Ephrussi de Rothschild Villa

The Ephrussi de Rothschild Villa offers a glimpse into the exuberant lifestyle of the fabulously wealthy of bygone days on the French Riviera. The dream villa of Beatrice de Rothschild who personally decided upon every feature herself (and insisted the contractor tear down and begin again if she did not like what she saw) was built between 1905 and 1912.

Mont Boron and Fort Alban

Mont Boron is 2 km east of Nice and at 191 metres (573 feet) above sea level the 140-acre park offers incredible views of Nice, Villefranche-sur-Mer and the Cap Ferrat peninsula. It's possible to walk from the port, but as it's all uphill we opted to take the bus and walk back into town. 

Antibes

While we were in Oxford in early January John and I nipped into a pub and while he ordered the Guinness I went to the loo. As often happens in the UK, a lady and I exchanged a few pleasantries and soon we were chatting like old friends and sharing travel stories. When I mentioned we'd be heading to Nice in a matter of days her eyes lit up as she said, "Oh! I love Antibes." To be honest I'd never heard of it, but as she continued to wax poetic about the town's virtues I decided then and there we'd see Antibes for ourselves - especially when she mentioned the Picasso Museum.

Villefranche-sur-Mer

A short bus ride from Nice is the charming village of Villefranche-sur-Mer with a picturesque castle perched on a hill overlooking the bay. We spotted it on our way to Saint Jean Cap Ferrat and decided it was definitely worth a return visit. Boy, were we right!

Czars to Monks to Nature Walks

Nice is a very walkable city and even if the distances are a little greater than you feel up to tackling there is always public transport. 

Museums of Nice

Nice has numerous museums and during our month long stay we did our best to see as many as possible. Even if art isn't your cup of tea the stately homes, palaces or contemporary buildings that house these various museums are definitely worth a look see (as are the various Nice neighbourhoods). We began with the Matisse Museum located in the chic Cimiez area. 

Front of Matisse Museum

Castle Hill (Colline du Chateau), Nice

Castle Hill is a Nice landmark and one we see every day from our housesitting apartment.

View of Castle Hill from the Promenade des Anglais