Nice and the Cote d'Azur, Land of La Belle Epoque

We spent a lovely 4 days in Nice, and the surrounding areas, in March of 2006.

Since it was the middle of March, the beaches were obviously empty, so we spent our time touring the city of Nice, it provided a nice “base” from which to take day trips.

There is a bus station called “Gare Routirere” where you can buy bus tickets for most nearby destinations, and we took inexpensive day trips to St. Paul de Vence (a “village perché” or perched hilltop village), Monaco/Monte Carlo, and Cap Ferrat.

The weather was not “hot” by any means, but cool and crisp, and most days were relatively sunny. And there was no rain. I would recommend that travelers aim for April and May, when the weather is sunny and warm, and before the chaotic summer rush, when the city becomes overrun by tourists and beach lovers (unless that’s what you want to experience!)

The entire region is full of artist homes and retreats. We saw the house where Matisse lived in the 1920 in Vieux Nice, and the cemetery where Chagall is buried in St. Paul de Vence for example.

Since it is located close to the Italian border, much of the food of Nice is strongly influenced by Italian cuisine. You will find pizzerias and pasta restaurants plentiful.

The whole state of Provence is also known for sweet smelling Lavender, which you can find sachets of everywhere. Also for the liquor known as “Absinthe”, which is green in color and tastes like licorice! If you go to some of the liquor stores, they may sell you the little metal spoon which you place over a glass, place a sugar cube on, and pour cold water over it, giving the characteristic green color.

Great local food! There are many street side crepe vendors, selling both sweet and savory varieties. Another local favorite is Pan Bangnat (bread with all the ingredients of a salad nicoise in it: lettuce, tomatoes, tuna, anchovies, olive oil, boiled eggs). There is also a local specialty called “Socca”, which is a thin crepe made of ground chickpeas, very tasty and usually only about €2. You can get it from a roadside vendor and eat it while you walk, try it!

One, DO NOT MISS, site (see my journal) is the Villa et Jardins Ephrussi de Rothschild in Cap Ferrat... just gorgeous!!

Quick Tips:

Prices in France (and Europe in general) can be quite daunting! The Euro is currently exchanged at about .33 or so, and everything from food to souvenirs cost substantially more than we expected.

Luckily I used my French to learn how to say “tap water” so that we did not have to pay €5 for Evian water at every meal! (It is “L’eau robinet”.)

Also, if you prefer to use sugar substitute, it’s best to pack it, as they do not offer “Splenda”, which my husband prefers, in most establishments.

One very important thing to remember: do not tip 10-20% at restaurants like we do in the U.S.! The tip is included in the price of food, which is why it seems to be about 20% more than prices we were expecting! The first 2 days we tipped an additional 15% and later we asked at the front desk of our hotel, and they echoed what we had read in the Lonely Planet guide, that people do not tip, and if they do at all, it is only a standard €1-2 for particularly good service, not dependant on the meal price.

Our hotel (Mercure Marche aux Fleurs) was very well located, and the room was reasonably cute, with a little balcony overlooking a small courtyard, not particularly scenic. It is right on the Quai des Etats-Unis, which is the continuation of Avenue des Anglais, the main boardwalk of the city. We learned the hard way that some rooms have an additional staircase leading to them, and it was quite difficult to manage the small stairs with our large suitcases, so ask in advance! If you stay at a hotel like ours which offers a complimentary breakfast, we highly recommend waking up for it! The food is plentiful and good, and considering how expensive food is in this city, make sure you get at least one free meal a day to cut costs!!

In Vieux Nice, the Cours Saleya is the street with the markets during the daytime, and where the restaurants come alive at night, although mostly with tourist clientele. People do not always curb their dogs so beware of dog excrement at all times, my husband worried about ruining his shoes on more than one occasion!

Best Way To Get Around:

I had a basic understanding of conversational French (from high school), and was able to resurrect my memory of it to use during our trip, which came to be incredibly helpful, since my husband does not speak any French. We were thus able to avoid typical tourist traps like wildly overpriced tour packages, and instead found the local bus station and bought reasonably priced bus tickets to destinations we wanted to see, with the help of our trusty Lonely Planet to guide us.

This hotel is very well located, right on the main promenade/boardwalk of the city, Quai des Etats-Unis, (which is the continuation of Avenue des Anglais), and next to the famous Opera House, also adjacent to Vieux Nice (old town)where most of the tourist attractions, good shops, and restaurants and bars are located.

