There is something undeniably glamorous about the French Riviera. Just a mention of the name brings images of sun-kissed beaches, blue skies, sleek yachts and impossibly glamorous people to mind. Much of this hype is undeniably true, but in a town like Nice the gloss and glamour are leavened by a hearty dose of natural, practical Mediterranean life. The harbor may well be filled with beautiful yachts, frequented by beautiful people, but there are also working fishing boats and ferries. The restaurants may well be three-star Michelin, but the harbor-side cafes, frequented by locals, are every bit as popular and bursting with life.
It is this mix of image and reality that make Nice such a fascinating microcosm of the French Riviera. When other pretty coastal towns and villages empty at the end of the season as the beautiful people jet off somewhere else, life in Nice continues pretty much as before. The colorful fruit and vegetable market still takes place every week in Cours Salaya, the ferries and fishing boats still leave on the evening tide, and the harbor cafes are as busy and noisy as before.
The Promenade des Anglais – or the Promenade of the English – is as good a place as any to start exploring Nice. This long, wide coastal promenade is a place to stroll, to skateboard, to jog, to walk your dog, to people-watch, to see, and, possibly most importantly of all, to be seen.
In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, there was a large English colony on the French Riviera – drawn there then, as they still are today, by the beautiful weather of the Riviera. Because access to the beach was difficult, the English residents undertook the construction of a path to give them access to the sea – this was the origin of the present fashionable street, and hence the name. Bordered on one side by the blue Mediterranean and on the other side by iconic Niçois hotels such as the stunning art déco Negresco Hotel and the Palais de la Méditerranée, the Promenade des Anglais allows you to admire the best of Nice: the sea, the beach, and on the horizon, the hills.
The hills that overlook the city are home to the oldest part of town – a network of twisting, narrow lanes and steps, topped by a castle. The houses here are tall, brightly painted and with flowers cascading out of window boxes and lines of washing strung on poles between houses to dry – present an image that has probably not changed for centuries.
Dominating the old town is the Chateau, or castle, which is in fact no longer a castle, but the place where the city’s fortress used to stand. In 1706, this fortress was destroyed by the Duke of Berwick, an illegitimate son of King James II of England; curiously enough, he was serving in the French army at the time. Now the area known as 'Chateau' is a vantage point, with a pretty shaded walk from which there is a circular, stunning view over Nice – to one side, the beach and the long elegant Promenade des Anglais, and to the other side, the packed bustling harbor.
It wasn’t just the early sun-seeking English who flocked to Nice. Artists and painters have been drawn to that stretch of the French Riviera for generations, inspired both by the gentle climate and the beautiful natural light. The painter and sculptor Henri Matisse lived and worked in Nice for many years and the Musée Matisse, which houses much of his work, is a must-see for any visitor to the city.
The Musée Marc Chagall, which houses much of this important 20th century painter’s work, was his personal donation to France. The museum in Nice is home to the most important permanent collection of his work in the world. Chagall, born in poverty to a Russian Jewish family, settled in the south of France where he died in 1985. His paintings, which always have strong mystic and religious overtones, are superbly displayed in this museum, where the specially designed large windows take advantage of the bright Mediterranean light.
One of the most picturesque districts of old Nice is the Cours Saleya, where there is a bustling fruit and flower market. The Square is now lined with shops and smart restaurants, making it an ideal place for dinner.
The city comes alive each year in January, when there is the famous Battle of Flowers. Over two weekends extraordinarily decorated floats – completely made up of flowers – wind their way slowly through the streets, attracting huge and enthusiastic crowds.
Like any major port city, Nice has long been a cultural melting pot for generations and there are strong influences from Italy, as well as North Africa. Nice is a cosmopolitan place, where the pace of life is different from the north of France, where the accents and language are different, and there is definitely much more of a sense of 'joie de vivre' – hardly surprising if you live in such as pretty place, bathed in sunlight.
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