Bucket list experience:
Nice, Cote d'Azur, France
The region’s cuisine is a mix of Provencal and Italian food, using plenty of olive oil, sun-ripened fresh fruit and vegetables, seafood and lamb from the mountains.
Pasta often features – flavoured with pistou (similar to pesto) – and salad is ever-popular; truffles, caviar, lobster, and foie gras commonly feature in fine dining restaurants.
Although fashionable restaurants may disdain it as ‘common’, a salade Nicoise is a must-try – made with sun-ripened tomatoes, cucumber, onion, tuna, anchovies, hard-boiled eggs, capers and good olive oil. Look out for street stalls selling socca (a chickpea flour pancake), pissaladiere (onion and anchovy tart), pan bagnat (salade Nicoise sandwich) and tourte de blettes, a sweet pie made with Swiss chard.
Also see our round-up of traditional French foods to try in France.
Nice is the Cote d’Azur’s foodie central. It’s the only French city with a real street food culture; the almost-daily Cours Saleya food market has fresh produce food stalls selling all kinds of tasty local specialities. It’s also the only city in France with an AOC wine region right in the city limits: the excellent Vin de Bellet.
Like any big city, Nice offers a range of gourmet and inexpensive restaurants and bistrots; the new trend is bistronomy – creative gourmet food in informal bistro-style setting (these are usually tiny so be sure to book). Top chefs follow the money, so expect excellent restaurants in and around Nice, many of which are connected to five-star hotels.
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Destination Guide >Recommended itineraries by our writers that include this experience
France
Where to go and what to see in the Cote d’Azur to get the most from your trip – a 9-day itinerary including Cannes, Monaco, Nice & Saint-Tropez from destination expert and travel writer Dana Facaros.
France
Where to go and what to see in Nice to get the most from your trip – a 5-day itinerary from destination expert and travel writer Dana Facaros.
Excellent restaurants are scattered fairly evenly across Nice, but the biggest concentrations are in Le Vieux Nice and Jean Medecin areas. Find Nice’s Michelin-starred restaurants in the online Michelin guide.
In France most restaurants, especially in the evening, only do one ‘sitting.’ In Nice, however, many restaurants open earlier than the norm in France: the tourists dine at 6.30pm–7pm, while the locals don’t usually show up until 8.30pm or 9pm.
Nice, Cote d'Azur, France
Stunning after its recent restoration, the Negresco’s Chantecler restaurant is helmed by one of France’s top female chefs, Michelin-starred Virginie Basselot, whose cuisine deftly combines classic and contemporary. With its superb wines and service, dining here is an unforgettable experience.
Best for ages: 13+ | £70
Nice, Cote d'Azur, France
Nice’s food and flower market, held along the pedestrianised Cours Saleya esplanade, is packed with all the vibrant, sensuous colours, flavours and scents of the south: lavender, marzipan, sugared almonds, spices, herbal teas, takeaway socca and pissaladiere snacks. Held Tuesday to Sunday, around 6.30am to 1.30pm.
Best for ages: 13+ | Free
Nice, Cote d'Azur, France
Nice’s most exquisite pastries are the stars, but Deli Bo (short for Delicatessen Bonaparte) also offer one of the city’s best breakfasts (including scrambled eggs with truffles), light lunches, fancy teas and coffees.
Best for ages: 13+ | Free
Nice, Cote d'Azur, France
Since 1966, the Fenocchio family has produced Nice’s favourite ice cream and sorbets and sold them from their shop in the historic centre. The only downside is trying to decide which of the 94 flavours to try.
Best for ages: 13+ | Free
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Our writer’s picks of the best places to stay near this experience, closest first
Nice, Cote d'Azur, France
This fun, colourful and affordable design hotel channels this area’s beach clubs, just off Nice’s Promenade des Anglais.
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Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, Cote d'Azur, France
This iconic hotel is the A-list choice along the Cote d’Azur, in a gorgeous seaside setting between Nice and Monaco.
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Nice, Cote d'Azur, France
Peaceful hotel next to Old Nice with to-die-for views over the ‘Bay of Angels’. The Cours Saleya market and Old Town are a few minutes’ walk away. Great for a first visit to the French Riviera.
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Nice, Cote d'Azur, France
Big, full-service hotel with a flashy image, set in a historic casino on Nice’s famous Promenade des Anglais seafront.
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Destination guides including or relevant to this experience
Cote d'Azur, France
Money, glamour and bombshell looks: this beach-trimmed stretch of French coast offers decadent hotels, lounging in beach clubs, fine restaurants and world-class art.
Cote d'Azur, France
The buzzing, art-filled, foodie capital of the French Riviera, with a charming, Italian-influenced historic centre. The ideal base for a first-time visit to the Cote d’Azur, and home to the world-renowned Nice Carnival.
