Kicking Back on the Côte d’Azur

While travel remains stalled, we’re here to bring you inspiration for the trips you’ll take when life returns to normal. – TravelSquire Editors

Maybe it’s the beachfront Promenade des Anglais lined with its famous palm trees or the ease in navigating the not-so-crowded streets or strolling its famous flower market. It will come as no surprise to anyone lucky enough to visit that Nice is for savoring. Hugging the sun-drenched Mediterranean under lapis-blue skies, it ranks as France’s number one tourist destination on the heels of Paris. No wonder. Under Italian rule until 1860, its architecture and culture are still closely intertwined with Italy. And with its proximity to the Alps, you can hike or ski in the mountains and dine beachside that same evening? Of one thing I am certain. This resort mecca and the dozen or so adjoining coastal towns that make up the French Riviera highlights will invite you to kick back and linger.

Stroll the Epicenter of the French Riviera Highlights

At the center of it all, Vieux Nice, built in the late 1600s by Italy’s Savoy aristocracy fuses Italian and French traditions. It’s a cinch you’ll eat your way through the tangle of streets lined with colorful shops selling macaroons and chocolates, celebrated Nicoise restaurants and the Cours Saleya

market. At Maison Auer, where Queen Victoria stopped for tea, you’ll see the original interior. Today, tea has been superseded by the shop’s dried fruits, chocolates, and chocolate classes (held somewhat sporadically or on request during spring’s low season with a minimum of seven people).

 Market Days

Vieux Nice’s heartbeat remains its fruit and vegetable market. Browsing the stalls invites a chance to mingle with the locals and buy exotic spices, hand-milled soaps, succulent olives, dried mushrooms of every variety, Corsican cheese and sausage, lavender products from Provence and just-harvested green and red grapes. Blooms and bouquets of every size and price point, also make this one of the top flower markets in all of France.

Sample crepe-like socca, a Nice tradition made with chickpea flour, olive oil, salt and water and served piping hot. On Mondays, the stalls morph into a sprawling antique market where bargaining is accepted and expected.

Climb Castle Hill

Until the 12^th century, the town of Nice thrived on this hill but eventually, it spread out onto the plain below. Steep stairs showcase spectacular views on the climb to the wooded grounds at the summit. Tip: The elevator saves a bit of time if your itinerary is jam-packed, but you will be forgoing that view. Today, only ruins remain of the castle, but the community park features a waterfall and 180-degree views of the small port and coastline. Time your visit around noon, and you’ll hear the cannon fire. Tradition has it that a Scottish general’s wife was forever late for lunch, so he resorted to reminding her by cannon. Near the bottom of the steps, stop by the “I Love Nice” sign for a photo-op backdropped by the beachfront, then stroll the Promenade des Anglais before taking a dip in the ocean and heading back to your hotel.

Artsy Diversions

The French Riviera Pass offers convenience and savings if you plan to visit museums and sites. It spans 24, 48 or 72 hours, from the time you begin using it, so be sure to plan accordingly. With 19 museums and art galleries, the highest concentration after Paris, you will barely scratch the surface. The Marc Chagall National Museum was our number one priority. Chagall helped design the space and chose the exact placement of his 17 paintings depicting Old Testament themes, supplemented by several additional galleries. Located on a hill several miles from Vieux Nice, the Hop-on Hop-off Bus Tour, which is included in the pass, conveniently accesses the museum.

Certified Nicoise

Throughout the city, authentic Nicoise restaurants display certification in the window, denoting that the cuisine is traditional and that local products are used. Cozy Buteghinn’a, owned by entrepreneurs Evelyn, Marcelle, and Sophie, has served guests for more than 28 years. Gluten-free and high-protein chickpeas are a staple in the Nice diet and are incorporated into sauces, crepes, and tasty French fries.

Take a Winding Road

Venturing outside the city for more French Riviera highlights, three corniches (winding cliffside roads) hug 17 miles of coastline between Nice and the town of Menton. An entire week could be devoted to the region’s small towns, learning their history and visiting their sites, such as France’s renowned perfumeries. We debated on whether to rent a car for touring but opted instead to Uber and use the area’s public transportation system. Once we understood the bus routes, with its dizzying network of connections, it became an efficient way to get around, albeit a lot of walking in between. Next visit, I think I would rent a car and explore the corniches in greater depth.

Villefranche-sur-Mer & Beyond

Surprisingly, this picturesque village stair-stepping up the hillside serves as Nice’s cruise ship port due to its deep harbor. Further east, the peninsula of Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat is known as the playground of the wealthy. Worth seeing, and included on the French Rivera Pass, the rose-colored Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild was built by one of Europe’s wealthiest women who found herself in a loveless marriage. An audio tour tells her story as you stroll the art-filled rooms and nine gardens with panoramas of the Mediterranean below.

More Day-Tripping

Just east of Villefranche-sur-Mer, tiny Eze and well-heeled Monaco, consume a full day. Take the bus and rubberneck at the jaw-dropping views of land and sea. A short walk from the bus stop, medieval Eze, with its winding cobblestone streets, a five-star hotel, shops and cafes, perches above modern Eze. We found our way to Le Jardin Exotique d’Eze, planted high above the sea in the shadow of ancient castle ruins, and definitely worth the 12€ admission.

Back in modern Eze, the Fragonard perfume factory offers a short tour and lovely shop with perfumes in sumptuous packaging. After Eze, it was on to Monaco with its gleaming palace, high-stakes casino and famous Grand Prix before returning to Nice.

www.nicetourisme.com

 

Published June 17, 2020