Travel: 48 Hours in Nice

Published on Thursday 13 May 2010 17:27

Saturday, 2pm Touch down at Nice-Côte d'Azur Airport.

3pm Check in to the Hi Hotel, designed by French designer Matali Craset. As if jaw-droppingly gorgeous rooms weren't enough, it comes with eco credentials. (www.hi-hotel.net)

4pm Head straight to the big blue and the Baie des Anges and soak up the chic atmosphere of the French Riviera. Treat yourself to a massage at the Hi relax, the hotel's nearby private beach.

8pm Smarten up and make your way to the Hotel Negresco, designated a national monument, no less. At Brasserie la Rotonde explore a menu that features roast lobster with preserved lemon and citronella ginger sauce. (www.hotel-negresco-nice.com)

Sunday, 10am Make the effort to go to church and wonder at the domes of the Russian orthodox cathedral, Saint Nicolas (inset) on Avenue Nicolas II.

2pm Sign up for a segway tour (www.segwaysightseeing.com/ france/nice/nice-background-segway-tour.html) and explore the city further.

6pm Make time for a leisurely gastronomic stop at La Terrasse restaurant in the Starwood Le Mridien, which offers panoramic views over the Baie des Anges. Choices include millefeuille of duck with warm Rosevalt sauce. (www.lemeridiennice.com)

10pm Enjoy a nightcap and dip your toe in the rooftop pool back at the Hi Hotel.

Monday, 6am Skip the organic buffet breakfast and search out a bargain at the antique and bric-a-brac market, Cours Saleya, Old Town. At the same location on Tuesdays you'll find a flower and produce market.

10am Retail therapy starts in earnest at the Place Massena near the train station. And there's shopping galore at the malls Galeries Lafayettes and Nice Etoile.

Noon By now you will have blown your budget in the streets of Verdun, Paradis and Sude in the area locals call the "golden square", where you can splurge on Chanel, Vuitton, Herms, Armani and Sonia Rykiel.

THE FACTS

Rooms at the Hi Hotel cost from a249. Visit www.easyjet.com for flights. See www.nicetourisme.com

&#149 This article was first published in The Scotsman on 15 May.