mild winters and warm summers. Due to the movements of the winds, the winter months are generally characterized by chilly, sunny days alternating with periods of milder, cloudy weather. Compared to other Mediterranean climates in the area such as Marseille or Genoa, Nice’s spring features quite a slow warm-up, and there can still be winter-like temperatures well into April. Summer is warm, dry and sunny, assuring beach weather on most days. The autumn months have very distinct temperatures, with September staying generally warm, October being variable, and November presenting a mix of mild and cool weather.

Local information

 * Nice City Council website

By plane


Most airlines use Terminal 1 (the older terminal) while Terminal 2 is used primarily by Air France (and partners) and Easyjet. The new tram connects Terminal 2, Terminal 1 and the Grand Arénas interchange (where the relocated regional train station Nice St-Augustin is located) for free. There is also a frequent free shuttle bus between the terminals.


 * Airport to Nice
 * A tramway is now the primary option between the city and the airport. Tram line 2 serves the Nice Côte d'Azur Airport (Terminal 1 and Terminal 2) and connects the city centre at "Jean Médecin" station. A tram carriage goes to the airport every 8 minutes on weekdays. The tram can be used with a regular €1.70/74 min ticket with interchange into local buses. Do not forget to validate your ticket, which can be bought with contactless credit card or coins from black vending machines directly at both tram stops. You can also buy tickets using a mobile app if your phone supports NFC.
 * Regular bus 12 – Alternatively the local bus service 12 connects the airport to the old town via the seafront "Promenade des Anglais", costing €1.70, and running between 05:30 and 21:00. The bus stop is on the main road outside Terminal 1, and called . Outbound, the stop is on the opposite side of this busy highway, use the underpass to reach the Terminal. To reach to the main railway station (Gare Nice Ville), it takes about 30 min by bus and then 500 m by foot from the bus-stop "Thiers/Gambetta".
 * Trains – Convenient for some destinations, there is also a small  regional train station close to the airport (Nice St Augustin) where you can pick up a TER train one stop eastward to Nice, Monaco and all stations to the Italian border at Ventimiglia, or west back to Antibes and Cannes. The station can be reached by foot (approx. 400 m straight ahead from T1, towards the Sheraton hotel) via underpasses - it is situated directly at the Grand Arénas tram stop. The blue ticket vending machines at the station are complicated to use due to their "wheel" mechanism, however they do accept contactless Visa and Mastercard credit and debit cards.
 * Taxis – are known for ripping off tourists but there is a ride share pick up zone which is easy to find. An Uber or Bolt to the centre of Nice costs around €20.

Some hotels offer shuttle buses from the airport, enquire with your hotel before or upon arrival.

If there is no transportation running, it's reassuring to know that it is quite possible to walk the 6 km to town or vice versa to airport, in a little over an hour, though the area around the airport is Nice's red light district, and the walkway's first kilometre is a cycleway. This may be a useful in the current social discontent in France, where manifestations (demonstrations) and grèves (strikes) frequently affect public transport. It is prudent to check the local newspaper (Nice Matin), where you will usually receive advance warning of potential problems.

By train

 * Domestic
 * Nice is connected to the rest of France via the SNCF train network. A direct TGV train from Paris to Nice takes about 5½ hours, the part between Marseille and Nice (2 hr 40 min) not being on high-speed tracks. The fares for an adult in second class range from about €19 to €180, depending on how far in advance you bought your ticket and the time of the year in which you are travelling. On TGVs a reservation is obligatory. The train arrives in Nice at the Nice-Ville station. Additionally, from March 2021 the classic overnight train from Paris will again be running.
 * Nice is also connected frequently via rail to other cities and towns in the French Riviera, including Cannes (30 min, €7.20), Monaco and Menton.


 * International
 * Regional trains in France and Italy terminate at Ventimiglia, a transfer at Ventimiglia station is needed to cross the border. The former Intercity/Eurocity trains (partially branded as Thello) have been discontinued without replacement.


 * Stations

By car
The A8 autoroute is the easiest way to access Nice either from the west (Cannes, Aix-en-Provence) or from Italy. From the west take exit 50 and follow the signs for the Promenade des Anglais which takes you into Nice and is a lovely drive along the coast. Coming from the east take exit 55 and follow the signs for 'Nice centre'.

Approaching the city from the east, the three 'Corniches' ('Basse', 'Moyenne' and 'Grande') offer a wonderful panoramic route from Menton to Nice. The 'Grande Corniche' is the highest one; it goes up to more than 500 m on the sea level in La Turbie.

