FCUS GUIDES

A large coastal town on a wide Mediterranean bay, backed by hills of the Provençal Alps, Nice has a long history and is today the second most important air gateway into France (after Paris). Its origins lie in a Ligurian settlement (from 1000BC), a Greek trading port (from 600BC), and a Roman town (from 200BC) - all of which have left ruins and artefacts. Part of Italy until 1860 (hence the name Riviera), during the 18th-19th centuries Nice became a popular winter resort among Europe's upper classes, especially English and Russian aristocrats. In the 1820s, wealthy English winter residents paid for the building of the seashore walkway which became known as the Promenade des Anglais - still one of the town's main attractions. The 1920s saw a rapid growth of bohemian, arty tourism to the area, and the first summer visitors, but not until the 1960s did mass tourism begin, making Nice a busy all-year-round resort town.

- Eat Nice food: Try Pissaladière (a big onion and anchovy tart on a thin base, like a pizza), Salade Niçoise (salad with olives, egg, anchovies and tuna), Pan Bagnat (salad niçoise in a bun) and Ratatouille (a savoury, olive-oily stew of tomatoes, aubergines and courgettes).
- Book well ahead if you want to stay in the Old Town or by the sea, even in winter.
- Nice pictures: Consider buying the bargain priced Carte Musées Côte d’Azur, which allows entry to 60 leading Riviera museums, monuments and gardens; from Nice tourist office.
- Talk Nice! The natives of Nice have their own lingo, a patois called Nissart. It is still very much spoken today.
- What's on: Pick up a copy of Le Mois à Nice from tourist offices or hotels for all this month’s events listings.
- Nice maps: Detailed online street maps and sight-finder at www.plan-nice.org/ 

 Promenade des Anglais 
The Nice waterfront is an awesome, inspiring sight, with palm and mimosa trees, pre-War villas and hotels, notably the pink-domed Hôtel Negresco, and best of all, the dazzling blue sea view over the glittering, luminous Baie des Anges. From spring to autumn, every kind of tourist from all over the world can be seen strolling along the wide walkway - or maybe skateboarding, skating, jogging, walking the dog, or just sitting on one of the sea-facing seats.
  Close to Hôtel Negresco, Musée Masséna (or Musée d’Art et d’Histoire) traces the history of Nice through painting, sculpture, jewellery, tapestries, as well as having an important library of historical documents. The “Promenade des Anglais” ends at Jardin Alber 1er, but the promenade continues as Quai des États-Unis as far as the 'Chateau'. 

 Le Vieux Nice 
At the east end of the promenade, Le Vieux Nice (the old quarter) is a delightful tangle of picturesque narrow lanes, many of them crowded with strollers pausing at the dozens of bars, restaurants and little shops selling souvenirs or traditional Provençal fabrics. There are several interesting small baroque churches too. Focal point is Cours Saleya, a long ‘square’ edged with restaurant tables and filled for much of the day with a big flower market under coloured awnings (except Monday - antiques market instead).

 Château and Port 
The seafront ends at the Château, a high headland between the beach area and the port. The medieval fortress and other buildings which stood here were demolished in 1706 leaving little trace. Today the hilltop is a pleasant shaded park with fantastic views of sea and town. At the foot of the hill, the coast road turns to reach the old port, a busy area with some popular restaurants.

 Musée des Beaux Arts  (Fine Arts Museum)
At the western end of the seafront, the town’s prestigious Musée des Beaux-Arts (or Musée Jules Cheret) is housed inside a handsome 19th-century mansion. It contains extensive collections of important Italian and French paintings and sculpture of the 17th-19th centuries, including a large, impressive range of works representing the late 19th-century movements, such as works by Degas, Sisley, and Raoul Dufy, who was especially inspired by Nice and the Riviera.
www.musee-beaux-arts-nice.org/

 Musée d'Art Moderne et d’Art Contemporain
(Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art)
Several museums are located along the Paillon promenade which divides the old town from the new, including the famously avant-garde Musée d'Art Moderne et d’Art Contemporain (Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art). Better known simply as MAMAC, it displays European and American late 20th-century artists, with the definitive collection of the “Nice school” of 60s modern artists who lived and worked in the town, and a gallery reserved for Yves Klein (1928-62).  
www.mamac-nice.org

 Cimiez - Arènes and Matisse Museum 
Pronounced Cimié, this hill district on the north side of the town centre was the centre of the Roman town. The main reason to come here is the Roman ruins and museum at the Parc des Antiquités, or ‘Les Arènes’, an archaeological site now laid out as a pleasant little park. The oval-shaped arena itself, still contained within the ruins of its original Roman walls, now serves as a venue for open-air performances and shows. Other 1st-3rd-century ruins at the site include a good example of Roman baths. Beside the park, the Musée Archeologique displays numerous objects found at Nice.
  Opening off the archaeological park is the Musée Henri Matisse (Henri Matisse Museum), mainly in a modern underground building, but also including a 17th-century mansion. The museum deals with the various periods in Matisse’s work, from exquisite line drawings to colourful gouaches to a model of his chapel at nearby Vence. Matisse (1869-1954) and Raoul Dufy (1877-1953) are both buried in nearby Cimiez cemetery.
www.musee-matisse-nice.org/

 Musée Marc Chagall 
At the bottom of the Cimiez hill is the Musée Marc Chagall (with the strange alternative name, Musée du Message Biblique). This is a phenomenal collection of Chagall’s enigmatic work, including his stained glass, mosaic, artbooks as well as the big richly coloured, dreamlike canvases on Biblical and Jewish themes.
www.musee-chagall.fr

Look out for perfumes, including Eau de Nice mimosa scented toilet water, Nice olives and olive oil, and the local Nice wine Le Bellet.

Nice Carnival: 16 Feb-2 Mar (2008)
Although there are several big, festive events during the Nice year, there's nothing to beat the huge, mad annual extravaganza of the Nice Carnival. Dating back at least 700 years, it’s a feast of parades, costumes, masks and mock battles. Highlight is the Bataille de Fleurs (flower battle), not a battle but a cavalcade of bands, fancy-dress, and huge, flower-decorated floats from which pretty girls chuck mimosa at the crowds.
   The Carnival theme for 2008, in alliterative honour of the Chinese Year of the Rat, is <<Roi des Ratapignatas, Raminogrobis et autres ramassis de Rats masqués>>, meaning something like (in obscure, colourful, medieval, local and poetic terminology) King of Bats, Cats, Rats and other legendary creatures. There's also a Battle of the Flowers during the summer. 
www.nicecarnaval.com/

Nice is the main gateway to the south of France. Frequent flights to Nice come from many French and European airports. Andrew Sanger travelled from London to Nice by low-cost airline Easyjet (2 hours). 
www.easyjet.com.