With its azure blue, its gastronomy, its culture, Nice attracts. And she holds back. Born a few steps from the Promenade des Anglais on a March morning, Fabien Binacchi never strayed too far from it. The journalist, who has been there for 17 years now, gives you the assets of the fifth largest city in France. To discover in all seasons.
If you had to describe your city in a few sentences…
It is paradise between sea and mountains. And basta! No need for a few sentences. One is enough. More seriously, and all chauvinism aside, you know many cities where you can walk on a beach and take in the fresh air at an altitude of more than 2,000 meters, in a ski resort, after only 1h30 car? Nice is also one of the most Italian of French cities.
What is the place not to be missed?
We are not going to be very original: the Promenade des Anglais. But hey, it’s beautiful, it’s very beautiful and that’s how it is! The icy mint color of the water meets the azure (Côte d’) blue of the sky for almost 7 km. Listed buildings (and others). The beach, for swimming or simply having lunch, in all seasons. This (large) stretch of coastline is what tourists arriving here by plane may see first. They are also amazed, the airport being built on the sea, at the western entrance to the city. Climbing up the castle hill (a free lift is open from 10 a.m. to 5.25 p.m.… you can see the lazy ones), to the east, where you can see the remains of fortifications used until the 18th century, the view on the prom is also breathtaking.
What is the must-see neighborhood?
Release. Between its market, the largest in Nice, which only offers food and flowers, the Gare du Sud, a recently reopened gourmet market with 100% Mediterranean dishes on the menu, an important cultural heritage and a whole host of small shops, this district of the city center is as bobo as it is popular. In particular, we can advise you to go through the door of the Fine Players, a game, wine and cheese bar with a great concept at 1 rue Vernier. The Sainte-Jeanne-d’Arc church is also worth a look for its very original architecture. The Villa Arson, the Chagall museum, the Théâtre de la Libé but also the Eva Vautier gallery (daughter of the artist Ben) are also worth a visit.
Must-see historical monuments
To get an idea of the city’s civil and religious history, you can start by going to Old Nice and visit the Palais Lascaris museum, built in the 17th century by an Italian family, as well as the Baroque cathedral. Sainte-Reparate. Listed on the Unesco World Heritage List since 2021, the “Riviera winter resort town” can also be discovered at the Masséna Museum. We discover how the capital of the Côte d’Azur has developed, architecturally, according to the influences of its visitors, whether they were British, Italian (exactly) or even Russian over the last few centuries. To go back even further in time, you can also take a tour of the Lazaret cave and the Terra Amata museum, a vestige and witness to life there during prehistory.
A corner of paradise sheltered from tourists
We tell you, but it stays between us: to cut off the crowd, the fort of Mont-Alban, to the east of the city, is a must. From up there (it’s accessible by bus, via line 33), at an altitude of 220 m, the view is breathtaking, with Nice on one side, Villefranche-sur-Mer on the other, the Big Blue in front and the mountains behind. This spot is also a stage of Lou camin nissart, “le chemin niçois”, the only country GR that goes all around Nice over a total route of 41 km. To be reserved for the bravest.
A place to go green
Go get lost around the vineyards of Bellet. On the hills of Nice, to the west of the city, a dozen vineyards produce this unique AOP: a wine grown and aged within the city walls.
A typical local activity
In Nice, we like to eat well and get together. And so, we like the merenda! This “snack”, in Nissart, is a bit of an aperitif that can start at any time of the day, with a few local specialties and a chilled glass of rosé (in moderation, huh). To be savored on the Cours Saleya, at the entrance to Old Nice, for example.
The must-try dish
There is the niçoise salad and the pan-bagnat of course. The pissaladière and the stew, too. Obviously. But if there was only one left, it might be socca. Because there’s nothing better than this crispy chickpea flour pancake for a summer aperitif washed down with a pool of rosé (in moderation eh, we always see you). Purists taste it well peppered, but it’s as you like. In any case, it generally makes everyone agree, including the gluten free. This cousin of the flour Italian is eaten especially in Old Nice, where several restaurants make it by the minute. HAS 20 minuteswe advise you to go and taste some At Pipo, on the harbor side. An institution of Nissard cuisine that has been open for a hundred years!
If we had to eat in only one restaurant…
It reopened at the end of spring after six months of major work. On the Rauba Capeu quay, the mythical La Pérouse hotel is home to a nugget. The Patio restaurant, sheltered from the hustle and bustle of summer, offers very good Mediterranean cuisine, served in the shade of hundred-year-old lemon trees, to indulge yourself. Special mention for the roast monkfish tail with thyme, small purple artichokes and Nice olives (€31) or the French beef tenderloin, warm avocado, baked eggplant caviar (€42) imagined by chef Damien Andrews.
The store to visit absolutely?
Here, we like to eat well. But hey, you probably already understood. And we particularly like everything that is olive-based. That of Nice, of course. In oil, tapenade or other. So, we can’t advise you enough to visit one of the two Alziari shops, in Old Nice (14 rue Saint François de Paule) or at 318 boulevard de la Madeleine, which houses a traditional mill.
A typical expression to know
If, while strolling in the capital of the Côte d’Azur, someone calls you a “ficana”, it may be that you forgot to take care of your business. The ficanas is a curious, who often likes to peddle gossip. And as much to say that, in time, it fused in the narrow alleys of Old Nice.
The true cliché about your city?
“Nice is a city of old people”. This cliché has a hard life but we must admit that those who like to repeat it are not wrong. The latest figures from INSEE attest to this. Those over 75 represent 12.4% of the population of Nice, while they are only 8% in Paris, 9.7% in Marseille, 7.6% in Lyon and 6.4% in Toulouse, according to 2020 data.
And the fake?
No, the people of Nice don’t have an accent. Overwhelmingly. That of Mado, the earthy character of humorist Noëlle Perna, (unfortunately) tends to get lost.
What you should never do when you come here
Go to the beach in the middle of the day, in the middle of the dodger. No but are you fada or what? After eating, you have to respect the ritual of the siesta, it’s sacred. Especially in summer.
Unusual information to know about the destination
The Nice jazz festival is sometimes considered the first of its kind. Launched in 1948, it would have been a precursor by putting jazz in the spotlight for the first time. Today, the programming is much more heterogeneous. M, Juliette Armanet and the Nice group Hyphen Hyphen were notably on the bill this summer.
The object to bring back in your suitcase
In any case, not a pebble from the Promenade des Anglais! It is prohibited and even liable to a fine. You will surely start to find us a little heavy, but from Nice, what you need to bring back is something to eat!