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Central Heating
Air Conditioning
Electric cooker with gas hob
American fridge/freezer
Dishwasher
Washing machine
Iron and ironing board
Electric kettle
Toaster
Microwave
TV (French)
DVD player
WiFi
Telephone (Incoming and outgoing)
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What is there to do in Nice?
Nice is an outdoors city. With an average of only 4 rainy days a month throughout the year (London 12, Manchester 15!), a temperature that rarely goes above 90F in summer or below 40F in winter, it is an all-year destination as popular (and as lively) in winter as in summer. It does snow about once every ten years, but the last time was February 2005, so you should be OK until 2015!
Nice is a great walking city and many of our suggestions will involve footing it - but you can always relax on the beach or in an outdoor cafe.
If it's your first visit to Nice, and you don't have much time, you might find a guided tour useful. There are two possibilities, both close to the apartment. Cross over the Promenade des Anglais and head left in the direction of the port.
Ater a couple of hundred yards you will come to the Petit Train (Little Train). This will take you through the old town and up to Le Chateau. A 40 minute trip costs €6 (children under nine €3). However, we don't really recommend it; it only covers the Old Town, the Chateau and the Port, which you'll probably visit anyway and we've never seen anybody looking happy on it - it's more bemused or embarrassed. How did we end up here? But if you don't mind looking like a tourist (or have kids with you), go for it.
A better, but more expensive, alternative (Adults €17, Children €9) can found a few yards further on. The open-top double-decker bus gives a Grand Tour of Nice lasting 1hr 30min and gives you a much better idea of the city layout. From March to early November the service runs every half hour from 9.30am to 6.30pm; the rest of the year hourly from 9.30am to 5.00pm.
The service makes 11 stops and you can hop on and off anywhere you want. It includes Cimiez (Roman ruins and Matisse Museum) and the Acropolis (Museum of Contempory Art). If you pay €20 rather than €17 you can extend the ticket to two days.
There's an average of only four "rain days" a month, but when they come there's still plenty to do.
If you are one of those people whose idea of Heaven is to pop into the nearest bar and stay there until it stops raining.....read no further! Your needs are fully catered for.
But if you want to broaden your mind a bit, and the word "culture" doesn't terrify you, then we have some suggestions.
You may like to note that Nice Municipal Museums are free of charge on the first and third Sundays of each month. Surprisingly, most of the Museums in Nice are open throughout the day from 10 am to 6 pm. However, with a few exceptions, don't expect to find galleries or shops open between noon and 2.00pm. In France, lunchtime is for lunch! Even the parking meters are free - who's going to check them at lunchtime?
A one-week Passe Musée costing €6.10 is available from the Promenade des Anglais Tourist Office, and allows you one visit to a museum each day over a period of seven consecutive days. Another alternative is the Carte Musées Côte d'Azur, giving free access to most of the museums and monuments in the region - a three-day Carte costs €17, a seven-day Carte costs €27.
So much to see, so little time.......
Some of the more interesting local excursions include Antibes, Cannes, Digne-les-Bains, Grasse, Menton, Monaco/Monte Carlo, St. Paul de Vence, Saint Tropez (by boat!) and Villefranche-sur-Mer.
The list is by no means exhaustive; we could add Cap Ferrat, Eze, Gourdon, Tourettes-sur-Loup, Vence....not to mention Ventimiglia in Italy.
All are accessible by car and by public transport, whether train, bus or boat. If you prefer a guided tour Cityrama have half day coach tours from May to October with English commentary to Monaco, Cannes, St. Paul-de-Vence, Grasse, Antibes, Vallaurais, Eze and the Villa Ephrussi at Cap Ferrat.
You can find many more details at the Nice Tourist Bureau, conveniently located a few steps from the apartment at 5, Promenade des Anglais.
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