We are taking you to Nice along the beautiful shores of the French Riviera.
We will walk the little lanes and look at some shops, we will show you the beach, the
open market Cours Saleya and bring you on a walking tour through the old town.
We will be spending three days in Nice, because there is so much to see in the city and also
in the nearby towns along the Côte d'Azur.
Here we are arriving in Nice now.
During the program will be sharing with you detailed tips on how to get the most out of
your visit.
Great station, it's a more of an old-fashioned station and so you'll probably have to carry
your suitcases down the staircase and then you walk through the underground corridor,
but fortunately there's an escalator that will bring you up into the main station area.
And it's on the north edge of the city so get a taxi.
In our case will be staying at a hotel down by the seaside at the Beau Rivages, ideally
located near the old town, the water and the new town.
The first thing we want to do is head down to the waterfront to the beautiful beach and
take some pictures.
It's a lovely long and broad beach and we've got a sunny day in November to enjoy it.
The beach itself is lined with hotels and apartment buildings for about 2 miles.
It's not exactly a fine sand beach it's more of a pebble beach.
And the water is quite clean, you see they're fishing out there.
Nobody is swimming in November, nobody's even sunbathing, but just enjoying the sunshine
and the sights around it.
One of the greatest waterfront strolls to be found anywhere is this Promenade des Anglais.
It's a broad, pedestrian, paved area running right alongside the beach with beautiful views
out to the blue sea on one side and the grand old buildings lining the street on the other.
It's been the main center of attraction in Nice for the past 150 years ever since visitors
have been streaming in.
You see the Negresco Hotel in the background, one of the great five-star institutions of
the city.
Here's the Opera Nice Côte d'Azur.
The first opera here opened in 1776 and this building was created a century later.
The south coast of France along the sunny Mediterranean Sea is one of the world’s
most beautiful destinations dotted with colorful seaside towns and inland villages.
You'll find that Nice makes the perfect home base from which you can easily reach those
other destinations like Cannes and Monaco.
Nice has got the biggest collection of hotels, it's got a wonderful old town, a very attractive
new town, great transportation with the tram and the major train station and just a beautiful
place to be.
At the East End the Promenade changes name to Quai des Etats Unit, the United States
of America, and there's a lovely memorial in Greek revival style there to thank the
United States back in 1918 for their help in ending World War I.
At this end you'll find the Cours Saleya, just behind that memorial a block inland from
the water, one of the great outdoor food markets and picturesque spots of Europe.
One of the great street markets of France is located here in the wide Cours Saleya.
This plaza features fresh produce and flowers throughout the day and many the stalls are
open right into the early evening, except on Mondays when it becomes an antique market
and some other used goods peddled by colorful vendors.
They've got a whole variety of furniture, there's clothing, jewelry, the usual, the
bric-a-brac, the old books, antiques, electrical items, you've got old cameras.
Well when I travel I am just a sucker for antique markets.
I rarely ever buy anything and am really not there to shop, to purchase, it's just to look
around to enjoy the people, to look at the other shops nearby have a look at all of these
hundreds and thousands of items on sale.
Inevitably there are going to be some cafés near the open market as well, so you can stop
for a break if you like our just take a walk on by and check it out for later.
Back into the market, you might even find something here that you want to purchase - it
could be something authentic from the region.
The flower shops are one of the most interesting features of Nice – bouquets composed of
the most exquisite flowers of every size and description from tiny buttonholed sprays to
masses of blossoms 2 feet in diameter.
Flowers are so important to Provence, not just for decoration for your table at home,
but even more important because of the perfume industry.
Grasse is the capital of that, we will show you that as part of our series on Provence
as well..
Chocolate lovers should look for the famous store Maison Auer in it's landmark Belle Epoque
building at the West End.
The most famous artist who lived in Nice, Henri Matisse, lived right here at the Cours
in the yellow building at the far end of the plaza.
He had a great view out his window which he depicted in many paintings.
He moved to a larger mansion now converted to the Matisse Museum.
Matisse lived in and around Nice for his last 37 years about which he said "I couldn't believe
how lucky I was."
And then there is socca.
This is one of the great foods of the South of France and Chez Therese is the place to
go.
Here I am with Teresa herself, that was a treat.