By bus

 * Marseille – Zou Buses leave from Marseille Saint-Charles at 05:58, 06:58, 07:58, 09:58, 11:58, 13:58, 16:56, and 18:58, often daily. They take about 3 hr and cost €33. There are additional connection directly to Nice airport and Gare Routière Vauban via Aix-en-Provence.

Other long distance buses connect Nice with other major European cities. Flixbus connects Nice with Marseille, Toulon and Aix-en-Provence at a reasonable price and acceptable 3-hour journey time via the motorways.

By boat
Nice is right along the coast, so you should be able to find your way easily no matter if you run on diesel or let the wind help you. However, remember to contact the local port before arrival to reserve a place for your boat. Otherwise there will most likely be no room for you.

Nearby Monaco is a major cruise port.

By bus and tram
Each main town on the French Riviera has its own local bus network, for Nice it is Lignes d'Azur (Antibes has Envibus, Cannes has Bus Azur, and so on), and the 100 or more Lignes d'Azur routes are the main form of urban transport for locals going to work or school. Of more interest to tourists, an inter-urban network, Zou! connects all the Eastern Riviera towns between Cannes and Menton and all the main villages like Èze and Vence. Its terminal is at 16 Avenue des Diables Bleus. Bus fares are only €1.70 (2023) with a change to a non-return connecting service also permitted within 74 min, so it is worth mastering the bus system to get around.

The Lignes d'Azur and Zou! routes overlap in and around Nice, so the ticket and tariff system is integrated to a common ticket zone, in which the local Lignes d'Azur tickets and passes are accepted on the longer distance Zou! buses (only between Cagnes-sur-Mer to the west and Cap d'Ail short of Monaco to the east). The fare is identical on both networks - €1.70 for any distance - but with Zou!, you must always tell the driver your intended destination, so he can judge whether you should purchase a Zou! ticket or a Ligne d'Azur. Outside the common zone, Ligne d'Azur passes are not valid and you need to pay the €1.70 fare in cash.

Tram line 1 takes a U-shaped route from Las Planas to the northeast to Pont St Michel to the northwest. It links the main train station, bus station, downtown and the university, but it is primarily a mass transit system for commuters and shoppers. Trams use the same tickets as the buses, but you need to buy them from the machines at tram stops (unlike buses, where it is usual to pay the driver or show your pass on entering the bus).

Always validate your ticket, especially card-like tickets with magnet bands.

Another innovation is the hourly "commuter express" bus service direct to Monaco via the Autoroute, the 100 Express, though visitors may still prefer the slower and more scenic 100 route along the coast.

The SNCF rail service also links all the main coastal towns, so which is the best way to get around - bus or train? The journey from Nice to say Cannes by the 200 bus at €1.50 is considerably cheaper than the train, which is over €5. The buses are liable to dreadful overcrowding and have the prospect of standing for nearly 2 hr as it is slow with frequent stops and many traffic lights along the route. If you're short on cash and don't mind discomfort, take the bus. If you're short on time and prefer to sit, take the train.

When taking the bus, you must be aware of the somewhat odd way the bus schedules are laid out. They list the departure time at the first bus station, not the one you are at. At the right hand side of the bus schedule, you have a list of stations, and, next to some, you will find the time listed it will take the bus to get there (+20 min, for example). This means that you will have to do a lot of guessing. It is best to ask a native and leave some extra padding time if you plan to take a bus to any scheduled event that you really do not want to miss (airport, train, concerts, etc.)

You can find local bus and tram route maps and timetables on-line. Route maps are listed under 'Maps' and timetables as 'Timetables' in PDF format. Also, 'Stop timetables' purports to display the times at your stop. From previous experience with the bus company, those should stand somewhere between educated guesses and outright fiction, due to unpredictable road traffic conditions (like one hour traffic jams around Villeneuve Loubet).

Buses rarely run after 20:00. The tram however operates from around 04:30 to after midnight. Five nightly bus routes (called Noctambus) serve the main parts of city, from 21:10 to 01:10, and Zou! has also infrequent buses throughout the night on the 100 line. The night buses leave from the Station J.C. Bermond, near the bus station, and the day fares apply on these night routes. If you are planning a visit involving a late evening return, consider train services, which provide the most reliable form of late travel.

The starting point for buses in the direction Villefranche, Eze Village, Cap Ferrat, Monaco and Menton is Segurane/Garribaldi; westward buses towards the airport, Antibes and Cannes start at Albert 1er/Verdun close to the Meridien Hotel.

By train
Nice has no metro and little need for one. The main train service is the national French railway SNCF, which boasts the high speed TGV (slow to Marseilles and then extremely fast on to Paris) and the local TER stopping trains, which serve the main Riviera towns between Cannes and Ventimiglia across the border in Italy, including the daily commute to Monaco.

