Nice

Nice is the city of good life. Here the soul calms itself within the body, extends into laziness and playfulness. This sounds like a cliché, but may explain why the Greeks and Romans loved Nice. Nice lies in laughing for cool winds; protected by the rocks of the Esterel massif in the west and the alpine massif in the north and east. A light breeze from the sea saves the inhabitants from the suffocating heat.

Spring in Europe starts in Nice, and the water is warm from May to October. The most famous street is called Promenade des Anglais. This wonderful seaside promenade intersects with luxury hotels and the beach. Otherwise, the red, pink and yellow facades are the city's soul. You can still find them around the city, by the flower and vegetable market Cours Saleya, and in the myriad of alleyways in la Vieille Ville. Nice residents usually prefer to shop their own aubergines further north, in the market Marché de la Libération, in the usual crowd of yelling and good scents. However, when it comes to lunch, afternoon coffee or evening refreshments, the city's inhabitants are still loyal to Cours Saleya. This is the street you can’t get away from, rue Droite, which runs through the old city cathedrals, ice cream parlors and small Provencal restaurants. The Italian heritage is present everywhere - in the food, the shutters, and in the gestures. Nice is in the middle of the paradise that is the Riviera, and from the Couronne Masséna the buses go in all directions, for example to Eze. Eze is a small mountain town where you might encounter Prince Albert of Monaco. The Peillon is one of the most famous Provençal villages situated high on its mountain cliff, and the perfume town of Grasse is a short trip from, for example, Cannes. Further afield, yet within easy reach, there are legendary places like St Tropez.