Nightlife

Nice has some of the most active nightlife along the Riviera. Evenings usually begin at a cafe. At kiosks around town, pick up a copy of La Semaine des Spectacles, which outlines the week's diversions.

The major cultural center on the Riviera is the Opéra de Nice, 4 rue St-François-de-Paule (tel. 04-92-17-40-00; www.opera-nice.org), built in 1885 by Charles Garnier, fabled architect of the Paris Opéra. It presents a full repertoire, with emphasis on serious, often large-scale operas. In one season you might see Tosca, Les Contes de Hoffmann, Verdi's Macbeth, Beethoven's Fidelio, and Carmen, as well as a saison symphonique, dominated by the Orchestre Philharmonique de Nice. The opera hall is also the major venue for concerts and recitals. Tickets are available (to concerts, recitals, and full-blown operas) a day or two prior to any performance. You can show up at the box office (Mon-Sat 10am-5:30pm, Sun 10am-6pm) or buy tickets in advance with a major credit card by phoning tel. 04-92-17-40-40. Tickets run 9.60€ ($13) for nosebleed (and we mean it) seats to 87€ ($113) for front-and-center seats on opening night.

Near the Hôtel Ambassador, Le Before, 18 rue des Congrès (tel. 04-93-87-85-59), is an aperitif bar -- called apero-bar -- where a stylish all-ages crowd goes before heading off to more dance-oriented places. The decor is "New York inspired," with lots of brick like you'd find in a Gotham cellar. Open daily from 6pm to midnight, with cold platters served until 10pm.

Cabaret du Casino Ruhl, in the Casino Ruhl, 1 promenade des Anglais (tel. 04-97-03-12-22), is Nice's answer to the more ostentatious glitter of Monte Carlo and Las Vegas. It includes just enough flesh to titillate; lots of spangles, feathers, and sequins; a medley of cross-cultural jokes and nostalgia for the old days of French chanson; and an acrobat or juggler. The 27€ ($35) cover includes one drink; dinner and the show, complete with a bottle of wine per person, costs 60€ ($78). Shows begin Friday and Saturday at 10pm. No jeans or sneakers.

The casino contains an area exclusively for slot machines, open daily from noon to 4am, with no admission fee. A more formal gaming room (jacket required, but not a tie), offers blackjack, baccarat, and chemin de fer. Presentation of a government-issued photo ID, preferably a passport, is required. It's open Sunday to Thursday 8pm to 4am, or Friday and Saturday 5pm to 5am.

Le Relais, in the Hôtel Negresco, 37 promenade des Anglais (tel. 04-93-16-64-00), is the most beautiful museum-quality bar in Nice, with an oxblood-red ceiling, Oriental carpets, English paneling, Italianate chairs, and tapestries. It was once a haunt of the actress Lillie Langtry. With its piano music and white-jacketed waiters, the bar still attracts a chic crowd.

Many bars in the old town cater to tourists and ex-pats. They include the Scarlett O'Hara Irish Pub, at the corner of rue Rossetti and rue Droite (tel. 04-93-85-84-66); Wayne's, 15 rue de la Préfecture (tel. 04-93-13-46-99; www.waynes.fr); and William's Pub, 4 rue Centrale (tel. 04-93-62-99-63), which has live music.

If you'd rather hang out with French people, try La Civette, 29 rue de la Préfecture (tel. 04-93-62-35-51), a popular spot for aperitifs. Two nearly adjacent sports bars with roughly equivalent decors, clienteles, and sports priorities include Chez Wayne (sharing space with Wayne's), 15 rue de la Prefecture, off place Rossetti in Vieux Nice (tel. 04-93-13-46-99), and Le Master Home Bar, 11 rue de la Prefecture (tel. 04-93-80-33-82). Both occasionally sponsor live bands, both have more widescreens TVs for sporting events than you could possibly take in during one sitting, and both offer the option of a rollicking and sometimes raucous good time. At Chez Wayne, Thursday is karaoke night. When live music is presented at either of these bars, it tends to begin around 9pm. La Bodeguita, 14 rue Chavin (tel. 04-93-92-67-24) serves tapas, wine by the glass, and lots of beer, and both re-create some of the sun-and-salsa motifs of nightlife at its best in the Caribbean and South America.

By the port some of the best late-night action is at White Lab, 26 quai Lunel (tel. 06-16-34-04-16), attracting a 20-plus crowd to its elegant confines. Everybody looks pink at night, helped in no small part by the bubble-gum decor. On most nights a cover of 15€ ($20) is imposed, with cocktails starting from 12€ ($16)

Also attracting the see-and-be-seen crowd is Guest, 5 quai des Deux Emmanual (tel. 04-93-56-83-83). Along the waterfront, this club is chic, trendy, and romantic for dancing sweethearts of all persuasions. With its soft lighting, it's also a great pickup bar. A cover of 15€ ($20) is sometimes imposed, with cocktails costing from 12€ ($16).

Near the Hôtel Negresco and promenade des Anglais, Le Blue Boy, 9 rue Jean-Baptiste Spinetta (tel. 04-93-44-68-24; www.blueboy.fr), is the oldest gay disco on the Riviera. With two bars and two floors, it's a vital stop for passengers aboard the all-gay cruises that call at Nice. The cover is 8€ ($10). Open daily 10:30am to 5pm.

A more trend-conscious gay bar in Nice is Le Klub, 6 rue Halevy (tel. 06-60-55-26-61; www.leklub.net), near the Casino Ruhl. Entrance costs 9€ ($12) and includes one drink. Expect a hard-dancing, high-energy crowd of mostly gay men, many of them under 35, as well as lots of straight people who come for the nonstop barrage of house music and the focus on dance, dance, dance.