People have been taking advantage of Nice's prime real estate for around 400,000 years. Prehistoric settlements have been unearthed at Terra Amata in present-day Nice. Between the 5th and 4th centuries BC, Greeks from Phocaea in Asia Minor founded a trading post called Nikaia (meaning victory) at the foot of the hill that's known today as Le Château. The Romans followed towards the end of the 1st century BC, building Cemenelum (Cimiez) nearby and making it the provincial capital. Between the 3rd and 10th centuries AD, invasions by Germanic tribes and Muslim warriors (Saracens) pushed much of the population down the Le Château hill towards the sea, and Cemenelum's importance dwindled in favour of Nikaia. In 974 William, Count of Provence, chased the Saracens out of eastern Provence and united the region. Provence joined the Holy Roman Empire in 1032, and its forestry, fishing, viniculture and maritime commerce flourished. The 12th century saw the region split in two: the north fell into the hands of the counts of Toulouse, while the Catalan counts of Barcelona gained control of the southern part. In 1229 Nice was incorporated into the Catalan Comté de Provence (County of Provence) by Count Raymond Bérenger V (1209-45), who thus gained better control of eastern Provence and the southern Alps. Following Raymond's death the county passed to the House of Anjou and enjoyed great prosperity. The death in 1388 of Countess Jean de Provence prompted a war of succession, which was settled by the incorporation of the Comté de Nice (essentially today's Alpes-Maritime department) into the lands of Italy's House of Savoy. During the next 400 years there were only two brief periods of French rule: 1706-13, when Louis XIV occupied the city, and 1792-1814, when the new French Republic took control. Following the fall of Napoleon, the Comté de Nice was ceded to Victor Emmanuel I, king of Sardinia. It remained under Sardinian protectorship until 1860, when an agreement between Napoleon III and the House of Savoy assisted in the removal of the Austrians from northern Italy, prompting France to repossess Savoy and the Nice area. During the 19th century Nice took off as a beach resort, and was one of the first cities in Europe to develop a purely tourist-based economy. The seaside destination was particularly popular with the English aristocracy, who followed Queen Victoria's example of wintering in the mild climate. Between 1860 and 1911 Nice was the fastest-growing city in Europe, and new rail links and roads opened it up to the rest of the continent. The city received an exotic facelift, with luxuriant palms, wattles and eucalypts imported from Australia, and fantastical belle époque buildings like the Nice Opera House and the neoclassical Justice Palace. Artists such as Cézanne, van Gogh and Matisse flocked to the area, attracted by the beautiful scenery and luminous light. The first guidebook to the region was published in 1887 by a lawyer-cum-aspiring poet who gave it its name: the Côte d'Azur (literally 'Azure Coast').

Although southern France saw no action in WWI, soldiers were conscripted from the region and many lives were lost. In the 1920s the region once more became a mecca for artists and writers (including Ernest Hemingway, F Scott Fitzgerald, Aldous Huxley and Thomas Mann). The luxurious Train Bleu made its first run from Calais, via Paris, to the Côte d'Azur in 1922, and in 1927 the coast's first casino was opened in the Palais de la Méditerranée on Nice's promenade des Anglais. Jazz came to town and Nice's nightlife gained a reputation for being cutting-edge. Nice was included in the 'free' Vichy France zone during the first part of WWII, and became a safe haven from war-torn occupied France. Vichy France was invaded by Nazi Germany in November 1942, and Nice was occupied by the Italians. Allied forces landed on the Côte d'Azur in August 1944, and the region was liberated. It didn't take Nice long to bounce back, and the bohemian jet set soon returned. When Algeria negotiated its independence from France in 1962, Nice's population was further boosted by an influx of refugees from North Africa. In the 1980s and early '90s politics in Nice were marred by corruption. The right-wing mayor Jacques Médecin was twice found guilty of income tax evasion during his 24-year mayorship (1966-90). In neighbouring Hyères, Yann Piat of the French National Assembly was assassinated by local Mafia.

