HIGHLIGHTS
• Cours Saleya Market
• Palais Lascaris
• Place Rossetti
• Cathédrale Ste-Réparate
From Vieux Nice
Access in minutes on foot:
• Beach and Prom 1 - 10
• Etoile in 5 - 20
• Carre d’Or in 5 – 15
• The Port in 5 – 15
• Gambetta in 10 - 30
• Musiciens in 20 – 40
• Liberation in 25 – 50
• Magnan in 40 – 60
Public transport from Vieux Nice
Key transport links in minutes on foot:
• Bus station in 5 – 10
• Train station in 20 – 30
• Tram stop Cathedrale V-V or Opera V-V in 1- 10
• Tram stop Massena or Jean Medicin, in 5 - 10
NICE NEIGHBOURHOODS
• Carré d'Or
• Etoile
• Gambetta
• Libération
• Magnan
• Musiciens
• Port
• Vieux Nice
The pros and cons of Vieux Nice (Old Nice)
Stretching from the Theatre de Verdun to Place Garibaldi and Place Massena to the Cours Saleya and Promenade des Anglais is the bustling Old Quarter known as Old Nice (Vieux Nice). From early morning to late evening these picturesque streets are alive with cafes, restaurants, shops and bars marking this as the main tourist hotspot.
Our rental apartments in the Old Town of Nice book up fast, especially in Summer months. This is where you are right in the heart of everything and enjoy the ambience and character of these historical winding narrow streets and small squares.
If you like atmospheric night life, bustling café squares, great restaurants and bars everywhere you turn, then the Old Town is most definitely the place for you. It’s also very near the beach and bus station and has a decent two floored supermarket as well as a cinema which offers English language films.
There are numerous bars in Vieux Nice including traditional French, Irish, English, Jazz and Wine bars. Most of these places, like Waynes, Ma Nolans, Shapko and Resto Wine Notes offer live music until the early hours. Depending on your choice, you can find loud and lively or mellow and relaxing.
A welcome and refreshingly recent addition to the nightlife is Riviera comedy club the English comedy club circuit currently hosted at Thor's on the Cours Saleya. Brought to you by Ollie and Amy, the London Circuit of acts are now here in Nice. What more could you want from a holiday?
For the more family oriented holiday, and for people watching, there are pavement cafés on the squares which hum with activity and where the music comes courtesy of the frequent buskers and musicians, though quality is not guaranteed!
Food plays a big part in Vieux Nice. Our guests are often amazed at the number of restaurants, cafes and brasseries that can be found in such a small corner of town. Chick Pea pancake or ‘Socca‘ is the local delicacy and hungry locals and tourists alike can often be found queueing outside Lou Pilha Leva on Place Central and Rene Socca on Rue Miralheti. All around the Old Town visitors can find a variety of tastes from French, Italian, Greek, Indian and Lebanese.
The Cours Saleya is the famous farmer's market of Nice set one street back from the Promenade des Anglais, Offering fresh produce and local favourites such as cheese, olives, soaps, fruit, vegetables and flowers from early morning until midday. Monday sees antique traders setting up stalls and selling their wares. In Place St Francois the daily fish market comes alive with fresh catches before sunrise and usually finishes a little after lunch. In summer the Cours Saleya and Place Francois is alive in the evening with craft stalls selling art, handbags and jewelry.
For a great way to see Vieux Nice head to the most photographed vantage point – the Colline du Chateau which sits on top of a hill between the Port and the Old Town and offers stunning panoramic views. Only the ruins of the Chateau remain at the top but it is often bustling with family events at the weekends or children at play. The tourist train takes you up here, or you can walk, cycle or use the lift.
Hidden within the narrow streets of Vieux Nice are numerous historical buildings such as the almost missable Palais Lascaris on Rue Droite with its beautiful Frescoes inside its ancient walls. Sainte Reparate Cathedral in Place Rosetti, with its glittering, tiled dome roof and beautiful façade. The Opera house just right of the Cours Saleya has regular performances of the classics.
The creative vibe in the Old Town has long since drawn artists of all mediums to its back streets and it's on Rue Droite that our holiday guests can find a plethora of artists shops, studios and galleries displaying their exhibitions and works to the public.
It isn’t all charm and ambience though. There are a couple of downsides to staying in a rental apartment in the heart of Old Nice. Most apartment blocks do not have lifts and the stairs leading up to the higher floors can be narrow. Common parts to these buildings can be neglected because all Owners of the apartments inside need to agree to things like re-painting or re-plastering before works can be carried out. Air-conditioning can be hard to come by because permission is not easily granted to install the ugly box on any of the buildings that might spoil the historic and picturesque feel of the Old Town streets. Whilst you avoid the New Town scooter and traffic noise in the Old Town (its all pedestrianised) you may hear the bin men and trolley cart rumbling through the older quarter around Place Rossetti early in the morning or people making their way home from a night out. No city is without its noise factor.