12 Step Planet: Nice

Why should I go?
To take in the sun, to slurp a vast bowl of bouillabaisse and wash it down with a crisp local white, to slip and slide on ripe oranges falling from the trees, to marvel at the colour of the sea, to race on the Corniches east and west along the Cote D’Azur or into the Provençal hinterland. Nice may not be as chic as Cannes, nor as flashy as Monaco, but it’s fun and funky.
The light and colour are legendary – that’s why Renoir, Picasso, Matisse and Chagall came here. There’s an art deco feel to the city but those in the know head for Roquebrune Cap Martin and clamber along the rocks to E1027, the modernist masterpiece seafront house created by Irish designer Eileen Gray, with le Corbusier’s own private wooden shack right alongside.
Long a playground for British royalty and aristos, Nice is one place in France where you can get away with speaking English. The food is pretty good too…

Why should I not go?
You can get some absolute prats wandering into town from yachts or Monaco. And it’s not the cheapest.

What’s my challenge?
To drive the hundred hairpin bends on the road through Levens, Peira, L’Escarente and la Turbie without cricking your neck or saying ‘fuck me’! The hilltop villages are quaint to visit but incredible to contemplate. Built to be defendable against marauding Saracens, apparently, they’re really amazing

Extra….
Look, it’s the kind of place where you’ll be passed on the Promenade des Anglais by a toned and tanned silver-haired geezer of at least 60 grooving along on skates and looking not just natural but also totally cool.

How do I get there?
Aer Lingus and Ryanair fly Dublin-Nice direct. Aer Lingus also flies to Nice from Cork.

When should I go?
Late spring is very nice. So is autumn. Carnaval is held in February and is mighty craic, but the weather can be very nippy. The Nice Jazz Festival happens every July but it can be very hot. The weather, that is. But if you can take the heat you can, owyuzay, dig the jazz, non?

What’s the touristy thing you have to do?
Rise as early as you can and explore the Cours Saleya Flower Market. There’s a flea market there on Mondays. As an alternative, stroll the Promenade des Anglais. Then there’s Fenocchio’s … 70-plus flavours of ice cream and sorbet! Fantastic!! Try the black olive, tomato-basil, rosemary or calisson (almond biscuit frosted with icing sugar).

What should I avoid?
Pickpockets. Stepping on dog mess… there’s a lot of it about. Oh, and the coffee near the Cours Saleya is naff.

How much to get tanked?
Hmmm, good question. France isn’t much cheaper than Ireland, and Nice is at the upper end. But you can get a good bottle of Cotes de Provence in a restaurant for €15. It’s a lot cheaper in the supermarkets and a lot more expensive in nightclubs.

What about dining?
Food is very good. There are many great eating houses, with influences from all around the Mediterranean and beyond, but especially near neighbouring Italy. On the street, there’s pissaladiere, which is a chickpea, onion and anchovy take on pizza, and socca, a savoury pancake made from chickpea flour and olive oil. And of course there’s salade nicoise, which usually includes tomatoes, anchovies, tuna, black olives, eggs, potatoes and green beans. Wash it down with a Provençal rosé…

What should I bring home?
Olive oil from A L’Oliveira, lavender soap or oil, a tan…

Recommended: Restaurants

La Merenda
4 rue Raoul Bosio (Rue de la Terrasse)
This is very quirky but wonderful. It’s tiny and always crowded, you can’t reserve by phone and they don’t accept credit cards. But what food! Mediterranean produce at its best.

L’Olivier
3, place Garibaldi
+33 (0) 4 9326 8909
Brothers Franck and Christian are famed for great Provençal cuisine like fish soup, escargot ravioli, and smoked foie gras. It’s behind the Museum of Modern Art in the old town and reservations are recommended.

Aphrodite
10 bd. Dubouchage
+33 (0) 4 9385 6353
www.restaurant-aphrodite.com
This is highly recommended. Chef David Faure doesn’t just like contrasts: sweet and savoury, crunchy and smooth, he also does molecular cuisine as well. Smart eaters go for the prix-fixe lunch menu at €25, said by many to be the best value in town.

Les Deux Freres
1, Place des deux frères
Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, vieux village
+33 (0) 4 9328 9900
www.lesdeuxfreres.com
If you venture as far as Roquebrune, you’ll enjoy this place, perched at the heart of the old village looking across at Monaco…

Pubs

Wayne’s Bar
15 Rue de la Prefecture
+33 (0) 4 9313 4699
www.waynes.fr
Don’t know if Nice is exactly a pub kind of town, but lots of people like this place.

Le Ghost
Rue Barillerie
Nice 6300 France
+33 (0) 4 9392 9337
Open 7.30pm-2.30am, Monday-Sunday. Very hip!

Hotels

Hôtel Windsor
11 rue Dalpozzo
+33 (0) 4 9388 5935
www.hotelwindsornice.com
We love this one, laid back, arty, very friendly!
Rooms: 57 twins/doubles.
Price: €90-€175.
Meals: Breakfast €12. Dinner à la carte, with wine, €29-€40. Restaurant closed Sundays.

Hotel Negresco
37 Promenade des Anglais
+33 (0) 4 9316 6400
www.hotel-negresco-nice.com
The Hotel Negresco is a Nice institution. Very Belle Epoque, with a pink dome. You can see it from everywhere. Pricey and pretty eccentric too.

Guides

All the usual suspects do good guides to Nice and the Cote D’Azur. None of the English language guides really stand out from the others. For that you need to read French! On the web try www.lonelyplanet.com/france/nice or gofrance.about.com/od/nice