Nice and the Côte d’Azur conjure up thoughts of beautiful weather, money (rich people) and vacation. It is a destination that many people have on their bucket-list of things to do; if not for the casinos, then at least for the sun and crystal clear light-blue sea. It was after some trepidation on my part and a pause in our other travels, that we decided to go to Nice for another short holiday.
Whenever possible, we travel via train since it is more cost-effective and has one of the better, if not the best, Eco-friendly footprints. The trip took us surprisingly just over five hours from Turin, most likely due to a mixture of train schedules and the routes involved. However, one of the advantages of being retired is time is the one commodity you have in abundance.
Since this was not actually a last-minute decision, we were still able to use a modest amount of planning and coordinated the trip with our daughter Ericka, who joined us the following day. She flew in and using the Côte d’Azur (I must say) fabulous metro/tram system which now links up with both terminals at the airport, we were able to meet her at Terminal 1.
Our choice of Nice was due to many factors. First the train station is large and one can travel to many different places taking advantage of both regional and special coastal trains. It also happened to be in the center of the Côte d’Azur, the famous vacation coast which attracts visitors and tourists from both France, Europe and beyond. Nice has been expanding their metro and transportation system and it seems to be paying off; it did for us. If you are staying for any amount of time you can buy a 10-trip (not day) transportation pass for 10€ (that’s a 30 percent discount or 4 free trips). Though we did not use them all, we used enough to do better than break even. We then handed them to someone at the hotel, so they could use the rest.
Our Hotel
We stayed at the Hotel Belle Meunière, a short two-minute walk from the main train station and our domicile for our travels. Though our room was not much to look at per se, one has to understand the hotel is actually under renovations. The outside of the hotel is very well-kept and seems to be an old historical landmark of some kind, since they have obviously tried to keep it sound. The inside however, is somewhat confused but manageable. It is obviously a converted manor house. It is therefore, not really a hotel but more of a hotel/pension fusion, if there is such a thing.
We found the price and location with respect to the train station very acceptable and there are also very good Niçois restaurants nearby. However, the location also worked somewhat against it as well, since areas around train stations tend to be a bit dirty. This is also true of the area around this hotel. If you are really into the beach, you might prefer something closer to the shore, though they will be more expensive. Though I would not give it any Michelin stars, it was manageable and the staff go out of their way to make you comfortable.
Nice From Inside and Above
Nice is a typical European city. It has a core or old city surrounded by many environs or suburbs that have their own distinct look and things to see. One of the more prominent sights along the main Avenue Jean-Médecin in Nice, is the Roman Catholic Gothic basilica called Notre-Dame de Nice. Like Notre-Dame de Paris, it also has a large rose window on its front but is much younger, smaller and is not a cathedral (it is not even designed after the one in Paris). It will at least make you stop and take a photograph.
Castle Hill
Another must see is the overlook of the city from the Colline du Château or Castle Hill. It is a modest walk from the old city up the hill to the East, before you are able to enjoy the vista.
There are several points along the way up to stop and enjoy the view of Nice.
There are also other things to see on Castle Hill, including a waterfall and an overlook of Villefranche-sur-Mer, the next town over, though somewhat obscured by trees on the walk down.
The above are a collection of our initial photographs as we walked through the city.
We also have favourite place in France, called Charlot Premier in Nice, which does excellent oysters.
– Roger Moore
More on Nice and our other travels to come…