| Nice is a great city to shop for fashion, shoes, jewellery trendy and stylish homeware and gourmet specialities. A popular place to start is the Old Town and Cours Saleya, famous for its fruit and flower market. There are many souvenir and tourist shops and one-off boutiques in this area plus many cafes, bars and restaurants for time out between stores.. Familiar high street shops are in the modern city centre where you will also find the French chains plus the big designer names. The ideal time to shop in Nice is during the sales which are held twice a year, January and July, and run for about six weeks. The French word for sales is soldes. The sale dates change each year and are set by the French government. Click here for more information (in French) For dates of the next sales, type 'soldes' in the Recherche (search) button. Nice is in departement 06 Alpes-Maritimes. To get reduced items in shops out of sale time look for Promotion signs. Shops in Nice are usually open Monday to Saturday from about 10am to 7pm, some will still close for lunch. Nearly all shops are closed on Sunday. The Old Town will have more shops open throughout the summer for longer periods and some will be open on a Sunday. In December, Galeries Lafayette and supermarkets will often have a couple of Sunday openings for Christmas shopping. The main shopping high street in Nice is avenue Jean Medecin which runs the north-south length of the modern city centre. Until the tram line is complete, building works mean that pavements (sidewalks) are narrow and busy and there is no longer any shade from trees, felled in 2005 to make way for the new tram system. There is the usual selection of shops and services lining the road, selling shoes, clothes, jewellery, sports goods, luggage, a large Virgin Megastore, various banks and cafes/fast food etc. Familiar shop names include Zara and further up towards the train station end of Jean Medecin is H&M. The French department store (top quality and price) Galeries Lafayette close to Place Massena is worth a browse, good for clothes plus great bags, hats and jewellery on the ground floor and is handy for a loo stop (hidden away on the 2nd or 3rd floor and now 50 cents a go!) Further along avenue Jean Medecin is Nice Etoile a smallish indoor shopping mall with 4 floors of shops and cafes and a large Habitat. There's even a branch of C&A here (now extinct in the UK) There's one particular shop here that I like poking around - the craft and hobby shop on the top floor called Loisirs et Creation On the subject of craft and hobby, the most amazing wool, knitting things, buttons, braiding, jewellery-making bits and bobs can be found at La Droguerie at 29 rue Hotel des Postes, it's worth a quick walk up this road alongside Galeries Lafayette to have a look. The building is delightful; part of an old original tiled floor has been preserved under glass. Even if you don't knit, come in here to stroke everything and be inspired to get creative. Between Nice Etoile and Galeries Lafayette is a large branch of the smart French make-up and perfume store Sephora Their own brand make-up range is excellent and very good value and the staff are helpful and generous with free samples. Beyond Nice Etoile is a large branch of Monoprix, a general upmarket supermarket (more Waitrose than Spar) selling own brand cheap clothes and accessories on the first floor as well as food and alcohol on the ground floor. Particularly good for children's clothes and baby clothes. Almost opposite Sephora there are great shops to be found along rue de la Liberte, mostly clothes, shoes, children's clothes and the wonderful French shoe shop, Arche. This is a well known brand of footwear in France producing comfortable and stylish shoes and boots in vivid colours in soft nubuck leather and suede. Mid to high priced but good in the sales. Under the arches and close to Place Massena is Go Sport, three floors of sports-gear and on the opposite side of the road is the excellent La Maison de la Presse selling international newspapers, books (a small selection in English) and various guide books and maps. More shops and restaurants are to found on rue Massena, off avenue Jean Medecin. Worth mentioning is the essential t-shirt shop Petit Bateau a children’s shop but the older sizes (ages 14, 16 and 18 and sizes p m and g) will fit adults, the t-shirts are plain, well-fitting and good value but don't expect them to last beyond a season. The t-shirts are made from very thin cotton, great in the summer and take up no room in your luggage. Every year there is a basic range of styles, one or two new styles and always navy, black and white plus some new colours for the season. Not far from Petit Bateau is another favourite shop of mine, Comptoir des Cottoniers a simple understated range of designs for women in muted colours and smaller mini-range for girls. Mid-priced but great in the sales. Instant French chic. If you like the less edgier side of Agnes B, you might like Comptoir, plus it's a bit cheaper. A great source of very