If you are looking
for a beach weekend getaway that has a relaxing vibe then Nice is your
destination.
So little about
Nice, It is the capital city of French Riviera and is one of the most
alluring and beautiful cities in Europe- offering breathtaking landscapes, stunning stretches of beach,
rugged cliffs and an intriguing culture to explore-what else could you want
from your chosen holiday destination. So here I include my 5 Offbeat/Must
To Do Things In Nice.
1 Castle Hill: This
is FREE. Oh yeah baby, a trip to Nice is wasted if you do not go to the Castle
Hill. Okay, so you won't find any castle here, just a hill and when you reach
there after 300 steps you get the incredible (read aww-strucking) view of
French Rivera, the busy town and small hills. Further ahead after 20 more
steps there is a beautiful waterfall which must not be missed at all.
Tip: There is an
elevator too at the entrance and you must use that if you don’t want to use the
stairs.
 |
View From Castle Hill
|
 |
You cant miss this waterfall
|
 |
This View
|
2. Old Town: Yes,
even before the beach I must say old town must be on your list. It is the honeycomb
of small narrow streets offering you mix of everything-small boutiques, glamorous
to simple restaurants, wine tasting, handmade soaps, spices, bath salts, and
what not. Just get lost and enjoy. When you get tired visit Cathedral de
Ste-Réparate, sit near a fountain or stop and have some beer.
Tip: Try to stay near old town as the night life is pretty exciting and the buses and trams run only till 9pm and getting a taxi back hotel is very expensive.
 |
Honeycomb of narrow lanes
|
 |
Bath Salts
|
 |
Stop for Beer
|
 |
Cafes at Old Town
|
3. The Beach: The
whole stretch of the beach is called as Promenade des Anglais. Indeed,
it is one of the cities that has 300 days of sunshine and glamorous
weather, so the water is warm enough to dive in. We wanted to be like locals,
so we used public beach at Lenaval and the experience was good. We rolled out
our towels on pebbly beach and just relaxed in the sun and water. However there
are some private beaches as well, giving you beach chairs, lockers and changing
room for 16 Euros or more.
Tip: Do not rely on
flip-flops as the beach is too pebbly and it might not work. If you suffer from
back pain, do consider taking beach chairs.
 |
Do Not Trust Your Flipflops
|
4. Local Food: Try to
binge on gelatos and crepes during lunch and for dinner enjoy a comforting meal
at the narrow streets of old town. We stopped at various small cafes for lunch
and ate varieties of cakes, macaroons and hot crêpes. They have a local snack
called Socca which is a savory pancake made with chickpea flour and is served
hot. Eat at a place that makes fresh one and not just reheat the old one. Also,
you can choose your toppings on Socca, we chose black olives and absolutely
loved it. We had our dinner at a very cozy Italian restaurant and as it got darker, there were street artists on the street dancing and singing-entertaining you to the fullest.
Tip: Ditch same old
flavours like chocolate or vanilla instead try new flavors of gelatos like
jasmine, cactus or moringa.
 |
Jasmine Gelato
|
 |
Cinnamon And Sugar Crepe
|
 |
They Have Cactus Gelato too ;-)
|
 |
Socca-You Have To Try
|
5. Take A Tour: I
highly recommend that you take a tour from a local. We took a free walking tour
of old town and we were thrilled to know so many facts and hidden gems of the
city. If walking is not your cup of tea, then there are segway, rickshaw and cycle tours as well. You can opt for wine
tasting tour, perfume making tour to night bar crawl tour. Take a look on Tripadvisor
there are many kind of tours that Nice offers and book the one that suits your
timings and preference.
Tip: If you have
more days, you can take a day trip to another nearby towns like Monaco and Eze.
 |
Our Cozy Dinner At Old Town
|
Nice offers you everything, beach, view, nightlife, food and friendly people. Go check it out yourself.
