Neighborhood
Vieux Nice
in Nice, France
Old town, bars and promenade.
Where it is
The Old Town spreads between Castle Hill to the east, the sea to the south and the Promenade du Paillon to the west and north.
Address: Nice
What it is
Vieux Nice is a maze of narrow, shaded lanes lined with pastel houses, Baroque churches, lively markets and countless bars and restaurants, retaining its Italian character. The quarter is also a relaxed anchor of queer nightlife, with venues such as those around Rue Bonaparte; queer life here is present and naturally woven into everyday life.
History
Nice's origins go back to the Greek foundation of Nikaia; the townscape we see today took shape mainly in the 17th and 18th centuries, the heyday of Baroque, when Nice belonged to the Duchy of Savoy and later to Piedmont-Sardinia. Only in 1860 did the city become part of France after a popular vote.