Less well-known is the little narrow-gauge railway Chemin de Fer de Provence, which runs from Nice through the Var valley and along the Route Napoleon, 3 hours to Digne in Upper Provence. In the summer months, the latter part of the journey switches to a real steam train, the Train des Pignes.

By car
You don't need a car to explore Nice itself, and if you do bring or hire one expect some frustration. The town centre is congested and its system of streets is complicated and mostly one-way. Parking is very limited: all on-street parking anywhere central is on meters during the day, and even in spite of this it's very difficult to find a spot; you'll notice the Nicoise happily double-parking to nip to the shops. If you need a reliable parking place, your best bet is to buy a fixed-length ticket (abonnement) at one of the underground car parks, several of which offer 24-hour access. You can expect to pay €8-10 a day for this kind of parking.

The best access is by car from the A8 autoroute. The airport is well-signed from the A8 and the A8 is well signed from the airport. Just make sure that you know which way you need to go when getting on the A8 and which terminal when leaving. Especially in the morning and evening rush hour, allow extra time to deal with accidents and traffic jams. The A8 has a ferocious bend right near the airport and accidents are frequent.

Even if it is going well for you, driving a car on the Riviera is for the brave: the region has one of the worst accident records in France, and every local has a favourite story about a mad driver. However, all major car rental firms, as well as some less well known ones, are present. Most are near Terminal 2. If you have a choice, try to pick a car that is already well dinged so that no one notices the new dings and scratches that you will add. Never forget to lock the doors of the car when parked.

By taxi
If you can, avoid the notoriously expensive taxis, though sometimes you do not have a choice. It is not always easy to find a taxi when you need one. Most will not respond to being hailed, and only ply from a taxi rank, from where cabs take passengers in turn. Taxi drivers have great solidarity with their fellow taxi drivers and will not accept offers to jump a line of waiting passengers. Taxi ranks will be found outside the train station and deluxe hotels (for example outside Le Meridien at 1 Promenade des Anglais).

Taxis are registered and licensed but like anywhere, it's not unknown for one to take advantage of tourists. If possible, agree on the rate before entering the cab. If running on the meter, insist on the meter being on the whole time. Try to sit where you can see it so that you can immediately query the driver if it goes off "accidentally". Taxi fares within Nice should be less than €20, to Antibes €50, Monaco or Cannes approximately €70 and St Tropez €250. The airport run to Nice is a fixed tariff around €35, depending on time of day, but you may be hit for surcharges on luggage or the presence of a 4th passenger (designed to discourage cab-sharing).

By bicycle
Nice has installed a public bicycle rental system called "Vélo Bleu". Subscriptions rank from €1 per day to €25/year. The first 30 minutes are free and you will not need any more time to get around in the city. Vélo Bleu stations can be found all over the city. Their website provides a map of stations.

If you have your own bike, you will never have to go far to find a place where to park it, as there are a lot of ground anchors in the city. Just be sure to have a good lock (avoid the cable-locks which can be cut within seconds), to lock the frame (and not only the wheel) and that your wheels cannot be removed without a tool.

On foot
Even though Nice is the fifth largest city in France, a high proportion of the tourist attractions are close together in the town centre, at most half an hour's walk from each other.

The main exception is the historical site and museum at Cimiez, which is more of a hike, but readily accessible by bus.

The only downside of being "on foot" is that there is a lack of attention in some parts of town to the needs of those with reduced mobility, such as those in wheelchairs, as the dropping of kerbstones is entirely haphazard.

See


The greatest thing to see in Nice is the views along the Promenade des Anglais, which skirts the seacoast for over 5 km, then ends at Nice Airport. These are the views you will have seen in dozens of postcards and in paintings by the 20th-century artist Henri Matisse, who spent so many years living in Nice, but whether you've seen pictures or not, you owe it to yourself to walk along some of this stretch if you have made it to Nice.

The old town (Vieux Nice) beneath the hill is a maze of streets and alleys, with many picturesque houses, boutiques and home to the daily flower and fruit market of the Cours Saleya. In addition, the local cathedral, the Baroque Cathédrale Sainte-Réparate, in the heart of Vieux Nice, is pretty. You'll want to walk through the Place Sainte-Réparate, anyway, while you're in the old city. If the doors are open, go in and look at the interior and paintings.



Museums and art galleries
Nice is also known for several museums. Some of the most famous are in Cimiez, the older, upper part of the city which in a previous century was a favourite of Queen Victoria.

Pass for all City of Nice museums provides access for 4 days for €15 per person (2023), one entry per museum, to MAMAC, Musée de la Photographie Charles Nègre, Musée Matisse, Musée des Beaux-Arts Jules Chéret, Anatole Jakovsky Naive Art Museum, Masséna Museum, Palais Lascaris, Nice/Cimiez Archeology Museum, Terra Amata Prehistory Museum, Natural History Museum, abd Priory of Vieux-Logis.



