Style Points: 3/5
Price: £
Overall: 4/5

I was lucky enough to visit the French city of Nice and I discovered beautiful alleyways, quirky bars and restaurants and best for all, welcoming and friendly locals. Here are the highlights from my trip!

If you're planning to see more than one city and renting a car to get around, before travelling to Nice or the South of France compare rental cars online at EasyTerra to get yourself the best car and price in advance.

See

• Nice isn’t one of those cities which is full of must-visit tourists sites. Instead you will discover so much by just wandering the streets.

• The best place to explore in Nice is the Old Town (Vieux Nice). This area is full of tightly packed alleys made up of winding streets filled with restaurants, bars, vintage shops, churches and so much more.

• The Old Town in Nice leads nicely onto the coast line and the French Riviera, which can’t be missed. In particular the Promenade des Anglais is an almost five miles stretch composed on sun, sea, palms and pergolas. Perfect for a scenic seaside stroll or even to spend the entire day relaxing in.

Eat 

There are plenty of high end restaurants in Nice, but these don’t have the charm of the small local restaurants hidden away in the old town. 

• Try Papayou for fast Thai food on the go, or La Favola for a Pizza based dinner. Though make sure to arrive early at La Favola as the queues can snake right around the corner.

• For a comfortable and atmospheric bar try Distilleries Ideales, perfect for anytime of the day and it is easy to while away the hours here.

• Fenocchio’s ice cream parlour is the perfect place to stop off for some fantastically flavoured ice cream. The amazing assortment of flavours include olives, cactus, lavender as well as the usual. I tried a scoop of coconut ice cream and it was divine.

Relax

• One of my favourite past times abroad is to people watch. I can think of nothing better than relaxing on an outdoor table in a cosy cafe and watching the world go by. The Old Town in Nice is the perfect place to do this, with tourists, locals, mini vans, dogs and more making their way along the narrow alleyways.

• For those who prefer a beach location, Nice’s French Riviera is ideal seaside lazing.

• For a more upbeat evening, head to Le Shapko Bar for an amazing night of live jazz music. Grab a table along the upstairs balcony for perfect views of the action. We spent a fabulous evening here dancing along to the live jazz music with the musicians!

Stay

We stayed at the Best Western Plus Hôtel Massena Nice which was a lovely hotel to stay in. It is on the higher end of hotels but generally staying in Nice is not too expensive (unless you go when there is a Euro game on!) which means that staying in a nicer hotel won’t break the bank. 

Onward travel

Nice is located perfectly for continuing your travels through the rest of France.  The most popular visited towns and cities in the surrounding areas include: 

• Provence: Provence is a beautiful part of France which is best seen on bike. As well as admiring the beauty, for a more active trip try cycling in the Mont Ventoux area.
  

• Monaco: Pop over and visit another country! Only a short train ride away Monaco had a completely different vibe and fee to Nice. Filled with luxury bars, clubs restaurants and yachts, check out my Monaco travel guide for travel tips!

Overall

What I enjoyed most about my trip to Nice and the French Riviera is how lively the city is. There is a buzz about Nice which makes it instantly attractive to visitors, as the locals are out and about and ready to mingle with tourists too. 

Although it may come across as a small city with few, if any, tourist sites to visit, the key to discovering Nice is exploring the alleys in the Old Town, as there is adventure hidden along these streets. 

If you have any questions about my trip feel free to get in touch!

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