naviquan

I have heard that once, long ago, Cours Saleya, was an upscale area. And when I look at old buildings like this I believe such stories. Unfortunately, nowadays, all these once beautiful buildings are in decline. Literally, pieces of stucco and decorations are falling off the walls of this building.

Chapelle Des Pénitents Rouges du Saint-Suaire et de la Très-Sainte-Trinité (Chapel Penitents Rouges of the Holy Shroud - 8, rue Jules Gilly, Nice, France). Renovated 1824 is the mixture of neoclassical and early Baroque styles.

Adjacent to Chapelle du Saint-Suaire is the Social Community Center of City of Nice (Centre Communla d'Action Sociale - Centre d'Accueil d'Urgence Sociale)

Taking rue Jules Gilly we reach Place de l'ancien Sénat (Old Senate Square) - a nice little square to sit and sip a cup of espresso (or wine) and relax from the crowds of the Cours Saleya

Street corner: rue de la Poissonnerie (runs parallel rue Jules Gilly) and rue Barillerie - typical Vieux Nice environment.

Evidently Old Nice has its own Le théâtre de l'Atelier (see sign on right side of the street) - but mostly this picture is here to show you one of the back streets in Vieux Nice - dirty, smelly and creepy in the dark. Next to "Le théâtre" is Le Delhi Belhi (22, rue de la Barillerie 06300 Nice, France), an Indian restaurant (actually, quite popular)

Pizzeria Stuzzico (4 rue St Gaetan, 06000 Nice, France) - we will see it while we are moving back to the western end of Vieux Nice. As many other similar places in Old Nice, if you are really hungry, you can try it - it is a tiny place with mixture of Sicilian and Niçoise specialties.

Corner rue St Gaetan and rue de la Préfecture - famous La Poulette (12 rue de la Préfecture, 06300, Nice, France), gourmet food including farm poultry, ducks and game, cheeses, fois gras.

Just a scene on streets of Vieux Nice: rue St Gaetan, rue de la Préfecture and rue Sainte-Réparate meet together at the this place.

Another angle on the street crossing of rue St Gaetan, rue de la Préfecture and rue Sainte-Réparate. By the way, Sainte Reparate is the patron saint of the town of Nice.

That lovely spot I have just described (crossing of rue St Gaetan, rue de la Préfecture and rue Sainte-Réparate) is rather dull if look down rue de la Préfecture towards Palais de Justice. Indeed, this building on the left side of rue de la Préfecture is Palais Préfectoral (Office of Prefect).

Old Nice is a very attractive place to purchase a real estate property - here is one of the well-known real estate agencies in Nice (France) - Palais Immobilier (23 Rue de la Préfecture 06300 Nice, France)

La Tapenade (6, rue Sainte Reparate, 06300 Nice, France) - another dubious place to eat in Vieux Nice. If I were you, I would never go there.

Before we continue on rue de la Préfecture towards Palais de Justice, let's explore a bit its eastern end - see the photo. There is no Office of Prefect; instead, there are many small restaurants and other shops like Meubles Fuscielli (18 rue de la Préfecture 06300 Nice, France). I was surprised to find a furniture store in the middle of Old Nice (Vieux Nice). Tables on the left belon to La Tapenade.

Le Bistro d'Antoine (27 rue de la Préfecture, 06000, Nice, France) - for some strange reasons, this place is quite popular among tourists. I think it is over-hyped and only proves the rule No. 1 - if you want to have a good food, never even try to do this in a place located in Old Nice. Ever. Most likely to eat at Le Bistro d'Antoine, you will have to book days ahead. Let me assure you, if you did not, do not be upset - you will not miss anything.

Corner rue Benoît-Bunico and rue de la Préfecture - Restaurant Papayou (31 rue Benoit Bunico, 06300, Nice, France)

Let's look inside restaurant Papayou (31 rue Benoit Bunico, 06300, Nice, France) - rule No. 1, if you are looking for a good food, do not eat in Vieux Nice restaurants, still applies. But this one of places that are better than other places on Old Town to stop for a lunch.

Restaurant Papayou (31 rue Benoit Bunico, 06300, Nice, France) menu - prices are reasonable; for example, Salade Niçoise (originating in and named for the city of Nice, with tuna, green beans, hard boiled eggs, tomatoes, onion, capers, and potatoes) €12, Risotto du jour - €15, Magret de Canard (duck breast) €17, etc., desserts €6 - &euro7 (2009 prices).

Corner rue de la Poissonnerie and rue de la Préfecture - there is a well-known place here called Les Distilleries Ideales (24, rue de la Prfecture, Nice, 06300, France), a bar with English flavor, unique decor and murals, vibrant atmosphere.

Les Distilleries Ideales (24, rue de la Préfecture, Nice 06300, France) offers seating inside and outside and could be a nice spot for drinking and relaxing.

Les Distilleries Ideales (24, rue de la Préfecture, Nice 06300, France) - a peek inside at the bar area. By the way, the bar offers free WiFi access.

Those tourists are standing on rue Droite - another major artery in Vieux Nice. If you remember, I mentioned rue Jules Gilly - the latter becomes rue Droite when it crosses rue de la Préfecture at its very end. In its turn, rue de la Préfecture becomes rue du Malonat going uphill (at the point we are very close to Colline du Château or Castle Hill)

Rue Droite is also know for its restaurants - here is one of them, Acchiardo (38 Rue Droite, 06000 Nice, France). It is a small but very busy restaurant away from most obvious tourist traps in Vieux Nice. Perhaps, this is the reason it is another place slightly better than most eateries in Old Nice.

This colorful sign belongs to Espace "LOAS" Centre d'Art Haitien (36, rue Droite 06300 Nice, France). This is not a museum but an art store. Futher down the street, a store, Le 5 Eme Jour (mostly men's underware).

