Promenade des Anglais

The Promenade des Anglais is the reason Nice looks the way it does in every photograph: a wide, palm-lined seafront that sweeps for nearly seven kilometres around the Baie des Anges, from the airport in the west to the foot of Castle Hill in the east, with the sea on one side in shades that run from turquoise to ink and a parade of hotels, villas and apartment blocks on the other. It began in 1824, when the British community that wintered in Nice — the Reverend Lewis Way among its leaders — paid for a coastal path to give work to local people during a hard winter, and the town named it in their honour. Through the nineteenth century it became the stage of the winter resort, lined with grand hotels and villas built for aristocrats escaping northern fogs; that story is why Nice, as the Winter Resort Town of the Riviera, is on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Today the Prom is the city's living room. Joggers and cyclists use the dedicated lanes from dawn, families claim the famous blue chairs (sculpted versions of the old deckchairs, and the obvious place to sit and stare), roller-skaters weave between strollers, and in the evening everyone comes out to watch the sun drop behind the Cap d'Antibes. The landmarks are easy to spot: the Hôtel Negresco with its pink-and-green dome, the Palais de la Méditerranée's Art Deco façade, the Jardin Albert 1er where the Christmas village pitches up in winter, and at the eastern end the Quai des États-Unis, which continues the walk under the old town to the war memorial cut into Castle Hill. Below the promenade lie the beaches — free public stretches of large grey pebbles alternating with private beach clubs that rent loungers and serve lunch — and in summer the water is clear enough to see your feet. It costs nothing, it is open every day, and it is simply the best way to understand Nice in an hour.

How to walk it: the classic stretch for a first visit runs about three kilometres from the Negresco east to the old town and Castle Hill, roughly forty-five minutes at a stroll, longer with café stops. Start at the Negresco around late afternoon, walk east with the light behind you, cut into the Cours Saleya for an apéritif, and finish by climbing Castle Hill for sunset over the bay. Cyclists and e-bikers can do the full length to the airport and back on the separate bike lane; the city's bike-share and private rental shops make that easy. In the morning the promenade belongs to runners and dog-walkers; at midday in summer it is hot and shadeless; in the evening it is at its most sociable. Tram line 2 runs parallel a few streets inland, linking the airport, the Promenade district and the port, so you can walk one way and ride back.

The beaches deserve honesty. Nice's shore is pebbles, not sand — large, smooth and hard on bare feet — so beach shoes and a padded mat make a big difference, or rent a lounger at one of the private beach clubs, which also have showers, umbrellas and restaurants. Public beaches are free and generally clean, with lifeguard posts in summer. The water deepens quickly, which is wonderful for swimmers but less ideal for small children. In winter the beach clubs close or reduce service, but the Prom stays busy with walkers, and on a sunny December afternoon you will see locals sunbathing in jackets on the stones. The promenade was also the scene of the 2016 Bastille Day attack, and there is a memorial; security barriers and planters are part of the streetscape now.

Making it a day: pair the promenade with the old town and the Cours Saleya market at its eastern end, Castle Hill for the view, and the Musée Masséna, a Belle Époque villa museum of Nice history right on the seafront. In February the Nice Carnival takes over the waterfront for its flower battles, with grandstands and paid seating along the Quai des États-Unis; in summer, events and fireworks use the bay as a stage. For a special evening, take a drink at the Negresco's bar or a seafront terrace and watch the lights come on around the Baie des Anges — the view that made Nice the queen of the Riviera.