Things to do in Nice

Nice sits where the Alps stop and the Mediterranean starts, and the town is arranged along that seam. The Promenade des Anglais runs some seven kilometres of seafront around the Baie des Anges. Behind it the old quarter begins.

How the city lies

• Vieux Nice. A dense grid of ochre lanes with the Cours Saleya flower and produce market at its centre.
• Castle Hill. No castle survives, but there is a waterfall, a cemetery and the view every postcard uses.
• Cimiez. The Roman arena and baths of Cemenelum, the Matisse museum in a red villa, and the Chagall museum below it.
• Port Lympia. The working end of the waterfront and the eastern terminus of the tram from the airport.

What a day here looks like

In town the day is walked or ridden. Guided routes take the old quarter and the climb to Castle Hill. Market tours are built around Nicois cooking rather than French cooking, which is not the same thing.

Most of what is booked in Nice leaves the city for half a day.

• East. Villefranche, the perched village of Eze and Monaco, as a morning or an afternoon run.
• West. Antibes, Cannes and the walled hill village of Saint-Paul-de-Vence, on the same shape of trip.
• Longer days. The calanques at Cassis paired with Aix-en-Provence, or a mountain railway inland towards the Alps.
• On the water. Paddleboarding and snorkelling in the coves west of the city, sea permitting.
• Electric bikes. Guided loops over the seven hills behind the front, which legs alone make hard work.

Practical

• Winter. January days average around 13C, which is why the Belle Epoque hotels went up here rather than somewhere else.
• Sea. Warmest in August and still fine through September; the beaches are pebbles, so bring something for your feet.
• Airport. Tram line 2 runs from the terminals to the port in about half an hour on an ordinary single ticket.
• Prices. Coffee at the counter is a couple of euros, socca from the market less, a sit-down lunch fifteen to twenty-five.
• Timing. The coastal half-days go out in two waves, and the morning one has better light and fewer coaches in Eze.
• Monaco. A separate country reached without a border check, so the coast road simply carries on.