Nice

Nice is a city in southern France located on the Mediterranean coast, between Marseille and Genoa, with 933,080 inhabitants in the metropolitan area at the 1999 census. The city is a major tourist center and a leading resort on the French Riviera (Côte d'Azur).

The centre of Nice is easy to explore as it tumbles southwards from the main railway station to the Promenade des Anglais, the landmark waterfront boulevard that is one of the most famous streets in France. Behind the pebbly beach (Nice has no sandy beach) is the old town with its rambling old lanes, the characterful heart of the city that contrasts with the belle epoque buildings that grew up further to the west and along the waterfront around a century ago. Beyond the pleasures of its myriad restaurants, bars, clubs and hotels, there are also a cluster of excellent cultural oases: the highlights are the Musée Matisse, Musée d’Art Moderne et d’Art Contemporain and the Musée des Beaux-Arts. However visitors spend their days, they are usually drawn back outside to savour another languorous evening that begins with a stroll, of course, along the Promenade des Anglais.