Euro 2016 host cities: guide to Nice

As Uefa Euro 2016 kicks off, The Independent has compiled concise guides to each of the host cities

(Laura Holt)

Get your bearings

Nice is small enough for you to feel at home within a few days. Much of the action is along Promenade des Anglais, where pastel-painted buildings overlook the Mediterranean. Many tourists spend most of their time in the narrow streets of Le Vieux Nice (the Old Town), plunging into its atmospheric restaurants and boutiques. However, to do so would be to ignore some of the city's more up-and-coming neighbourhoods.

In the east, for example, the port has been the focus of big investment over the past few years, with new restaurants emerging in the streets overlooking the super-yachts. To the north, elevated Cimiez shows off fanciful-yet-faded buildings and an ornate 16th-century Franciscan monastery that makes the walk up the hill worthwhile. Bringing it all together in the centre is the Promenade du Paillon parkland, which was inaugurated in 2013 after a €40m development that replaced an old bus station with playgrounds, water features and trees.

The main tourist office is at 5 Promenade des Anglais (en.nicetourisme.com).

Touch down

Nice-Côte d’Azur airport is four miles west of the city centre. Bus 98 takes you from here to various city-centre stops in 30 minutes (€6 one-way). Bus 99 stops only at the railway station for the same fare. You can connect to any other bus within the city to complete your journey. A taxi costs €25.

Take a hike

Stroll along the Quai des Etats-Unis, taking in the edge of the Old Town to your right. Enter through one of the tiny arches to arrive at the Cours Saleya flower market (closed Monday). Take in the rows of stalls lined with vibrant displays of geraniums, fuchsias and dahlias, before ascending the steps at the back of the square.

From here, you can see a tall ochre townhouse to your right at 1 Place Charles Felix, which Henri Matisse rented in the 1920s and 1930s. Admire the patchwork of striped market stalls from above, then head back down the steps and out towards the sea. You can walk the length of the Promenade des Anglais from here, pausing at one of the sea-level restaurants, such as Galion Plage (00 33 4 93 88 17 23) if you need a break.

Lunch on the run

At 20 Avenue St-Jean-Baptiste, Lou Balico (loubalico.com) is a Nice institution whose food joins 24 other restaurants in bearing the official “Cuisine Nissarde” label (bit.ly/24Nissard), signifying authentic Niçoise cuisine. Try the fried courgette flowers for €12.

Window shopping

Among the Old Town’s tangle on Rue Jules Gilly is the Italian-style deli, café and gourmet shop, L’Epicerie Georges, at No 1 (00 33 4 93 85 88 92), which is run by a Frenchman, an Italian and a Croat.

A couple of doors down at No 4, another new addition is the library and concept store La Briqueterie (00 33 4 93 85 77 79). On Rue de la Préfecture, pick up handmade jewellery from Les Delices de Candice at No 16 (lesdelicesdecandice.com), then drop in to Mère et Filles next door at No 15 (00 33 4 93 85 17 91) for chic women’s clothing.

An aperitif

Start your evening on Rue Bonaparte. This formerly humdrum street now bristles with stylish bistros and bars after the owners of Gossip (00 33 4 83 45 72 15) moved in with the intention of creating “Le Petite Marais” five years ago – a district named after Paris’s bohemian quarter. Soak up the atmosphere at Chez Fabien on the Place du Pin (00 33 4 93 79 06 56).

Dine with the locals

Restaurant Jan is run by a South African chef who worked as Elle magazine’s food editor for 15 years before moving to Nice. His sensational four-course set menu touches on both his real and his adopted homelands, starting with grilled sardines and aoili and ending with malva pudding, the traditional sponge-style South African dessert (restaurantjan.com).

Cultural afternoon

Housed in a russet-red Genoese mansion, the Musée Matisse (musee-matisse-nice.org; closed Tuesday; entry €10) was funded by the artist himself. Afterwards, make your way down Boulevard Cimiez to reach the Musée Chagall at 36 Avenue Docteur Ménard (bit.ly/MuseeChagall; closed Tuesday; €9).

Icing on the cake

In the Old Town, aim for artisan chocolatier Lac (patisserie-lac.com) on Rue de la Préfecture, which sells boxes of macarons or marshmallows for €6/€9.75.

Additional research by Francesca Street