☰Promenade des Anglais

The Promenade des Anglais is Nice's defining feature, a sweeping seven-kilometre seafront boulevard curving along the Baie des Anges. Named for the English aristocrats who funded its construction in the 1820s, it remains the city's grand stage: joggers, cyclists, rollerbladers, and strollers share the wide pavement backed by a wall of belle epoque and art deco hotels. The iconic blue chairs face the sea and cost nothing, making them possibly the best free seats on the Riviera. The Hotel Negresco, with its pink dome and eccentric art collection, is the architectural landmark. The beaches below are pebbly, not sandy, which surprises first-timers but keeps them less crowded than you would expect. Sunset here, with the sky turning pink over the Mediterranean, is a reliable daily spectacle.