Nice is easy to get to with many budget airlines flying into Nice-Cote d'Azur, France’s second busiest airport. It’s a superb resort in summer and winter, thanks to its climate – hot, dry summers and warm winters with, as a bonus, good skiing only an hour away.
Nice is located on the southern coast of France in the French Riviera just west of the Italian border. One side of the town is the sea front and big beaches full of tourists and on the other side are the high mountains
The famous Promenade des Anglais separates the pebbly beach from the city where world-class galleries, the old town, the famous flower and food market and a huge array of hotels and restaurants, mean there’s much to see and enjoy.
Nearby Riviera attractions such as St Tropez, Cannes, Antibes, Menton and the principality of Monaco (including Monte-Carlo), all easily reached by train, or by car – albeit traffic and parking difficulties can make this arduous in the summer peak season.
The western side of Nice is an elegant modern city where the majority of hotels are found. There are beach restaurants, casinos, and shops such as Galeries Lafayette. To the east is the old city and the port. Here are hundreds of small shops, the Cours Saleya market, cafes and bars, old churches,attractive squares and quaint narrow streets.
The city has a long history, dating back to Greek and Roman times. Nice was part of Italy, or more accurately the Kingdom of Sardinia, for much of its modern history. It became French in 1860 when the population voted to be part of France. Nice has been long popular with the English. Russians have also settled here with the Orthodox Cathedral the largest Russian church outside Russia itself.
The suburb of Cimiez, a short distance inland, houses museums dedicated to the works of Matisse and Marc-Chagall. This was also the site of a large Roman settlement and, today, the Archaeological Museum. Inland, Alpine ski resorts are an hour's drive from the airport. The single track Provencal railway runs a spectacular two-hour journey through the Alps to Digne.
The SNCF provides 11 regular rail connections from abroad and 20 daily connections with the largest cities in France. The TGV high-speed train links Paris to Nice in under seven hours. Road connections are good and ferries go to Corsica. The Nice Côte d’Azur Airport is an ideal gateway to Riviera and 45 airlines make 82 direct flights to 27 countries with daily flights to 30 French cities.
