Place Masséna, one of the most beautiful in France
In addition, other more mundane factors must be added. On the one hand, there is the proliferation of urban hotels open all year and that ignore the beach as an attraction, which consolidates the reconversion of the city, evolving until it ceases to be a somewhat exclusive summer destination to settle as a very complete city break . On the other hand, the air connection with Madrid of Iberia Express (with four weekly frequencies and perfect schedules for leisure and tourism) make it appear on the map. With these preliminaries, a festive weekend begins between the last Alps and the bluest Mediterranean.
DAY ONE
10:00 THE SEA BREEZE
The very blue sea is not just another resource for tourist naming , but it is a magnet for everyone who comes to Nice. For this reason, it is best to eliminate the desire for waves and horizons first and go with this vital appointment. Yes, the fact that your urban beach is a gray quarry may pull you back, but the sophisticated roll you have is irrefutable . Here everything is aesthetic, from the blue chairs that are serialized with sacred and meticulous pantone to the private pieces of the most exclusive hotels. Its promenade or, what is the same, The Promenade des Anglais it is made to be walked until the soles of the shoes wear out.
Apart from the hypnotic and chromatic charm of the Mediterranean, the buildings that accompany it are the clear example of the most civilized France, old-chic and charming . Leading the cast of amazing buildings is the iconic Hotel Negresco , synonymous with the good life and once the place where the most aspirational dreams of the middle-lower middle class slept. Under his inspiration, the rest of the Promenade is drawn with white buildings, immaculate, solemn and with monumental airs, although none detracts an iota from the greatness of said establishment.
Hotel Negresco: a hotel with history
11:30 MARKET, OPERA AND OLD TOWN
There is a point where the sumptuous buildings that flank the sea are replaced by long old ships. This transformation is not an aberration, it is simply striking because it introduces the element of routine into the panorama. On the other side, the morning inevitably seethes Cours Saleya in form of Flower market . All the authentic Nice people religiously attend their call, since their stalls are a factory of salivation and taste stimuli. And it is that the flowers are not, far from it, its greatest claim, although they occupy the western part, usually at the entrance, of the Marché.
Here you have to linger, let yourself be flooded by the aromas and even go up to the old hangars to see the panorama from above, with the colored awnings unfurled under the ornate facades of The Mairie , the Misericordia church and the house that closes this square to the east and that boasts of keeping the room where Matisse stayed for the first time with Nice back in 1917. With this information in mind, completely ecstatic by the moment and with somatized retinas, it is impossible not to see the colors and the work of this post-avant-garde genius everywhere.
the course becomes a little civilized when it transforms into the Rue Saint Francoise de Paule . Many of the best gourmet shops in the city and the best wine bars are concentrated on this axis, but it also has two great monuments that are impossible to ignore and that are face to face. On the side closest to the sea, the building of the Opera attracts attention for its neoclassical magnificence but with touches of New Art in the form of wrought iron, showing the influence of Gustave Eiffel in his ward Francois Aune , architect of the building. However, the explosion of Art nouveau more embellished is enjoyed in the pastry shop Maison Auer . With almost two centuries on its walls, this establishment is a magnet for the eyes thanks to its mosaics, stained glass windows and sweets that **are sold (or exhibited) here **. Its essentials are candied fruit (candied everything candied) and its truffles, in addition to its oriental tourists who are blocked by so much sugar and so many floral motifs.
The patisserie that is a museum: Maison Auer
The Opera and the Maison Auer act as a posh prelude before plunging into the Old City . The streets that proliferated below the castle and its hill have almost no meaning or a straight line, but that is what gives them charm. Its width makes modern life impossible and colors that strictly respect the Concilio d'Ornato that governs the color palette of the facades and that offers four nuances: Sienna, yellow, ocher and green conquer even the most minimalist.
