After a wonderful whirlwind month in Genoa and northwestern Italy, it is time to head into France. The destination: Nice. I’ll have roughly a month here, exploring both the city itself and some of the surrounding towns along the Côte d’Azur, Azure Coast. And while February isn’t the prime season for sunbathing by the Mediterranean, it will still be lovely. Plus, it will be much less crowded than a summer trip!
Normally when I do these itinerary posts, I do a day-by-day look at where I’ll be. However, this one will be a bit different, since unlike basically every other month-long stay somewhere, I am not spending a single night away from my Nice apartment. So instead of an itinerary that is basically just “Days 2-27: Nice,” I thought we would go city by city along the coast, talking about the different places I’ll be seeing as day trips.
As always, the standard caveats apply. Weather, timing, illness, and the basic exigencies of travel can change this at any point. While I hope to see all of these, I might not. Or I might visit others instead, or in addition to.
Nice
Let’s start in Nice, because that’s where I’ll be based and where most of my time will be spent. While today it is a beautiful seaside tourist city, and of course I’ll be talking about that aspect, my focuses will get a little deeper. We will explore the history of the city from Roman (yes, those Romans) times through now, with stops at the city’s medieval old town and its later life as a destination that inspired some of the greatest artists in the world, specifically Chagall and Matisse.
We will also look at the area’s wealth with a visit to at least one seaside palace just outside the city proper. We will eat seafood. And we will see what else this place has going on!
Monaco
The tiny country of Monaco is just outside Nice. And while I didn’t like my first visit, I am looking forward to allowing the city-state to make a better second impression. What will I do there? I’m not sure. I’d really love to write a history of the royal family, but without paying to see the Prince’s collection of sports cars that are all worth more than everything I own combined.
Cannes
Cannes is known for upscale luxury shopping and its famous film festival. Does anything happen here on a random February day? I don’t know, but I’ll be in town to meet a cousin I’ve never met before and intend to find out. Worst case, it’s probably a beautiful seaside promenade, although that doesn’t in itself make an article, so we will see.
Antibes
You can visit Antibes for two reasons: the beauty and Picasso. I’ll be here for the latter, adding another artist’s story to those from Nice. It is truly amazing how many artists found their way down to this coast!
Cagnes-Sur-Mer
Another beautiful town with an artist’s story. This time it is Renoir, whose museum is here where he lived for a period of his life. There is also apparently a well-preserved medieval section to the town, and that sounds nice to stroll around.
As for other sights, I look forward to discovery. With a full month in a reasonably small place, there is a ton of opportunity for day trips. Then again, I might love Nice so much that I mainly stay near home.
Articles will come out starting in April probably, but if you’d like to follow along while I’m here, be sure to join Bluesky (it’s like Twitter without the hate speech) and follow me there! The direct link is here.
For those who love maps, the entire Côte d’Azur is below. Nice is marked with a flag.
