Nice
From MyVacationsTo
Nice (pronounced like the English word "niece") is a large city in France on the French Riviera.
Contents |
[edit] Understand
Nice is a popular destination for vacationers both young and old, with something to offer nearly everyone.
[edit] Get in
[edit] By plane
Nice Airport (IATA: NCE) is one of the busiest in France and has direct flights to most major cities in Europe as well New York, Atlanta and a number of destinations in North Africa and the Middle East. The airport is located at the western end of Nice on landfill. Arrival and departure in good weather often provides beautiful views of the French Riviera.
Most airlines use Terminal 1 (the older terminal) while Terminal 2 is used primarily by Air France (and partners) and Easyjet. There is a free shuttle bus between the terminals.
Various bus lines depart from the airport. To get to the downtown bus depot, take line 98 (departing at bus stop 1 every 30 minutes, on the hour). The fare to the terminus is 4 Euros per person. The airport website has a page with timetables.
Some hotels offer shuttle buses from the airport - inquire at your hotel before or upon arrival.
[edit] By train
Nice is connected to the rest of France via the SNCF train network. A direct TGV train from Paris to Nice takes about 6 hours, fare for an adult is about 100 Euros. The train arrives in Nice at the central station (called simply "Gare SNCF").
A new service called "IdTGV" is now available: it offers low-cost TGV ticket (from 19€ for a single trip between Paris and Nice). These tickets have to be bought online, they are not refundable. http://www.idtgv.com/
[edit] By car
[edit] By bus
The best, cheapest and most reliable way to get from the Airport to central Nice or the Nice Ville train station is the 98 and 23 buses. They run high frequency between 08:00 and 20:00. The first one is at about 05:30 and the last one around 19:40. The airport website gives an updated timetable in PDF format (see by plane above).
[edit] By boat
Nice is right along the coast, so you should be able to find your way easily no matter if you run on gas 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 not be room for you.
Nice has direct ferry routes to Ajaccio (Corsica), Bastia (Corsica), Calvi and Ile Rousse. Advance booking is advised in all cases.
[edit] Get around
[edit] By car
Best access is by car from the A8 autoroute. The airport is well signed from the A8 and the A8 well signed from the airport. Just make sure that you know which direction you need to go when getting on the A8 and which terminal when leaving. Especially in the morning and evening rush hour do allow extra time to deal with accidents and traffic jams. The A8 has a ferocious bend just by the airport and accidents are frequent.
Driving a car on the Riviera is only for the brave, the region has one of the worst accident records in France (which is saying something) and every local has his or her favourite story about a mad driver. However all major car rental firms, as well as some less well known ones such as easycar and ADA, are present. Most are located by 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 you will add.
[edit] By taxi
If you can, avoid the taxis. Sadly, in many cases, you do not have a choice. Also often it is hard to find a taxi when you need one. Many do not respond to being hailed, and only ply from a taxi rank, from where cabs take passengers in turn. Taxi ranks will be found outside the train station and biggest hotels (for example outside Le Meridien at 1 Promenade des Anglais)
Nice taxi drivers are notorious for ripping off foreigners. 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 when/if it goes off "accidentally." Taxi fares within Nice should be less than €20, Antibes €50 and Monaco or Cannes should result in fares of approximately €70. The Airport run to Nice is a fixed tariff around 35 euros, depending on time of day and many surcharges like luggage or presence of a 4th passenger
[edit] By bus
A number of public buses crisscross Nice. 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 currently at (unless the two coincide, naturally). 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', for example). This means that you will have to do a lot of guessing. Best ask a native and leave some extra padding time (30 minutes or more depending on the complexity of your bus trip) if you plan to take a bus to any scheduled event that you really do not want to miss (airport, train, etc).
