Nice/Côte d’Azur
My first trip to Nice/Côte d’Azur was in April 2017 and it will not be my last. It was such a special place – the people are so nice, the weather is amazing, being on the Mediterranean is spectacular and the Niçoise cuisine was a beautiful combination of French/Italian foods which just made my heart sing.
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WHERE TO STAY
HÔTEL LA VILLA NICE VICTOR HUGO // @HOTELSLAVILLA
I would recommend staying in Jean-Medecine or Vielle Ville areas, or if you stay along the Promenade des Anglais don’t go much further east than Hotel Negresco (there’s just not much happening over there). The Port area is ok but it’s just felt more tucked away and not as central in my opinion.
I stayed at Hôtel La Villa Nice Victor Hugo (not to be confused with Hotel Victor Hugo Nice) which was about a 15 minute walk from Place Massena (the main square that divides the newer part of Nice from Old Town Nice) and I thought it was perfect. On the way to Old Town I passed a ton of cafes and restaurants that were really great (or that I wanted to try). It was also a really easy and affordable bus ride from the airport.
When I return to Nice there are a few other places I will definitely consider staying – all listed below in the bucketlist section!
WHERE TO EAT
Near Place Garibaldi, known for it’s oysters and seafood. Note that it’s a HUGE restaurant and you should aim to sit on the side of the restaurant overlooking Place Garibaldi so you can people watch (I was on the Boulevard Jean Jaurès side and it definitely was not as exciting but I had no idea it spilled out over the Place Garibaldi until I was done eating and wandered around haha).
An incredibly easy place to ear with a really cool vibe. I ordered the steak frites and they were great!
AKA “serious mozzarella bar” (and it was!). I got the truffled buffalo mozzarella and jambon (prosciutto) and it was delicious. I also got the gnocchi artichoke and I probably could have done without it (I was extremely full from the mozzarella and it had Jerusalum artchicokes which I didn’t really love). PS, you MUST go to the bathroom there – just trust me.
LE TIRE BOUCHON // @LE_TIRE_BOUCHON_NICE
Traditional French food and absolutely delicious. I went for my last meal in Nice and it was a great way to end my stay!. I ordered the foie gras, the duck (it came with pureed pumpkin and beets) and the lemon tart. They have a small dining room off Rue de la Préfecture but if you want to sit outside they’ll direct you to the back terrace (I recommend sitting outside!).
Located on the far east side of the Port and if you go I highly suggest a reservation. It is beautiful and the views/sitting right above the water was just incredible. They fit me in but I only had an hour to eat before they needed the table (but they were very gracious about it!). I ordered rose and the artichoke risotto and it was great.
For the socca. It’s a traditional food in Nice that’s a chickpea pancake and according to our wine tour guide, Chez Pipo is the best in Nice.
I had a standard petit dejeuner here but it’s situated in Place Magenta and was a nice/cute outdoor spot to eat.
GLACIER FENOCCHIO // INSTA PICS
Ice cream shop that has over 50 flavors including a ton of different fruit flavors (Of course I stuck with the my go to: coffee).
A cute cafe with bagels, salads and delicious cookies so if you’re in the mood for more traditional American food, check it out.
Easy pastries and coffee to go.
PUZZLEBAR NICE // @PUZZLEBARNICE
Really cool, hip cocktail bar. Beware if you order off the menu it might cost you (most of the cocktails were 12.50 euro but my request for the bartender to make me some sort of drink with Hudson Bourbon cost me 21 euro!).
cafe de turin 
le plongeoir 
chez pipo 
maison gusto 
le tire bouchon 
le tire bouchon 
club player caffe 
glacier fenocchio
WHAT TO DO
- Walk the Promenade des Anglais
- West of the Avenue Jean Medecin is where all the beach clubs are and the famous Le Negresco hotel is. I stopped at Lido Plage (Lido Beach – it was 10 euro for a bed and then they’ll serve you food and drinks). Note that the “beaches” in Nice are not necessarily sand – they’re tiny pebbles, so don’t expect to go wandering around without shoes on!
