Nice

Nice is the capital of the French Riviera, a Mediterranean city with a distinct Italian-influenced history, it belonged to the Kingdom of Sardinia until 1860, visible today in its pastel architecture and cuisine. It draws a different crowd than nearby Cannes or Monaco, less exclusive, more livable, with a long pebble beach and the Promenade des Anglais running the length of the bay. The old town, Vieux Nice, still feels distinctly separate from the belle epoque boulevards above it.

Socca, a thin chickpea flour pancake cooked on a griddle and eaten with black pepper, is the street food to try, along with salade nicoise in its original form, tomatoes, olives, anchovies, and hard-boiled egg, no cooked vegetables. Locals identify more with Mediterranean and Italian food traditions than with classic French cuisine. Beachgoers should know Nice's beaches are pebble, not sand, water shoes help.