To behold Nice from afar is to gaze into a streaking gradient of turquoise blues, shimmering, sun-kissed reds and verdant greens, each fading into each other and intermingling as the crystal port waters converge with the stuccoed homes of the Vieux Nice, and the regal facades of ancient Cimiez meet the rising hills of verdant Alpes Maritimes in the background.
Start your explorations on the bright and bubbling strip of the Promenade des Anglais, where in the summer fashionistas in Versace and heels discuss the happenings of the Riviera, and clusters of sunbathers converge on the pebbled beaches of the Med. Be sure to ask your Nice tour guide about the coffee and cocktail hotspots of the seaside centre as is its Cours Saleya, where celeb spotting and mojito sipping takes centre stage.
But, with a human history of more than 400,000 years and its roots in the Greek colonial period, Nice also boasts a real wealth of historical sites and art galleries—from the Musee et Site Archeologiques de Cimiez to the famous Musee Matisse, where it’s possible to spy out some of France’s most revered masterworks.