In this chaos there are streets that stand out for their theming, as is the case of Rue Droite and the artists' workshops and galleries or Plaza Rosetti with the ice creams of phenocchio . Some other food stores like Rene Socca where is tested socca, a kind of soft pizza with a lot of pepper that is surprisingly addictive , the Manufacture of pates fraiches , where the best pasta in the city is prepared or top delicatessens such as temptation either Boucherie de la Tour They add their little touch of flavor to the route. The last ingredient of this essential walk through the Old City are the churches of Italian Baroque influence that, out of the blue, rise up between the lampposts such as the Church of St. Jaques or the Cathedral of Saint-Réparate.
14:00 FROM THE COUNTER TO THE LAWN
The Promenade du Paillon presents its credentials to outshine the promenade as the pedestrian epicenter of the city with an infinite park that opens up along an undernourished stream. In addition to statues, children's spaces, and Caribbean palm trees, this green lung is Pic-nic mecca in Nice , so it is not strange to see the locals buy the socca, a Focacchia or any succulence that is found in the small shops of the Old City, accompany it with some white from the Riviera and toast to each ray of sun that bathes the midday in esplanades like the Albert Ter Garden.
A walk through the Old City, the Trastevere of Nice
15:00 MUSEUMS OPEN BAR
Nice has proposed that art should not be a bore or a hole in the purse and has done so with a wonderful combo ticket that offers the possibility of visiting its most important museums for just €10 . A solution that invites you to go through the 14 spaces included in this package in 48 hours.
However, as it is not entirely realistic to score a super 'Bande a part' in one afternoon, the recommendation is to mix a little of the best and most lucid Matisse with some photography and Art nouveau and finish off with the new creators who meet at the Gallerie des Ponchettes. And for those looking for a more bombastic (you know, gloriously French) version, the Palais Lascaris and the Musée Massena they quench the thirst for tea rooms and pose with a white wig. The MAMAC, for multifun, we will leave it for later while the monographic museum of Chagall deserve to skip this pass (not included) and dedicate a visit to the most religious facet of him.
The Matisse Museum houses priceless iconic works
20:00 THE OLD CITY WITHOUT LIGHT
When the sun says goodbye, the lanterns and the terraces of the Cours Saleya and rue Saint-Fracçoise de Paule are filled with joy, good cuisine and prices that end up banishing the exclusive fame of the city. Fuss is nice in places like the market , The Grand Balcony , The Favola either the story , all of them born from the fusion of Mediterranean foods, with a certain predilection for the transalpine.
The night ends up transforming the Old City and the joints appear as if from nowhere, as if all the streets hid a clandestine bar. The fusion of cultures (somewhat gratuitous and superficial euphemism in this case) is best experienced after 11:00, when The Gozadera mixes with chunda-chunda versions of Edith Piaf and techno music in clubs like The 3 Devils and her Siamese twins Court Saleya while in Shapko the most jazzy Nice goes wild and wins over the night owls.
Le Grand Balcon: great luxury at the table
10:00 PORT AND ANTIQUE DEALERS
The morning hangover, whether metaphorical or not, invites you to follow the horde of runners who run through the port taking advantage of the good weather. But first, the church of Notre Dame du Port and its classic temple look attracts the eye and amazes with an interior that does not fit a blank space. For the rest, the image of the wooden boats sharing a dock with opulent yachts, the sweets on the Confiserie Florian , and coffee at mid-morning in Le Passe Plat or in Cafe du Cycliste they add a touch of color and fun to the ride.
On this side, the castle hill shelters the antique quarter , a compendium of art galleries and antique shops born from the rattle of the port and the unofficial artistic capital of this city. Streets like Cassini, Defly, Martin Seytour and Pienchienatti concentrate these spaces in a bipolar journey of old art and new avant-garde art. At the end of Cassini, in Garibaldi Square, day antique markets are improvised , as a wilder version of this buying and selling business.
