# Vieux-Nice, the old town > Vieux-Nice is the city's historic centre between the seafront and Castle Hill. It's a maze of narrow lanes, tall red and yellow ochre houses with green shutters, Baroque churches and little squares with fountains. Every morning a flower market fills the Cours Saleya, Sainte-Réparate cathedral stands on Place Rossetti, and bakeries turn out socca, a chickpea-flour pancake. Entry is free; allow 2–3 hours for a walk, half a day with Castle Hill. Web page: https://yesgo.io/france/nice/vieux-nice - City: [Nice](https://yesgo.io/france/nice), France - YesGo score: 38/100 (Yes, if nearby) - Time on site: 3 h - Opening hours: Always open; Cours Saleya market mornings except Monday - With kids: Fine with kids - Entry: Free - Cours Saleya market: Flowers and food mornings; antiques on Mondays - Cathedral: Free entry, by day - Duration: ≈ 2–3 hours, half a day with the hill - Best time: Morning for the market, evening for the squares - Location: Between the Promenade des Anglais and Castle Hill - Coordinates: 43.69660, 7.27600 - Facts checked: 12.11.2026 ## Key facts - **1699** — Sainte-Réparate consecrated (source: English Wikipedia) - **1757** — the cathedral bell tower completed (source: English Wikipedia) - **500+** — instruments in the Palais Lascaris (source: English Wikipedia) - **17th c.** — the Palais Lascaris built (source: English Wikipedia) ## 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. > **When to come** Come **in the morning, by 8 or 9**, when the market is in full swing and the groups haven't arrived. The lanes stay cool by day even in summer. In the evening Place Rossetti and the Cours Saleya come alive with tables, music and ice cream. Monday is antiques day, with no flowers. ## 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. ## How to get there 1. By tram line 1 to the Opéra-Vieille Ville or Cathédrale-Vieille Ville stop. 2. On foot from Place Masséna, 5 minutes through the Albert I garden. 3. Along the Promenade des Anglais to its end, where the Cours Saleya begins. 4. To Castle Hill, by the stairs from the old town or the lift by the sea. ## 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](https://yesgo.io/france/nice/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. ## Before you go Tick off what's ready — your ticks are saved in this browser. - [ ] Reach the Cours Saleya market in the morning - [ ] Try hot socca - [ ] Step inside Sainte-Réparate - [ ] Climb Castle Hill - [ ] Have dinner on Place Rossetti ## Places in Nice: compare and choose Places in Nice rated by YesGo. - [Promenade des Anglais](https://yesgo.io/france/nice/promenade-des-anglais) — YesGo score 50/100 (Yes, go) · 1 h 15 min · Free - [Villefranche-sur-Mer](https://yesgo.io/france/nice/villefranche-sur-mer) — YesGo score 46/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 2 h 30 min · Free - [Èze](https://yesgo.io/france/nice/eze) — YesGo score 41/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 2 h 30 min · Free - [Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat](https://yesgo.io/france/nice/saint-jean-cap-ferrat) — YesGo score 40/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 3 h · Free - [Vieux-Nice](https://yesgo.io/france/nice/vieux-nice) — YesGo score 38/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 3 h · Free - [Beaulieu-sur-Mer](https://yesgo.io/france/nice/beaulieu-sur-mer) — YesGo score 37/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 2 h 30 min · Free - [Saint-Paul-de-Vence](https://yesgo.io/france/nice/saint-paul-de-vence) — YesGo score 36/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 2 h 30 min · Free - [Menton](https://yesgo.io/france/nice/menton) — YesGo score 35/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 4 h · Free ## Don't mix it up Vieux-Nice is the historic centre by the sea; Cimiez is the hill in the north of the city with Roman ruins and the Matisse Museum. ## Tips - Market in the morning. - Eat socca hot. - Monday means antiques. - Take the lift up the hill. ## Questions ### What is there to see in Vieux-Nice? The Cours Saleya market, Place Rossetti, the cathedral, Palais Lascaris and Castle Hill. ### When is the Cours Saleya market? Mornings except Monday; Monday is the antiques market. ### How long do I need in Vieux-Nice? Two or three hours, half a day with Castle Hill. ### What should I eat in Vieux-Nice? Socca, a hot chickpea-flour pancake. ### How do I get up Castle Hill? By the stairs from the old town or the lift by the sea. ## How we checked Facts from English Wikipedia. Market, cathedral and museum hours weren't confirmed with an official source — hence the 'checking' badge. ## Sources - English Wikipedia: Nice, Nice Cathedral and Palais Lascaris - Nice official tourism website, explorenicecotedazur.com --- This is the Markdown version of a YesGo page for AI assistants. Quote the web page link above, not this file.