Nice Holidays

Boasting the Mediterranean Sea, fashionable beaches, and palm trees on one side and luxury hotels and casinos, idyllic parks, and museums on the other, plus easy access to Castle Hill and Old Town of Nice; it’s easy to see why the seven-kilometre Promenade des Anglais is the heartbeat of Nice. The broad esplanade by the beach is a haven for walking, roller skating, rollerblading, and skateboarding, while the adjacent bike lane lets you pedal safely at your own speed. Keep your eyes peeled to catch sight of the luxurious and iconic Art Deco ‘Palais de la Mediterranee’ (now the Hyatt Regency Hotel) and the legendary hotel Le Negresco; not forgetting the Statue de la Liberté on Quai des Etats Unis just behind the promenade.

Seek out the old-world charm of the Vielle Ville (Old Town) with the colourful Marché aux Fleurs at Cours Saleya, Cathédrale Sainte-Réparate, Opéra de Nice, Eglise Notre-Dame de l'Annonciation, and Palais Lascaris, home to Musée du Palais Lascaris. Venture up to the nearby Parc de la Colline du Château by foot to admire the sea and city-wide vistas from Tour Bellenda observation deck. Pay a visit to Place Masséna, the centrepiece of Nice, to admire the Fontaine du Soleil or find Place Garibaldi with its Baroque buildings and old-fashioned carousel to people-watch with a coffee in a café. Seek out Cathédrale Orthodoxe Russe Saint-Nicolas’ ornate interior and museum or Jardin des Arènes de Cimiez’s hundred-year-old olive trees and Roman ruins.

Shopaholics can head to Avenue Jean Médecin with famous brands shops like Mango, Sephora, and Zara, while Avenue de Verdun hosts designer boutiques like Tiffany & Co, Cartier, and Hermès. Art fans can make a beeline to see art from the 1950s to 1970s at Musée d'Art Moderne et d'Art Contemporain; the paintings, drawings, and sculptures by the French visual artist Henri Matisse at Musée Matisse; and biblical-themed works by Marc Chagall at Musée National Marc Chagall. Families can get up close to turtles, parrots, and flamingos at Parc Phoenix. If you visit during February; you might get to experience Carnival de Nice’s parade of floats, giant puppets, dancers, and folk groups. 

Take your seat at a bistro, pavement café, or terrace overlooking the Mediterranean to feast on fresh salads, grilled fish, seasonal vegetables, and local wine. French dishes like Bouillabaisse (fish and shellfish stew), Ratatouille (vegetables in a tomato sauce), Daube (beef stew) and Pissaladière (savoury tart with onions, anchovies, and black olives) feature on many menus. No holidays in Nice are complete without sampling the aniseed-flavoured liqueur Pastis with water or the peach liqueur Rinquinquin.