Overview

Vieux Nice (old town) is full of character and charm, with mainly streets filled with open air cafes, restaurants and family owned shops selling crafts and souvenirs.

Transport & Parking

Buses and trams stop in the vicinity but it will involve a short walk. Approaching from the sea front is a level walk.

Access

Vieux Nice is a relatively small, mostly flat and mainly pedestrianised area. The shopping area gently slopes at the furthest points from the sea front. There is a maze of narrow streets and squares, so it’s fine at quieter time but in the busy summer season it may feel quite crowded. The tall, historic buildings have ochre, yellow and red facades, making the area very photogenic. This is also a residential area so look up and you might see someone’s washing on their clothes line. There are no benches in the area, but there are lots of cafes is you want to rest. Most of the cafes have some outdoor seating and it makes it a great place to people watch. Directly behind the sea front is Cours Saleya, market place. This is a large rectangular, flat padestrianised square. It hosts a daily flower market held in the mornings, up until about 12 – 1pm, so I suggest getting there by mid- morning, as when the stalls have sold their produce they start to close up. Monday to Saturday there is also a food market and on Sundays an antiques/ flea market. Even if you are not into shopping the market is a must see. The flower stalls are impressive with their seasonal displays. The food stalls sell local home grown fruits and vegetables plus there are cheese stalls, olive oil stalls, and ones selling olives, herbs and spices. Look out for Chez Thérésa's stall in the market which sells slice of socca (a large, chickpea pancake, a regional dish) which is delivered by motor bike, see photo from my previous visit. The gift stalls sell high quality, local products and crafts, including stalls selling prettily, coloured soaps in an assortment of floral fragrances. The stalls are quite spaciously laid out in rows. Surrounding the Cours Selaya are restaurants and bars which stay open until the evening and it's a great place to people watch. If you visit Cours Saleya, watch out as they wash down the stall area regularly, which can make the pavement a little slippy at times. Behind Cours Saleya there’s lots of local shops, cafes, restaurants. Mostly in narrow streets. This is a place to wander around and explore. There are some lovely take away cake places, my favourites are Boulangerie du Palais, 21 Rue du Marché (look out for their pig cakes), and Boulangerie Blanc, 10 Rue Alexandre Mari, both with a single entrance step and Patisserie LAC, 12 Rue de la Préfecture, which is also a chocolate shop and step free. Maison Auer, 7 Rue Saint-François de Paule, directly opposite the Opera House (see seperate review). There is a small step into this beautiful chocolate shop and if you visit remember to take a look at the ceiling in the room at the back (I put some photos of the chocolate shop on my Christmas Nice review). Look out on Rue de la Préfecture for Loggia Communale, with a small display of historic stones and sculptures, see photo. There are several picturesque square including Place Rossetti, where Cathedral Sainte Reparate (separate review) is and several restaurants. Vieux Nice is a place I never tire of visiting as there is always something new to catch my attention, and on this visit I discovered the lovely Place St Francois, which houses a fish market, although it was closed when I visited.

Toilets

I didn’t use it but I saw a sign for toilets including an accessible toilet at Cours Saleya. I walked passed it and notice there was a 0.50 euro charge.

Staff

Staff in restaurants , shops and market stalls were all friendly and helpful. People speak English and menus are often available in English, or staff are willing to translate for you.

Anything else you wish to tell us?

This is my favourite part of Nice, and a place I keep going back to time and time again. This time I discovered a lovely hat shop in Cours Saleya, where I bought my beret. Great to wander around and plenty of cafes, etc to visit when you want rest. Highly recommend. Due to its proximity to Italy and its history there are lots of authentic Italian restaurants in the neighbourhood.

Photos