Things to do in Nice, France: Where to eat, shop and wander beyond the beach
Often treated as a cursory stop on road trips in southern France, Nice shines when you slow down. Think Old Town markets, heritage craftsmen, socca snacks and long bistro nights.
Nice is often a cursory stop on southern France road trips, but slow down and its easy charm – local produce, friendly faces and living craftsmanship – comes through. (Photo: iStock)
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In the shadow of its flashier Cote D’Azur neighbours like Cannes and Monaco – and the more scenic Menton – Nice often ends up as a cursory stop on road trips in southern France.
But the laidback charm of France’s fifth largest city is something that draws you in slowly but surely. Here, small restaurants take pride in local produce, people are friendly and traditional craftsmanship evolve with time to stay fresh and relevant.
INTERNATIONAL SHINE
This is the tourism appeal that luxury hospitality brands are banking on. The Anantara Plaza Nice Hotel opened in December 2022, taking over the renovated 1848 Belle Epoque building that had housed Hotel de France, a favourite of high-society vacationers from Europe. The interiors blend neoclassical architectural elements with gold accents and textures in the common spaces, while neutral hues, marine aesthetics and marble-clad bathrooms make cosy havens out of the 151 elegant rooms and suites.
Shop and swim to your heart’s content: its location is next to luxury boutiques along Avenue de Verdun and a mere five-minute walk to the Promenade des Anglais’ pebbly beach (slippers are highly advised). Then get the relaxing Absolute Calm treatment at Anantara Spa and spend the afternoon in blissful slumber.
The hotel’s sixth-floor, rooftop restaurant Seen offers gorgeous sunset and plane-spotting views (Nice Cote d'Azur Airport is only 15 minutes away by car). But prepare to pay a pretty penny: dishes start from €14 (US$17; S$21) for a plate of steamed edamame in truffle oil and goes up to €26 for two pieces of toro sushi and €64 for a 300g wagyu steak.
LOCAL CONNECTIONS
Much more memorable were the city tours that can be booked through the hotel. Sprightly 70-year-old Monique Amey was our guide on one of them. She used to head Nice’s Convention Bureau for 25 years and has called the city home for the past four decades.
“Nice is a city of contrasts: You’ve the shade and the sun, you’ve tradition and modernity and you feel it,” said Amey philosophically, as my cousin and I tottered about town with her.
It was fascinating to see how Nice’s craftsmen have held their own over time. Perfume maker Molinard has been run by five generations and now offers classes, gift sets, scented candles and tote bags.
Maison Nicolas Alziari, which had been milling olives the traditional way since 1868, had many flavourful samples in its Old Town store, which was like a wonderland of olives and olive oils. Many of the products carry the “appellation d’origine protegee” (Protected Designation of Origin) label for the house’s production methods and primary use of local Cailletier olives.
We also took touristy but gorgeously panoramic shots at the #ILoveNice sign on Quai Rauba Capeu and bought chocolates and candied fruit at the 105-year-old Confiserie Florian – a favourite of Amey’s and an institution well-known for its fruit and flower-flecked confections.
The open-air Cours Saleya market in the Old Town was a smorgasbord of scents and sounds as we browsed stalls selling everything from fruits and flowers to spices and vintage thrift finds. And of course, we had to try the famous Nicoise street snack socca, a thin, crispy chickpea pancake that was first introduced to the city by Italian dockworkers in the late 1700s.
Anantara also works with La Cavaleta, which offers city tours on the electric pedi-cabs. Its owner Christophe Leon started this service in 2012 to provide eco-friendly tours, especially to the Old Town where cabs cannot access easily. During our one-hour tour with Christophe, we trundled down the city’s main street Promenade des Anglais, a lovely warm sea breeze in our faces, and wove through the Old Town’s narrow streets.
FARMER’S MARKETS AND NEIGHBOURHOOD BISTROS
At Hotel du Couvent, rustic rhythms rule. The restored 17th century convent opened in June 2024 with 88 rooms, exuding monastic chic in its pared down accommodation that looked like they had leapt off the pages of Kinfolk magazine. Among terraced gardens are vegetable and herb plots, an open-air bistro and a 20m lap pool that entailed walking through gravel and sand paths.
One Saturday a month, a farmers’ market of local harvest, fresh bakes and local ceramics materialises in the lemon tree-lined central square. A bistro-bar on the ground floor opens to the side streets, the merry chatter, clinking of wine glasses and clatter of cutlery making it feel like a neighbourhood hangout. Our dinner at the main restaurant consisted of dory fish filleted tableside, fried dumplings and an intriguingly refreshing dessert of peach skin soup.
Every morning, the warm aroma of croissants, pain au chocolat and breads waft out of the bakery, which continues the convent’s tradition of milling its own flour using ancient wheat varieties from the region. We learnt to knead and fold multigrain dough from the very patient head baker Geffrey Marx, and brought back loaves of our own, each carefully wrapped to last the 17-hour journey to Singapore.
The hotel was just steps away from the Old Town, so we had plenty of time to explore all the small streets we had passed by days earlier with Amey and Leon. Hearty dishes were never far away. One fabulous find was Le Panier (from €45 for a four-course lunch), which had no menu, only a list of ingredients. Out came the likes of local trout with trout eggs and raspberry dressing, Lebanese cheese infused with basil and white Mediterranean fish with mussels, sweet corn and mariniere sauce.
Our favourite was Le Petit Lascaris, where we sat elbow-to-elbow with the table beside us along a small cobbled lane. Over two meals, including our last dinner in Nice, we covered almost everything on the menu, including a hilariously named but juicy “roasted quail stuffed a**hole with clove of garlic, aioli sauce” and a tiramisu that brought sighs of contentment. My fondest memories of Nice are now of laughing with strangers over good food, great wine and warm service on a balmy summer night.
