I first heard about Nice, France way back in university when two of my closest friends embarked on an exchange there. After hearing about their travels and how much they gushed over the beauty of the French Riviera, I vowed to visit Nice at some point. Thankfully, that time came sooner than I had thought when I recently found myself immersed in the beauty of the south of France. One thing that surprised me most about Nice, having known next to nothing about the city before arriving, was how many interesting little streets and alleyways there were; every turn held a surprise waiting to be discovered.
There are tonnes of little alleyways and small pedestrian-only streets that you could get lost in for hours. These streets were my favourite part of Nice; there was so much lively culture and history with every step I took. Because of Nice’s relatively small size, it’s completely doable to walk from one end of the beach to the other, or from the train station to the beach, so you really don’t need to be too concerned over how “central” your accommodations are.
Currently, living in one of the most dense cities in the world (Hong Kong), space is extremely limited, hence there are few restaurants with outdoor seating (it’s also probably due to the scorching summers where everyone races to the intense comfort of indoor air conditioning). Because of this, I try to take full advantage of outdoor dining when I travel and Nice was a perfect spot to do so.
While you’re in Nice, spend some time exploring these little streets off of Rue de France and Rue de la Buffa where you should stop for some gelato, a coffee, an aperol spritz, or a crepe.
