The Promenade des Anglais is the 7 km of the palm trees, the blue chairs, and the sea that defines the Côte d’Azur. The Promenade was built by the English, the “Anglais” of the name, the winter visitors of the 1820s, the aristocracy and the invalids who discovered that the winter sun of Nice cured the ailments of the damp London season, and the Promenade, the sea, and the light (the light that drew the Matisse, the Chagall, and the Renoir to the city, the light that is the colour of the apricot, the rose, and the gold at the dawn and the dusk) is the most beautiful urban walk in Europe. Nice is the largest resort of the French Riviera, the fifth-largest city in France, and the essential base for the Côte d’Azur: the beaches (the pebbles, the private plages, the sun loungers, the restaurant, and the €25 for the day, and the public plages, the free, and the essential Nice experience), the Vieux Nice (the old town, the narrow streets, the Cours Saleya flower market, and the best socca, the chickpea pancake, the snack of the city, and the essential €3 lunch), and the art (the Musée Matisse, the villa on the hill of the Cimiez, the collection, and the best Matisse in the world. ~€10. The Musée Marc Chagall, the Biblical Message, the 17 large-format paintings, and the most beautiful museum in Nice. ~€10). Here is your guide to Nice.

Nice, The French Riviera Guide

• The Promenade des Anglais, the essential walk: The Promenade is the heart of Nice, and the walk from the Jardin Albert 1er (the park at the foot of the Place Masséna, the fountains, the carousel, and the start of the Promenade) to the Port Lympia (the 3 km, the 45 minutes, the sea, the palm trees, and the view of the Baie des Anges, the Bay of the Angels, the blue of the Mediterranean, and the most beautiful view in the city), is the essential Nice experience. The blue chairs: the iconic chaises bleues, the white frames, the blue canvas, and the view of the sea. The chairs are free (the city council maintains them, the tourists sit on them, and the photograph of the chairs and the sea is the essential Nice photograph). The essential time: the early morning (the 7am, the joggers, the chairs empty, and the sea the colour of the silver) or the sunset (the 8pm, the sky the orange and the pink, and the most beautiful hour on the Promenade). The Hôtel Negresco: the most beautiful hotel on the Riviera, the 1913, the pink dome, the doormen in the 18th-century livery, and the interior, the Baccarat chandelier, the 16,309 crystals, the most beautiful chandelier in France. The hotel is a tourist attraction (the lobby, the bar, and the restaurant, the Le Chantecler, the 2 Michelin stars. ~€180 for the tasting menu). The essential swim: the private plage, the Castel Plage (the beach below the Castle Hill, the sun lounger, the restaurant, and the best private beach in Nice. ~€25 for the lounger for the day), or the public plage (the free, the pebbles, and the essential Nice experience). More France →
• The Vieux Nice and the food, the market and the socca: The old town of Nice, the Vieux Nice, the maze of the narrow streets, the pastel houses, the Baroque churches, and the Cours Saleya (the flower market, the Tuesday to the Sunday, the flowers, the fruit, the vegetables, and the most beautiful market in France), is the essential morning in Nice: the coffee at the Café de Turin (the seafood bar on the Place Garibaldi, the oysters, the wine, and the best breakfast in Nice. ~€15 for the half-dozen oysters and the glass of the white wine), the walk through the market (the olives, the tapenade, the socca, the essential street food of Nice, the chickpea pancake, the wood-fired oven, and the best socca at the Chez Thérésa on the Cours Saleya. ~€3 for the portion), and the climb to the Castle Hill (the Colline du Château, the 92 metres, the view of the Baie des Anges, the Port Lympia, and the best view in Nice. The lift is free, the walk is the 10 minutes, and the view is the essential Nice photograph)