Navigating Nice’s Belle Epoque: A Guide to the UNESCO Heritage City

Why did UNESCO name Nice a World Heritage Site? Because every inch of Nice, from its seaside boulevards to its shady streets lined with magnificent buildings, was designed to be the world’s most dazzling winter escape. On this walking tour, you’ll hear how, from the mid-1800s onwards, every decision to urbanize medieval Nice aimed to increase the comfort and enjoyment of its holiday-makers.

The tour starts in front of Bistrot de l’Opéra, opposite the impressive Opéra de Nice playhouse in the Old Town. From there, you’ll walk along Promenade des Anglais, a historical coastal walkway built to impress the city’s British tourists. I’ll point out several prominent hotels including Palais Mediterranée, Hotel Le Royal, and Hotel Negresco. You’ll see Jardin Albert Premier, one of Nice’s oldest public parks. And as you make your way through the Carre d’Or neighborhood, I’ll tell you about the parks, villas, churches and architectural landmarks that have made Nice the pride of the Riviera. I’ll tell you about the Belle Epoque, a period of peace and prosperity that ran from the late 1800s to the outbreak of World War I. By the end of the tour in front of Palais Reine Berthe, you’ll have discovered the city’s quirky side including why palm trees made their appearance, the story of the Roman martyr who gave the Baie des Anges its name, the real reason the Monument du Centenaire was built, and why locals are nostalgic for a disappeared casino.

On this 90-minute tour, you’ll have a chance to:

• Walk in the footsteps of the first vacationing Brits who built the Promenade des Anglais
• Find out how British, American, and even Russian visitors helped shape Nice’s urban landscape
• Discover the earliest seaside strolls that inspired the Promenade
• See where famous folks like Matisse, Chekhov and Nietzsche lived and worked
• Learn about the classic hotels where the town’s earliest aristocratic visitors stayed
• Hear the stories that all locals know including Nice’s most famous murder mystery
• Gaze upon the Protestant church built by the Vanderbilt family and the Orthodox church built by a Russian Tsarina
• Marvel at the finest examples of neo-Gothic, neo-Classic, Belle Epoque and Art Deco buildings, many of them national historic monuments
• Admire the Defly building’s ‘trompe l’oeil facade’ and find out what the term means

Join me on this walk from the edges of the Old Town, along the Promenade and through the prestigious Carre d’Or neighborhood, as the story of 19th to 20th century Nice comes alive!