Overview
Set on the Baie des Anges between the Alps and the Mediterranean, Nice spent centuries under Savoy and only became French in 1860, and the mix still shows in its food and ochre facades. The city pairs a dense old town with a nineteenth-century grid built for winter visitors, and the sea is never far. Warm, bright and well-connected, it works as both a resort and a base for the wider Riviera.
Highlights
The Promenade des Anglais runs the length of the bay, and the old town packs markets, baroque churches and the climb to Castle Hill for the view. Museums honour Matisse and Chagall, who worked in the light of the coast, while the daily flower and food market fills Cours Saleya. Day trips reach Monaco, the hill villages and the resorts of Cannes and Antibes along the coast.