Nice

This world-famous promenade which is synonymous with Nice stretches along the bright azure Baie des Anges... (Bay of Angels). Decorated with colourful flowers, the beach promenade with its public and comfortable private beaches is a paradise for watersports fans, beach lovers, rollerbladers and flâneurs. One of the most comfortable private beaches is the Beau Rivage with its sun loungers and much sought-after parasols. The Englishman Lewis Way constructed the path along the coast, originally just two metres wide, in 1820. The locals thus named this path the "Walk of the English". Today, it comprises two roads separated by an avenue of palm trees. Famous luxury hotels line the way, such as the Négresco, the Palais de la Méditarranée, the Royal and the West-End. The city's appearance is dominated by this promenade. With its white glinting pebble beaches, it has become Nice's main attraction and still attracts huge numbers of British and international tourists from all over the world. more

The famous Matisse Museum is located in the Cimiez district and is a must for every traveller on their... forays through Nice. The painter spent every winter from 1916 to 1954 in the city as he loved the mild climate and beautiful countryside. He stayed in the former luxury hotel Regina, which is not far from the museum. His friends Picasso, Renoir and Bonnard also lived around Nice. The museum provides a good insight into the life and works of the painter. You can see early and late works as well as drawings, collages, sketches, sculptures, bronzes and oil paintings. The building in which the museum is housed is in itself quaint. The ochre Genoese villa dates from the 17th century and is located in the olive groves of the gardens of Cimiez. The futuristic building next door houses touring exhibitions. more

A swan gliding over the water of a calm lake – this was the poetic image Kenzo Tange had in mind when... he designed the new museum for Asian art in Nice. An elegant building was created, which really seems to rise out of the water majestically: four cubes of white marble surrounding a circular center, the Asian symbol of heaven and earth. The four dice on the ground floor represent the four main currents in Asian art: China and India and, based on these cultures, Japan and Cambodia. The museum leads into a world of another kind, full of esthetics and full of color. And if that were not enough, friends of the Asian cultures may take part in a tea ceremony, be instructed in the art of ikebana or origami, taste delicious sweets and, of course, tea in the Salon de thé or visit an imaginative special exhibition. more