12:30 CLIMB TO THE CASTLE
The powerful promontory that divides the city and has marked its urban evolution was, in its day, the fortress that protected it and gave it confidence. To approach it from the port, it is necessary to go around the Quai Rauba Capeu , fall more in love with a hypnotic sea, go around the impressive place of prayer and monument that commemorates the fallen in World War I and reach its elevator. It is not because of laziness, it is that the tunnel through which it is accessed is full of images , curious facts and panels on the history of the city. Here you learn, for example, that this elevator was built using the layout of a medieval well.
Upstairs everything is views and healthy envy. Of the castle and the old city there are only a few ruins left to which you have to put your imagination, while the rest are flowerbeds and parks where the artificial waterfall and the balconies from where you can admire the city, the snowy Alps and the reflection of the Ligurian colors of the buildings in the Mediterranean. Its descent can be done by going down the stairs that lead to the promenade and stopping at the observatory tower or strolling through the steps that become streets that become bustle. And back to the Old City where the déjà vu is impossible because of its random vision.
Discover your horizon!
14:00 SLOW FAST FOOD
Although Nice may seem like a temple of street food, it is worth paying homage to its tablecloths. Especially with initiatives like atimi , where they have proposed to combine slow food with carefree service. Conclusion: a kind of essential focaccias and dishes that offer the best of the two cuisines that come together here: Italian and French. Plus, with a flexible kitchen schedule ideal for the visitor without clock or urgencies.
Nice, fun and dynamic
15:00 PAILLON SURRENDERS TO ART
The reinvention of Paillon Promenade in a multidisciplinary open space was preceded by the construction of the MAMAC, the National theater and the Acropolis convention and exhibition center. These three references constitute the avenue of art and are the most striking attempt to modernize the city. Sometimes they are a bit bulky, especially for sharing the city with neoclassical finesse, modernist redoubts and Ligurian colors and roofs.
However, you have to understand that the city needed to exploit local artists like Yves Klein either Niki de Saint Phalle , neighbor for years of Nice as well as its future potential. The MAMAC o Museum of Contemporary Art is an imposing building, divided into four areas (one per corner) that are connected through comfortable corridors. Inside, the highlight is the Yves Klein collection and his obsession with blue, as well as the works inherited from Saint-Phalle and her husband. Tinguely in which it is shown how this artist evolved from the most casual pop art to the most committed and 'European'. Other contemporary classics such as BEN, ai weiwei either CEASE They have earned a place in a visit that ends up in the air. Or rather, on the terrace from where the city shows itself hypnotic and instagrammer again.
A celebration of art
17:30 THE TRAM FROM STOP TO STOP
The new and unique tram line, in addition to exercising local pride , has served to theme the city, once again, with art. The idea was to create an incentive in each marquee or in its surroundings, a light intervention that would not invade the city but that would be a game for tourists, who they are invited to stop at each station . The consequence is 11 works of art, 9 located at one stop and another 2 that are dispersed throughout all of them, which cheer up and/or disturb touring the city. The most striking is the conversation that Jaume Plensa imagines in the mythical Place Masséna, with seven sculptures in the shape of seated men located on discreet columns (one for each continent) that, at night, are illuminated in different colors simulating a dialogue of colors and lights.
Place Masséna, Nice
BONUS TRACK: CARNIVALS
During the last two weeks of February, Nice becomes popular with the carnival most important and prominent in France. Its main attraction is the parades that parade, each year with a different theme, through the main avenues of the city. The daytime ones stand out for their thematic variety, with a battle of flowers that sometimes involves a massacre (they only launch from the carriages) and that fills the Promenade des Anglais of colors and some winks to Rio de Janeiro . The night ones are a roar of lights and music that turn Place Masséna into a large dance floor with gigantic Fallas-looking dolls and satirical themes as guest go-go dancers. In addition, since 2015, the first Friday takes place Lou-Queernival the only and largest gay-themed one in the entire neighboring country.
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The Promenade des Anglais