Shopping
With some 7,000 shops to choose from, Nice will easily accommodate when you’re ready to part ways with your euros. No matter the exchange rate, shopping in Nice is simply not to be missed thanks to its fantastic selection of Provençal crafts, locally produced foods, high-end boutiques, and atmospheric open-air markets.
The animated, pedestrian-only Cours Saleya (two blocks north of Quai des Etats-Unis) in Vieux Nice, is the place to discover the art of market shopping in southern France. Standard produce stands are accompanied by the famous Marché aux Fleurs (Tue, Thu, Fri 6am-5.30pm, Weds, Sat, Sun 6am-1.30pm; produce market Tue-Sun 6am-1.30pm), a marketplace of colorful and thoroughly fragrant flowers that unfolds here every day except Mondays, when the blossoms are replaced by the Marché à la Brocante, (8am-5pm), an antiques market. A worthwhile arts and crafts fair also transpires here on summer evenings (June-Sept 6pm-midnight).
Continue through Old Nice’s mazelike network of streets and snug alleyways for the best boutiques selling Provençal crafts, fabrics, and souvenirs. Two of the best are Le Chandelier (7 Rue de la Boucherie; ? 04-93-85-85-19) and Le Couqueto (8 Rue Saint-François de Paule; 04-93-80-90-30). We also like Atelier Contre-Jour (3 Rue du Pont Vieux; 04-93-80-20-50) for their fine selection of arts and crafts like silk lampshades and painted woodworks.
To bring back a taste of Nice, seek out Confiserie Florian du Vieux-Nice (14 Quai Papacino; 04-93-55-43-50; www.confiserieflorian.com) near the port for a delectable selection of crystallized fruit (a signature Nice sweet) and jams. For fine chocolates, head instead to Maison Auer (7 Rue St-François de Paule; 04-93-85-77-98; www.maison-auer.com) in front of the Opéra, which has been pleasing chocolate-loving palates since 1820. If you’re set on bringing some of that sun-kissed olive oil home with you, mosey just up the block to Boutique Alziari (14 Rue St-François de Paule; 04-93-85-76-92; www.alziari.com.fr), one of Nice’s oldest purveyors of olive oil.
For the finest selection of upscale shops, head straight to the chic boutiques of Avenue du Verdun and Rue Paradis, just west of Place Masséna, where shops like Cartier (4 Ave de Verdun; 04-92-14-48-20), Hermès (8 Ave de Verdun; 04-93-87-75-03); Emporio Armani (1 Rue Paradis; 04-93-16-16-07), and Chanel (6 Rue Paradis;? 04-93-88-39-99) await.
Finally, the largest department store in town is the five-level Galeries Lafayette (6 Ave Jean Médecin; 04-92-17-36-36; www.galerieslafayette.com), where several hundred brand-name houseware and clothing items, ranging from the affordable to the luxurious, compete to pry your euros away.