Beaches
If you go to Nice for bathing or general lounging on the beach, you may wish to think again. The beaches of Nice consist entirely of large flat stones (gallets). A few private beaches have added a layer of sand, but the free public beaches are a stony experience. Besides towels or mats, you should definitely bring sandals, since walking on the stones can be painful, and a cushion if you want to sit. Free showers are provided on all public beaches and there is a beach volleyball area that is netted off with white sand.

Although the beaches are mainly pebbles, many visitors enjoy the beautiful light blue sea for a swim. If you can bear to walk for a few steps on the pebbles it is definitely an opportunity for swimming rather than playing in the water as the beach drops quickly and the tidal pull can be very strong, and not for beginners. Lying on the beach for a sun tan or relaxation is also manageable as long as you rearrange the rocks/pebbles to a comfy surface for sitting and lying. Private beaches offer various services from restaurants and /bars to the rental of lounge chairs and towels.

Much nicer beaches exist in other towns close by, such as Villefranche-sur-Mer, Antibes and Cannes, which are far more sandy. Villefranche is a particularly preferred beach choice, especially if travelling with children, only 20 minutes away by the Zou! 100 bus.

However, for walks by the seaside with great views, the Promenade des Anglais is arguably unparalleled.

Beautiful landscapes
For views of Nice the best vantage point is the heights of Mont Boron (bus 14). From the derelict old Fort and the nearby villa of Sir Elton John there are fine views over the city to the mountains and east over Villefranche and Cap Ferat.

Go to Èze. It is a small village on the way to Monaco. The village is situated on a small mountain and there is a beautiful cactus garden with a spectacular view (a must see, €5 entrance fee). There is also Fragonard perfume factory which you can visit for free. To reach Eze by bus, take the 112 to Eze Village (not the 100 which stops at Eze Gare, a 90-minute steep walk away from Eze Village). If you missed an infrequent (up to 3 hours) 115 bus in Eze Village, there is a path that goes down the mountain from Eze Village to Eze Sur Mer (also Eze Gare). This is the Path of Nietzsche (named after the famous German philosopher Friedrich W. Nietzsche), with some fantastic views and a waterfall (if you know where to look). Walking downhill through this path takes about 40 minutes. Buses run from Menton-Monaco through Eze Gare back to Nice every 15 minutes or so and vice versa, making treking back up the hill unnecessary.

Also close by is the magnificent Villa Île de France, of the Baroness Ephrussi de Rothschild, straddling the magnificent peninsula of St Jean Cap Ferrat in the so-called Golden Triangle of Villefranche, Beaulieu and Cap Ferrat.

Hiking trails emanate from La Turbie high above Monaco and the Grande Corniche, which are double the height above sea level of Eze and offer the hardened walker truly spectacular vantage points over the Riviera.



Sport

 * Football: OGC Nice play soccer in Ligue 1, the top tier in France. Their home ground Allianz Riveria (capacity 36,000) is on the river bank 5 km west of town centre.
 * Tour de France in 2024 concludes in Nice, and is a week earlier than usual, to avoid arriving in Paris on the eve of the Olympics. Stage 20 on Saturday 20 July is 132 km from Nice up Col de la Couillole, and the final stage on Sunday 21 July is from Monaco back to Nice.

Learn
There are many language schools in Nice offering courses in French. In addition, conversation groups often meet splitting time speaking French then English.



Work
Generally the Riviera is a place people come to spend money rather than earn it. Unemployment levels are high, casual work hard to come by, and as everywhere, service industry jobs tend to go to those with low wage expectations.

Sophia Antipolis is a huge office/science/tech park 20 minutes outside of Nice, which is the base for many French and multinational companies.

For those with the right qualifications and experience, the luxury super yachts of the nearby International Yacht Club of Antibes have spawned a major industry in crew and boat services which attracts many young English speakers. Employment agency connections are important as many of the yachts post signs to deter casual inquiries - "no day-workers required."

Financial service companies abound in Monaco which is readily commutable from Nice.

Buy
Most stores and restaurants in Nice will accept the major credit cards, and debit cards from major banks (anything carrying the EC or Maestro or Visa logos). If this fails you can always get money from any of the numerous ATMs.

All shops are now allowed to open every Sunday.

Postcards (as many other things) vary greatly in price. Do some comparison shopping as the price range is between 20 cents and €1 for a normal postcard.

