A holiday in Nice offers an astonishing choice of shopping from large stores such as Galeries Lafayette to the world famous market in Cours Saleya, next to Old Nice.
Here, holiday shoppers tired of sterile supermarket-style shopping will find life beyond Tesco as stalls laden with glorious flowers, fruit, vegetables, cheeses, meats and fish are picked over with culinary care by discriminating customers of all ages.
Market traders shout their wares surrounded by busy street cafes, cosy bars and enticing restaurants. The setting itself, with glimpses of the Mediterranean Sea through arched gateways, is an added bonus.
This is how shopping should be – local, seasonal produce of the highest quality, a massive choice on offer and at very reasonable prices. If you are self-catering, you are assured of gourmet treats galore.
There are other markets too to delight the holiday visitor. Antiques are sold at Cours Saleya every Monday. There's a fish market from 6am to 1pm at Place St-François and there's a fine flea market to be found at Place Robilante.
Galeries Lafayette is the main attraction at 6 av Jean Medecin, near to the arcaded Espace Masséna. It’s a fashionable department store and, while it doesn’t have the atmosphere or architecture of its Parisian parent store, there’s still a fabulous range of brands on sale. It also has a ticket counter for entertainment events being held at most of the major local venues.
There are a couple of Carrefour hypermarkets in the area to supply the basics, one at 15 boulevard Delfino and the other 4km to the north of the airport on the Route de Digne.
Rue Paradis; Avenue de Verdun and the pedestrianised rue Masséna are where you’ll find a massive range of shops, from the luxury likes of Hermès, Cartier, Chanel and Emporio Armani to the more affordable small stores and boutiques. It’s a brilliant area, just to the west of Espace Masséna, for window shopping. English is widely spoken, so step in and shop ‘til you drop.
There are speciality shops selling all manner of delectable sweets, luxury goods such as foie gras and truffle oil and, for ice cream fans, stores that will make both your mouth and your eyes water from the choice on display. Explore the old town for some superb pasta shops while the small bakeries and charcuteries will supply almost every need.
You will find fewer of the rubbishy souvenir shops that plague most popular city resorts, possibly because Nice is a major city in its own right and not just a cheap flight holiday destination.
Souvenir shops that might appeal include Aux Parfums de Grasse at 10 rue Saint-Gaetan and La Grange de Mini Cadeaux at 2 rue Ste-Réparate. There’s also a good range of shops selling Provencal prints.