Nice Travel Guide

The Cote d’Azur (Azure Coast), with its legendary scenery, glistening seas, idyllic beaches, and excellent gastronomy, is undoubtedly a gift from the heavens. Indeed, this glamorous piece of coastline has long attracted the jet-set, everyone from queens, tsars, and princes to today’s celebrity A-list visitors. And if this super-chic part of the world has a ‘capital,’ then it is undoubtedly Nice.

The painter Henri Matisse certainly understood this magical city’s charms, expressing his admiration for Nice’s incredible light and its legendary joie de vivre. It’s understandable, of course, for this city offers some of the best quality of life in the world. Shimmering Mediterranean shores, the best Provencal cuisine, unique artistic heritage, and Alpine wilderness are within an hour’s drive from Nice. No wonder so many visitors fall in love with the place and never want to leave!

The first visitors to spot Nice’s substantial charms were the Ligurians, who occupied the eastern part of France’s Mediterranean coast, including the area now known as the Cote d’Azur, in the 1st Millennium BC. Yet Nice was founded by the Greeks around 350 BC. It was a settlement initially designed as a base for the Greek seafarers from Marseille. They named the settlement Nikaia to commemorate a nearby victory – victory is ‘Nike’ in Greek.

However, the Romans also set their sights on conquering the alluring territory of the Cote d’Azur and forced out the Greeks in 125 BC. Following their invasion of Gaul (France) in the last century BC, the Romans created Provincia Romana – the area between the Alps, coast, and the River Rhone – which became what we know as Provence. In 154 BC, the Romans finally settled in what is now called Cimiez, where Roman ruins remain today.

Sadly, Nice’s fortunes took a dramatic change for the worse following the collapse of the Western Roman Empire. In the 5th century AD, various tribes from northern Europe overran France and Spain, capturing settlements along the Mediterranean. However, in the 7th century, Nice regained some of its former importance when the city joined the so-called Genoese League of Western Italy. Yet there would be many hardships ahead: Nice was attacked by Saracens from the Middle East several times in the 8th and 9th centuries.

During the Middle Ages, Nice switched allegiances. It became an ally of Pisa, fighting many wars against Genoa, attracting the wrath of the King of France and the Holy Roman Emperor. By the 10th century, Nice was ruled by the Counts of Provence, although the city found more stability as part of the House of Savoy. In 1388, Nice was incorporated into this great dynasty, while the rest of the surrounding Provencal region became part of the French kingdom in 1482.

As a vital outpost of the Savoy, Nice rapidly became one of Western Europe’s most important commercial and maritime cities. It witnessed several key events and conflicts; in 1543, Nice was laid siege by the united forces of Francis I and Barbarossa Hayreddin Pasha, who wished to claim the city as their own. Its inhabitants fought bravely against the bombardments, although they were eventually forced to surrender. Barbarossa mercilessly pillaged the city, taking with him more than 2000 prisoners. As a result, famine and pestilence would torment the remaining inhabitants for years.

The 17th and 18th centuries would see more turmoil for the citizens of Nice, yet rival powers, consumed with jealousy, repeatedly fought to take control of this highly important strategic city. In 1600, Nice was captured by the Duke of Guise, who proclaimed complete freedom of trade in 1926. However, the city was retaken in 1691 by Nicolas Catinat, although the French army laid siege to Nice again in 1705. Indeed, in the 18th and 19th centuries, Nice was occupied several times by the French and other powers – conquered in 1792 by the armies of the First French Republic, Nice was part of France until 1814, whereafter it fell under the control of the Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia.

After the Austrians were driven from northern Italy due to an agreement between Napoleon III and the House of Savoy, France took control of Nice via the Treaty of Turin in 1860. During this period, the English aristocracy and European royalty made Nice their second home, enjoying the mild winter climate.

Throughout the 20th century, Nice enjoyed an exceptional art scene, spanning every movement from Impressionism to new realism. Moreover, paid holidays for all French workers from 1936 and improved transportation saw many more visitors arrive in summer, transforming Nice into a year-round summer playground.

Yet it wasn’t all plain sailing; the outbreak of the 2nd World War caused much hardship and suffering for the citizens of France, particularly its Jewish community. Nice became a city of refuge for Jews fleeing Nazi persecution and the anti-semitic policies of the puppet Vichy Regime. On 26 August 1942, 655 Jews of foreign origin were rounded up by the local government and interned in the Auvare barracks.

The second half of the 20th century saw Nice recover from the horrors of the 2nd World War and enjoy an unparalleled period of prosperity driven by tourism and massive new construction projects. Today, thanks to its busy international airport, Nice remains one of the most popular destinations in France for a summer holiday. Its heart and soul undoubtedly reside in the picturesque old town, a labyrinth of narrow streets and pretty squares reverberating with merry punters at night while strollers, in-line skaters, and sunbathers line the seafront during the summer months.

It’s a cliché, sure, but a cliché that works for this most multifaceted of cities: there is something for everyone in glorious Nice.