Nice Tourist Traps

Waynes Bar, Rue de la Prefecture, British "pub entertainment". What's it to be - Quiz Night, or Bingo Madness?. (You can just see me at Bingo. "Excuse me love, could I borrow your card? Mine seems to be full")

I could not imagine anything as awful as Pimps 'n' Ho's night ("Well, which is it to be tonight then? Right. Pimp. OK. What's in the bag, b i t c h?!")

Well someone must like it.

If you have come to the Cote d'Azur by mistake, or you're in Nice on a mate's stag night because the flights to Prague were fully booked, then there is always Waynes. A place in which you can while away a few hours and forget you are in the South of France.

Unique Suggestions: On arrival, sink several large tumblers of Absinthe.

Then at least you won't remember how the "Pimps 'n' Ho's" evening ended with you taking the wrong woman back to your hotel. And why you've inexplicably run out of Euros.

Fun Alternatives: Choose from any of the hundreds of French bars around Vieux Nice.

Welcome to Nices first clip joint, Le Charlot Bar, a few doors from the Opera House near the Cours Saleya. The prestige champagnes are listed at between 2,000 and 4,500 euros a bottle. A modest cocktail will set you back 40 euro. Its not double vision. There are actually drinks on the menu here that cost more than a months salary.

Its always a good idea anywhere to take a look at the price list outside, which is required under French law.

THE PRIVATE BEACHES

The private beaches in Nice are the most appalling value and 2004 has shown this to perfection with rows of empty sunloungers.

The beaches are so expensive that only the rich or foolish can afford to use them and there is no reduction when they are empty.

First a large sum of money is charged for the loungers and the parasol is extra! The next charge for the unwary is for the thin well worn scraps of material that the call towels, at 3 or 4 euros a go pretty poor value even if they were new.

The loos are primitive and the changing facilities prehistoric rather like the campsites of 20 years ago.

The restaurants serve pleasant but expensive food and this is usually in unbearable heat.

Why don't the beaches adopt the easyJet system, cheap for the first-comers and getting more expensive as the loungers fill up? This year must have been terrible for the concessionaires who pay the city a lot for the space on the beach. There were occasions, even in the afternoon when there appeared to be about 20 people on the Castel Plage.

Unique Suggestions: If you must go to a private beach, take your own towel and eat at your lounger as the sandwiches are better value than the meals at the table.

Take a tube of ibuprofen gel for massaging into the neck muscles which will be soon aching from craning round trying to catch the attention of a waiter.

Fun Alternatives: Scarborough has beautiful golden sands, and on a baking hot day there is no better place with cheap beer, fish and chips and donkeys.

Keep an eye on the English weather and if it is good, get a flight from Nice and nip home for a few days of heaven in Scarborough.

Nice was a good place to stay while exploring the Riveira, and there is plenty to see in the town itself, but if its a nice beach you're after I'd recommend looking elsewhere. The beach here is very crowded and full of pebbles and stones. The best beaches we found were to the west of Antibes - in particular, I liked the beach at Cannes, though it did get very busy here too.

By Cours Saleya in Vieux Nice, there are several cafes and brasseries to choose from, all of them overpriced. I had lunch here for only one reason--this was one of the few spots where I could thaw under the winter sun.

Unique Suggestions: At 1 pm, when the market closes, so do most of the eateries. If you want to find some variety (in food and prices), come earlier.

Fun Alternatives: Have lunch outside of Vieux Nice, say Place Massena or the main avenue of Nice? Since only tourists go to Vieux Nice, everything is priced for tourists. Downtown, where the locals eat, is a safer bet.

There are several parking garages or parking areas in Nice. BUT.. be prepared to pay quite a bit!!
We stayed just over an 1 hr and payed just over 4 Euros at the under ground garage at Cours Saleya!!

Fun Alternatives: If you are tight for cash, try to use the public transportation instead of spending a good portion of the time searching for parking!

The restaurants in the Cours Saleya provide a attractive atmosphere and picturesque setting but for generally very average food thats a little on the pricey side. Do it once if you must.

Unique Suggestions: Make the most of that atmosphere, sit outside rather than in , enjoy the wonderful sight of the Chateau all lit up and the vibrant setting. You won't mind being a tourist here.

Fun Alternatives: Check out the retaurant tips of other VT members, explore, be adventurous.

Old town Nice.....you will loose money just by going through those narrow lovely gorgeos streets of the old town.
In the summer time (july) there are sales all over, especially the leather (cuir) departments.
Handle the prices......you might get them even better then they already are. The problem is that it's so hot that to try leather clothes, could be a little bit problematic...but it's worth.

Unique Suggestions: What to do not to fall into this trap.....just simply avoid going there.

Fun Alternatives: Here I spent some EURO.....but it was 50% off.
TEXAS CITY, specialist in leather clothes (super dooper)
9, rue de la Boucherie - Vieux Nice
Tel. 04 93 62 55 10