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Favoured by artists and beloved playground of the rich and famous, there’s plenty of culture and distractions for spending a fun-filled weekend in Nice, says Lisa Gerard-Sharp
In a curious way, Nice and the Cote d’Azur belong to us all. The British colony landscaped much of the Riviera. More romantically, French artists came to paint the soft light and scenery. The Belgians brought their princes to pose in the sun while the Russians indulged their passion for gambling. The Italians, who ruled Nice for centuries, brought their baroque architecture and dolce vita lifestyle. Today, Nice retains its cosmopolitan glamour but is also a showcase for southern culture, technically French but temperamentally Italian. As a result, Nice has enough gourmet cuisine, gambling and art to keep you entertained over a long weekend.
Scenic and arty Friday afternoon
For a Nice overview take the “hop-on hop-off” city bus tour (book with Nice Tourism, or tel: +33 (0)4 92 291 700; info@nicegrandtour.com) on the seafront; the Promenade des Anglais. It was here that dancer Isadora Duncan tragically strangled herself in a silk scarf while driving her Bugatti – a stylishly Nicois way to die. The bus follows the palm-lined “Prom” and climbs the steep Mont Boron, sprinkled with pastel hued belle époque villas (homes to the likes of Elton John) decorated by bougainvillea.
After passing the Modern Art Museum and hi-tech library, a building resting on a giant sculpted head, alight at hillside Cimiez. This lovely residential area – home to the English colony in winter and to French artists all year round – was once the centre of Roman Nice and still has the amphitheatre to prove it. Admire the ruins, picturesquely spread among olive groves, whilst you explore the city’s two most representative art museums.
Musee Chagall (Avenue du Docteur Menard, open 10am-5pm) is devoted to work by the Russian artist Marc Chagall. Drift past dreamy paintings of Old Testament themes, poetic visions of lovers or circus acrobats. Pause for a drink in the museum’s Mediterranean garden before walking up to the city’s best-loved art gallery, Musee Matisse (Avenue des Arenes de Cimiez, open 10am-6pm). When Matisse realised that he could enjoy “this splendid light” every day, he decided to live in Nice forever. The artist’s sculptural Blue Nudes and still life scenes capture the languid mood of the city.
Friday evening chic
Return to Promenade des Anglais and enjoy a drink in Vieux Nice, the Old Town. Rue Droite is lined with eclectic shops and leads into bustling rue de la Poissonerie where the intimate Chapelle de Sainte Rita is dedicated to Saint Rita, the patron saint of lost causes. Many of the lost causes are sitting in the hip bars nearby, such as Les Distilleries, modelled on an old- fashioned brewery for speciality beers.
Dine at Le Padouk, the chic, Mediterranean-inspired restaurant in the recently restored Art Deco hotel, the Palais de la Mediterranee (Promenade des Anglais, tel +33 (0)4 92 147 600, www.lepalaisdelamediterranee.com). After the gourmet tasting menu, while away the evening in the equally stylish hotel bar or opt for a late-night stroll along the seafront and saunter down lively rue Halevy or rue Massena for a nightcap.
Saturday morning shopping
Begin, bright and early, with some speciality shopping in rue St-Francois de Paule, which leads into scenic Cours Saleya and the winding alleys of Vieux Nice. This is also an excuse to wander around perfumeries and olive oil producers while admiring the baroque and belle époque architecture.
On Rue St-Francois de Paule, at Boutique Molinard (beside the chic Beau Rivage hotel, tel: +33 (0)4 92 478 282) you can create your own perfume based on 50 essences. Molinard, Fragonard and Gallimard are the famous names of French perfume, an art that was introduced to the country by Catherine de Medicis’ court. Although based in Grasse since 1849, Molinard has this perfumery in Nice where, in just over an hour, and for around €40, you can create your signature scent. With the mildest climate in France, Nice has long produced the roses, mimosa, violets and orange blossom essential to this craft. It takes 90 kilos of roses to distil a kilo of essence, and a “good nose” can distinguish between 6000 scents.
Enjoy perusing the displays of Moorish
spices, Mediterranean herbs, citrus fruits and flowers
Senses awakened, book an evening at the Opera de Nice, virtually next door, as the opera and classical music season is in full swing in winter. Alternatively, cross the road to enjoy the chocolate-box displays in Maison Auer. This belle époque patisserie sells everything, from luxury chocolates to Nice biscuits, pastries and candied fruit. Savoury gifts are on offer in the same street. Moulin a l’Huile sells a selection of Provençal olive oils and bottled pasta sauces, including basil- scented pistou.
From here, it is downhill to Cours Saleya, the main square in the bustling heart of Vieux Nice. This is a fruit and flower market (except on Monday, when bric a brac, antiques, jewellery, old lace and old prints take over), so enjoy perusing the colourful display of Moorish spices, Mediterranean herbs, citrus fruits and flowers. The flower market follows the seasons, with violets, tuber-roses and bougainvillea giving way to mimosa lemon trees and potted palms in winter. The fruit market stops at lunchtime, much like the locals, who generally put pleasure before work.
After tearing yourself away from the market, collapse in a café. The Nicois favour La Civette du Cours, drawn by the coffee, salade nicoise and Belgian beers. (Even the locals like a change from superb rosé de Provence). This is the place to tune into the laid-back southern atmosphere, surrounded by Italianate buildings painted warm shades of apricot, ochre and terracotta. Nice was ruled by the Italians for centuries and only reverted to France in 1860 and the dolce vita lifestyle lingers in the air.
