The old city of Nice feels like a medieval village with narrow streets curving between old buildings with red-tile roofs, small restaurants, artisans and artists, open-markets, and some of the best ice-cream (gelato) in the world.
it’s a nice part of the city, with restaurants and shops, little squares and numerous narrow streets full of stores with local products. Don’t miss the beautiful waterfall and green area of the castle hill, that gets illuminated at night.
One of the main charms of Nice is the old city, “la vielle ville” or “vieux Nice” like the people here call it. It’s a typical old Mediterranean city from the middle ages which has supported very few modifications since the 15th century (at least). As it is a main tourist attraction, there’s a regular effort of the city to maintain in good state the architectural heritage of this old city and the whole area is really in a very good conservation state.
So, what makes of this old city something special? It’s the heart of the day & night life of Nice. During the day, you can find there almost every kind of shops and boutiques, selling the most traditional Mediterranean things like olives, oil, fresh made pasta (you MUST taste the fresh “raviolis à la daube”) or the specialty of Nice: the “Socca”, a sort of pancake made of chick-pea flour, water and olive oil… hmmm it’s delicious with a bit of salt and pepper! But you also find a lot of trendy and hype clothing shops and all kind of tourist boutiques.
Comes the night and most of the shops close when all the typical restaurants, bars and clubs open. The crowd isn’t the same as during the day, but it’s always full of people, specially during the summer time.
Walking through the narrow streets, with the very special environment lighting and a very romantic mood is always a pleasure. It’s always the same pleasure to walk around, to take pictures and enjoy the colors, the smell and the lights of the old city.
So, when in Nice, go get lost in the streets of the old city and discover the true charms of the place!
