It’s tempting to simply brand Nice as nice. There’s sun. There’s history. There’s art. There’s fantastic French cuisine. There are hip nightclubs and bars. In short, it’s a textbook holiday destination, and there are festivals and events to spice up the summer. If you are looking for a light, not-too-demanding, not-too-daring destination to chill out in, Nice is the place to go.
Culture
You could start your travels in Nice by soaking up the sun in the Cascade Donjon, a gorgeous park with it’s spectacular namesake eighteenth century fountain. For restaurants and markets, give the Cours Saleya a try, and no trip to Nice would be complete without a visit to the historic Eglise Notre Dame. In fact, Nice is packed with historic churches, such as the Eglise St-Jacques Le Majeur. Then, there’s the art galleries; the Anatole Javosky International Naïve Art Museum, inside the Chateau St Helene; the Centre d’Art Contemporain; both provide the perfect place to wander and peruse. For a little Nice culture, check out the Musee Archeologique de Nice-Cimiez, a museum devoted to the ruins and amphitheatre of Nice’s original Roman settlement, Cemenelum. This place is also the home of the Nice jazz festival. Once you’ve worked up an appetite, Nice is stuffed full of Michelin star-studded restaurants, such as Chantecler or Kei’s Passion. If you prefer to picnic or cook at home, there is no better place to buy cheeses, olives and candied fruits than the food market near the rue de Collet. For a good healthy tonic after a night out, try Juice Bar for exotic juices and smoothies on rue de la Prefecture.
Nice has a thriving gay scene, although it’s predominantly male. For the girls, lesbians generally hang out at AU6, a gay bar with live music and dancers, although the clientele is generally male. Le Chat Gourmand, a long-established lesbian-owned restaurant, also attracts lesbians and gay men, and the food is great. For men, there is almost too much to choose from. Le CD and The Nautique are great cafes to grab a quick salad and perhaps a date. Bains Douches, a sauna boasting a Jacuzzi, bar and darkroom attracts a young crowd, particularly on Wednesday nights, whilst Le Sept, the oldest gay sauna in town, draws a slightly older crowd. For an x-rated evening, there is Traxx, a sex club offering everything from toys to slings to videos and private cabins, or The Block, which runs naked nights every last Friday of the month. Rusca is a bear/otter club, often running cabaret acts, and TBM is perhaps the most popular gay bar in town, offering a terrace with great views. Gay club Blue Boy Enterprise is packed with gays every night, playing mostly techno and with live acts at around 2AM.
Equality
France allowed gays and lesbians to enter into civil unions (known in French as PACS) in 1999, which afford gay couples most of the rights of heterosexual married couples, although not all. A 2006 survey concluded that almost 80% of the French population are accepting of homosexuality, and 62% were in support of gay marriage. So, France is generally accepting and welcoming to gay and lesbian travellers.
Travel Information
You can fly to Nice, landing in Nice-Cote d’Azur, around 6km from the city centre, and there are regular shuttle buses from there. There are regular trains to Nice from all over France, and buses from all major European destinations.
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