Nice top sights

• Essentials
  • Overview
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  • 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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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 shelter the city, 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 east. The modern part of the city centres on Place Massena and radiates westwards from 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.

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Nice seafront

The Nice seafront never fails to delight, with its magnificent palm-lined Promenade des Anglais. The promenade runs the length of the bay with fantastic views seawards 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 landward side of the Promenade 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.

Try one of the private beaches and take in the sun and sights in luxury. Castel Plage at the eastern end of the promenade charges €10 for half a day for lounger and umbrella and the drinks service is an added bonus. This is sun-worshipping in style.

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.

The Palis Lascaris at 15 Rue Droite in the Old Town is worth a visit. A 17th century Baroque building, it houses an old apothecary's shop from the 1700s, rich furnishings and tapestries and Italian ceiling paintings. There are regular exhibitions on cultural life in the Nice region.

Other Old Town highlights include the 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-Reparate, dating from 1650, somewhat gloomy but with an impressive dome of glazed tiles. A Baroque highlight of the area is the L'Eglise du Jesus in the place du Gesu.

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. There are numerous fish stalls, restaurants and cafes around the market area. 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.