Côte d’Azur | Rediscovering Nice

The second day of our time in the Côte d’Azur, was all about discovering Nice …

 

Although I had been to Nice once already, it was great to rediscover the city on a deeper level.

Being completely honest, on my last trip, I pretty much stayed in the Old neighborhood and the beach, so I didn’t really take the time to actually know the place.

 

So much to see, so little time

Our day started early with breakfast at Hotel Windsor, and continued with a walking tour of the “Vieux Nice”, which is the vibrant part of the city adjacent to the famous “Promenade des Anglais”.

In this tour, we wandered between the narrow and colorful streets full of little shops and people… we also walked down the long promenade, and the beach, and learned a bit about the city’s heritage and history.

We spotted a bunch of blue chairs lined up facing the sea, which (unknown to me, up to that point) are a world-known icon of Nice.

 

 

We made a quick stop at the Hotel Negresco, where we got to see the gorgeous Royal Lounge adorned by a gigantic chandelier and a beautiful stained glass dome… and took a quick peek at “La Rotonde”, their Carrousel-like restaurant (which I obviously need to go back to).

 

Afterwards, we went up “Le Meridien” to enjoy their rooftop lounge and its incredible view of the bay.

 

After walking for a little while, we ended up at “Cours Saleya” where a Market takes place every day.

As a Monday, the street was brimming with stands full of wonderful treasures of all sorts. The merchants always with a big smile on their faces and zealous to tell the story behind every object.

On other days, it is stands of food, flowers and home-made products that fill the street.

My favorite thing is to buy delicious olives prepared in many ways, and fruit to eat at the beach.

 

Following, we had a delicious lunch at L’Escalinada, where we tasted many “spécialités niçoises”.

Everything was so good, I didn’t stop eating until I felt like I was about to explode ^^

Another “must stop” for me was Fenocchio, an ice-cream parlor, that sells the biggest amount of flavors I have ever seen! Some people will debate whether it’s the best ice-cream in town or not.

But I don’t care, because they sell my two favorite flavors (that I never find anywhere else): Lavender and Rose <3

 

 

The best part of the day was, when a gorgeous Vintage Citroën Traction car, picked us up for a ride around the city and its surroundings!

We went up and down the hills, getting speeding glimpses of the coast and soaking on sunshine… such a unique way to experience Nice!

 

Our tour finished at the door of the Chagall Museum, for a little dose of art and culture.

 

And finally, closed up this epic day with a fun dinner at “La Pescheria”, where we ate from a curated menu created by the chef specially for us.

It was the occasion for me to taste things I normally wouldn’t and be blown away by the new flavors I got to discover.

A big thanks to the Côte d’Azur Tourism Board for hosting us!

 

Directory:

Hotel Windsor 11 rue Dalpozzo, 06000 Nice

Hotel Negresco 37 Promenade des Anglais, 06000 Nice

Le Meridien 1 Promenade des Anglais, 06000 Nice

L’Escalinada 22 rue Pairolière, 06300 Nice

Fenocchio 2 Place Rossetti, 06300 Nice

Musée Marc Chagall 36 Avenue Dr Ménard, 06000 Nice

Azur Vintage Car T. 06 09 96 23 76

La Pescheria 12 Boulevard Victor Hugo, 06000 Nice

 

Disclaimer:

This trip was done in collaboration with, and under the expense of Atout France for journalistic purposes.
All comments depicted in this article are a 100% authentic, based on my personal experience.