You can find local bus route maps and timetables at this link. Route maps are listed under 'Maps' and timetables as 'Timetables'. They are provided in PDF format. Also, a new service ('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. The interurban bus station (Gare Routière) in central Nice is on Avenue Félix Faure near the Rue du Lycée.From here routes of the TAM (Trans Alpes Maritime) agency serve all the main towns along the coast between Menton and Cannes and inland to all the main villages, Apart from the airport express routes 98 and 99, buses rarely run after 8 o'clock in the evening
Take care to check for temporary changes to your bus stops near any roadworks for Nice's new tram system.
[edit] By foot
Nice is a large, sprawling city: unless you are concentrating your visit to within the old town and the central shopping districts, you will have to use buses, taxis, or other forms of motorised travel.
[edit] By scooter/motorbike
Unless you are very experienced, don't.
[edit] By inline skating / rollerblading
There is a place you can rent skates from on 13, rue Cassini 06300 (slightly north-west of the port/harbor/quay), called Fun 'N Roll. Website here: www.fun-n-roll.com.
[edit] See
The ruined castle overlooking the harbour is a nice vantage point overlooking the city. Not much is left besides crumbling walls. Still, climbing up the stairs to reach the platforms 90m above Nice is well worth the view. Be aware that the castle "park" closes at 8:00 in the evening. Expect to be escorted outside if you stay longer.
Nice is also known for several museums. Some of the most famous are in Cimiez, the older, upper part of the city, including:
- The Musee Chagall, which includes stain glass windows by the artist.
- Musee Matisse
- Musee et Site Archeologiques de Cimiez, the ruins of the Gallo-Roman settlement in Cimiez, plus a museum with nice documentation on Gallo-Roman life (but mostly not in English).
The old town against the hill is a maze of streets and alleys, with many picturesque houses.
Near the central bus terminal, there is also the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art with four connected towers featuring modern and contemporary artists and their sculptures, paintings, and conceptual installations.
To the west, there is the Musee des Beaux-Arts housing an excellent collection of pastels and other works by Jules Cheret, among other artists.
Cliff Walk - If you go past the old port (probably 15 minute walk)heading east toward Monaco, there is a little pathway that leads along the side of the cliff. Its a very beautiful walk and you will find mostly local people using it.
[edit] Do
[edit] Beaches
If you go to Nice for bathing or generally lounging on the beach, you may wish to think again. The beaches of Nice consist entirely of gravel and rocks - much nicer beaches exist in other cities around the Mediterranean (Villefranche-sur-Mer or Cannes are way more sandy, though). 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 (walking on the rocks can be painful) and cushions (if you want to sit). There is, however, a beach volleyball area that is netted off; this area is artificially replaced with white sand, so as not to hurt the players' feet. Showers are provided (for free) on all public beaches, as well.
Although the beaches are mainly pebbles and will hurt your feet if you walk on them for a long time, it is important to note that most people feel compelled to go into the beautiful light blue sea for a swim. If you can bare to walk for few steps on the pebbles, it is definitely a nice place for swimming, especially if you are actually going to swim instead of play in the water as the water isn't very shawllow. Lying on the beach for a sun tan or relaxation is also managable even though it isn't as soft as sandy beaches, as long as you take a few seconds to rearrange the rocks/pebbles to a comfy surface for sitting and lying.
Private beaches offer various services from restaurants / bars to the rental of lounge chairs and towels.
[edit] Beautiful Landscapes
Go to Eze. It is a small village on the way to Monaco. The village is situated on a small mountain and there is a beautiful garden with a spectacular view (a must see). There is also a perfume factory which you can visit for free.
[edit] Learn
There are many schools offering courses in French. Perhaps the most reputable is Alliance Française [1].
[edit] Work
Sophia Antipolis is a huge office/science/tech park 20 minutes outside of Nice
[edit] Buy
Most stores and restaurants in Nice will accept the major credit cards, as well as debit cards from major banks (anything carrying the EC or MAESTRO labels). If this fails you can always get money from any of the numerous ATM machines.
