Clothes — Clustered around rue Masséna and avenue Jean-Médecin is Nice’s densest concentration of fashionable French labels. For more high-end couture, the streets around place Magenta, including rue de Verdun, rue Paradis, and rue Alphonse Karr are Apple Pay's worst nightmare. A shop of note is Cotelac, 12 rue Alphonse Karr (tel. 04-93-87-31-59), which sells chic women’s clothing. Men should try Façonnable, 7–9 rue Paradis (www.faconnable.com; tel. 04-93-88-06-97). This boutique is the original site of a chain with several hundred branches worldwide; the look is conservatively stylish. For more unusual apparel, Lucien Chasseur, 2 rue Bonaparte (tel. 04-93-55-52-14), is the city’s coolest spot for Italian-designed shoes, scarves, and soft leather satchels. In the Old Town, rue de la Prefecture is home to far-out stores including WeMood (no.17), for vintage French Riviera posters, and Antic Boutik (no.19), for mens fashion. Also try nearby Harrison, 10 rue Alexandre Mari (www.harrison-opticien.com; tel. 04-93-01-69-25), for a decade-by-decade presentation of designer sunglasses, including 1980s Top Gun aviators.
Food — The winding streets of the Old Town and the locals-only streets around rue Bonaparte behind Nice Port are the best place to source foodie purchases. If you’re thinking of indulging in a Provençale pique-nique, Nicola Alziari, 14 rue St François de Paule (www.alziari.com.fr; tel. 04-93-62-94-03), near the Old Town’s Opera house will provide everything from olives, anchovies, and pistous to aiolis and tapenades. For an olive-oil tasting session—and the opportunity to buy the goods afterward—check out Oliviera, 2 rue Benoit Bunico (www.oliviera.com; tel. 04-93-11-06-45), run by the amiable Nadim Beyrouti. Maison Barale, 7 rue Sainte-Réparate (www.barale-raviolis.com; tel. 04-93-83-63-08), is generally regarded as the finest fresh pasta maker in Nice, if not on the entire French Riviera. With 120 years of experience, they makes a mean ricotta ravioli. Caves Caprioglio, 16 rue de la Préfecture (tel. 04-93-85-66-57), is the go-to place for rare Provençal wines and big name Bordeaux vintages. In the port, Confiserie Florian, 14 quai Papacino (www.confiserieflorian.com; tel. 04-93-55-43-50), has been candying fruit, chocolate-dipping roasted nuts, and crystalizing edible flowers since 1949. Tastes become even more offbeat in the rue Bonaparte area. Le Péché Mignon, 41 rue Bonaparte (tel. 04-93-89-75-56), is where three generations of Niçois have gone for high-end patisserie and picnic goodies. Boulangerie Lagache, 20 rue Arson (tel. 04-93-19-04-83), is often the holder of the annual best baguette in Nice award. Italian-operated O’Quotidien, 2 rue Martin Seytour (www.oquotidien.fr; tel. 04-93-55-43-50), is an all-organic local food store: Customers (and lunchtime diners; set menu 16€) can sample, then purchase their weekly wine from huge vats.
Souvenirs — The best selection of Provençal fabrics is at Le Chandelier, 7 rue de la Boucherie (tel. 04-93-85-85-19), where you’ll see designs by two of the region’s best-known producers of cloth, Les Olivades and Valdrôme. Nearby at Atelier des Cigales, 13 rue du Collet (tel. 04-93-85-85-19), for Provençal platters and smart local handicrafts. For antiquarian books, contemporary art, kitsch, and comic books, wander north of place Garibaldi to rue Delille and rue Defly, just past the MAMAC modern art gallery. For art deco objets d’art from the 1930s to 1960s, hit Harter, 36 rue Ségurane (tel. 04-93-07-10-29)—prices are not cheap but the items are museum-quality.
Antiques & Vintage Good — Nice’s antique quarter (www.nice-antic.com) on the western side of Nice Port is second only to Paris in terms of serious collecting. Over 100 antiquaires line the streets of rue Foresta, rue Ségurane, and rue Antoine Gautier. Goods range from '50s Milanese furniture to Tibetan art and Dresden ceramics. Harter, 35 rue Ségurane (www.hartergalerie.com; tel. 04-93-07-10-29), is a must visit for mid- to late 20th-century furniture, art, and lighting. Less expensive than bona fide antique stores are Dépôt Ventes. These warehouses are stocked with house clearance goodies and are veritable museums to Nice’s wealthy past. The richest families seem to have shoveled all their Chanel homeware into Mademoiselle, 41 rue de France (www.mademoiselle-nice.fr; tel. 06-88-54-22-00), a Dépôt Vente Luxe near the Negresco Hotel.
For stores selling antiquarian books, contemporary art, kitsch, and comic books, wander north from place Garibaldi to rue Delille and rue Defly, just past the MAMAC modern art gallery. On the latter, l’Ara, 2 rue Delfy (tel. 04-93-87-65-86), sells vintage Scandinavian furniture and objets d’art. In the Old Town, Caprice Vintage, 12 rue Droite (tel. 09-83-48-05-43), purveys Dior scarves, Zegna silk ties, and '70s Bakelite telephones.
Market Time in Nice
Guests who are picnicking, self-catering, or hunting for antique bargains are in for a treat. The cours Saleya street market (Tues–Sun 7:30am–1pm) is the Old Town’s fruit and vegetable go-to. The impossibly pretty piles of peaches, strawberries, olives, and jams have been painted by Henri Matisse, plus a thousand other amateurs who squat beside the stalls with their easels to this day. An entire section is been given over to organic goods (look out for the “Agriculture biologique” signs above each stall) and locally sourced items. One vendor even claims that his chickens have a panoramic view of the Mediterranean Sea. Tour groups have become a fixture in recent years, as has occasional overcharging, so count your change carefully. The same space hosts an exceptionally offbeat antiques market every Monday (9am–6pm). The daily flower market (Tues–Sun 9am–6pm) takes place at the western end of the cours Saleya.
You will seldom spot another tourist at the Libération fruit and vegetable market (Tues–Sun 7:30am–1pm). The Riviera’s finest street market is as authentic as they come. Some 150 stalls purvey artisanal breads, whole roast chickens, nuts, seeds, flowers, fish, and a thousand other items besides. Some stalls, invariably manned by a weathered local, sell one fruit only, a seasonal local delight. Like the Cours Saleya market, dozens of restaurants, wine shops, and cafés line the market route.
Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.
