Nice is the unofficial capital of the French Riviera, a sun-drenched city where Italy and Provence blur into one another and the light has drawn painters for over a century. Base yourself for the Baroque tangle of Vieux Nice, the ochre and rose-pink facades, the morning market on Cours Saleya and the long sweep of the Promenade des Anglais curving above a pebble sea. Approach it slowly: eat the local street food (socca, the chickpea pancake blistered in wood ovens, pissaladiere, pan bagnat and a proper salade nicoise), climb Colline du Chateau for the postcard view, then use the excellent tram and coastal trains to reach Monaco, Eze, Antibes and Menton in under an hour. Nice runs on a Mediterranean rhythm, with long lunches, a siesta lull in the hottest afternoons and a lively evening apero on the terraces. Remember that many kitchens close between lunch and dinner, the beaches are stony so bring sandals, and the best of the city is free: sea, light, markets and the daily passeggiata along the front. Give it a few days and it seduces you completely.
A full, walkable day in Nice, free for everyone. Set your pace and start time.
Arrive before the crowds; buy fruit and a slice of socca from a stall, and remember it becomes an antiques market on Mondays.
Follow Rue Droite and duck into the churches; the light is best and the lanes quietest before mid-morning.
Free to enter; keep it as a cool, ornate pause, then reward yourself with a Fenocchio cone on the square outside.
Use the free lift near the port end to avoid the steps in the heat; carry water and allow time to explore the ruins and waterfall.
Rent a bike or simply walk; the pebble beach is stony, so bring sandals if you fancy a dip.
A characterful local wine bar; order a regional glass and a small plate before dinner, standing at the counter with the regulars.
Book ahead for this family trattoria; try the beef daube and stuffed vegetables at the communal tables.
The seven-kilometre seafront boulevard with its blue chairs and Belle Epoque hotels; walk or cycle it at golden hour when the whole bay turns rose and the light softens.
The Baroque old town of tall ochre houses and washing-strung alleys; get lost early before the crowds, following your nose to socca stalls and hidden squares.
The famous open-air market that is flowers and produce by day and a restaurant terrace by night; go before 10:00 for the stalls, and note it turns to antiques on Mondays.
The wooded castle hill crowned by a waterfall and the definitive panorama over the terracotta roofs and the sweep of the bay; take the free lift by the port end to save the climb.
The grand red-ochre arcaded square with its chequerboard paving and Fontaine du Soleil; loveliest after dark when the seated resin figures glow atop their masts.
The Baroque cathedral tucked into Vieux Nice with a lavish tiled dome and gilded chapels; step in from the noisy lanes for a cool, ornate moment on Place Rossetti.
Tiny cash-only counter run by a former Michelin chef, serving faultless stockfish, tripes and pistou pasta; no phone, so drop by in person to book one of the few stools.
A no-frills local canteen where you queue for socca, petits farcis and fried sardines, then carry them across the lane to a bench with a cheap glass of wine.
Bustling open-air stand for cheap, generous plates of socca, pissaladiere, beignets and daube; order at the hatch and share a bench in the old-town alley.
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