Our room was reasonably cute, with a little balcony overlooking a small courtyard, although the view was not particularly scenic. The room itself was small, but the bathroom was clean and well lit, which I liked. Our TV did not get any English channels except BBC News, and we quickly became very bored with that!

We learned the hard way that some rooms have an additional staircase leading to them, and it was quite difficult to manage the small stairs with our large suitcases, so ask in advance!

The hotel offers a complimentary breakfast until 10am and although we slept through it on two mornings, we highly recommend waking up for it! The food at this breakfast is plentiful and good, and considering how expensive food in Nice is, make sure you get at least one free meal a day to cut costs!!

When we got off the bus in St. Paul de Vence, it was lunch time and we were hungry. When you first enter the main square outside the town entrance, you will see the famous and expensive Colombe d’Or restaurant, but we opted for the smaller and slightly hidden from view "La Petite Chapelle" restaurant which has great views and even better food.

My husband ordered the "formule", which included a glass of wine, special of the day, and coffee, all for €14. The special was a veal dish in a delicious sauce, with fries and green beans. I opted for the typical Salad Nicoise and a glass of red wine. We were also given bread. For dessert I ordered the crème bruleé, but it was slightly burnt on top and the custard underneath was a bit too pudding-y for my taste, still it was not bad.

The restaurant was not too crowded and there was indoor and outdoor seating, both with spectacular views! The waiter was also very helpful and sweet.

They do not accept Master Card or AmEx, although there is a sticker on the door indicating that they do!

All in all, a much better option than it's pricy neighbor (Colombe D'or), for rustic, simple French fare in a relaxing setting!

We decided to dine at a restaurant recommended on IgoUgo, "Tire Bouchon". It is easy to miss because there is scaffolding covering the front entrance, but do look out for it!! It is very romantic and cozy, with friendly and helpful service.

When we first walked in they asked us to go to a separate entrance in the back and we were confused, but found their other dining area. I guess they keep the two rooms separate since the first dining area does not have much room to walk around.

The room was warm with great ambiance: dark mood lighting, red and black velvety interior, and soft music.

They offered a €28 prix-fixe menu which included an appetizer, entrée and dessert. We ordered two glasses of a 2004 Bourdeaux, which they recommended, and loved every drop!

As a pre-appetizer, they bring you a small dish with a shot glass filled with olive tapenade and two breadsticks, and two pieces of fruited bread on the side, lovely!

For appetizers, my husband ordered the asparagus spray in balsamic reduction, and I got the cod in a flaky pastry shell, they were both very tasty. Then for our entrees, he got the lamb in a garlic sauce and I had duck in a sesame sauce. Again, both dishes met and exceeded our expectations.

For dessert, he had the cheese and fruit platter and I had chocolate cake, a favorite of most guests I was told, and I can see why. The molten center oozes out after you cut into it, and it is accompanied by a dollop of ice cream and raspberry sauce.

Our waitress was very sweet and we loved this place!

This outdoor restaurant is a a local favorite, with lots of Nicoise atmosphere!! It is located on the north side of Vieux Nice, near the place Garibaldi.

There are always tons of people in line. Note that there is a separate line for a plateful of socca (typical Nicoise food, a thin crepe made of mashed chickpeas, €2) and for the rest of the food items. In addition to socca, we ordered farcis nicoise for €3, which is a small plate of vegetables stuffed with a hummus mixture, and a piece of pissaladiere for €1.5, which is a pizza with onion and black olives on it, (some are also made with anchovies). They heat it up for you while you pay. They also offer spicy fishcakes and deep-fried whitebait, as well as other dishes.

After you order, you look for seating either on the bench seats located on both sides of rue Miralheti, or in the inside area. We went to sit down inside since it was cool outside. A passing drinks waiter came to get our drink orders, my husband’s Diet Coke (which was much scoffed at!) was €2.9, more than my glass of red wine €2.1!! Be sure to order a glass of the Cotes de Provence wine!

The waiter was a hoot and kept telling everyone that the amount they ordered in drinks was "the minimum", as if to admonish to tip well. I did not dare speak to him in English, and he might have been mocking my semi-conversational French!

You must try this place, if only to sample typical Nicoise fare...

Note: they are closed on Mondays and in November.

We decided to try "Indyana" for dinner one evening, which we read about in a local restaurant guide. They serve fusion food of French, Italian, and Asian.

It is elegantly decorated with Indian statues and dark drapes, softly lit and cozy. We were lucky we arrived just before the rush, soon not even a single table was free! The clientele were very lively and stylish, great for people watching!