Nice's main shopping street av. Jean Medecin is home to two giant music/entertainment stores, Virgin Megastore and the French FNAC. FNAC definitely has the edge as their many listening stations allow you to "try before you buy" almost every CD in the house, whilst Virgin push only a few promotional selections. Both run near identical pricing policy on new albums. FNAC is closer to HMV, offering most forms of entertainment including books, games, CDs, and DVDs. The 4-storey store on Av. Jean Medecin is well worth exploring!

Designer label garments are, as everywhere, notoriously expensive but general fashion goods are really cheap compared to most other European countries, and Galleries Lafayette offers a lot under one roof. If that's not enough for you, they also have a huge superstore at Cap 3000 just next to St Laurent de Var past the airport (Lignes d Azur 52 and Zou! bus 200, 400 and 500, stop La Passerelle). This is also home to Galleries Lafayette Gourmand, a food superstore to rival London's Harrods and Selfridges. The wine selection is brilliant, especially aisles full of Rose de Provence, and there are a half-dozen in-store lunch-time places.

Cheap bargain fashions are best sought at Ventimiglia's huge open street market each Friday, accessible by train from Nice Gare Ville to Ventimiglia a few kilometres over the Italian border. Just avoid the tempting fake luxury brands sold by the many street sellers. The war against counterfeiting is taken very seriously by the French border police and big fines are targeted at "innocent" tourists.

The central Nice Etoiles is available for anyone pining for a visit to a shopping mall, including three floors of a Dutch brand not seen by British people for 20 years that is still big in France - C&A. More nostalgia can also be found in av Jean Medecins' "Damart" - yes, the people that gave you "Thermolactyl underwear" to keep you warm in winter are also big here. About as sensible as the local Bronzage tanning parlours.

The "duty free" shops at Nice airport terminals are the absolute worst value you will ever find and should be avoided at all costs: prices are way over those of even the high street. Food, drink and cigarettes are dreadfully overpriced, and there are no bargains "before you fly". If you haven't yet kicked the habit, cigarettes in particular are best bought in Italy over the border, where taxes on smoking have not reached health-promoting punitive levels.



Nice specialities
Many restaurants and cafés serve local food. You might consider preparing some simple meals chez vous or take home some local Nice delicacies to enjoy on your balcony.

Street food is widely available in Nice. A combination of choices could easily replace a lunch without paying restaurant prices.


 * Socca, a chickpea flour flat bread snack, lightly fried, warm and ready to take away (about €3) in a paper wrap to enjoy on a bench overlooking the sea on the Promenade des Anglais
 * Pan bagnat is a tuna fish sandwich with olives, sliced hard boiled eggs and fresh vegetables
 * Pizza can be a 'street food' take away but might be better served directly from a wood-fired oven. It would be fun to compare.
 * Pissaladiere is a simple form of pizza topped with sweet sauteed, caramelized onion, olives, garlic and anchovies; it does not include tomatoes or cheese. Don't worry about anchovies. Anchovies are salty, offset the sweet onion flavour and add a wonderful complexity to this otherwise simple dish.
 * Tourtes aux blettes sweet tarts are made with Savoy cabbage (Swiss chard), raisins, nuts, and powdered sugar
 * Barbajuan is an appetizer found in the eastern part of the French Riviera and Northern Italy. The dough is stuffed with Swiss chard and ricotta among other ingredients and fried
 * Glace (gelato or ice cream) No visit to Nice would be complete without a visit to

Nice culinary staples - Neither street food nor restaurant dishes, these culinary staples should not be overlooked when visiting Nice. A picnic lunch can be quickly assembled from a market with among other delicacies, olives, cheese, a baguette, a fruit tart and a bottle of light rosé wine. In packing to visit Nice, don't forget to add a corkscrew, pocket knife and napkins for picnics. Borrow glasses from your hotel (but return them, please).
 * Mediterranean olives Olives are quite varied in the Mediterranean by growth and curing, sometimes with herbs or garlic.
 * Tapenade what can be better than olives? How about a puréed or finely chopped olive spread? Tapenades can be diverse based on the olive type and added ingredients. Tapenades can be used as an appetizer on crusty bread or with crudités.
 * Aioli is a sauce made of garlic, salt and olive oil. Aioli is common in the cuisines of many Mediterranean countries and used as an appetizer spread on bread or supplement to Mediterranean dishes.
 * Baguettes and pastries are an essential ingredient to life in Nice. Excellent boulangeries can have a waiting line at any time of day to buy fresh baguettes or pastries. Many locals have lively debates on the best baguette or pastry. Everyone has their favorite and everyone must find their favorites.
 * French cheeses are amazing in their diversity of flavors with many hundreds of styles and origins from which to choose. Most cheese vendors will offer a taste so that you can find the perfect match.
 * Spices in bulk are plentiful and diverse. They make excellent gifts for foodie friends.
 * Dark red wine grapes grow ripe and concentrated becoming rich and full of flavor in the Mediterranean sun. Red wines are perfectly matched with full flavored Nice foods. Try Syrah, Mourvedre or Cabernet Sauvignon.
 * Rosé wine is a delight in Nice when the weather becomes warm and the sun feels good upon your skin. A rosé wine is perfect for a lunch picnic. Search for rosé wine from Provence or Languedoc-Roussillon.
 * Pastis is an anise-flavored distilled spirit normally served with water and a couple ice cubes, turning the drink cloudy white. Pastis originated after the ban of absinthe. It is very popular in the French Riviera, especially in Marseille where it originated.

