Rent Skates And Have Great Time In Nice, France

Nice is a large city in France on the French Riviera. Nice is the place you want to go. It is popular amongst young travellers, but also has something for absolutely anybody!

By Plane:
Nice Airport (IATA: NCE) is one of the busiest in France and has direct flights to most major cities in Europe as well New York, Atlanta and a number of destinations in North Africa and the Middle East. The airport is located at the western end of Nice on landfill. Arrival and departure in good weather often provides beautiful views of the French Riviera.

Most airlines use Terminal 1 (the older terminal) while Terminal 2 is used primarily by Air France (and partners) and Easyjet. There is a free shuttle bus between the terminals.

Various bus lines depart from the airport. To get to the downtown bus depot, take line 98 (departing at bus stop 1 every 30 minutes, on the hour). The fare to the terminus is 4 Euros per person. The airport website has a page with timetables.

Some hotels offer shuttle buses from the airport - inquire at your hotel before or upon arrival.

Places to See
The ruined castle overlooking the harbour is a nice vantage point overlooking the city. Not much is left besides crumbling walls. Still, climbing up the stairs to reach the platforms 90m above Nice is well worth the view. Be aware that the castle "park" closes at 8:00 in the evening. Expect to be escorted outside if you stay longer.

Nice is also known for several museums. Some of the most famous are in Cimiez, the older, upper part of the city, including:

The Musee Chagall, which includes stain glass windows by the artist.
Musee Matisse
Musee et Site Archeologiques de Cimiez, the ruins of the Gallo-Roman settlement in Cimiez, plus a museum with nice documentation on Gallo-Roman life (but mostly not in English).

Beaches

If you go to Nice for bathing or generally lounging on the beach, you may wish to think again. The beaches of Nice consist entirely of gravel and rocks - much nicer beaches exist in other cities around the Mediterranean (Villefranche-sur-Mer or Cannes are way more sandy, though). A few private beaches have added a layer of sand, but the free public beaches are a stony experience. Besides towels or mats, you should definitely bring sandals (walking on the rocks can be painful) and cushions (if you want to sit). There is, however, a beach volleyball area that is netted off; this area is artificially replaced with white sand, so as not to hurt the players' feet. Showers are provided (for free) on all public beaches, as well.

Private beaches offer various services from restaurants / bars to the rental of lounge chairs and towels.

Must See
Go to Eze. It is a small village on the way to Monaco. The village is situated on a small mountain and there is a beautiful garden with a spectacular view (a must see). There is also a perfume factory which you can visit for free

By inline skating / rollerblading
There is a place you can rent skates from on 13, rue Cassini 06300 (slightly north-west of the port/harbor/quay), called Fun 'N Roll. Website here: www.fun-n-roll.com.
Budget

Budget
Cheap & cheerful food in Nice is hard to come by. Even the menus offered at McDonalds are between 5.50€-7€ for a sandwich, pommes frites and a soda drink.

The best deals in the centre can be found in the port area. Old Nice and all along the sea front the prices cannot be described as budget.

However, lunch-time set menus are certainly good value, if not 'cheap' per se. 10-12€ should get you two courses, often with coffee and wine, and like much of continental Europe lunches can drift happily into the afternoon.