What should I do when I get to Nice in France?

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ChocoBN

Well, you've listed all there is to see in Nice... Oh there's also a beautiful perched garden east of the city, I forget what it's called but you get a nice view of the bay. The beaches along the Promenade des Anglais kinda suck, all pebbles and no sand...

I'm with you, I prefer Rome over Nice (beautiful, classy women in Rome!) but taking a train to Rome would take forever (which is why most people fly or take a night train) and Rome deserves more than just a quick visit. And there is really no need to cross the border in search of culture, France is the country with the richest and most diverse cultural heritage in the world and Roman sites abound there.

If you are into Roman ruins (and the Nice ones aren't that impressive), Provence has a lot of gorgeous, extremely well-preserved Roman cities that you could go to by train. Arles for instance is 4 hours away by train and is very pretty. It is also associated with Van Gogh so you won't get bored when it comes to art and history. http://www.arles.org/

Other cities or towns worth visiting that should be reachable by public transportation are:

- NÃ®mes : http://www.ot-nimes.fr/english_nimes/index.php
West of NÃ®mes is the Pont du Gard, the famous Roman aquaduct (if you find a way of getting there) : http://www.pontdugard.fr/
- Orange, which has one of the most beautiful Roman theaters in the world : http://www.otorange.fr/
- Vaison-la-Romaine : http://www.vaison-la-romaine.com/spip.php?page=accueil-uk (click on History and Heritage)
- Avignon : http://www.ot-avignon.fr/pages-en/home.htm
- Next to Nice is the very beautiful perched village of Eze: http://www.eze-riviera.com/emotions/ang/welcome.html

Inland, you can go to the artist's village of St-Paul de Vence : http://www.provence-hideaway.com/223.html
http://www.saint-pauldevence.com/tourism_uk.html
(Bus 400 goes there from Nice)

You'll get more ideas here: http://www.provenceweb.fr/e/provpil.htm
such as the lively southern city of Aix en Provence 2-3 hours away or Grasse, the world capital of perfume (just outside Cannes) where you can visit perfume houses and learn the history of perfume, how they make it, etc..

Have no regrets, you should find plenty to keep you busy around Nice. I was there one weekend only and didn't care much for it but it was outside the summer season, in summer I am sure it's far more lively and fun. Plus Rome is stifling hot and polluted in summer, hope you get to go some other time.

PainVinFromage

I like the 'vieux Nice' old town, so pretty, so French
BTW the old streets look very italian ,like Rome

finestrat1

go to the local turist office. They have tons of suggestions.

Austerlitz

You can visit the villa Kerylos (which looks kike a Greek house) and the villa Ephrussi de Rothshild (with French, Spanish, Japanese gardens , etc). I liked it.
You can also take a train to go to the backcountries with the Alps all around you. From here visit little villages like Saorge or Tende.
have a good travel !

Nadia

In the mid 19th century, Nice actually belonged to Italy. It was at that era King Immanuel III sold nice to Napoleon III, so I am sure you will find some interesting history in Niece, and possibly still some Italian influence. Perhaps take a look at the museum there may be some art also, the architecture? Im sure you could save your money and still have a great time.

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