We asked the waiter to recommend a starter and he brought us spring rolls, which were a bit oily for my taste. Then for the main dish my husband ordered beef in a saki teriyaki sauce which was very tasty and I got a shrimp scampi dish which was tasty but a bit too much pasta.

We were a bit sad that we had not ordered the house specialty, which the table next to us had ordered. It was sea bass and the waiter first brought the fish to the guests to inspect, then they took it to the kitchen to bake it in a casing of salt, and when it was done it was brought to be carved tableside. They first broke off the salt casing and then proceeded to carve it so precisely, first removing the head and tail, then bones, then slicing the fillets perfectly. They even removed some meat from the cheek and placed it on the top. Final touches included adding some vegetables on the side, it looked perfect, and healthy to boot!! Wish we has known... make sure to consider it if you have dinner here!!

They are open until 11:30pm and they have a large party room downstairs where we saw some tour groups heading.

For lunch one day we decided to stop on the place Garibaldi, at the crowded and popular Grand Café de Turin, with its authentic 1900 interior, for seafood. The restaurant is packed with guests eating outside at the street-side tables, as well as inside, even though it was already after 2pm and the normal lunchtime rush.

We first tried to enter Petite Cafe de Turin, but they sent us away as they were too full. Two doors down was Grand Cafe de Turin! Even there, we had a 20-minute wait for a table to become available.

The menu is printed on the place mat, and is full of every imaginable type of fresh seafood. We didn’t know what to get so we asked the waiter for six oysters, four clams, and four large prawns. (Make sure you ask about prices, our prawns were 5 each!)

They first brought us our drinks (wine),and gave us each a plate with brown bread and butter.

They retrieve the fresh seafood from the carts filled with ice, located just outside the restaurant (this seems to be a common practice among seafood restaurants in Nice).

The seafood came with mayonnaise, which they like to eat with seafood, and lemons. Delicious!

Definitely try this place for fresh, high-quality seafood in a popular and authentic setting!

On our last day in Nice, we looked for a simple place to have dinner. We happened upon Le Parasol while walking through the Pedestrian Area (Area Pieton).

It has outdoor seating, as well as an indoor dining area, and was one of the few simple (inexpensive) places that had food late at night (most places only had coffee and alcoholic drinks after a certain time, when the kitchens closed).

We had eaten a late lunch, so we only ordered two types of Croque Monsieurs, one with brie and ham and one regular cheese and turkey. They came accompanied by a simple salad. They were both delicious. They also offered a variety of coffees and other drinks, but we opted for tap water (l’eau robinet)—free!

Our waiter was very friendly and helpful, it helped that I spoke French, too. This was one of the only meals we had for under 10€! A wonderful way to end our lovely vacation in Nice.

A short 50-minute bus ride on the 400 bus from Gare Routiere in Nice will place you in one of the most beautiful and charming little town's you will ever visit! St. Paul de Vence is called a “village perché” or perched hilltop village.

The ride there is in the direction of Cannes and we saw beautiful views of the countryside. The day was cool and crisp, but sunny. When we got off the bus it was lunch time and we were hungry. We saw the famous and expensive Colombe d’Or restaurant, but opted for the smaller and slightly hidden from view “La Petite Chapelle” restaurant which has great views and even better food.

We spent the day walking around the village of St. Paul de Vence, which overlooks the coast about 10km north of Cagnes-sur-Mer. It was fortified in the 16th century and attracted artists such as Chagall and novelist James Baldwin. It is a truly magical place, full of twisting cobble-stoned streets. We were lucky to be there in the early Spring, before the tourist mobs arrived. We did as most visitors do, and strolled the quaint streets, and looked at art galleries, mostly on rue Grande. We even bought poster for our house! We did not see the nearby Fondation Maeght to see the modern art and Miro Labyrinth, but have heard it is very unique.

The views of the town are lovely, and we saw the cemetery where Chagall is buried. We also took a photo of the petanque pitch, where they play a game that looks similar to boche ball. There was also a copy of Rodin’s “Le Pensuer” (the thinker) which we saw. On the bus ride back, I took a photo of the town sitting perched on the hilltop, so beautiful!

We were told this was a "don't miss" site, and that is certainly true!!

From Nice's Gare Routiere bus station we bought two tickets on the 81 bus to Cap Ferrat to see the Villa et Jardins Ephrussi de Rothschild, the bus dropped us off right outside the gates. What an amazing day!