Essential Nice dishes:
 * Soupe de poisson, the regional fish soup, is made by simmering fish and just enough tomato sauce to make the soup a bronze brown color. Each bowl is typically topped with spicy aioli (garlic purée), croutons, and grated cheese
 * Salade niçoise is in fact from Nice. It is served as either a composed salad or tossed salad. Freshly cooked or canned tuna may be added. Seasonal raw vegetables or cooked green beans and potatoes could join the mix.
 * Local Mediterranean seafood features prominently in Niçoise cuisine. Typical dishes feature fresh fish, sea urchin, octopus and oysters. There is nothing like enjoying local seafood that was caught that very morning.
 * Pizza in the Italian style, Nice pizza is as terrific as you can find in Italy. Why not? Italy is just a car or train ride away and Nice was ruled by Italians from the 14th century until 1860. Many Italians manage pizzerias in Nice so it is worth finding the perfect pizzeria for eat-in or take-out. Similarly, pasta dishes in Nice are quite good.
 * Ratatouille is a French Provençal stewed vegetable dish, originating in Nice, and sometimes referred to as ratatouille niçoise. Common ingredients include vegetables grown in the south of France including tomatoes, garlic, onion, zucchini, eggplant and bell pepper.
 * Daube is a classical Provençal stew made with inexpensive beef slowly cooked in wine, vegetables, garlic and herbes de Provence.
 * North African cuisine is popular in Nice where Maghrebi cuisines of North Africa were introduced by immigrants.
 * Tagine is a fragrant Berber dish of meat, chicken or fish and vegetables such as potatoes or carrots. Olives and dried fruit are added. The tagine is named after the earthenware pot in which it is cooked.
 * Couscous is another Berber dish of a meat and vegetable stew spooned on top of semolina.
 * Shakshuka is a dish of eggs poached in a sauce of tomatoes, olive oil, peppers, onions and garlic with aromatic spices. Shakshuka is popular across Mediterranean countries.

Check out the daily market in the Vieux Nice for fresh, local produce and many Nice favorites. You can save money if you are willing to cook at least some of your meals yourself. If you have leftovers, cooking can actually save you time as well since eating at a restaurant will easily cost you one to two hours per meal. There are several decent-sized 'supermarchés' around the city, and numerous boucheries, boulangeries and fruit and veg shops which are often competitive on price and superior on quality.

Budget
Cheap & cheerful food in Nice takes research, but for example, a baguette filled with your favorites ranges from €4 to €6 which is very reasonable by Nice standards. The best deals are found in the port area. Old Nice and all along the sea front the prices cannot be described as budget, but lunch-time set menus are certainly good value, if not 'cheap' per se. €10-12 should get you two courses, often with coffee and wine, and like much of continental Europe, lunches can drift happily well into the afternoon.

Drink
With the hot Niçois summers, carrying a bottle of water is almost a must. Bear in mind the largest single complaint to the municipal authority tourist department is the offering in restaurants of branded water bottles whose seal has been broken – i.e. refilled with tap water – and charged as Perrier or Evian.

You can save a lot of money by buying alcoholic drinks and such in a normal supermarket instead of the vendors geared towards tourists. Carrefour has a huge selection and unlike the other supermarkets has a policy of buying in wine show "prize winners" distinguished by their gold, silver or bronze medal stickers.

Wine in restaurants is often ferociously expensive, so do as the locals and order it by the "pichet" – usually a 50-centilitre jug. However, if you fancy quality appellation French wine to drink back home, Les Caves Caprioglio at 16 Rue de la Prefecture in Vieux Nice has a fabulous cellar of the wines you usually only read about in the fine wines books but rarely see. To see French wine making, the Chateau's Bellet and Cremat in the Var are nearest to Nice and will do tours by arrangement (reachable via the tiny narrow-gauge train from the Chemin de Fer de Provence).

