Nice: most charming place in south of France!
2023-06-13
Located in southeast of France and overlooking Mediterranean Sea, Nice is second largest tourist city in France after Paris and one of most charming seaside resorts in Europe. The bay in which Nice is located is known as Baie des Anges, which proves its charm! It is most important part of Côte d'Azur in Mediterranean Sea in south of France. Compared to Marseille, an important city in south, Nice is more suitable for holidays because of its flat terrain and numerous beaches!
Nice basically consists of three parts, first part is old city and port, second part is city center, built in 19th century, that is, area near Avenue of England; third part is district of Himie (Castle Hill) overlooking north of city.
Promenade des Anglais, also translated as Promenade des Anglais, is main road along coast of Nice, starting from Nice Airport in west and ending at foot of castle hill in east, with a length of about 7 km. Avenue of England was built in second half of 18th century and is so named because it was built by British, who came to Nice on vacation. This road is not to be missed when going to Nice: you can walk, ride a bike, sit on a chair by sea and admire sea.
The old town of Nice (Vieille Ville) is sandwiched between Castle Hill and Place Massena, on both sides of narrow streets there are various shops, restaurants and cafes, which are very pleasant to walk around. The most famous old town is Cours Saleya and Cathedral of St. Reper.
Castle Hill (Colline du Château) is located at very eastern end of English Avenue. This is an excellent observation deck overlooking Bay of Angels (Baie des Anges) and old city of Nice. On other hand, you can also go to port of Nice. From 11th to 18th century, a castle stood on this hill, which was demolished by Louis XIV in 1705 and has now become Castle Park.
The largest and most important square in center of Nice: Place Massena is located in northwest corner of Old Town of Nice, at southernmost end of avenue de Meydesin. The most important sculptural fountain in Place Massena: Fontaine du Soleil with sun god Apollo in center.
Angel Bay is first picturesque place in Nice. The moon-shaped harbor and palm trees on Avenue of England give impression of a typical Mediterranean landscape in south of France! Angel Bay is bustling with life during day, and Angel Bay is quiet at night, but they all exude an enchanting charm! When weather is nice, you can walk barefoot in Angel's Bay, and you can also occasionally take a trip to cool waters of Mediterranean Sea. We rented a B&B in Yixian near Angel Bay to stay in Angel Bay until late, enjoy its charming night view to fullest, and then take a leisurely stroll back!
The charm of Nice lies in water (Angel Bay), in mountains (Castle Hill), in old town and in its unique azure blue! We stayed in Nice for a week, and with Nice as our base, we visited southeast coast of France and miniature country of Monaco in one week (the article was published later), which made a very deep impression on us! How everyone who was in Nice sighed: Nice is good! And it is Very beautiful!
