The French Riviera. Cote d'Azur. This part of France has a reputation of a rather luxurious and posh getaway dedstination, but it's only partially true. Nice is the second largest city of the region and it lies at the eastern side of mediterrenian coast that belongs to France, at the foot of the Alps, about 13 kilometers from Monaco. It is well connected with the rest of the country and its european neighbours thanks to its international airport, a fine system of trains and highways.
I flew to Nice to join my parents on their vacation as they are exceptionally fond of this area. I have to admit as well that Nice and its surroundings are exceptionally picturesque, as if they were taken from a fine-art landscape. The French have a unique talent of combining colours and texture of their architecture to match the nature perfectly, and arrange their decorative plants, flowers and shrubberies in impeccable compositions. The beaches also stand out among other mediterrenian destinations as they are rocky, mostly consisting of white round pebbles and small rocks. There is almost no sand at all.
France never ceases to amaze me when it comes to street photography. I always feel very inspired to shoot people passing by and spaces that they find themselves in. It all just goes together so well.
We didn't stay in Nice itself, but rather in Saint-Laurent-du-Var, just two train stops away from the centre of the city.
We stayed in this amazing Airbnb property hosted by a very generous and welcoming man what made the stay even more enjoyable. The house itself was old and belonged to the family for generations, it was full of art, scupltures, antique furniture and books, with music played from vinyls echoed through its walls.
So now its time to get off the train at Nice central station and start our downtown walk!
Av. Jean Medecin is the main street you would take to get from the central station to the old town and to the beach. I would descrive it as a modern, very elegant and classy avenue, with expensive stores, bookshops, restaurants. If somebody wanted to pick the most lively street in the city - it would definitely be it!
Notre-Dame de Nice is the most recognisable church in the city, build in the neo-gothic tradition of other famous Notre-Dame's of France. You might think that Notre-Dame is the one and only cathedral in Paris that we all know, but actually, Notre-Dame is just a name which translates to "our lady" and was the most popular name to be given to french churches.
Unfortunately, the basicila was closed off to public at the time of my visit, and this may have been due to covid, or due to safety precautions undertaken after a shooting that took place in this church in 2020.
As you can see, I loved capturing the life that bustled on this avenue.
After walking a bit forward in the direction of the sea one comes across the most representative plaza of Nice - Place Massena. A large and elegant space.
And then, finally at the end of this very long avenue you arrive to the beachfront. The shore is narrow and white from the colour of the pebbles. If you don't feel like splashing around in the water or sitting down on the rocky beach, there's a long promenade along the coast to stroll by.
Another must-do when in Nice is to climb the Colline du Chateau (the castle hill). You get a chance to see a magnificent panorama of the old town on one side and the harbour on the other. You ascend through a park full of mediterenian plants like pines and agaves and I'd say its a very nice spot to have a picnic-lunch while you are up.
Between viewing terraces on the top there is a waterfall! Its not only a very pretty sight to enjoy but it also helps to cool down after walking up in the sun.
Going down from the hill we chose a different route. Instead of walking the stairs by the promenade we headed in the direction of the old town.
The old town is a french dream. Its everything a french lover would like to see in order to be satisfied - a maze of very narrow streets, painted shop signs, absolutely impeccable colour choices, outdoor restaurants bustling with life.
SAINT-LAURENT-DU-MAR
Like I said, our accomodation was not in Nice itself. However its location in Saint-Laurent-du-Mar allowed us to take bikes from our accomodation and ride along the coast! We trode the promenade heading west through other villages that spread across the shore.
This was really great because there was a paved cycling lane along the whole promenade! It was actually hard to stop and turn back, I could go on, and on, and on...
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