Nice Travel Forum

We are staying in a condo at Place Massena for the month of August. Where is the closest super market & is there any reasonable place to park a rental car.

There is a big Carrefour at Nice TNL (shopping centre) and a few useful Monoprix scattered around, much smaller but handy

http://www.nicetnl.com/index.php?goto=acces

This man knows his shopping. The TNL Carrefour is the biggest and best value supermarket accessible from the centre. Monoprix in Jean Medecin is dearer - the best value big supermarket is actally the Casino behind Nice Etoiles. Its only drawback is the checkouts are exasperatingly slow, but thats a problem with shopping in France generally. If you expect slick rapid service - forget it.

As for the car parking - why are you staying in the centre of Nice and renting a car? Its a total liability. Everywhere on the Riviera is accessible quickly and cheaply by public transport - 1 euro flat fare. All a car does is lock you into 1 euro an hour parking cost 24 hours a day and stick you frequently in a traffic jam. It's not "freedom", its the opposite. Any way - your call.

The Nice Etoile has a 24 hour underground park 300 yards walk from Place Massena, but consider if a car is really what you need.

In the month of August the Riviera is a permanent traffic jam. If you want to get out into the hinterlands where you may need a car, you might consider renting it for a day or two when you need it rather than for the entire month. There is great train and bus service in Nice and the surrounding area. You are also positioned in a place where you can walk to a lot of the tourist things Nice has on offer. Honestly, you can get nearly everywhere by train or bus, even inland.

Whatever you decide, have a great trip. It's a beautiful area.

Urban or coastal traffic is diabolical along the whole coast but traffic inland is quite fluid (Nice-Grasse, etc.), but driving around Nice proper in the summer certainly gets to you after a while.

If you do rent a car for a few days or so, stick to what people call the "arrière-pays" there (hinterland), breathtaking scenery, lovely mountain villages and towns (many surprisingly quiet -the hordes do tend to stick to the coast), but beware of the heat inland (that explains why not too many people go inland in August...), A/C is obligatory.

If you are not bothered by picturesque towns, twee villages and the charms of the France profonde in the scorching august heat, forget about renting a car, more hassle than it's worth.

Public transport really is excellent in the Alpes-Maritimes, and in Nice in particular, and a new Tram opened last year, what more could you want?
It is a walking city anyway, you hardly need the tram or bus to go from Avenue Medecin to the Old Town or the harbour. If you're holidaying there, use your legs, it is a great city to explore. Parking is fraught, and dear, you've been warned.