Hotels near Vieux Nice

Vieux Nice, the Old Town, is the city's beating heart - a network of narrow streets where ochre and oxblood-painted facades crowd against baroque churches and the air carries the smell of socca cooking on iron griddles. Settled by Greeks, ruled by Savoy, and only French since 1860, the quarter speaks more Italian than the rest of the city in its architecture, food, and Niçard dialect.

Allow at least half a day to wander between Place Rossetti (the heart of the Old Town and home to Fenocchio's 70-plus ice-cream flavours), the Cathédrale Sainte-Réparate, Palais Lascaris, and the Chapelle de la Miséricorde. Stop for socca (chickpea flatbread) and pissaladière (anchovy and onion tart) at the market stalls along Rue Pairolière.

Pro Tip: Visit on a weekday morning before cruise crowds arrive from Villefranche-sur-Mer. The light in the narrow alleys around Place Rossetti is at its best between 9 and 11 a.m.