Postcards (as many other things) vary greatly in price. Do some comparison shopping as the price range is between 20 cents and 1 Euro per normal postcard.
[edit] Eat
A food called "Socca" is a local speciality, as is a tuna fish sandwich called "Pan Bagnat." Other specialties include Soupe de Poisson (Fish Soup, made with chili aioli, croutons, and grated cheese), Salade Nicoise (made with seafood), and Tourtes aux Blettes (sweet tartes made with Savoy cabbage, raisins, nuts, and powdered sugar).
Check out the daily market in the Vieux Nice for fresh, local produce. You can save a lot of money if you are willing to cook at least some of your meals yourself and if you also eat leftovers, cooking can actually save you time as well since eating at a restaurant will easily cost you one to two hours per meal.
[edit] Budget
Cheap & cheerful food in Nice is hard to come by if you don't take your time to look for it. The menus offered at McDonalds are between 5.50€-7€ for a sandwich, pommes frites and a soda drink. Although in Nice, you definitely should try to find some local food instead of eating at McDonalds. A baguette with different fillings range from 3 to 4.5 eruos, which is very reasonable.
The best deals in the centre can be found in the port area. Old Nice and all along the sea front the prices cannot be described as budget.
However, 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 into the afternoon.
- Lou Pilha Leva, place Centrale, Old Nice. Local dishes including the best tasting Socca, which only costs 2 euros. Locals seem to love this place and gets very busy on weekends. Order your food at the counter and take it with you to sit at the benches outside. Try Daube pasta/polenta and soupe au pistou, and socca. very nice atmosphere and very decent price. For example, big plate of daube pasta costs 7 euros as well as chicken and fries and a side salad. A must try.
[edit] Mid-range
- Casa Mia, Rue Pontin, Old Nice. Does amazing Italian in a very homely environment. The menus around 20-25 euros offer excellent value for the service and quality.
- Domaine de Lintillac, 37 Rue d'Angleterre, tel: +33-4-93885075. Specializes in duck. Main dishes are an excellent value at a little under 10 euro.
- <eat name="le Delhi Belhi" address="22 Rue de la Barillerie, 06300 Nice, France" phone="+33-4-93925187" email="" fax="+33-4-93925187" hours="7:00pm to 11:30pm daily" price="15€ to 20€ per person (alcoholic drinks and wine are extra)" url="http://www.delhibelhi.com"></eat>Delhi Belhi is a family owned and operated restaurant - specializes in Indian cuisine. Open daily for dinner. A-la-carte or prix-fix menu - Great curries and tandoori specialties. Fluent English also spoken here. Behind the popular cours Saleya flower market. This is a very popular restaurant so reservations are highly recommended (at least a few hours ahead).
- Le Shalimar, 11 Rue Biscarra, tel: +33-4-93139578. Has tasty Indian food. The lunch menus are a good deal.
- L'Occitanie, 54, bd Gambetta, tel: +33-44-9382114111. In the Musician's Quarter, about 5 blocks from the Promenade des Anglais. A delightful, authentic brasserie/bistrot with delicious food. Reasonable (15-30€ per person). Gambetta is a main North/South Street. The area is quiet at night, and safe.
[edit] Splurge
- Le Safari [2], 1, cours Saleya, Tel : +33 4 93 80 18 44, Fax : +33 4 93 62 62 14. Long established in the old quarter, now caters more for tourists than the locals. This reflects in the price and language spoken by those dining next to you. Overpriced compared to other local similar establishments. For a 3 course meal with wine, expect >60 Euros/head.
- Oliviera[3], 8 Bis rue du Collet, tel: +33-4-93130645. Focus is on olive oil. Tasting of different particular oil types offered while you wait for the dishes. All dishes matched to the oil. Simple, sincere, good cuisine. Friendly service in a nice simple setting. Enjoyable experience. Main dishes: 15-20 Euro.