low-cost, high-bling jewellery can be found at Arrato, next door to the Mirador restaurant and opposite the Maori café and restaurant. This shop is an institution in Nice and has a devoted fan-base of thrifty women of all nationalities and ages, Italian women in particular it seems to me. Look for the crowd of bored husbands and boyfriends waiting outside. This shop takes time; there is often a long wait so let your chaps have a glass of beer at the Maori. They might be bored but the savings are worth the wait. A deli-style 'take a ticket and wait for your number to flash up' system is in operation and all the stock is behind glass like museum pieces, you have to have point out your choices to the staff. Prices start from under 1 euro and many quite elaborate pieces are around 3-5 euros. Be prepared to wait (we've had lunch at the Maori and still hung around a bit) unless you can get there at opening time 10am and don’t expect the jewellery to last forever. The range changes constantly, almost daily so if you see a piece you want, you need to buy it that day. For serious designer shopping, turn into rue Paradis off rue Massena and follow the road to the end, then left onto avenue de Verdon and back to Place Massena. (Turn right from rue Paradis to find a branch of Zadig et Voltaire at 4, avenue de Suède for trendy cashmere) Along these two roads you will find Chanel, Armani, Hermes, Max Mara, Sonia Rykeil, Louis Vuitton etc. The staff are friendly and helpful even if you are just looking, the Hermes staff in particular will spread out any number of scarves to admire and the shop goes back further than you think. They have sales here like everywhere else but they don't shout about it. The stock is at the back of the shop, no scarves but often footwear, clothes, gloves and hats. Even at half-price or 70 percent off keep your smelling salts handy. Definitely worth a look if you have babies or young children up to the age of about 12 is the wonderful Bonpoint exquisite clothes but very expensive. It's almost impossible not to buy in here. Good reductions during the sales. The clothes are wrapped beautifully, all tissue, sprayed perfume, ribbons and a fancy bag; they are a work of art. While you're poking around at the sales rack it's both fascinating and envy-inducing watching immaculate yummy mummies buying armfuls of clothes, several children plus nanny in tow. From the end of Avenue de Verdon, cross over the gardens at Jardin Albert 1er and onto rue St Francois de Paule, the start of the Old Town. Along this road you will find the famous chocolate shop Auer for chocolate-covered almonds and candied fruit and the locally produced olive oil shop, Alziari. An attractive and distinctive can of this olive oil is a must-have to take home. I found a bottle in a deli in Liverpool for about 14 GB Pounds, October 2006, so it's worth buying it at source in Nice, much cheaper. I found some on-line too so all is not lost if you go home without. The Old Town is another good area for shopping, more interesting than the modern city centre. There is the main market of the Cours Saleya which sells food (fruit, vegetables, cheeses, spices, olives etc) and flowers and plants in the mornings Tuesday to Sunday and antiques and bric a brac on Mondays. Although most of the buildings surrounding the Cours are restaurants, there's the odd nice shop - La Chapellerie, a hat shop with another branch in rue Giofreddo is tiny but with an immense stock, a nice selection straw and cotton hats for the summer and warm ones for the winter and also stocks well-known makes such as Kangol. During the summer, there is an evening market in the Cours, surrounded by the restaurants that have spilled over from lunchtime. These stalls sell more touristy gifts, souvenirs and locally-made artisnal goods. Amongst the tat, there are some nice stalls, old postcards, artists selling their paintings and plenty of jewellery stalls. My husband's favourite moment browsing these stalls was overhearing an American chap bellow jovially behind his wife "Is it any particular kind of cr@p you're looking for?" My husband identified strongly with this sentiment. Note: stick your menfolk in Ma Nolans for a Guinness so you can browse in peace. I have two favourite stalls in the evening market; the leather bag and purse stall - Wilcost - I love the plain soft leather shoulder bags, around 65 euros, handmade in Nice. It is usually the owner, Madame Constantin who is on the stall selling the bags. I have a couple of her bags and I am often asked about them back home. I'm wearing one on the Cannes photo at the top. Not far from this stall is a jeweller, Digier Borgeaud who makes and sell simple, contemporary glass earings, rings and necklaces, very good value, pieces are around 10 -30 euros - he has an website where you can buy online from his atelier in Cannes, bijouxenverre.com If you miss the summer market his jewellery is also stocked in a small shop, La Cosmopole on rue du Collet Once out of the Cours Saleya, it’s a matter of wandering around the