The Villa et Jardins are an unbelievably ornate and over-the-top belle époque pink confection. It was commissioned by the eccentric Baroness Beatrice Ephrussi de Rothschild in 1912 and took 40 architects seven years to build. She already owned a huge villa in Monaco but loved the natural beauty of Cap Ferrat on the Cote d’Azur, and bought the 7 hectares from under the nose of King Leopold II of Belgium who wanted to extend his neighboring property. Her favorite color was pink, and it is represented everywhere! There is also elaborate Louis XVI furniture, Fragonard paintings and decorative porcelain in the 18th-century style.

The best part for us was viewing the villa’s seven themed gardens, overlooking the harbor of Villefranche-sur-Mer. They are Sevres, Spanish, Japanese, Florentine, stone, cactus/exotic, and rose gardens (although we were heart broken that it was too early for the roses, which are best in May through July). The gardens are landscaped to resemble a ship’s deck, with waterfalls and ponds, to commemorate a cruise she enjoyed on the “Ile de France”, and Baroness Beatrice even had her gardeners dress like sailors. There is a “Temple of Love” statue of Aphrodite at the prow with a stream that leads to a pool in front of the villa and there are musical fountains which dance every 20 minutes, they are truly magical!

Inside the Villa they offer a short free film explaining the history of the Villa et Jardins (it runs continuously) and if you like, you can take a tour for €2, although since it was only offered in French we decided to pass. They offer the tour in English in July and August we were told. The beautiful rooms joining the lovely covered patio include the Louis XVI room, Louis XV room, the boudoir with little chairs for her dogs, the dining room, and a tea room that serves as a restaurant today.

We were lucky to have a bright sunny day and our photos were dazzling. All I can say is that we absolutely loved this place and will keep the relaxing and romantic images in our minds forever.

Another close day trip from the Gare Routiere bus station in Nice is Monaco. Get tickets for the Tam 100 for Monaco, the trip takes about 30 to 40 minutes and costs €2.60  round trip.

The road to Monaco is the road to Menton (city on the border of Italy) and you will pass the picturesque port of Nice along the way.

When we arrived in Monaco, we were dropped at the Place d'Armes. The first thing we wanted to see was the Palace (Palais du Prince). Beware! There is a LONG and STEEP walk up a hill to arrive at the gates of the palace, so you must be in shape!

The first thing we saw was a statue of the monk. As the story goes, the Grimaldi (royal family of Monaco) began their rule in 1297 when Francois "the pitiful" disguised himself as a monk and begged for shelter at the Rocher fortress. Soldiers pitied him and let him in, then he stabbed them and opened the gates to his followers. This dubious event is on the coat of arms!

We had missed the changing of the guards ceremony which takes place at 11:55am. The guards were not very friendly, when we asked if we could take a photo with one of them, he curtly replied “No!” We took photos of the palace and state apartments and walked around the small quaint streets. We saw lots of photos of Price Albert and the royal family.

We decided to have lunch here in a small simple restaurant which looked like it was located in a cave, called “Sto Ben” where Rick had a little Croque Monsieur sandwich and I had a ham and cheese crepe, it was our first meal under €10!

Then we walked back down and took photos of the picturesque port of Monaco. We next found the bus for Monte Carlo and made a big mistake, we could have walked it but instead we paid €3 (the cost of the entire bus ride from Nice to Monaco!) just to go a very short distance to Monte Carlo!

Once we got there we saw the magnificent gardens leading to the Casino. The Jardins du Casino form the district's center and are amazingly lovely to sit and stroll in.

At the casino, we saw lots of fancy cars and fancy people, with expensive purses and furs. We had to check in our bags to enter the casino as no cameras etc were allowed. Then we saw that we had to pay €10 each just to enter the casino! Neither of us is much of a gambler, so we decided to pass. We toured the small lobby area of the casino and then left. (note: to enter the casino you must be 18 or over, have a passport handy for ID, and be dressed relatively smartly, no shorts or sweatsuit etc. You even need a jacket and tie to enter the private rooms and the main room at night).

When you exit the casino, you will see the famous "Louis XV" restaurant on your left. It is reputed to be one of the best restaurants on the French Riviera, decorated with gold and dripping with opulence. The dining room only seats 50 so make reservations in advance if you want to check it out!

We walked around the streets of the area and saw many haute couture shops. We also stumbled upon a little mall called “Le Metropole” which was lovely with chandeliers, fancy shops, and fancy people.

My husband briefly considered finding the Formula One Race track for the Grand Prix, but there is no formal race track per se, as the city roads are used for racing. So we found the bus stop from Monte Carlo itself and headed back to Nice.

A quite glamorous city and a must see if you are in the area!!