Nice top sights

• Essentials
  • Overview
  • Basics
  • Getting there
  • Getting around
• City sights
  • Top sights
  • Tourist trail
  • Offbeat sights
  • Nearby trips
  • Museums
• Things to do
  • Eating out
  • Cafe bars
  • Shopping
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  • When to go
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Nice top sights

It takes no time at all to get the hang of Nice, the city and its location. Behind the city are mountains that curve round to the east, with the resort dividing neatly into two halves - the old and the new.

The roofline of Old Nice can be seen scattered below the Chateau to the northeast. The modern part of the city centres on Place Massena and radiates along the main avenue Jean-Medecin.

The celebrated Promenade des Anglais hugs the coastline to the west for about 5km while the exclusive hillside suburb of Cimiez is to the north.

Nice seafront

The Nice seafront never fails to delight, with its magnificent palm-lined Promenade des Anglais. Facing due south, the promenade runs the length of the bay with fantastic views of the Baie des Anges from Nice Cape to Antibes.

Vehicles may flood along the road, but the promenade is wide enough to satisfy the thousands who walk it, or roller-skate or simply gaze over the beach and sea.

To the north are stone and glass facades while the many fine buildings, notably the Hotel Negresco, Palais de la Mediterranée and the Ruhl Casino, make this one of the world's great seafronts.

Old Nice

The Old Quarter is a wonderful area for a stroll. The tall buildings provide shade, even at the height of summer. It's a Mediterranean city at its finest, with small shops, churches, bars and cafes at every turn.

Highlights include Chapelle de l'Annonciation with its rich Baroque interior; the Église St-Jacques, a highly ornate church with a ceiling painting of the Life of St James, and the Cathédrale Ste-Repare, dating from 1650, with an impressive dome of glazed tiles.

The Chateau

This is a 300ft high hill to the east where Nice's castle stood until its destruction in 1706. Today it's a park with great views and excavations of an old cathedral along with Roman and Greek buildings.

To reach the park take the lift from Tour Bellanda or climb the steps from either rue de la Providence or rue de Chateau.
Open daily 9am-7pm, winter 10am-5.30pm

Nice Port

Around the headland to the east of the Promenade des Anglais is the Old Port. It's packed with yachts, fishing boats and the occasional luxury liner. It's also the ferry point for Corsica.

Cours Saleya

The famous flower and vegetable market is held here in an area lined with shops and restaurants. It makes you appreciate why food in France is so special. Watching the locals selecting the fine produce with such care is a delight in itself.

Several chapels and churches add to the attraction of this vibrant part of the city. On Mondays, the market specialises in antiques.

Place Masséna and Espace Masséna

Arcades give this shopping area a true sense of style, while a fountain with four bronze horses stands at the seaward end of the square.

To the north, Avenue Jean-Medecin is the main shopping street while Rue Masséna and Rue de France, run westwards to create a pedestrian precinct packed with shops and cafes.

The city's new tram service runs through the Place Masséna while the tourist trains run from the fountain in Jardin Albert 1.

Cimiez

This is the sophisticated suburb of Nice with fine houses and a statue of Queen Victoria, who used to stay here from time to time.

Also here are the museums of Matisse and Marc-Chagall, the Archaeological Museum and the Gallic-Roman Archaeological site - see Museums.

• Nice Tourist Office- The Nice Visitors Bureau contains all the information for your holidays