- Brasserie Flo[4], behind Galeries Lafayette, a block from Jean Medecin. 2-4 Rue Sacha Guitry; Phone: 33 (0)4 93 13 38 38 Not in the "tourist area", but nearby. Part of a chain that has ten or so high-end brasseries all over France. This location was originally a theatre. The kitchen is on the stage! Beautiful decor. Wonderful ambiance. Professional, courteous staff. Main dishes: 15-25 Euro. Fixed price menus are varied and reasonable.
[edit] Drink
You can save a lot of money by buying drinks and such in a normal supermarket instead of the vendors geared towards tourists. With the hot Niçois summers, carrying a bottle of water is almost a must.
Some popular places to go out for a drink include:
- Ma Nolan's [5] - Right in the heart of the 'Old Town' and next to the opera, Ma Nolan's has everything you would expect from an Irish pub and more. Live music every night, major sporting events on 4 screens, really good food and very friendly staff. This place is a must.
- Mc Mahon's [6] - Cool Irish Pub with pool table and fun theme nights. Just by the Tram stop 'Vieux Nice'
- Thor Pub [7] - Big Scandi Pub with live music every night. On 2 floors with a large terrace this place is expensive but chilled.
- Blue Whales - Stays open until the wee hours of the morning.
- Wayne's [8] - An old school bar with live music and theme nights, a bit coyote ugly meets cheers.
- Checkpoint - A cozy bar on the ground level, and a great dance floor underground.
- Le Marches - Lounge style bar on 2 floors with cocktails and tapas.
- Master Home - a pub by Waynes and King's Pub. More "french" than Waynes and King's pub and a little more classy. When you order alcoholic drinks, they bring you 2-3 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 (3.2 euros,) the cheapest on the menu but delicious!
[edit] 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.
[edit] Budget
It would seem that the simplest solution is to stay at a youth hostel. There are quite a number in Nice, three of which are:
- Mont-Boron, Route Forestière du Mont-Alban.[9] Situated 4 kms from Nice in a forest.
- Les Camélias, 3, rue Spitalieri.[10] Situated near the shopping center Nice Etoile, in the heart of the city center.
- Villa Saint Exupery, 22, Avenue Gravier.[11] An AMAZING hostel with a great party vibe... free internet, free breakfast. Situated a short way to the north of the town centre in a former monastery. You can easily catch a bus there from Nice Ville train station (1, 2 or 23), the staff are very helpful, knowledgeble and will even pick you up free if you arrive late
[edit] 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.
- <sleep name="Hotel Anis" address="50, Avenue de la Lanterne" phone="+33 (0)4.93.18.29.00" email="info@hotel-anis.com" fax="+33 (0)4.93.83.31.16 " url="http://www.hotel-anis.com/en/index.htm" checkin="" checkout="" price=""></sleep>
Hotels 2* located in the centre of Nice
- La Résidence
- Carlyna[12]
Hotels 3* located in the centre of Nice
- Le Vendôme[13]
- Le Mas des Selves Beautiful Bed and Breakfast, Phone +(33) 04 93291027
[14] #2072
Studio Apartments 3* located between the city center and the airport, but close to the Beach Promenade and near bus lines heading into the city center. These have full kitchens along with a fridge, dishwasher, and a decent set of basic cookware.
- Citadines Nice Promenade
- Citadines Nice Buffa
[edit] Splurge
Holiday palaces are numerous in Nice: there are 14 four-star hotels of which these are a sampling:
[edit] Contact
[edit] Stay safe
Nice is not really more dangerous than other cities in western countries. You can easily stay safe following a few pieces of advice:
- Beware of pickpockets. They operate regularly in crowded areas like buses, train stations, and tourist sites. They are extremely skilled and can 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.
- Beware of groups that prey on tourists on the beach. Stealing from bathers is organised, and the theives have a high level of expertise and success. Avoid taking anything valuable or important documents if you plan to spend time bathing.