Off rue Droite, before Centre d'Art Haitien, on the right, there is rue du Château. It goes uphill and it will lead you to the entrance to the park La Colline du Château (Castle Hill)

If you continue on rue Droite, you will see another street (parallel to rue du Château) - rue Rossetti. Turn right on this street, end you will also get to the entrance to the park La Colline du Château (Castle Hill).

View on rue Rossetti (turning left from rue Droite) as it goes down towards the center of Old Town.

Rue Rossetti as it goes towards Nice Cathedral (Cathédrale Sainte-Réparate de Nice)

As we approach Place Rossetti, we see again more and more tourists - crowds of them. Nice Cathedral (Cathédrale Sainte-Réparate de Nice) bell tower is in the background.

We are on Place Rossetti - It is a big square (for Vieux Nice). Good part of the square is covered by tables belonging to numerous pizzerias and cafes in buildings surrounding it. Nice Cathedral (Cathédrale Sainte-Réparate de Nice) is in the background.

Place Rossetti - rows of tables under canopies. These ones belong to Fenocchio Maitre Glacier (2 Place Rossetti, 06300 Nice, France). If you believe Tripadvisor reviews this is No. 1 restaurant in Nice. Well, in the first place, this is not a restaurant - it is an ice cream cafe selling Italian style gelato. Ice cream indeed is very good.

View on Place Rossetti from the other side - rue Rossetti is in the background, center-right. That is how we came to the square.

Nice Cathedral (Cathédrale Sainte-Réparate de Nice) is a Roman Catholic cathedral in the city of Nice, France. It is dedicated to Saint Reparata, the patron saint of Nice.

Everybody knows Place Rossetti in Vieux Nice. However, Place de la Halle aux herbes, which is right at the north-west corner of Place Rossetti, is unknown - perhaps the name is too long. But that's the path we are going to take now. Here is Le maison de la Pizza, a restaurant-pizzeria on rue Mascoïnat (12 Rue Mascoïnat, 06300 Nice, France). Nice Cathedral (Cathédrale Sainte-Réparate de Nice) bell tower visible in the background shows how close we are to Place Rossetti.

Restaurant L'Abbaye (15 Rue du Pont Vieux, 06000 Nice, France‎) is across the street from Le maison de la Pizza on the right. A bit further in the background is Le Romarin.

Rue Mascoïnat in the direction from Place Rossetti. You can still see Le maison de la Pizza on the right.

If you continue on rue Mascoïnat, you will reach quickly place Centrale . That' the place where several streets converge forming a busy and touristy point. There streets are rue Centrale (short extension of place Centrale coming out of Vieux Nice), rue de la Loge and rue du Collet. If you are tired of Old Town, this point is a convenient place to end your excursion. To continue, take a look at restaurant Lou Pilha Leva (10 rue du Collet, 06300 Nice, France) - rather famous (or infamous) food establishment.

A closer view of Lou Pilha Leva (10 rue du Collet, 06300 Nice, France). Advertising specialties of Nicoise, this place looks vibrant and authentic. But remember rule #1 of Vieux Nice - if you want a good food, chances are very high you will not be able to do this in Old Town. Lou Pilha Leva is the place where you need to consider carefully this rule before deciding to eat there.

This guy does not have a T-shirt with "Lou Pilha Leva" all over it. True or not he is standing in front of the restaurant - the whole scene is actually very nice and playing accordion certainly adds to the atmosphere. Just remember rule No. 1 of Vieux Nice (see previous picture).

Our exploration continues and from place Centrale we turn back (it would be turning left on rue du Collet (which crosses place Centrale). Very soon, rue du Collet becomes rue de la Boucherie. At this point we turn left (again ) on rue du Pont-Vieux. As you can see on the photo, this street looks like real authentic Old Town street. Restaurant La Feniera (4 rue du Pont-Vieux, Nice 06300 France) is located here. Other than it has karaoke and piano bar, there is very little I can you about it.

A this point our tour becomes rather hectic - just to explore a western area of Vieux Nice located between rue de la Préfecture and place Centrale. Here is Blanc du Nil (11 Rue du Marché 06300 Nice, France) specializing in white cotton garments (men's and women's shirts, pants, shorts and many other things in white).

Boulangerie-Pâtisserie artisanale La Capeline, Francis Lefevre

Bar des Oiseaux (5 Rue St-Vincent, Vieux, Nice, 6300): bar-restaurant and théâtre. Shows, live entertainment and food - this is a cozy and relaxed place rather popular among locals - it is in the center of Vieux Nice but somehow it is tucked away in a corner less frequented by crowds. I cannot say that its food is exceptional, but it is eatable and prices are reasonable (for example, magret de canard - €16.50, assiette fromagère - €5.00 - prices 2010)

Le Bulldog Pub / Pompei (16 rue de l'Abbaye 06300 Nice, France) another popular bar in Vieux Nice with live entertainment: rock cocktails until 2:30 in the morning.

Another view on Le Bulldog Pub (building on the left) and the street where it is located - rue de l'Abbaye. This street, in some of its parts, is narrow and is often compared to a canyon.

Place du Palais and Palais Rusca (building on the left side of the picture). Rue de la Préfecture goes through Place du Palais and serves as one of the main entrances to Vieux Nice. On photo, the street is shown in the direction from Old Town. There is nothing special about the Rusca palace; currently, it is a part of to the justice department (see next photo).

Rue de la Préfecture as seen when you are entering Vieux Nice. You can also see the tower with city clock adjacent to Palais Rusca.

Place du Palais and Palais de Justice (Law courts) of Nice. The square is not as vibrant as Place Rossetti; still, there are plenty of bars, cafes as well as locals and tourists hanging around. A fountain in the middle of Place du Palais adds to the atmosphere.