Some popular places to go out for a drink include:
 * Checkpoint &mdash; A cozy bar on the ground level, and a great dance floor underground. Ladies night on Monday offers €0.50 champagne (as of Feb 2013).
 * Master Home &mdash; A pub by Wayne's and King's Pub. More "French" than Wayne's and King's pubs and a little more classy. When you order alcoholic drinks, they bring you two or three dishes of nibbles. Even though the price is a little more expensive than the "English" pubs next door, it's still worth a visit and a fraction cheaper that the touristy bars/pubs. Try the rose (€3.20), the cheapest on the menu but delicious!
 * Pompeï &mdash; Stays open late, live music most nights (usually rock), good dancing on the weekends, indoor smoking room, next to Wayne's and the other Irish pubs - everyone flocks here after they close.
 * Jonathan's &mdash; If you're looking to meet locals, go to Jonathan's. Small hole-in-the-wall place full of younger people (mostly students) with great drink specials most nights. Not very well known by tourists.
 * Master Home &mdash; A pub by Wayne's and King's Pub. More "French" than Wayne's and King's pubs and a little more classy. When you order alcoholic drinks, they bring you two or three dishes of nibbles. Even though the price is a little more expensive than the "English" pubs next door, it's still worth a visit and a fraction cheaper that the touristy bars/pubs. Try the rose (€3.20), the cheapest on the menu but delicious!
 * Pompeï &mdash; Stays open late, live music most nights (usually rock), good dancing on the weekends, indoor smoking room, next to Wayne's and the other Irish pubs - everyone flocks here after they close.
 * Jonathan's &mdash; If you're looking to meet locals, go to Jonathan's. Small hole-in-the-wall place full of younger people (mostly students) with great drink specials most nights. Not very well known by tourists.

Sleep
There are a number of hotels within walking distance of Terminal 1 of the airport and a special hotel shuttle bus serves other hotels within Nice itself. The hotels near the airport are a long way away from Nice center (7 km) and it will take a bus journey or taxi to reach the centre. A wide range of modern and traditional French hotels is available in the town, though few in the old quarter itself, which is mainly apartments. Convenient locations are between the main station and the promenade, in particular below Boulevard Victor Hugo and east of Boulevard Gambetta. Hotels further from the seafront are most convenient in the vicinity of the tramway along Avenue Jean Medicine or Avenue de la Republique.

Budget
It would seem that the simplest solution is to stay at a youth hostel. There are quite a number in Nice:
 * Les Camélias, 3, rue Spitalieri, near the shopping centre Nice Etoile, in the heart of the city centre.

Mid-range
Being a heavily touristed city, it's easy to find a number of small hotels which are perfectly acceptable, and usually at a decent rate.



Stay safe
Nice's crime rate is comparable to other cities in western countries. Nevertheless, locals have been grumbling about a number of issues since the 2000s, often with good reasons. Basic precautions are needed at times.

Nice is known to be the city in France with the highest number of police officers per capita – and since the tragic 2016 terrorist attack by the promenade, Nice hosts a large number of military patrols. They can be somewhat intimidating to meet, especially in the middle of the night, however they are there to maintain an air of control. Most French people maintain their weapons are fake, and they will normally never interact with you.

As with other larger cities, Nice has areas that must be avoided. The most commonly cited areas are:


 * The neighbourhoods of Arianne and Pasteur, located in the eastern parts of the city, and the neighbouring town of la Trinité are known hotbeds for gang violence and drug dealing. It is highly discouraged to wander there at night.
 * Some of the neighbourhoods immediately north of the airport have been the stages of pickpocketing.
 * The Thiers neighbourhood, immediately south of the Nice-Ville train station, has a few unsavoury streets.

A few tips to stay safe are:
 * Don't take unlicensed "taxis"! That applies doubly so at times like the Film Festival, especially if you are female and have been drinking and partying late.
 * Take precautions against pickpockets, who are a constant and serious problem on the Côte d'Azur. They operate usually in teams in any crowded areas like buses, train stations, and tourist sites. Be vigilant at the tram station, Gare Thiers, where pickpockets prey on travel-weary tourists. They may well look like harmless fellow passengers, but they are extremely skilled and will lift your wallet from either your front or back pants pocket without your noticing. You are strongly advised not to carry anything valuable or annoying to replace in your pockets. Use pouches underneath your clothing for anything valuable, including cash. In restaurants and cafés, opportunist theft of handbags is a constant risk - keep them close at hand.
 * If you are travelling by car, take care not to leave anything of value in the car when parking. Theft from car boots is a particular issue in underground parking beneath the Nice old town. Leaving the parcel shelf off so that it's clear the boot is empty is a good way to avoid problems.
 * Judging from local newspaper reports, personal safety concerns are most likely to arise after 02:30, and visitors should stick to well lit streets with people still around.

