Nice, France Weekend Getaway

Written By Nelma Memic

I’ve been in love twice. The very first time I fell in love was with the perfect seaside city of Valencia. The only other time I felt the same feeling was during my trip to the south of France. Being in love, you experience euphoric feelings of bliss and lasting connection. You feel the butterflies and find yourself constantly smiling and sighing, wondering how you got so lucky. And you never really stop thinking about this person or place. You never forget that feeling you had. However, it’s not easy to fall in love with cities. So many things can have an impact on travel including weather, crowds, budget, and of course the people you are traveling with. Luckily, a couple of weeks prior, in Valencia, I met the perfect travel companions. As soon as we arrived in Nice, it felt like I had stepped into a captivating film—one so dreamy that I wished it would never end.

The capital of the French Rivera’s magic reveals itself in every possible way from its picturesque views to its amazing food, and its overall alluring energy. Being filled with astonishing art and architecture, it’s not hard to believe that it was a popular destination for artists including Matisse, Picasso, Van Gogh and Chagall. Nice, after being founded by the Greeks, was turned into a retreat for the European elite. And now that I think of it, my feeling of love made perfect sense.

In three days, we explored Nice along with the charming locales of Beaulieu-sur-Mer, Èze, and Antibes. These destinations shared the same breathtaking qualities that captivated me in Nice.. I’ll never forget having Plage des Fourmis to ourselves and going topless like real Europeans. Or when “Feel So Close” by Calvin Harris came on at this amazing two story beach side bar called Waka Bar (The Vampire Diaries fans will get it). Or when we couldn’t figure out the buses and hiked a mile toward Èze before we finally caved and called an Uber. Don’t worry, I’ll leave some travel hacks and tips at the end. We compiled quite a few! 

Here’s the first one: Forget Paris, go to Nice!



THINGS TO DO

DAY TRIPS 

Beaulieu-sur-Mer, Èze, & Monaco

I would recommend starting your day in the charming Beaulieu-sur-Mer in the morning and heading north to the town of Èze in the afternoon. We started our day at 8 am, catching a bus to Beaulieu-sur-Mer. Our first stop was a cozy local cafe where we enjoyed the perfect cappuccinos and pastries. We explored an outdoor flea market, collecting as many antiques and souvenirs we could get. By 10 am, we remembered we could not leave France without eating some macaroons. Luckily, Patrick Mesiano was right across the street from the flea market. Instead of  devouring them on the spot, we walked over to Plage des Fourmis and enjoyed them and a late afternoon swim at the empty beach. 

Since we couldn’t get the bus schedule figured out, we wasted no time and started walking toward Èze. We began our hour and thirty nine minute trek from Beaulieu-sur-Mer around noon. Yes, you read that right. While walking, we passed by stunning villas and marinas so the walk wasn’t all that bad. After forty five minutes of walking we began to get hangry. So naturally, we caved and ordered an Uber. When we finally got to Èze, we went straight to the main attraction – La Jardin Exotique. We marveled at the views and spent the rest of the day there.

If you were really prepared and had an extra rack to spend, I would suggest continuing north to Monaco for the night.


Antibes & Cannes

Our last day, we got on a train going south to Antibes. Known for being the ancient Greek town of Antipolis, many people visit the seaside city to see the castles and soak up the history that remains. At the time, I thought we were unlucky with the rain that accompanied us that day. But now looking back at it, the rain added to the aesthetic and I felt like I was sucked into the Beauty and the Beast storybook. We visited the Picasso Museum, the Markets of Provence, and the Old Town. Before heading back to Nice, we enjoyed some chicken shawarma at a Lebanese restaurant called Falafel. Cannes would be your next destination if you headed south, which we unfortunately couldn’t do because of the rain and time constraints.

TRAVEL HACKS

  1. I’ve seen people online describe the beaches in Nice as “blue gatorade water.” But no one really talks about the beaches being pebbled and painful to walk on barefoot, so don’t forget your water shoes

  2. Make dinner reservations asap! Wait times at popular restaurants can be up to 3 hours in the summer and fall seasons

  3. Make sure it isn’t foggy or raining when going to Èze or any viewpoints 

  4. Buy metrocards in advance and don’t be scared to ask locals about the public transport if you need help

  5. Be as present as possible. Your heart will yearn to be back as mine does everytime I scroll through my camera roll

Nelma Memic
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