Nice

Nice has for centuries been a favourite holiday resort and the city has attracted kings and princes from all over the world, a fact, testified to by the city’s many luxury hotels.

In the beginning of the 19th century ”an English colony” flourished, English aristocrats flocked to the coast and ”colonised”, so to speak, most of the coast. It was also the English who constructed the grandiose promenade, Camin des Angès, later named Promenade des Anglais. Queen Victoria also sojourned in Nice. At the end of the 19th century she over-wintered every year in the palace hotel Regina in the Cimiez quarter. Here, she received numerous European princes and royalties.

Nice has only been a part of France since 1860.

Before that, the city was Italian, a fact which still is very visible. The city’s greatest sight is the old city, Vielle Ville or Vieux Nice, as it is also called. Here, you will find a labyrinth of narrow, winding streets, serried red tiled roofs, nice pleasant squares, an immense amount of shops, and a big choice of more or less exquisite restaurants. Cours Salaya is the heart of the old city. Every morning there is a large-scale flower and vegetable market and once a month a big flea market - brocante market. Matisse lived at the end of the market place in a big yellow house. Here, he sat on the third floor looking out of his windows while painting his small wonderful paintings. The Italian influence is very strong in the old city.

Today’s Nice lies at the foot of the mountain, Rocher du Château, (where the original town was located).

From here, there are wide views over the Baie des Anges and Vielle Ville at one side and the port to the other. At the top there is a big park with a play ground, some Roman ruins and a waterfall.