If you do fall foul of Nice's criminal practitioners, the National Police Station is where you need to go to report problems such as being pickpocketed. It's at the junction of Ave Marechal Foch and Dubouchage, a couple of hundred metres east of the Nice Etoiles shopping centre. They will supply you with the necessary statements to support insurance claims, but don't expect them to recover your property. You will find the police station very busy with other victims towards the end of the evening.

Connect
As of Sept 2021, Nice has 5G from all French carriers. Wi-Fi is widely available in public places, transport, cafes and so on.

Religious services
Holy mass in Catholic churches in the vicinity of the convention centre Acropolis (Palais des Congrès et des Expositions):


 * Notre-Dame Auxiliatrice, 36, Place Don Bosco. Sa 18:30, Su 08:30 and 10:00, M-F 16:15 and 18:30.
 * St. Joseph, 21, Rue Smolett. Sa 18:30, Su 09:00, Th 18:00.
 * Saint Jean-Baptiste, Place du Voeu/Rue Alfrede Mortier. Sa 18:00, Su 11:00, M-W 18:45, Th F 08:30.
 * St. Martin-St. Augustin, Place Saint-Augustin. Sa 16:00 and 17:30, Su 09:30 and 11:00, Tu-F 16:00.

Some other Catholic churches in downtown Nice:


 * Cathédrale Sainte-Réparate, Place Rossetti. Sa 18:30, Su 10:00 and noon, M-F 10:00
 * Notre Dame du Port, 8, Place Ile de Beaute. Su 10:00, M-F 18:00.
 * Basilique Notre Dame, 2, Rue d’Italie. Sa 11:00 and 17:40, Su 08:30, 10:00, 11:15, 18:00, M-F 11:00, 18:00.

Protestant churches

 * Reformed temple, 21, blvd Victor Hugo. Su 10:15.
 * Lutheran church, 4, Rue Melchior de Vogüé. Su 10:30.
 * Baptist church, 32 rue de l'hôtel des postes. Su 10:30.
 * Evangelical church, 51bis, avenue de Pessicart. Su 10:00.
 * Anglican church Holy Trinity, 11, rue de la Buffa. Su 11:00, M Th 12:15, Tu 18:15, W F 10:30, Sa 09:00.

Orthodox churches

 * Greek orthodox church Saint Spyridon, 2, Avenue Desambrois. Su 10:30, M-Sa 10:15.
 * Russian orthodox cathedral Saint Nicolas, Avenue Nicolas II. Su-Sa 10:00.
 * Apostolic Armenian church, 281 Boulevard de la Madeleine. Su 10:00.

Mosques

 * (Sunni) Mosque in Rue de Suisse (in the city centre, near the cathedral - open at prayer times only)

Orthodox Synagogues

 * (Sephardic) Beit Yossef 16 rue Alexis Mossa

Consulates

 * 🇦🇹 Austria
 * 🇫🇮 Finland
 * 🇩🇪 Germany
 * 🇬🇷 Greece
 * 🇯🇲 Jamaica
 * 🇲🇱 Mali

Go next
Some nice places just to the west of Nice include Haute de Cagnes, Antibes, Cannes and Saint-Tropez. East of Nice the trains stops at Villefranche, Monaco and Menton, and the border town of Ventimiglia. To the North of Nice in the interior of Provence, Vence and Saint-Paul de Vence are worth a visit for their hilltop old towns and boules pitches.


 * Villefranche is two stops east of the main station in Nice and is a rather nice village with a small beach (and it is much less rocky than in Nice). The village is quieter and more relaxed than Nice. A train ticket from the main station in Nice is just €1.70 each way. You can also get there by bus 81 or 100 — or by taking the scenic walk by the cliffs in little over an hour.
 * Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat: Among the many expensive villas on this cape, Villa Ephrussi de Rotschild is the most impressive one. You can walk around the cape on a pathway and stop for a swim. Take city bus #15 from Nice, about 40 min.
 * Beaulieu-sur-mer: Right next to Cap Ferrat, this small town is known for the beach and Villa Kerylos, a Greek-style property built in the early 1900s. Take city bus #15 from Nice.
 * Liguria - the Italian Riviera including San Remo that is just a little over one hour away, switch trains in Ventimiglia
 * Èze village — a few hour-long hike (or take citybus #81 from Nice) from Nice, Èze is a medieval village and well worth seeing, if only over a day.
 * Visit the beautiful mountainous Touët-sur-Var, Puget-Théniers, Entrevaux, Annot, and even Verdon Gorge from along the narrow gauge Train des Pignes stops between Nice and Digne-les-Bains. Admire the castles or just hike the surrounding treks of each village.