The capital of the Riviera and fifth largest city in France, Nice scarcely deserves its glittering reputation. Living off inflated property values and fat business accounts, its ruling class has hardly evolved from the eighteenth-century Russian and English aristocrats who first built their mansions here; today it's the rentiers and retired people of various nationalities whose dividends and pensions give the city its startlingly high ratio of per capita income to economic activity.
T he attraction of Nice lies in the sheer range of activities it makes possible. Rollerblade along the Promenade des Anglais in the morning, take in a museum in the early afternoon, stop for flowers or fruits glaces (candied fruits) on the Cours Saleya on the way to the beach, dine in the balmy open air until late into the evening. The town also makes a great base for exploring with excellent rail links to the beautiful town of Antibes, the wealthy glittering resort of Cannes and the romantic principality of Monaco. Nice is, quite simply, an unforgettable experience.
The spectacular Promenade des Anglais curves along the seafront for 6 kilometres and was established by Nice's English colony in 1822 as a seaside walking path. Strolling along it is a superb way to get your bearings and to take in the magnificenct Bay of Angels. Watch out for the pink domed Hotel Negresco along the way. Built in the Belle Epoque style, it dates back to the 1900s and is classified as an historic monument. Nice has hidden treasures around each corner - from the early 19th century neoclassical arcaded buildings in Place Massena painted in a variety of eyecatching ochres and reds to the fantastic flower market on the Cours Saleya to the winding narrow streets of the old town. The town's Matisse Museum boasts a fine collection of the artist's work and is well worth a visit. Don't miss the Musee d'Art Moderne et d'Art Contemporain which specialises in French and American avant-garde works from the 1960s onwards and the Musee National Message Biblique Marc Chagall.
Politics apart, Nice has other reasons to qualify it as one of the more dubious destinations on the Riviera : it's a pickpocket's paradise; the traffic is a nightmare; miniature poodles appear to be mandatory; phones are always vandalized; and the beach isn't even sand. And yet Nice still manages to be delightful. The sun and the sea and the laid-back, affable Niçois cover a multitude of sins. |
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