Named by the founding Greeks after the goddess Nike, Nice has earned itself the French nickname Nice la Belle. The second largest city on France’s Mediterranean coast, it is the Grand Dame to Marseille’s saucy fishwife. It became the winter haunt of aristocrats and royalty from Britain and across Europe, and a magnet for artists such as Marc Chagall and Henri Matisse, both of whom have museums dedicated to their works in Nice. It attracts four million visitors a year, on its own or as the center of the Alpes Maritimes- Cote-d’Azur department. The curve of its beach enfolds the Baie des Anges with the seaside Promenade des Anglais. The majestic Hotel Negresco set the style in 1912 for sophisticated Mediterranean hostelries. The sprawling Cours Saleya flower market is a must-experience for visitors, to immerse themselves in the fragrance and color of the produce of the Provencal region.
