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929km (577 miles) S of Paris; 32km (20 miles) NE of Cannes
The Victorian upper classes and tsarist aristocrats loved Nice in the
19th century, but it's solidly middle class today, and far less
glamorous and expensive than Cannes. It's also the best excursion center
on the Riviera, especially if you're dependent on public transportation.
For example, you can go to San Remo, "the queen of the Italian Riviera,"
and return to Nice by nightfall. From the Nice airport, the second
largest in France, you can travel by bus along the entire coast.
Nice is the capital of the Riviera, the largest city between Genoa and
Marseille. It's also one of the most ancient, having been founded by the
Greeks, who called it "Nike," or Victory. Because of its brilliant
sunshine and relaxed living, it has attracted artists and writers. Among
them were Dumas, Nietzsche, Apollinaire, Flaubert, Victor Hugo, George
Sand, Stendhal, Chateaubriand, and Mistral. Henri Matisse, who made his
home in Nice, said, "Though the light is intense, it's also soft and
tender." The city has, on the average, 300 days of sunshine a year. |
