Rich and noble Britons wintered in Nice in the days when they had class rather than simple celebrity. They did so to get away from tough northern weather, and to find themselves, gratifyingly, among their own. It’s about time that we reinstated a practice still eminently rewarding for the classier among us. Here’s the Med without the summer squeeze, and nippy at the edges. One may eat outside at lunch, but it will be woollies by dusk. No matter. France’s fifth city, throbbing with museums and galleries, also has the restaurants, bars and clubs to see you through cool nights.
"One may eat outside at lunch, but it will be woollies by dusk" Photo: AP/FOTOLIA
Don’t miss...
France's - Europe's? - greatest carnival, which explodes into the city centre, this year on the theme of the media and liberty of expression. Not that you'll notice the theme, amid the giant floats, dancers and musicians by the hundred, flower battles, local neighbourhood carnivals and, on February 19, Lou Queernaval - the great gay parade. This is a big city having a big time. February 12-28 (nicecarnaval.com).
• The best things to see and do in Nice
Keep warm...
In the Musée d’Art Moderne et d’Art Contemporain (MAMAC – mamac-nice.org). The Cote-d’Azur’s best contemporary art gallery majors on Euro-realism and pop art. Look out for Kenneth Noland, Jules Olitski and Ellsworth Kelly. No, I’d never hear of them, either – but they’re intriguing to discover. And it’s all free.
Have a hot chocolate...
At Antonia Cafe on Place Rossetti, bang in the centre of Vieux Nice. The drink’s so substantial that, at a pinch, one cup would do two of you. Excellent home-made glaces also, should you fancy a bit of fire and ice.
• Why France is better than Britain
Wrap up and walk...
The recently created Promenade du Paillon. It's 30 acres of greensward bang in the city centre, where the river and, later, traffic, once flowed. It’s a brilliant bit of in-town landscaping… and leads to the Promenade des Anglais, than which there is no finer, or longer, urban seafront in Europe.
• 17 reasons why France is so popular
The Promenade du Paillon Photo: AP/FOTOLIA
Enjoy a cosy evening...
In the newly groovy zone between Place Garibaldi and the port. Nice doesn’t do cosy, not in the sense of grannies and antimacassars. But it will likely be snug in the Comptoir Central Electrique (comptoircentralelectrique.fr) and nearby, gay-friendly Gossip Bar on Rue Bonaparte. Alternatively, the Rosalina Bar in a former Renault garage, and the minimalist industrial chic of Maison Gusto (maisongusto.fr), are round the corner on Rue Lascaris.
• France: the birthplace of binge-drinking
What else in on this winter?
Winter season, Nice Opera House
Nice's Italianate opera house is one of the city's joys; the 2015 calendar does it justice. After La Traviata in November, the programme continues with Britten's Death In Venice from January 20-24 and The Barber Of Seville from Feb 24 to March 1. Tickets start from a tenner (opera-nice.org).
Cartier-Bresson exhibition, Théâtre de la Photographie
Long hailed as one of the finest photographers of the 20th-century, Henri Cartier-Bresson specialised in street reporting, capturing the "decisive instants" of daily life. "I don't take photos; photos take me," he said. To January 24 (tpi-nice.org).
Photography by Henri Cartier-Bresson Photo: GETTY
My favourite winter hotel
The finest views over the winter-sun spangled Bay of Angels? Good food on the inside-outside terrace suitable for sunny lunches or cooler dinners? Five minutes from Vieux Nice? Sharp snap of feminine style throughout? Head for the Hotel La Pérouse, a luxury labyrinth backed into the hillside on the Rauba Capeu headland.
• The best hotels in Nice
Which is the best city for a winter break?
Tell us where you would rather be this month
This article was first published on December 4, 2014, and updated in full on December 4, 2015
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