- The vol à la portière, the practice of opening the door of a car stopped at a traffic light and stealing the passengers' goods has decreased over the last few years, but a few are still reported every year. To avoid it, keep your car doors locked and make sure that purses, cameras or other expensive items cannot be seen from the outside. Note that cars registered outside the Alpes-Marimes (with a number plate ending with something else than '06') are more likely to be targeted.
- Avoid the areas called les Moulins and l'Ariane. Crime is higher in these districts, in addition to lacking anything of interest to tourists.
[edit] Cope
[edit] Religious services
- Holy mass in catholic churches in vicinity to the Convention center Acropolis (Palais des Congrès et des Expositions):
Notre-Dame Auxiliatrice, 36, Place Don Bosco.[18] Sat: 18:30; Sun: 8:30, 10:00; Mon-Fri: 16:15, 18:30
St. Joseph, 21, Rue Smolett. Sat: 18:30; Sun 9:00; Thu: 18:00
Saint Jean-Baptiste, Place du Voeu/Rue Alfrede Mortier. Sat: 18:00; Sun: 11:00, Mon-Wed: 18:45; Thu-Fri: 8:30
St. Martin-St. Augustin, Place Saint-Augustin. Sat: 16:00, 17:30; Sun: 9:30, 11:00; Tue-Fri: 16:00
Some other catholic churches in downtown Nice:
Cathédrale Sainte-Réparate, Place Rossetti. Sat: 18:30; Sun: 10:00, 12:00; Mon-Fri: 10:00
Notre Dame du Port, 8, Place Ile de Beaute. Sun: 10:00; Mon-Fri: 18:00
Basilique Notre Dame, 2, Rue d’Italie. Sat: 11:00, 17:30; Sun: 8:30, 10:00, 11:15; 18:00; Mon-Fri: 11:00, 18:00
- Protestant churches
Reformed temple, 21, boulevard Victor Hugo. Sun: 10:15
Lutheran church, 4, Rue Melchior de Vogüé. Sun: 10:30
Baptist church, 32 rue de l'hôtel des postes. Sun: 10:30
Evangelical church, 51bis, avenue de Pessicart. Sun: 10:00
Anglican church Holy Trinity, 11, rue de la Buffa. Sun: 11:00; Mon&Thu: 12:15; Tue: 18:15; Wed&Fri: 10:30; Sat: 09:00
- Orthodox churches
Greek orthodox church Saint Spyridon, 2, Avenue Desambrois. Sun: 10:30; Mon-Sat: 10:15
Russian orthodox cathedral Saint Nicolas, Avenue Nicolas II. Sun-Sat: 10:00
Apostolic Armenian church, 281 Boulevard de la Madeleine. Sun: 10:00
[edit] Get out
[edit] By train
If you're getting out of Nice towards Paris, consider taking the TGV. Cruising at 300 km/h is quite fun (but the train only reaches high speed beyond Marseille) and the train has a nice route with plenty of views of the coast. Be sure to ask for a seat on the left-hand side of the train when going west from Nice. Search online in advance to find dramatically reduced advance-purchase fares for which you can print out tickets yourself. These fares change on an hourly basis so check back often.
Some nice places just to the west of Nice include Antibes and Cannes.
East of Nice the trains stops at Villefranche, Monaco and Menton. San Remo in Italy is also just a little over one hour away.
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 1.40 euros each way.
[edit] By bus
There are coaches from Nice Airport to most places between Marseille and Genoa.
Eze can be reached using line 82 or 112 from the Gare Routiere (bus terminal) in Nice. (Note that the train station is in Eze-sur-Mer, which is a considerable walk from the village of Eze. There is an infrequent bus service connecting the village of Eze and Eze-sur-Mer.)
[edit] Helicopter
There are a number of helicopter services available with regular flights to St Tropez, Cannes and Monaco. The price is quite competitive with a taxi fare and the views are stunning.