Nice

Trip preparation

Brief introduction Nice is a city located in the region of Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azur. It is a major tourist attraction in the Riviera. It is very close to Italy to which it belonged to until the late 19th century. It is a bilingual area, because it speaks French and Niçois.

Best travel time

Nice has a Mediterranean climate, although it has cold winds. In summer, temperatures can reach 35ºC, and the annual average in the 29ºC.

History

There are archaeological sites (Terra Amata), showing that the area Nice has been inhabited for at least 400'000 years. The city was founded some 2'000 years ago by the Phocis peoples, who congregated in Marseille. The Nikaia called his victory against the Ligurian (Nike was the name of the goddess of victory), and the city quickly became an important commercial port. In the Middle Ages, the city participated in almost all wars against Italy. In 1860, after many twists and turns, Nice again belonged to the French Republic, following the signing of the Treaty of Turin. Today it is the fifth largest city in the country.

Transportation

The best thing to move around the metropolitan area of Nice is to use the train from Cannes to Menton, which serves suburban for its great regularity (every 15 minutes). Traffic is very complicated, so the only option left is public transport, which has a hundred bus lines, tram lines and four rail lines. There is a single ticket for all means of transport. There is also a bicycle hire service.

By plane

The airport for the entire area of the Côte d'Azur is the International Airport Nice Cote d'Azur (even for Monaco).

Sights

Some of the essential destinations in Nice are: • The Archaeological Museum of Nice-Cimiez • The Fort Monte Alban • The Old Nice • The council • The Cathedral Sainte-Réparate • Castle Hill • The center of Nice Massena Square, the Albert I gardens, Camino de los Ingleses • The Basilica of Notre-Dame • The port • The place of Ile de Beauté • La Villa Arson (XVII century mansion) Some of the most important museums in the area are: • Museum of Fine Arts Jules Cheret • The Matisse Museum • Pablo Picasso Museum • Museum of Modern Art • Museum of Asian Arts • The International Museum of Naive Art Anatole Jakovsky Nice is very attractive for the rich, thanks to its seaside location and beaches. It is in fact the second most visited city in France.

Food

The cuisine is Mediterranean, with Italian trend. Some typical dishes are the zucchini flower fritters, the pissaladière, the sandwich pan-bagnat, Soccer, spinach tortilla, nicosia salad and ratatouille.