narrow streets of the rest of the Old Town and exploring. Try this circular route: from the Chateau Hill end of the Cours Saleya, head left past the Tranparence shop - you can get a great souvenir here - a paperweight of clear perspex into which one of the famous blue chairs of Nice is suspended (in miniature of course!) Before you head off on this route, take a quick detour out seawards under the arches of the Cours Saleya and turn left onto rue des Ponchettes and pay a quick visit to Agnes B for contemporary classics. Buy instant French style in this spacious and elegant shop. I reviewed it in a bit more detail here on virtualtourist.com. Lovely section for children too. It's tempting fate to come in here; you will always fall in love with something, best stick to sale time. Another quick detour once back in the Cours Saleya is to dart right up a tiny cul de sac called rue St Suare, you will see the attractive entrance shop Fashion Gallery from the Cours. This place is an Aladdin's cave of boho floaty tops and dresses, amazing detailed and customised jewellery, shoes and belts and the shop is extremely enticing with ceiling covered completely with chandeliers in every colour and dangling clothes rails, belts draped over antique chairs; it's just lovely. Very Sienna Miller. The prices vary a lot; tops from about 20 euros to several hundred euros for brands such as the fabulous French make, Antik Batik. Head onto rue Droite via rue J Gilly and look out for the lovely but expensive toy shop on the left - traditional wooden toys etc for younger children. Rue Droite will take you past several art galleries. One of the nicest is the tiny atelier of Sylvie T, a local artist and former architect who produces beautiful detailed pen and ink watercolours and sketches of Nice. You can buy postcards for a couple of euros or an original etching for about 400 euros. Opposite is the Palais Lascaris - museum shops are always a good source of original presents. I like the look of the simple, almost naive portraits by an artist called Phoebe, corner shop on the left, I would love to commission her to paint my family. Continue along rue Droite and out of the Old Town at Place Garibaldi. Across the sqaure behind Monoprix, the shop at MAMAC the modern art museum has a collection of arty contemporary gifts. At the end of rue Droite turn sharp left and make your way back to the Cours Saleya via rue du Collet, rue de la Boucherie and rue du Marche. There are dozens of tiny shops along these pedestrian roads selling clothes, jewellery, leather, shoes etc a lot of it is quite cheap and cheerful. Look out for a shop called gLOVE me, an excellent source of leather gloves, belts (fitted on the spot), bags and purses in every colour plus a range of scarves and pashminas. It's run by a charming Italian chap, find his shop at 5 rue du Marche. His website gLOVEme.com is still under construction. Other shops worth perusal may be found on rue Barillerie and rue de la Prefecture. Look for L'Habit Magique (handmade linen and silk simple designs plus living stones, see below), Cop Copines (edgy and youthful), Baroque (sister shop to Fashion Gallery) and Heidy Creations for handmade sparkly accessories and bags. A truly original item to buy from Nice would be a handmade 'livingstone' - a cushion styled on the pebbles or galets of Nice beach; each one is named - who could resist a pebble called Edgar. They are the creation of designer Stephanie Marin. Stocked in the small shop at 23 rue de la Prefecture or they might have moved now to Loft - 22/ 27 rue de la Buffa. There's a gorgeous website smarin.net if you want to get your hands on one of these babies. They are functional too, the larger ones form a seating area - a very contemporary sofa. You need to see them so go and press your nose against the shop window. Reviewed by Time Magazine in July 2006. A branch of the smart nautical clotheswear shop Saint James by the Port - buy your classic stripey Bretons here; a second branch may be found in the modern city center on rue de la Liberte. Out of town, the large indoor mall, Cap3000 in St Laurent du Var just west of Nice airport has two floors of the usual shops including a large La Redoute and a branch of Galeries Lafayette larger and selling a different range of goods to the store in Nice. Teenagers could spend hours browsing the trendy exclusive range of back to school/college pens and paraphernalia. Most of the French high street chains are here plus a branch of Mango. Cap3000 is accessed via a number of buses from Nice for 1,30 euros, lignedazur.com for more details. It's a good choice on the odd day in Nice when it pours with rain. If you are in the Port or Riquier area of Nice then don't write off the huge Carrefour supermarket once you've figured out how to get in - entrance is in boulevard General Louis Delfino. It's part of an indoor shopping mall - the Centre Commercial TNL (Tout Nice L'aime - loved by all in Nice) This Carrefour alwell as food drink and household supplies has a good selection of French guide