Nice Photo Diary & Travel Tips

Below lies a very brief post on our time in Nice, France back in July. Brief, because we only had a couple of days there, and also because we spent all our time on the beach.

And it was spectacular. 

Do:

Make the climb up to Castle Hill (named for the fact that there was once a castle there) above Old Town. The views are spectacular on their own, but the waterfall is the icing on the cake. We found it especially nice to stand in front of it and let it spray us on the stinking hot day that we walked up there.

Put aside a little bit of cash to splurge on at least one day on a private beach. For those unfamiliar, the beachfront of Nice is not entirely a "grab a towel and head on down" kinda deal. Certain parts are known as private beaches where one can pay to lie on a sun lounge under an umbrella and have people wait on you with food and drinks all day (plus the added bonus of a toilet). I myself had always been against this idea as I feel that a beach should be a space available to all, however after spending a day on one, I believe I've been spoilt. Just keep in mind that you can't bring your own food to the private beaches, so it can be a pricey day.

Don't:

Just pay to sit on any old private beach you come across, as they do range in price and quality. Prices are displayed out the front of each one, and plenty of reviews can be found on the internet for them. We paid 15 euro each at Opera Plage, which included the sun lounge and umbrella, but some can cost about 19 euro and then extra for your sun lounge/umbrella. Choose wisely and enjoy!

Miss an establishment called 'Wayne's Bar' if you're from an English-speaking country, especially if you've spent most of your time in non-English-speaking countries and miss being around your own kind. The bar is decorated with London street signs and music posters, and is run by English-speakers hailing from all different countries. Most of the patrons are of the same ilk, so you'll feel right at home. I wouldn't usually condone visiting somewhere like this as I enjoy experiencing the culture of the place I'm in, however it is nice to have a little piece of home when you're in a foreign country.

Go for the food, go for the ambiance, and especially go for the live bands that play every night of the week.

Shopping:

I'm going to be completely honest here and say I can't give any advice about the shopping in Nice. We spent all of our three days on the beach and followed it up with dinner and drinks at Wayne's Bar. 

From what I saw, most of the shops run along the main street of Nice called Avenue Jean Medecin. This is where you'll find Nice's very own Galeries Lafayette as well as your standard Zara and H&M. 

There are also small stores dotted throughout the Old Town selling soaps, olive oil, perfumes and the usual souvenirs.