I`m Off To Nice !

At last the sun is shining and summer is finally here. Thinking of sunny climates reminds me that I am off to Nice for my Azamara cruise in a couple of weeks and, talking to a client of mine today who lives in the South of France, I know that the weather will be glorious.

I know this part of France well as I have visited Cannes many times but Nice itself will be something different for me. Nice is the capital of the Cote D`Azur and the 5th largest city in France, she sits beautifully curved around the Bay of Angels. This is a glamorous city visited by the rich and famous, was founded by the Greeks, and is also a favourite retreat for artists. Henri Matisse has a  museum of his works, Musée Matisse, in the city.

I won`t have much time for the beach during my short stay but I do want to take a walk along the Promenade Des Anglais, probably the most famous street in France. Its is a huge paved area and was paid for by English ex pats in 1822 – hence the name! It is 4 kilometres long and has special lanes for cyclist and walkers. It will be lovely to stroll along the promenade by the sea before going back to my small, family run hotel Monsigny in the centre of town. Instead of opting for a chain hotel I have decided on  a small one with a nice restaurant attached that has really good reviews.

The cruise port  of Nice is actually in an area called Villefranche Sur Mer, an  old fishing village which is now one of the most important ports in this region of the Mediterranean. It is always good to know exactly where the ports are situated in cruise destinations and, unless you have actually sailed out of them, you probably have no idea where they are, or distances involved from airports or train stations. I thought Nice port would be right in the centre of the city, now i know its not! Villefranche is about 6 kilometres from the centre. Its is quite small and accessed easily by road. It is set against a backdrop of deeply terraced streets and woodland. Sounds the perfect place to start my cruise !