Afterwards plunge into the alleys of Vieux Nice. Rue Droite is lined with art galleries, and home to Palais Lascaris (free, 10am-6pm), the city’s most impressive Italianate mansion. The baroque frescoes, vaulted staircase and stuccowork were inspired by Genoese palaces and created during Italian rule. Opposite is Galerie Sylvie, which specialises in colourful prints of Nice created by Sylvie herself, an architect turned painter.
For lunch, try L’Escalinada (12 Rue de la Pairoliere, tel: +33 (0)4 93 621 171), a homely bistro nearby serving traditional Provençal food; good-value dishes based on basil, olive oil, garlic, tomatoes, stuffed vegetables, chard pie, anchovies and fish.
Afternoon coastal drive
Leave Nice behind, skirt the pine groves of Mont Boron, driving east along the rocky coast, following the Basse Corniche. Visit Villefranche. The bijou medieval town, with its Citadel, makes a perfect coffee stop, especially at a quayside bar. Next is Beaulieu, a refined, fin de siecle coastal resort, worth visiting for Villa Kerylos, a remarkable reconstruction of a Greek villa housing frescoes, mosaics and antiques.
For dramatic views, continue to St Jean Cap Ferrat – lovely in winter. This 10km road around the cape is dotted with pink belle époque villas and gardens, secreted behind imposing gates. The cape was popular with European royals including Leopold II, King of Belgium, who created a palace here. Celebrity residents, from Charlie Chaplin to Edith Piaf, have also fallen for the seductive privacy of the cape. Following the public footpath around the point is the best way of appreciating the views of rocky inlets and parasol pines. Savour every last bit of natural charm, as this is entirely lacking in man-made Monaco.
Saturday night glitz in Monaco
Park near the Casino, the most glamorous spot, before stepping into the Hotel de Paris. Do dress the part though, men are expected to wear a jacket in many Monaco night-spots, indeed the Rococo lobby-bar attracts sleek 007 style characters and their blonde model equivalents. Meanwhile Le Grill (tel: +377-98068888; booking essential), the hotel’s elegant rooftop restaurant appeals to the informal set, from sports stars to the rock crowd, including U2’s Bono, who has a villa near Eze. Chef Sylvain Etievant, deserves his Michelin star, as proved by the slick service and procession of gourmet dishes, carved or flambéed at your table under the retractable roof. Don’t forget the soufflé, which has been on the menu since 1898.
Monaco nightlife will never be cutting- edge so abandon any principles and prepare for old-fashioned Continental glamour with a chance of celebrity- spotting. Stroll to Sabor around the corner, a kitsch but entertaining Euro- bar, where the singers happily switch between Bob Marley and Dean Martin. This is perfect mood music for high rolling activities. Monaco is often called “a sunny place for shady people” so the Casino should spark your imagination. The green- domed Casino thrives late evening, when the grand salons privés open, and the serious gamblers, mainly Italians, play for higher stakes. (The Monegasques themselves are banned from gambling). Instead, in the “public rooms,” the contrast is between the grand setting and the casually-dressed gamblers.
Monaco is often called 'a sunny place for shady people’ so the Casino should spark the imagination
For disco fever head to Jimmy’z (Le Sporting, Avenue Princesse Grace), retro Monaco at its best. Arrive well after midnight and expect your car to be valet-parked as you are ushered into prime viewing positions by the pool or waterfall. The fun lies in the fact that the elderly barmen seem to be modelled on stiff English butlers, and treat their jeunesse dorée clientele – who dance on the banquettes – like naughty children. Jimmy’z may be “uber-kitsch”, but it still makes an entertaining night out.
Saturday Night
fever at Jimmy’zSleepy Sunday
Sunday morning is the time for a leisurely breakfast before setting off to discover the port area which is framed by the Old Town and dominated by “the citadel” on the hill. Down in the harbour, the pointed boats symbolise southern living, along with liquorice-scented pastis, and chick-pea socca. Raoul Dufy, whose ice-cream-coloured impressions of the city are almost a cliché of the South of France, loved this part of town. It’s a place for wandering without an itinerary, especially given the many antique shops that are concentrated between here and rue Segurane – browse for Provençal furniture, southern paintings and French porcelain.
On your last day, lunch at La Zucca
Magica (Quai Papacino, tel: +33 (0)4 93 562 527), the “magic pumpkin”, an inexpensive vegetarian restaurant that delights even meat-eaters with a feast of a fixed menu including peasant soups, courgette tart, Mediterranean lasagne and smoked cheeses. Marco, the friendly Italian owner, may philosophise with you over lunch if you want to know the secrets of his “magic” recipes.
Walk off lunch by strolling up the Colline du Chateau, where the former citadel was long ago replaced by gardens overlooking the port and bay. This is the place to dream about what Nice must have been like in its belle époque heyday. In these lemon-scented surroundings, foreign colonies settled here to avoid northern winters – and created gardens, villas and galleries that still survive today. After watching a game of boules, stroll back to Cours Saleya, where everything in Nice seems to start and finish. Before a farewell glass of rosé in La Civette du Cours, call into the Chapelle de la Misericorde, which belongs to the confraternity of the Black Penitents. This chapel is a fitting place to ponder on the charm of Nice.
For more info visit: www.nicetourisme.com, www.monaco-tourisme.com.
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