Nice, the beating heart of the Cote, d’Azur has a place for everyone. The French Riviera’s capital in review and things to do
# Things to do in Nice
If the french riviera was a cake, Nice had to be the cherry at the top.
This picturesque city is the heart of the region, and the 5th most populated city in France.
The history of this place is old and full of interesting details, but we will just tell that the French days of it started back in 1860, when it was given by the king of Sardinia.
Feels a bit like… Italy!
Still to this day, you can notice the influence of yet-to-be-Italian rulers that controlled this city for decades. Whether by the accent of the natives, the shapes of the buildings, the food and the name of some streets – it all feels a bit ‘Italian’.
On the other hand, the local french heritage is rich. Famous artists chose to spend their lives here and breath some inspiration here. From which you can count Pablo Picasso, Claude Monet, Paul Cezanne, Henri Matisse, and Edvard Munch.
As a result, art fans will find in Nice three art museum: the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Matisse Museum and the Chagall Museum.
Nice is full of iconic landmarks. Sure, there are the known places such as Place Massena, Negresco Hotel, and Castle hill but there’s a lot more to it. Check this guide to discover all these extra places – it is certainly worth a visit.
The city’s best kept secret?
One can’t talk about Nice without mentioning its pebbled beach.
The water of the beach change their color almost every day (see the unedited picture above).
Bonus fact: the pebbles on the beach are brought and spread with tractors during the off-season!
Events
One of the main events in Nice is the annual carnaval.
Taking place each year in Place Massena, the main square of Nice, it is a great opportunity to see the city from a unique angle, when everyone are wearing masks and showing their bespoke mobile creations as you can see on the video below.
The Nice Carnaval will be open for visitors between 15-29 of February. Tickets are available on spot and on Fnac.com and physical stores.
Another event that is inseparable with the city’s identity is the annual Jazz Festival.
This music fair was the first of its kind in the world, created in 1948.
Since its opening, it hosted the greatest of jazz artists such as Louis Armstrong, Stephane Grappelli, Django Reinhardt and more.
# Things to do in Nice