It was my stopover city before venturing further west to Aix-en-Provence and Cassis, and again before my flight home from Nice.
The views of the French Riveira from my train ride over from Florence were gorgeous, save for the summer heat and the weak air-conditioning in the trains.
I’ve never been so glad for my friend Mathilde‘s anecdote on how hot French summers can be, so being the ultimate Asian, I packed TWO of those USB fans that you plug into your power bank.
I stayed at Hôtel Ozz by Happyculture, a boutique hostel just a 5-minute walk from the Gare de Nice Ville, the central train station.
The hostel’s Asian-level air-conditioning was the cherry on top of my comfy stay in the blistering European summer.
There wasn’t much for me to do in Nice, which was perfect for me to recharge after my stint in Florence.
Most of the must-visit spots are easily reachable on foot, and even more so with electric scooters.
There were definitely more to see and to do in Old Nice, which is lined with little rustic shops, cafés, and even a lovely antiques market!
My roommate and I also had the biggest pasta dishes of our lives at La Voglia.
Nice was the perfect introduction to the South of France for me before venturing into the smaller towns, where everyone I’ve met has been kind, and have also fixed my mistakes in conversational French. It was also in Nice where I learned that “fruits de la mer” which literally means “fruits of the sea” which actually means “seafood”.
How adorable is that?