books, clothes, particularly for children and pens, paper, beach items etc. they even stock a small range of Petit Bateau underwear for children. It's great for all the things you may have forgotten or were too heavy to bring and the prices are low. You can buy inline skates, scooters, even bikes from here plus replacements for any accidents in your apartment. The range of chocolates and sweets etc is quite good - an inexpensive place to buy french or Nicoise souvenirs to take home. Close to Carrefour and opposite the train Station Riquier on Place Auguste Blanqui is the homewear shop, Fly, a large shop over two floors. A great place to furnish your apartment cheaply, it's a bit like Ikea, a cheaper version but the goods seem to have improved over the years. The nearest Ikea is in Toulon but I believe one is coming closer to Nice soon. Fly is not an obvious place to find presents for back home or souvenirs but make your way down to the ground floor and there you will find some inspiring bits and bobs, my favourite are the decorated tins - see photo on left, with french words and phrases and pictures on the outside. There are various ones to choose; make-up tins, letters and writing stuff, even a shoe-cleaning kit box, about 15 euros I think, but they are unusual and covetable. Other possibilities for presents may be found the the bathroom section like the inflatable frogs for the bath that hold your soap. There are also any number of tea lights and holders and posters and postcards. All very good value, the kitchen things are nice too - and very french; they would make lovely useful gifts that would be both welcome and practical. I have put a few example of things from their website, (2006 prices) on the right: |
| Contribute to my handbag fund I'm saving up to either run away or buy a Birkin, Running away is the cheaper option. |
| All About Nice |
| Shops and Shopping in Nice "Your Guide to Finding the Best Shops, Souvenirs, Good Things to Buy and General Good Things to Have" |
 |
| Aratto, rue Massena This jewellery makes great presents for friends, sisters etc back home, costs very little and takes up no room in your luggage. |
 |
 |
| Bijoux en verre Cour Saleya Summer evenings only Beautiful contemporary glass jewellery, necklaces with neoprene chains |
 |
 |
| Madame Constantin at her bag stall in the Cours Saleya |
| Great selection of casual bags in suede and soft leather from Wilcost, Cours Saleya |
| What makes a good souvenir? Something that's easy to pack, inexpensive, likely to be appreciated, ideally not available back home and most importantly, something that is unique and special to Nice or French Riviera. The best souvenirs are the ones you decide to keep yourself. This topic raised a few suggestions in the Tripadvisor forum: Souvenir Ideas |
| Have a look at this shop in Provence which will give you a few more ideas with photos of great gifts and souvenirs of Nice and the sort of prices to expect to pay. Typical items are soaps, herbs and a range of homeware fabric items like tablecloths in traditional Provencal colours. I like the garlic grater; a small ceramic saucer with a rough bits in the centre, quick and easy way to grate garlic and it is decorated in provencal colours etc. Plus it's inexpensive and easy to pack. A good set of roads to hunt for presents is to work your way along the Old Town starting from Palais de Justice and head up rue du Marche, rue de la Boucherie, rue du collet, rue St francis and rue du Pairoliere; they all lead into one another and finish at Place Garibaldi. You will find everything you need along these roads. For a free, unique and very personal present, one of the famous 'galets' or pebbles from Nice beach makes a perfect paperweight. My daughter decorated one with her felt tips and I varnished it with clear nail polish, it's one of my most treasured items. I then read that it is forbidden to remove pebbles from the beach. I wasn't the only one though; I saw this postcard with the same idea. |
| I contributed a condensed version of this page toTripadvisor |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
| Bijoux en verre Cour Saleya Summer evenings only |
 |
 |
| Cosmopole, lovely gift shop in the Old Town 9 rue du Collet |
 |
| You'll need a map to plan your route: |
| Get to know your French labels and designers. I love this useful and amusing guide to shops in Paris; many of the shops mentioned have outlets or branches in Nice. |
 |
 |
 |
| Checking out the children's section in Agnes B, Old Nice |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| glass 'J'ai Soif' - I'm thirsty, 2,50 euros |
| French-style baskets 6,50 euros |
| Metal letter-rack 14,90 euros |
| Contribute to my handbag fund I'm saving up to either run away or buy a Birkin, Running away is the cheaper option. |
 |
| Paperweight from Tranparence |
 |
 |
 |
| Decorated storage tins from Fly |
| More handbags than you can shake a stick at. Go to Vintimiglia market in Italy by train from Nice (Vintimille) every Friday morning and in San Remo on Saturday morning |