It’s hard to know where to begin to describe Nice, one of the prettiest cities in the south of France that I visited during the summer. There are so many wonderful things to see and do, you really are spoiled for choice.

To start off there’s Hotel Amour, which has a wonderful courtyard (like the Grand Hotel Amour in Paris) that is lovely to go to for brunch. You are enveloped in a strong sense of serenity there, despite being in the heart of the city. The bar and restaurant have an eclectic mix of decorations, with a combination of ethnic textiles, wooden surfaces, pops of pink colour, marble textures, glass objects and  masses of books. There also happens to be Hotel Amour a la Plage if you prefer to spend the day at the beach.

Musee Matisse is set in the beautiful 17th century Villa des Arènes, home to the museum since 1963. The collection on display included drawings, engravings, paintings and  sculptures. The museum shows how his work evolved over the course of his life. The Cimiez Monastery, where Matisse is buried, shares the same site as Musee Matisse.

The Russian Orthodox Cathedral of Saint Nicholas is quite a sight to see –  looking at it you think you might have just set foot in St Petersburg. Started in the 1800s and completed in 1912, it was a gift from Tsar Nicholas II and his wife to the Russian community in Nice.This lovely building, with its distinctive onion domes, is made from local materials in a mix of jade green, gold and orange colours typical of the warm coloured architecture of the South.

Vieux Nice (Old Town) – is a lively quarter of the city with narrow streets and pastel coloured buildings that glow in the sun. Cours Saleya is a bustling market that sells anything from jewellery, fruit and vegetables, flowers depending on the day you visit. There’s also a night market which runs from June until September – fun to stroll around before or after dinner.

Thanks for reading!

Holly

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