Nice is a city cloaked in the elegance of an era long gone, when the French Riviera was the ultimate in chic for the rich and famous who strolled along the Promenade des Anglais and wintered under the balmy sun. Today it’s as, if not more, appealing. In 1939 Gustave Eiffel was commissioned to design the fabulous dome of Hotel Negressco’s Salon Royal, from which hangs a chandelier of sparkling magnificence – 16 800 pieces of Baccarat crystal.
You just have to visit Negressco for its white façade, pink dome and outstanding art. And if you can’t afford to spend one indulgent night there, allow yourself to at least enjoy an evening in the Bar Le Relais where the luxurious ambience is unparalled, or visit La Rotonde which is worth a look-in just for its Pompadour carousel painted wooden horses, or dine at Le Chantecler, a Michelin-starred restaurant.
But Nice is not only about Negressco. The capital of the Cote d’Azure is charming and spotlessly clean, picture-postcard perfect in fact, with swaying palm trees, ocean vistas and winding pedestrian walkways lined with quaint boutiques and glorious little restaurants, all bursting with Nicoise dishes and seafood so fresh it almost leaps from your plate.
We savoured plump juicy mussels simmering in white wine and aromatic herbs and stared out across the Promenade des Anglais at the improbably blue sea and stylish French who strolled along, their linen jackets creasing in the heat, and elegant poodles wearing diamanté collars.
Beach holiday this really isn’t and instead we jumped on the train, not a big locomotive but a cute little white train that wound its way from the promenade, past the flower market and through the Old City and up Castle Hill, where it stopped for us to admire the most mindblowing panoramic view across Nice. It was a fun and inexpensive way to get an overview of Nice without the legwork. We then wound back down a different route past Roman ruins and waterfalls and stopped back on the promenade.
Of course that only whet the appetite and we soon found ourself roaming through the narrow streets of the Old Town again, looking for more gastronomique delights. Nice is hugely about fabulous food and given the chance I could have spent most of my days just trying the different cuisines.
The Marche aux Fleurs, a flower market, is a feast for all the senses and a kaleidoscope of colours and scents so sensual and bold I was literally stopped in my tracks.
I have wandered through many flower markets before but never have I seen blooms so indulgent and extravagant or drifted amongst such perfume.
And then there were the piles of juicy lemons and plump tomatoes and bunches of freshly picked garlic and shiny peppers, the freshest of ingredients just begging to be scooped up and turned into amazing French dishes.
On our last evening we passed museums filled with works by Chagall and Matisse, and amid all that was old and beautiful we discovered electric motor cars parked alongside one street, plugged into supply sockets to recharge for the night. A beautiful city, a lovely interlude. La Belle Nice. - Sunday Tribune