Socca is like a crepe, a flatbread, and it's quite unique because it's made from chickpea
flour, and it’s especially found in the Ligurian area, anywhere from Nice around the
coastline into Italy and down to Pisa.
Well of course it's a food market so there are lots of other eating options here at the
Cours.
You'll find bread and cheese and of course always lots of fresh fruits, ingredients for
an instant picnic.
It's nice to take a little time to sit down and relax at a café for a drink and a rest
and some people-watching.
Instead of being in a constant rush while you're traveling stop and take a look at the
passing scene.
The church facing the Cours is the Chapel of the Misericordia, or the Chapel of Mercy.
It's built in the Italian Baroque style constructed between 1750 and 1770 by some architects from
Torino nearby.
It has a very elaborate Baroque interior.
You can even buy some original paintings directly from the artist depicting the scenes all around
you that will go nicely with the photographs that you’re taking.
Of course olives are essential to the cuisine of Provence so it's only natural you're going
to find a shop selling olives and olive oil and balsamic vinegars of all kinds - a great
variety here.
Just inland from the Cours Saleya you'll find the Old Town of Nice.
For many visitors it will be the highlight of the city, wandering through these narrow
pedestrian lanes lined with historic buildings and shops, lots of restaurants, bars, town
squares with fountains and statues, a church here and there.
It's just a great spot to explore and hang out.
Called the "Vieux Nice," the old town is home to art galleries little shops small restaurants
bars and cafés making it the perfect spot for strolling.
The old town maze of narrow lanes occupies a triangular slice about 300 yards long on
each side.
We're going to walk you through it day and night.
So this old town is not a huge area that you're going get lost in but you'd be amazed at how
big it seems as you're walking around because of all the little lanes and alleys that somehow
connect and interconnect, so you might end up walking around in circles a little bit,
which makes it seem much bigger than it really is.
In the off-season the character of view niece is quite peaceful with not many people and
no cars but in the summer it gets very crowded.
There's a map of the old town with a suggested easy route that'll take you right through
and around the heart of the old town.
You could do this in one hour if that's all the time you got, or you could spend one day.
As you enter the old town from the end of the Cours Saleya one of the first streets
you'll come to is the very atmospheric Rue de la Poissonnerie.
And this has got more of the shops and restaurants that you'll find throughout the old town.
The Old Town of Nice has a special charm you just do not find in the rest of the modern
city, so you really want to focus a lot of time in this fascinating pedestrian zone on
the east end of the waterfront We will point out a nice way to navigate through
this labyrinth to get you in and around show you the main highlights.
There are a couple of main lanes there is Rue Droite that will take you right through
the center of the old town, and then you take a left and walk along Rue de la Boucherie
and that'll bring you down to the Place de Palais and then back to Cours Saleya.
So it's kind of a round-trip right through the town and feel free to wander up these
little side lanes.
The old town consists of narrow labyrinths, not really streets, more of a maze with blocks
of shops of every kind along these narrow twisting lanes.
If you come in the summer time it will be a lot busier, so you take your pick.
We suggest that you might visit during the off-season instead to avoid the crowds and
enjoy the cooler weather.
Europeans crave that brief summer sunshine, so work around their schedule and come between
November and April when the weather is still wonderful.
You will be wandering this way and that is your meander through the Old Town but you'll
always come back to Rue Droite which goes like a straight line through the middle of
the old town.
It's a good axis to get your bearings, to go out to the left, go to the right and then
come back to this central spine.
The old town of Nice is something very special - not so much because of historic monuments
or great churches or important single buildings that are inside the old town, but just the
total atmosphere, the environment, the simple walking lanes, the shops and the people.
There are actual locals living here, there are kids out playing, the residents are upstairs
looking down from their windows and you really get a feeling of community here, of authenticity,
especially in the off-season when it's not too crowded with tourists walking through
the lanes - that helps quite a bit.
There's a typical example of a staircase street: it branches off from Rue Droite, this is Rue
Molinaro and there are several of the side lanes that go up the hill.
They are regular streets down on the flatland, and then go up so there's no cars, well a
few scooters perhaps, motorcycles and bicycles, but largely we’re entering a pedestrian
zone, a typical residential neighborhood.
It's interesting to see here the working population at home - comfortable affordable housing in
the middle of the city.
Another steep lane, Rue du Château, and there are several.
