Parc du Château, Nice, France - Le Château de Nice (Part II)

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Lightbox (53) Tags: architecture europe france french-riviera history landmarks parks scenic-place tourist-attraction Posted: Jan. 3, 2010 by Bysilot

The map of Colline du Chateau (Castle Hill) with various
facilities and itineraries marked.

Le Château de Nice

As we learned from Part I of our photo gallery, "Le Chateau" in Nice, France, isn't a chateau, at least at present times. The old castle on top of La colline du Chateau (a rocky hill overlooking Nice old town and the port) was destroyed in 1706. Still it is one of the main attractions in Nice and a great place to visit.

The park is very well taken care or and offers great walks in the shade of trees. There are several observation platforms with stunning views onto the city of Nice including Vieux Nice on one side and Port of Nice on the other. Usually you can see as far as Nice International Airport located some 7 kilometers (4.5 miles) from Nice downtown.

Despite being a popular tourist destination, this place is still very tranquil - the air, the sun, the clouds, the scents, the waterfall, mild whispering of the wind at a good sunny day - everything around makes you forget time and immerse in the beauty of the place. If you have kids, there are nice playgrounds at the top of the hill where you can spend good time with your family and, if you want, enjoy a picnic on grass in a cozy corner of the park.

La colline du Chateau provides a good alternative to rather hectic and noisy Nice environment with crowds of tourist (and locals). I would suggest to make this park your day trip destination and plan for four or five hours which should be enough to explore the ruins and observation platforms as well as to have some rest in a shady grassy area of the park.

My last recommendation - Although you can buy some food in the park, I would not count to much on this - bring with you some snacks and/or sandwiches and a bottle of water.

Entrance to the Park of Chateau in Nice, France.	The climb is rather steep - take rests frequently to enjoy panoramas of Vieux Nice (Old Nice), France	Stairs alternate with roads like this (Camin de la Vila Auta) you need to follow to reach the top of Colline du Château.	La Colline du Château (Castle Hill) has a complex system of dealing with rains that produce torrential streams of water.
At some point of your climb you reach Cemetery "Colline du Chateau" - see its church and the cemetery on the right side of the photo - one of the most beautiful cemeteries in France.	Cimetière Colline du Château (courtesy of Tubantia, Wikimedia; image was scaled to fit Naviquan format and tonal corrected).	One of the observation areas to stop by while moving to the top of Colline du Chateau (Castle Hill).	Here you not high enough to see the whole extent of red and ocher roofs of Vieux Nice.

Still, the magical views of Nice emerge in front of you - this photo shows the northern part of the city	Gorgeous decorations in stone and mosaic are here and there in Greek and Roman Mediterranean themes.	Close-up on amphora created in bass-relief style.	Enjoy blue sky and the sea on a sunny day like this - another observation platform on Colline du Chateau (Castle Hill).
The tower of "Place d'Armes" is believed to be built around 1640 as a part of the castle reconstruction. It was restored at the end of 19th century on still existing foundation.	La Colline du Chateau (Castle Hill) overlooks the city of Nice, France. This photo shows Promenade des Anglais - a long walkway stretching along the Mediterranean seaside. The Nice International Airport (Aeroport de Nice Cote d'Azur) is visible on the picture (at the end of the curve that starts as the Promenade and extends about 7 km along the shore).	These stairs lead to a place where the upper entrance (or exit depending on how you look at it) of Ascenseur du Château is located.	This is the upper entrance of Ascenseur du Château - the narrow balcony surrounds the elevator tower. Although elevator can make you ascent to the hill much easier, I recommend to walk. Otherwise, you risk to miss a lot of wonderful vistas and various corners of the park.
On the picture you can see the man made waterfall (cliffs at bottom, right of the photo) near the top of Colline du Chateau (Castle Hill).	The Port of Nice has large inner harbor full of all sorts of yachts and boats.	Observing the Port of Nice from the seaside to its inland part.	View onto the eastern part of Nice where its port is located (also known as Lympia port)
This display is installed on the eastern part of the top of Colline du Chateau (Castle Hill) overlooking the Port of Nice and its surroundings. It allows for identifying various landmarks in the area and most prominent constructions.	Wide-angle view on the Port of Nice. Nice, being the nearest point of continental France to Corsica, has ferry connections with the island.	Full view on Vieux Nice from Colline du Chateau (Castle Hill). Old Nice terra cotta roofs are quite different from the rest of the city.	Another stone decoration with bas-reliefs in Parc du Chateau‎ in Nice, France.
Top of Colline du Chateau (Castle Hill) is flat with many passages and rich vegetation providing enough shadow (if you need one) from the sun.	You can spend a lovely afternoon with the kids - there are snacks and playgrounds.	Parc du Chateau‎ in Nice, France is built with great taste for the public enjoyment. It is maintained very well. This is an example of beautiful pavings you can walk on.	Parc du Chateau‎ has many displays installed with maps and interesting information regarding the area history.
Archeological site (no public access) - ruins of the Virgin Mary cathedral.	Toppled down fragment of the castle structure made up of vaults in the area of military warehouses.	Ruins of the cathedral dedicated to the Virgin Mary originally built in 11th - 12th centuries and rebuilt in 15th century.	The basis of the pillars separating the nave from the side aisles with semi-circular apses and chancel screen are still visible.
Restaurant - Brasserie La Table des Anges. It is located on the 90-meter-high terrace roof where the castle and its keep used to stand. As far as restaurant is concerned - I would not count on it for any serious eating.	Plateforme du Chateau sign installed at the highest point of Colline du Chateau (Castle Hill). It depicts major geographic formations of the area with directions to them.	The apparatus is located not far from the top of the hill. I do not know exactly what this is, but I suspect it is a civil defense siren installed on a high ground to provide warning of approaching danger.	Ruins of various fortifications and castle outbuildings pop up here and there.