An easy walk by the water along Quai Rauba-Capeu brings you to the port

Tag : Instant Food

An easy walk by the water along Quai Rauba-Capeu brings you to the port. This bustling area of ochre-colouredbuildings is where the ferries leave for Corsica. There are plansto move the cruise ships out and turn the port into a leisuremarina. For the chineur (collector) there are more than a hundredantique and secondhand shops nearby, including Les Puces de Nice on the port itself. Restaurants and bistros abound: try le Bistrot du Port (quai Lunel; 00 33 4 9355 2170); Zucca Magica (quai Papacino; 00 33 4 9356 2527) for excellent vegetable, cheeseand egg dishes and, on the opposite side of the water, MichelDevillers' L'Ane Rouge (quai des Deux Emmanuel; 00 33 4 9389 4963). Further round theport on boulevard Franck Pilatte you'll come to Nice's best keptsecret, Coco Beach , where you can swim from the rocks and eat delicious fish.

In rue de la Préfecture, RDV sells gorgeous multi-coloured floating tops, skirts and dresses incottons and silks; further up, you'll find Jean-Louis Martinetti's postcards and posters and, in Gino Bestagno's old-fashioned corner shop, parasols, umbrellas and walking sticks;the Caves Caprioglio is a treasure trove of wines and spirits. In Cours Saleya, La Chapellerie is great for hats, while Gloveme on rue du Marché has a stunning range of leather gloves invivid colours. Just round the corner, Unitex-Azur is a great place to pick up colourful Provençal place matsand waxed table cloths patterned with black olives, yellow mimosa,sunflowers and lemons. 

For good nissarde cooking - stuffed sardines, Provencal vegetables,lamb shank - head for La Table Alziari (00 33 4 9380 3403) tucked away along rue François Zanin.Other typical local cuisine - ravioli, gnocchi and thequintessential Niçois dish, estocaficada (salt cod,vegetables, olive oil - it takes days to make) can be found at Le Bistrot d'Antoine , 27 rue de la Préfecture (00 33 4 9385 2957), and Café-Restaurant de la Bourse on Place St François (00 33 4 9362 3839). The Cours Saleyafood and flower market is replaced on Mondays with a flea market.

Vieux-Nice doesn't do big nights out - in the summer people tend toeat alfresco while enjoying some live music. Kick off with a glassof bubbly at champagne bar L'Effervescence , 10 rue de la Loge, before having a meal at family-run Italianrestaurant La Voglia at the entrance to Cours Saleya (00 33 4 9380 9916).

On rue Mascoïnat there's jazz on Thursdays, while anaccordionist plays at La Feniera at weekends. Bar De Klomp has live music nightly, while rock, soul and folk can be enjoyedat British pub Oxford , also on rue Mascoïnat.

Easyjet ( easyjet.com ) flies to Nice Côte d'Azur airport from Bristol, Gatwick,Stansted, Luton, Liverpool, Newcastle and Edinburgh from£19.99 one way, Flybe ( flybe.com ) flies from Exeter, Jersey and Southampton from £19.49.