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Is it nice in Nice?

cutting42

cutting42

Arrived at B4 Hacker Ergo
I have booked a few days in Nice early April and wondered if any lil fish had suggestions of places to eat and things to do. We are pretty central in self catering apartment and will have no car.
 
Lucky you. I think the best advice is "take your cheque book". It's where France goes on holiday, if they can afford it. I've never been but I used to work with a woman whose sister worked there. She said it cost a fortune but that her sister didn't care "parce que c'est Nice". The weather in April will be pleasant without being too hot.
 
Lovely place, went for a few days last year. We just wandered mainly. Huge number of restaurants to choose from, of every variety. The many down at the flower market were busy and (generally) expensive. PA trawl of Tripadvisor may throw up a few gems.

A day trip to Antibes was very pleasant, and you can get there easily on the train. There is a good longish walk around the Cap d'Antibes too.
 
Yeah, pop into Monaco for a day trip, see the silly yachts and exotic cars, it’s an easy city to walk around. The big aquarium/nautical museum is pretty neat. We’ve been twice and the boys loved it, especially posing with the Lambos and Ferraris by the casino.
 
Generally, eating out in France isn‘t too expensive at noon, in the evening it can be a bit more.

Nice has fantastic museums, you can walk up to the local lookout hill, with a stunning viee over the bay. The market hall is wirth a visit too.

The really big boats are all in Antibes, Monaco isn‘t deep enough. You can wander along the kai freely, there is a security check point, but they‘ll let you pass as a pedestrian.
The old town of Antibes has lots of nice bars and food is reasonabky priced.

Port Grimaud is a nice pkace to visit too. Walk around or take a small rental electric boat around a maped circuit. Good fun.
 
Advice from someone who has been and returns regularly. (Why anyone who hasn’t would post on here beggars belief!)

Rene Socca at 2 Rue Miralheti in the old town is good for lunch bites. Very reasonably priced and Socca in all its variants are available.

Wandering round the old town is a good way to while away a day.

Like any major city you can get stung by opportunistic restaurateurs but a bit of research before hand will enable you to eat for similar prices to the UK.

The train that runs from Nice to Monaco is a very scenic route and almost any stop is worth getting off for. I particularly like Villefranche Sur Mer and Beaulieu Sur Mer.

Despite what others say I have been in Nice in April and the kids got sunburnt after an hour on the beach. It can be deceptively strong.

To visit you’ve got the Russian Orthodox cathedral, the Fine Arts Museum, the Cimiez Monastery, Monaco (though I’d avoid it like the plague), the Musee Matisse, full of Matisse’s work is a short bus ride away and I recommend it. Also you can get to Musee Marc Chagall in Cimiez and Musee Picasso which is in Antibes, on the train line.
Place Massena and the Promenade des Anglais are an enjoyable stroll. Depending on wh3n you are there The Cours Saleya fruit and veg market turns into an antique market on Mondays.

Nice Opera house has a variety of music performances in April.


You’ll have a great time and I am sure you won’t run out of things to do.
 
Another vote for Antibes, also Juan les Pins, and if you can get there, Mougins is a very pretty place with some good restaurants. Maybe rent a car for the day?
 
Well Bob, beggaring your belief in a nice way, my neice (Nisa) went to Nice to see if it was nice. She hurt her knees on Nice's streets but admitted that the noise in Nice was at least nice noise if you need Nico, and kneeling in Nice's niches was hard on said knees but she is a bit niche neice, so...
 
Nice is delightful. As someone said, Monaco is an easy day trip. 18 years ago I had one of the most debauched weekends in my life there. I woke up in the morning hung over convinced I could hear a lion roaring. I opened the curtains and behind canvas I could see lions at the circus across the road, pacing up and down with the sun streaming in to their enclosure. Things got far more surreal as the weekend wore on. A friend told one of the most inappropriate filthy jokes I’d ever heard and I can still remember him telling it while the rest of the table sat slack jawed. Alas he is no longer with us and I miss him. One of the most tantalising sights in the port is the ferry to Corsica- now that would be something.....
 
Have been a couple of times, plenty of decent eateries...like most things you get what you pay for. A very good super market exists for your self catering needs in the main shopping street. No idea of the street name but a short distance from the main shopping area exists a small but reasonable second hand vinyl shop.

Other than saying that you have been, Monaco apart from its fine station and about £10 for an ice cream is not that good...much depends on whether you are a lottery winner.

Antibe as suggested is a worthwhile trip but in my opinion Villefranche is the one place you really must visit.

April for weather will be fine .

Strikes and/or protest marches are often a regular occurrence.
 
Fantastic stuff fishes, great responses and lots of suggestions to consider.

I have spent a week in Monaco and whilst an experience, I am not busting to return but we will see what the rest of the family want to do. Supermarket info appreciated as are daytrip suggestions. Love the self hire boat idea, really appeals as do the art museums as daughter is an art student and we all love Chagall and Matisse. Less of a Picasso fan but such a wide range he has done, I am sure we would enjoy anyway.

Thanks again.
 
I remember a fabulous Chagall museum in Nice.

It's a shame not to have a car and travel over the mountains to Italy.
 
Paul R said:
I remember a fabulous Chagall museum in Nice.

It's a shame not to have a car and travel over the mountains to Italy.
Click to expand...

I somewhat agree, however it will probably have to wait for another day as we all need a break and don't want to make it a rushed trip. It is only 4 days so I'd rather take our time and come back another day when we have longer to do more of the surrounding.
 
Agree with all above and especially what Bob McC says. Nice is generally a very easy place to like, and even with my crap French is easy to deal with. We got a day trip to Monaco/Monte Carlo which also included a foray across the border into Ventimiglia with its retail opportunities for leather goods, hard cheeses , olives etc., etc. Just a mini bus along with a few very friendly 'Mericuns and some rather less gregarious and very noisy French Canadians. But all good fun. We stayed in a cheap but adequate apartment in the Avenue Des Fleurs and had several evening meals in the Barracuda Restaurant in the Rue Meyerbeer. Decent food and reasonably priced.
I had a couple of half days on the beach and swam in the cool but bearable water.. in October.
Also, my neice's 'in laws' own a very nice apartment in the rather posh Rue Paradis, which we intend renting for a week or so soon. And Nice is barely a two hour flight from Liverpool, so presumably commensurately less from Dahn Sarf.

Go for it.
 
Flights and apartment booked already. We are definitely going. Staying on Rue Alexander Marie in Vielle Ville
 
Mullardman said:
Agree with all above and especially what Bob McC says. Nice is generally a very easy place to like, and even with my crap French is easy to deal with. We got a day trip to Monaco/Monte Carlo which also included a foray across the border into Ventimiglia with its retail opportunities for leather goods, hard cheeses , olives etc., etc. Just a mini bus along with a few very friendly 'Mericuns and some rather less gregarious and very noisy French Canadians. But all good fun. We stayed in a cheap but adequate apartment in the Avenue Des Fleurs and had several evening meals in the Barracuda Restaurant in the Rue Meyerbeer. Decent food and reasonably priced.
I had a couple of half days on the beach and swam in the cool but bearable water.. in October.
Also, my neice's 'in laws' own a very nice apartment in the rather posh Rue Paradis, which we intend renting for a week or so soon. And Nice is barely a two hour flight from Liverpool, so presumably commensurately less from Dahn Sarf.

Go for it.
Click to expand...

The Barracuda!
I know it well and concur.
 
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