These lanes are some of the most picturesque streets in town but don't worry, you don't
have to climb them.
And if you don't feel like walking you can take this little tourist train on a route
that will bring you through the old town and then up onto the hill for a view.
Most of the shops in the old town are independent and unique.
You've got boutiques, you've got crafts, you've got all kinds of great browsing to do – so
different than modern shopping malls.
You'll find souvenir shops with the typical Provençal items especially the colorful fabrics
and the pottery.
There's also lots of food in the stores, go for the cookies maybe.
We’re just rolling along together, this is part of our visit to the south of France
a small group of us traveling together and sharing in the sites.
We especially enjoyed the local cuisine of this casual restaurant.
They specialize in crepes and socca and salads and that's really all you need for a very
nice lunch.
Creperie Breton.
And the friendly couple running the place really made us feel welcome.
They are the owners – the cook, waitress and the food was delicious.
You might be surprised at the variety of crêpes on offer and that socca.
And then we continue wandering about through this endlessly fascinating maze of lanes.
The Palais Lascarais is the largest civil Baroque building in the old town and the region.
It perpetuates the reputation of Charles Emmanuel the second, who was Duke of Savoy, considered
one of the principal families of the Nice nobility of the 17th century.
The palace was influenced by the Genoese Baroque and unites a set of 17th-century embellishments
and some changes from the 18th century.
The building encloses two small courtyards on which arched bays open up a monumental
staircase.
This lobby is free and open to the public.
Rue Rosetti is another one of these picturesque, steep planes coming up from the old town.
Notice the sidewalks are staircases - in this case there is a little road one lane road
down the middle and local folks hanging out.
Rue Rossetti is just a few blocks long but it changes character several times along the
way from the hills, swooping down and then it leads into Place Rossetti, kind of an Italian
style architecture as you find throughout the old town, and this is a great gathering
spot.
We will show you more of this Place in the evening
You can see on the map how Rue and Place Rossetti are right in the middle of the old town, very
easy to find.
Another major gathering point in the old town.
You'll find here bars and restaurants, little shops, there is a fountain and cafés in this
Italianate architecture of the old pastel colored buildings around the Place.
Because of its central location with so many roads going through you'll probably return
here a few times during your visit.
The Cathedral of Nice is located on this square.
. It's Cathédrale Sainte-Réparate, and this is something that could be in northern Italy.
It's beautiful with these colors in the Baroque styles.
It was built during the second half of the 17th century, a time when this area was more
Italian than French.
The interior of the church has 10 chapels with a floor plan in the Latin cross that
was based somewhat on the church of Santa Susana in Rome.
Typical of the Italian Baroque, it's highly decorated – many paintings and architectural
flourishes.
At twilight the beauty of the building is at its best.
In fact anywhere you go at twilight it's a wonderful experience.
Here in the old town you've got that ambient lighting on the buildings and shops.
And we are going to take you around through the same places daytime and nighttime – give
you that contrast.
Walk along Rue de la Boucherie to find the other great focal point, Place du Palais de
Justice, which retains an Italian feeling that once permeated the town.
It's got French sidewalk restaurant serving crêpes and wine, and a neoclassical courthouse
looking like a Greek temple.
It is definitely worth visiting in the daytime when it's quite busy, and then again in the
evening when it's even more busy.
This Justice Square with the courthouse looming above has got very popular restaurants all
around it and in the nearby lanes.
It draws a lot of people.
Quite close to Place Rossetti, it just takes a few minutes to walk over here from practically
anywhere in the old town.
It's very safe walking around in the evening in this old town area, especially on the main
lanes where you've got the shops, you've got the people.
Everybody's out and about, as long as you're out there a reasonable hour from twilight
right on up through the end of dinner.
The social life here at the Place du Palais de Justice is even busier at night than during
the day – in fact so popular that at 9 PM many of these bars raise their prices, so
you might want to get in and have your drinks by 8-8:30 and then settle in for dinner somewhere.
Of course the hour of sunset varies considerably during the year, for example in December it
gets dark at 5 PM and in the middle of June it gets dark at 9:30 PM.
Either way you're sure to enjoy an evening stroll.
We'll continue our look at Nice in the evening in a related movie.
We've got a lot more movies about Provence and the South of France.
Take a look at our YouTube channel.