Vieux-Nice, the old town

About Vieux-Nice

Vieux-Nice is the medieval heart of the city, squeezed between the sea, Castle Hill and the boulevards over the old River Paillon. It was once walled: the river guarded the landward side and fortifications on the hill the east. The river has long been covered over, and today the Promenade du Paillon gardens and the tram run on top.

Nice belonged to Savoy for centuries, so the old town feels more Italian than French: ochre houses with green shutters, washing between windows, Baroque churches and lanes so narrow the sun barely reaches in. People still live here, and bakeries, shops and workshops keep going, while in the evening the squares fill with restaurants.

What to see

• Cours Saleya — a flower and food market by the sea.
• Place Rossetti — the cathedral, a fountain and ice-cream shops.
• Sainte-Réparate cathedral — a Baroque church with a coloured dome.
• Palais Lascaris — a museum of musical instruments.
• Place Garibaldi — where the old town meets the new.
• Castle Hill — a park, a waterfall and the best view of Nice.

The Cours Saleya and market

The Cours Saleya is a long square running parallel to the sea, once where the upper classes promenaded. Today it holds a market every day: in the mornings flowers, fruit, vegetables, olives, spices and soap, and on Mondays antiques and bric-a-brac. After lunch the stalls come down and the square turns into one long restaurant terrace.

Here too is the yellow building where Henri Matisse lived from 1921 to 1938, and at the end of the square you come out by the sea. Be sure to try socca at the market: a thin chickpea-flour pancake with black pepper, baked in a wood-fired oven and eaten hot straight from the paper.

The cathedral and churches

On Place Rossetti, ringed by red and yellow ochre houses, stands the Cathedral of Sainte-Marie-et-Sainte-Réparate, Nice's main church. It was built in 1650–1685 on the model of Santa Susanna in Rome and consecrated in 1699, with the bell tower added in 1731–1757. Its dome is clad in coloured glazed tiles in the Genoese style, visible from Castle Hill.

Inside is lavish Baroque decoration and side chapels. The old town has plenty of other Baroque churches and chapels too, easy to find just by wandering the lanes. In front of the cathedral are a fountain and the terraces of some of the city's best-known ice-cream makers.

The Palais Lascaris and Castle Hill

The Palais Lascaris is a 17th-century aristocratic mansion that belonged to the Vintimille-Lascaris family. Today it's a museum of musical instruments, over 500 of them, France's second most important collection after the Philharmonie in Paris. Even if music isn't your thing, step in for the grand frescoed staircase and painted ceilings.

On the east side Castle Hill rises above the old town. Nothing remains of the castle itself, but the summit is a park with an artificial waterfall. Climb up by the stairs or take the free lift by the sea for the best view of the Promenade des Anglais, the rooftops of Vieux-Nice and the port.

Tips for your visit

Two or three hours is enough for the old town, half a day with Castle Hill. A good route: the Cours Saleya market in the morning, then the lanes to Place Rossetti and the cathedral, up the hill afterwards, and dinner on one of the squares in the evening.

Vieux-Nice pairs naturally with the Promenade des Anglais, which starts right by the Cours Saleya. Restaurants on the main squares are pricey; tasty, cheap local food, socca, pan bagnat and bakery pizza, is in the back lanes.

The lanes have cobbles and steps, but the main streets are fine with a pushchair. For Castle Hill with a pushchair, take the lift.

Places in Nice: compare and choose

Places in Nice rated by YesGo. Click a column header to sort.

Nearby and on the way

36

Chagall Museum

Nice, France

1 h 15 min · Ticket · 26 min walk

Yes — add to my route: Chagall Museum

50

Promenade des Anglais

Nice, France

1 h 15 min · Free · 41 min walk

Yes — add to my route: Promenade des Anglais

How to do it right

• Market in the morning.
• Eat socca hot.
• Monday means antiques.
• Take the lift up the hill.

Questions