- Le Meridien has a great rooftop that overlooks the ocean but drinks are expensive (16 euro for a glass of rose vs 12 euro for a half bottle at the beach club).
- To the east of the Avenue Jean Medecin you’ll walk on Quai des Etats-Uni in front of Old Town Nice. There are also a few beach clubs here but not too many. This is the road you walk along to get to the main steps to Parc du Chateau.
- Parc du Chateau – a park on top of the hill that gives you 360* views of Nice. I highly suggest spending some time wandering and taking in the views. You can either walk up the steps from Quai des Etats-Uni or take the free lift (elevator) to the top.
- Explore Old Town – this is where most of the old, colorful buildings are. The streets are narrow but if you just wander you’ll find some fun hidden gems
- Marche aux Fleurs Couer Saleya – this is the produce and flower market in Old Town. If you want to check it out, I highly suggest going early when all the food vendors are there (in the afternoon the flower vendors are still around but it’s fun to check out all the produce, spices and meat/cheese even if you aren’t going to purchase)
- The Port Area – there are a few restaurants around the actual port but the neighborhood surrounding the Port area is extremely vibrant. This is where I found Maison Gusto and this is where Restaurant Jan (which I read about in the NY Times) is located (they’re actually next to each other).
- Place Garibaldi – the square just to the north west of the Port. Some shops and lots of restaurants/cafes that open up to the square. Fun to people watch.
- Trans Côte d’Azur boat ride – they do various tours but the easiest, quickest one (if you’re short on time like I was) is the coastal tour. It takes you over by Villefranche-sur-Mer and along the Promenade Aglais. It’s only an hour long but nice to get out on the water and see things from a different perspective.
- Provence Wine Tour – I went on a small group wine tour (booked through my favorite, Viator) through the Provence region which is know for it’s rose and it was really great!
- Day trip to Monaco (post coming soon!)
promenade des anglais 
promenade des anglais 
parc du chateau 
marche aux fleurs couer saleya 
port area 
trans côte d’azur boat ride 
provence winery 
monaco
BUCKETLIST
I will definitely return to Nice/the South of France and when I do, these are the things high on my list!
Musee d’Art Modern (Museum of Modern Art) – it’s free admission
Nice Opera – I didn’t even check the opera schedule but I bet this would be a really fun activity one evening.
The Pink House (Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild) – this is on the hill on the east side of the port (past Le Plongeoir) and it’d be lovely to go roam the gardens.
Day Trip to Villefranche-sur-Mer and Èze
Possibly rent a boat if I were with a group of people
Eat/get drinks at:
- Le Hussard – another place with a terrace that I didn’t get to
- Boscolo Hotel – terrace that overlooks the plaza north of Old Town
- Hobo Coffee – looked like a traditional American coffee shop, in Old Town, would have been fun to try
- Mon Petit Café – very busy café around the corner from my hotel
- Le Souler Café – this was on Trip Advisor and also around the corner from my hotel
- Yolo – wine bar near my hotel. I popped in to check it out, great vibe
- Le Sens, Nabulio, Le Paradis du Fruits, Bistrot Antoinne – other restaurants that looked great that I wanted to try. For Bistrot Antoinne I would recommend a reservation (it’s traditional French and they were totally booked up when I went).
- Café La Place on Place Garibaldi had a great happy hour listed (from 6 – 8 PM).
- Comptior Central Electrique had really cool décor and would be a good place for dinner or a drink. It’s right around Place Garibaldi/the Port which was a really lively area.
- Lastly Restaurant JAN, which was featured in the NY Times 36 Hours in Nice article. The chef is from South Africa abd I’d recommend a reservation and get dressed up a little (it was definitely one of the fancier restaurants I saw).
Maison Auer – they have candied everything (fruit). I didn’t make it in but it was on Haleigh’s list.
