Attractions

In 1822, the orange crop at Nice was bad and the workers faced a lean time, so the English residents put them to work building the promenade des Anglais, a wide boulevard fronting the bay. Split by "islands" of palms and flowers, it stretches for about 6km (4 miles). Fronting the beach are rows of grand cafes, the Musée Masséna, villas, and hotels -- some good, others decaying.

In the east, the promenade becomes quai des Etats-Unis, the original boulevard, lined with some of the best restaurants in Nice, all specializing in bouillabaisse. Rising sharply on a rock is the site known as Le Château, the spot where the ducs de Savoie built their castle, which was torn down in 1706. All that remains are two or three stones -- even the foundations have disappeared in the wake of Louis XIV's deliberate destruction of what was viewed at the time as a bulwark of Provençal resistance to his regime. The hill has been turned into a garden of pines and exotic flowers. To reach the panoramic site, you can take an elevator. The park is open daily from 8am to dusk.

At the north end of Le Château is the famous old graveyard of Nice, visited primarily for its lavishly sculpted monuments that make their own enduring art statement. It's the largest in France and the fourth largest in Europe.

Continuing east from Le Château and "the Rock," you reach the harbor, where the restaurants are even cheaper and the bouillabaisse is just as good. While sitting here lingering over an aperitif at a sidewalk cafe, you can watch the boats depart for Corsica (or perhaps take one yourself). The port was excavated between 1750 and 1830. Since then, an outer harbor -- protected by two jetties -- has also been created.

The "authentic" Niçoise live in Vieille Ville, the old town, beginning at the foot of "the Rock" and stretching out from place Masséna. Sheltered by sienna-tiled roofs, many of the Italianate facades suggest 17th-century Genoese palaces. The Old Town is a maze of narrow streets, many of them teeming with local life. Some, including the rue Masséna, the rue Droite, and the rue Pairolière, are reserved exclusively for pedestrians. On these narrow streets, you'll find some of the least expensive restaurants in Nice. Buy la pissaladière (an onion pizza), or socca, a crepe made with chickpea flour, from one of the local vendors. Many of the old buildings are painted a faded Roman gold, and banners of multicolored laundry flaps in the sea breezes.

While here, try to visit the Marché aux Fleurs, the flower market at cours Saleya. The vendors set up their stalls Tuesday to Sunday 8am to 6pm in summer, and from 8am until between 2 and 4pm in winter. A flamboyant array of carnations, violets, jonquils, roses, and birds of paradise is hauled in by vans or trucks and then displayed in the most fragrant market in town.

Nice's commercial centerpiece is place Masséna, with pink buildings in the 17th-century Genoese style and the Fontaine du Soleil (Fountain of the Sun) by Janoit, from 1956. Stretching from the main square to the promenade is the Jardin Albert-1er, with an open-air terrace and a Triton Fountain. With palms and exotic flowers, it's the most relaxing oasis at the resort.

In Nearby Cimiez -- In the once-aristocratic hilltop quarter of Cimiez, Queen Victoria wintered at the Hôtel Excelsior and brought half the English court with her. Founded by the Romans, who called it Cemenelum, Cimiez was the capital of the Maritime Alps province. Recent excavations have uncovered the ruins of a Roman town, and you can wander among the diggings. The arena was big enough to hold at least 5,000 spectators, who watched contests between gladiators and wild beasts shipped in from Africa. To reach this suburb, take bus no. 15 or 17 from place Masséna.