Visit Nice, The French Riviera For An Ideal City And Seaside Break

With moderate temperatures most of the year, the Côte d’Azur is an ideal spot for a long weekend or a longer break. Combining the elegance of Cannes with the grittiness of Marseille, Nice is the perfect city and seaside holiday. It’s a city of festivals: two of the biggest are The Nice Jazz Festival (July) and Carnaval de Nice (February).

Where to Stay

The AC Hotel Nice, an elegant four-star property right off the famous palm-tree lined Promenade des Anglais, is a great base for enjoying the city’s most popular attractions. The seven-kilometre promenade, starting from the airport in the west of the city, to Castle Hill in the east, was once the preferred strolling spot for British aristocrats and remains one of the city’s best features.

The modern hotel has 143 well-appointed rooms, including 22 suites. each with a city or sea view. The delights of the old town “Vieux Nice” are on the hotel’s doorstep, a must-see for its narrow shady alleyways, colorful facades, independent shops and markets and some of Nice’s best restaurants serving local cuisine. There’s also plenty to enjoy at the hotel with a bar and a restaurant plus a heated swimming pool and, if you’re so inclined, a 24-hour gym.

A rooftop terrace with the best views in Nice

Best of all is the vast rooftop of the hotel with a large swimming pool, gorgeous 360 views over the sea and the city and a seasonal pop-up bar serving tapas, wine and cocktails. The rooftop has had a complete makeover so is even more attractive this summer. The seasonal Farago On The Roof restaurant offers tasty sharable Mediterranean dishes. Menu highlights include: Melanzana, candied eggplant with thyme and cumin, topped with feta cheese, pine nuts, mint and fried onions; moreish zucchini flower fritters with garlic, tomato and basil coulis, or Polpo alla Luciana, a tender and tasty octopus marinated in capers, olives and tomatoes, accompanied by prawns grilled on the plancha.

A city for artlovers

The AC Hotel is ideal for art lovers who will notice the monumental bronze sculpture (19 meters high) on the side of the hotel. The “Venus Italica” was commissioned in the 1980s by the hotel’s owner. Inspired by the famous sculpture of the same name by Antonio Canova in 1812, the artist Sacha Sosno created twin sculptures for either side of the hotel. Fans of Sosno’s work can see another large sculpture “Le Guetteur” on the outside of a shopping centre, Polygone Riviera. in nearby Cagnes sur Mer. Also, each spring, the hotel hosts the Nice Young Artists festival and prize, with the works of 30 shortlisted artists on show. One grand winner is announced in May.

Unmissable art museums

An art lover could spend days in Nice’s museums. The Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (MAMAC) for modern works (don’t miss the Yves Klein galleries) or Musee Massena, with plenty of historic artwork and artefacts. And two single artist museums, are both worth visiting: Musee Matisse and Musee National Marc Chagall. Further afield, a lovely day trip is Fondation Maeght in the woods of the charming Saint Paul de Vence. Wonderful works are inside and outside by sculptors Georges Braque, Joan Miró and Alberto Giacometti, and much more.

Where to Eat

If you go to Fondation Maeght, the cafe Sous Les Pins is excellent. Rouge Nice is a fantastic new bistro overlooking Port Lympia in the antiques district, overlooking Port Lympia. Menu highlights at this super chilled venue are many, including smoked eggplant caviar, tomato carpaccio with feta, tuna tartare with raspberries, pork belly Ibaiama caramelized with honey and pan-fried squid with chorizo. The wine list is vast with over 1,000 bottles kept on site and plenty on offer by the glass from 5 euros. Chez Davia in the old town is another good choice. 21 Paysans is excellent for lunch and has an 0rganic grocery store on site.

AC Hotel Nice, 59 Promenade des Anglais, Entrée Rue Honorée Sauvan, Nice 06000 France. Double rooms from 250 euros.