Day 9 & 10 - Nice, France

We made it to Nice! We flew from Lisbon and then it was very easy to take the brand new tram from the airport right into the central area of Nice and walk to our Airbnb. And very inexpensive - only 1.50 euro each. No surprise that Nice is beautiful, but it is quite a bit larger then I expected. There are things to see here such as museums and squares with historical statues, but with the fairly short amount of time we have here we are doing what I think most people do here - enjoy the beauty that is the French Riviera.

There is a flower/produce market everyday in Nice except Monday, so we headed that way first thing in the morning. It is located in Cours Saleya which has been a market since the Middle Ages. There are little cafes all around the square so first stop breakfast.

My favorite way to start the day in France!

The market was amazing! Everything was so fresh and aromatic. People come everyday with their baskets getting what they need for the day. Fruits, vegetables, cheeses, olives, sausages, breads, flowers and a number of artists painting beautiful pictures you can buy and take home.

Lots of handmade signs saying Don’t Touch!

Sofi the artist. One of my favorites and still tempted to go back and buy something.

Next up the Promenade Des Anglais Walk along the much strolled beachfront of central Nice. I had the Rick Steves walking tour with me so enjoyed all the building descriptions and the history. I know Julie enjoyed me reading it to her too😊 Even without the guide it’s just a beautiful walk between the Mediterranean Sea and the huge gorgeous hotels. The beach is filled with restaurants offering lounge chairs with umbrellas as the beach is very rocky.

Hotel Negresco - the finest and most expensive lodging in town.

All along the promenade are blue chairs you can sit in free. This statue just celebrates the beautiful view and invites you to sit down and enjoy. We did!

We walked down to the old fort that overlooks the water and got some great pictures of the town. That’s also where the #I Love Nice sign is so we had to get that shot as well.

We just wandered the streets and came upon a very cute cafe so stopped for lunch. It was wonderful!

Cafe Paulette. Shared the Buddha Bowl which was amazing.

People ask me why I love France so much. It’s because of streets like this one. And they are everywhere.

The street our restaurant was on. And like so many others we saw.

The night before at dinner we talked to a woman next to us that had been to Mont Boron that day and raved about the view so we decided to try and walk there. We made it but it was long and challenging and probably better to take the bus. Totally worth it for the view.

View from Mont Boron of Nice. Off in the distance we could actually see the airport which has the runways build on the sea. A spectacular view!

We were halfway to Villefranche-sur-Mer at that point so decided to go ahead and walk the rest of the way. We were surprised that one town just led into another so we were never walking in an uninhabited area. It wasn’t great for walking because there were stretches with no sidewalks, but we were super careful when there was traffic and definitely got a great workout. The town is so quaint and pretty, and really feels more Italian then French. The building are pastel orange and has steep narrow lanes leading to the sea and harbor filled with big sailboats. We found a restaurant right by the water and shared a large delicious Caprese salad.

I’m not meeting my dessert quota so indulged in an amazing raspberry tart - yumm! Since we walked over 10 miles I didn’t feel guilty.

Wisely we hopped the train back to Nice. It only took about 10 minutes max and we were close to our Airbnb. A great day exploring and enjoying Nice and Villefranche-sur-Mer. Next up Antibes!