Looking for a holiday destination? We are happy to help you! Or are you already planning a holiday to the French Riviera? Today we tell you why we recommend you to travel to Nice once in your life – we also like to call in the jewel of the French Riviera. These are our 5 reasons to visit Nice.
The 5 best reasons to visit Nice
1. Gastronomy
They say the food is the best you can find in Nice. Typical Mediterranean, with a number of famous dishes like pissaladière: a kind of pizza with puff pastry flavoured with anchovies, tomato, onion, egg and olives. Ratatouille: A mixture of aubergines, courgettes, tomatoes, onions and oil. Bagnat bread: sandwich with anchovies, tomatoes, capers and olive oil, or the typical sauces you can only find in Nice, especially the one with tomato and black olives. In addition, did you know that Nice is considered the inventor of the ravioli and gnocchi? It’s actually not that weird since the city formerly belonged to Italy and is less than 150 years a French city.
2. Climate
Due to the gentle and pleasant temperatures throughout the year, Nice is one of the best cities in the Côte d’Azur. It is dry with only a few days of rain a year but despite of that, Nice is a highly appreciated coastal metropolis. Snow there is almost never, the winter temperatures rarely fall below zero. The summer is cooler in the mountainous areas and the ideal season to visit the city is spring.
3. Monuments and historical places
There are a lot of things to see in Nice, so many that we can write a whole book about it. Can you imagine! The beaches are well-known and popular among the tourists, but we start with the Old Town, Vieux Nice. At the foot of the mountain the Le Chateau castle is located, separated from the new town on the river Le Paillon. It looks a bit like the Italian narrow streets, hanging clothes and facades decorated with murals. Walking through the old town you will also find markets and mythical places such as the town hall (Hotel de Ville), the Palace of Justice, the cathedral Ste. Réparate and the main square Marché aux Fleurs.
There are a number of museums and cultural sites that you should not miss. Like the famous hotel museum “Negresco” where celebrities like Coco Chanel, Ernest Hemingway, Marlene Dietrich or Françoise Sagan once stayed. Or see the Masséna Museum where you can learn more about the history of Nice and view works by local painters.
In the centre of Nice you will find Place Massena, the most famous square in Nice, with a beautiful monument in the form of a bow, fountains and large flower pots. In addition, we recommend you to visit the Russian quarter, where the impressive St. Nicholas Cathedral is located. This church is the second oldest Russian orthodox church in Western Europe.
4. Carnival of Nice
Since the carnival of Nice is so famous, we could not leave it from our list with 5 reasons to visit Nice. The carnival is celebrated in the winter for more than 15 days, and is divided into two parties: the “Corso carnavalesque” during the day and the “Bataille de Fleurs” in the evening. The parade cars with animation, art and international musical performances are everywhere, especially along the Massena square. Here you will find the most beautiful creations. There is not one parade because for days you can admire these impressive and high (!) floats.
The Bataille de Fleurs (the battle of the flowers) takes place opposite the sea and aims to emphasise the floral heritage of the region. This is the most poetic part of the Carnival of Nice.
5. The accessibility
Nice is located in southern Europe, in the south-east of France. It is a unique connection between the Alps, Provence, Corsica and Italy. Besides that, Nice is well connected to the surrounding cities. By bus or by train you can easily travel to Cannes and Monaco. Cities that are also worth a visit.
Now that you’ve discovered the best reasons to visit Nice you probably can not wait to visit this city yourself, right?! Book your trip to Nice and discover yourself what this beautiful city in the French Riviera has to offer.