General Information

• Nice Data Sheet, maps, facts and numbers
• Weather, actual conditions and stats

Frequently Asked Questions

1 - I want to go there, what is a nice and cheap place to stay ?

Well... actually I don't know. I left Nice 20 years ago, and I never stayed in an hotel there. Some paper documentation like those portable travel books with printed text may help... if you are planning a trip, you'll need one.

• Le Guide du Routard, Sud-est de la France.
  A classic for french backpackers in their 30's (or 40's) now. They usually have a selection of nice places to stay in addition to all the practical information you need.

• Le Petit Guide Michelin, little green book.
  A more conservative guide, known for its accuracy especialy about restaurants.

One place I can think of is the Youth Hostel on Mont Boron. Its a bit off center but the place is just great. Surrounded by trees, overlooking the city... Probably crowded in summer.

Check also the links.

2 - I will go there. What kind of weather should I expect?

The French Riviera became famous because of its mild weather especialy in winter. Spring is delightful, summer hot, october and november rainy... See the Nice Weather page for actual forecast and stats.

3 - I will go there. Any suggestions about what to see and what to do?

There is so much to it... this place is just a piece of paradise.

It's eye candy

As you can see from the pictures, its just beautiful, anywhere you go. The Alps meet the Mediterranean sea on the french-italian border. In minutes, you can drive to the top of a hill and overlook the whole region. Blue sea, historic and modern urban expension, magnificient nature, mountains in the distance, snow-capped part of the year. All in one unique, ever changing 3D postcard.

A car will help! Drive everywhere you can, and get away from the coast, just a few kilometers.

It's an outdoor heaven

There are few places in the world where you can practice so many outdoor activities. Anything related to water and mountains, and in between. The weather is good almost 12 months a year, and if it's not good for skiing it's probably good for wind-surfing or paragliding or trecking the Alps or just walking on the beach. All the people I know practice at least one of the following activities :

• Swimming : any time of the day. There's even a traditional Christmas swim.
• Wind surfing : check out all those boards on top of so many cars, even on companies parking lots...
• Sailing : gives you access to remote beaches along the coast, islands, Corsica...
• Scuba diving : a good place to start before going tropical.
• Getting taned : less popular now that we know about cancer, but can still be combined with any other activity (including deep meditation)...
• Water skiing : kind of a tourist trap, but you know it and its fun.
• Motor cycling : this is one of the best ways to get around, all year.
• Cycling : warning its not a flat land! My uncle used to go down from St-Etienne-de-Tinee (90 Km from Nice, 1600+ meters in the mountain) to Nice and back in a day.
• Rock climbing : the walk to the many climbing spots is an instant reward.
• Canyoning : probably not the proper term... you swim down mountain streams or rivers eventually jumping 2, 3, 5 or 10 meter-high-falls in wild corridors you can't reach otherwise... See some pictures
• Mountain biking : when you can't ski...
• Skiing : we are talking about the Alps... In winter, you just go for the day. An hour drive and you're ready to go at 3000+ meters.
• Paragliding or Deltagliding : Icare's dream. Each time I go back, I take a ride with a friend. Sometimes we fly over Monaco at sunset and land on the beach. You can learn to fly in 3 days. My father doesn't miss an oportunity to leave the ground and fly over the village where he grew as a child. He is 73!
• Mountain trecking : Thousands of kilometers of paths through the Alps and along the coast.
• Horseback riding

All of that is available within a less than an hour drive from Nice. So, get yourself ready for some adventures...

How can life be so good ?

Enjoy! The food, the wine, the shade, the 'Pastis' break before and after the 'petanque'. The 2am bath to cool down after the jazz festival, and then the sunrise over the Cap Ferrat. Summer is a big party. Nature is beautiful. And the people too.