Municipal shenanigans, coupled with economic recession and rising unemployment, fuelled the popularity of the Front National (FN) in the Côte d'Azur. The FN has never enjoyed the same degree of popular support in the rest of France. The current mayor of Nice, Jacques Peyrat, was formerly a member of the FN but is now aligned with the conservative coalition (UMP). He was initially elected in 1995 and was re-elected in 2001.Two years later his nemesis, chief prosecutor Eric de Montgolfier, alleged that some of the city's judiciary were in the habit of derailing judicial process by dismissing cases involving public personalities who frequented the same Masonic lodges. Although the allegations were strenuously denied, they did confirm some people's suspicions that - underneath the metropolis' bustling glamour - something's rotten in the city of Nice.

The landscape of the Alpes-Maritime area is perfect for a variety of activities, including hiking, mountain biking and horse riding in the nearby Parc National du Mercantour. For downhill skiing, the closest resort is Gréolières (1400-1800m/4600-5900ft), which is 60km (37mi) away.

The cheapest fare in town and it's good. Split into two sides (order food on one and drinks on the other), this is a great, casual place for tapas-style bites like spiced fish cakes, washed down with local wine.

2 rue Miralhéti

Vieux Nice

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The Italian vegetarian 'magic pumpkin' is packed with regulars, along with a profusion of pumpkins and squash. Book ahead, and bring an appetite: lunch comprises four set dishes plus dessert (five for dinner), depending on what chef Marco Folicaldi finds at the markets.

4bis quai Papacino

City Centre

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Locals love this inexpensive socca joint in Nice's ambient old town, making it a prime bet for visitors to taste-test authentic Niçois cuisine. Socca is a local treat, a sort of savoury chickpea pancake.

5 rue Ste-Réparate

Vieux Nice

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Odace has inhabited the rather large shoes left by Le Grand Escurial, a dance venue that claimed to be the largest on the French Riviera. Reminiscent of Paris's Buddha Bar, you can kick back for lazy cocktails and nibbles in mock-Asian surrounds while laid-back tunes filter through the air.

29 Rue Alphonse Karr

City Centre

telephone or fax: 

Web: http://www.grandescurial.com

Away from the centre and the old town, this ultra-cool bar in the space-age Hôtel Hi has a dancefloor and DJs playing house and other bleep-bleep three nights a week. It's a fairly quiet bar the rest of the time.

3 av des Fleurs

W of Vieux Nice

telephone or fax: 

Web: http://www.hotel-hi-nice.cote.azur.fr

Thor Pub is a Scandinavian-themed, unashamedly boisterous backpacker haunt. It has all the trademarks of a raucous night out, including an extra-long happy hour and rockin' bands cranking out the tunes until late. This isn't the place to take your maiden aunt but if you need to become one with young folk of all nations, this is the spot.

34 cours Saleya

Vieux Nice

telephone or fax: 

Web: http://www.thor-pub.com

The brilliant freshly renovated Musée National Message Biblique Marc Chagall northeast of the train station is a must-see. It houses the largest public collection of the Russian-born artist's seminal paintings of Old Testament scenes. Be sure to peek through a plate-glass window across a reflecting pond to view a mosaic of the rose window at Metz Cathedral.

4 av Docteur Ménard

Cimiez

cnr blvd Cimiez

telephone or fax: 

Web: http://www.musee-chagall.fr

The Matisse Museum is Cimiez' biggest drawcard. The museum's collection spans the artist's productive life, including drawings, bronze sculptures, oil paintings and cut-out canvases. The permanent collection is housed in a 17th-century Genoese villa overlooking an ancient olive grove, while temporary exhibitions are held in the futuristic basement building.

164 ave des Arènes de Cimiez

2.5km N of Nice city centre

on the hill of Cimiez

Cimiez

telephone or fax: 

Web: http://www.musee-matisse-nice.org

Crowned by six onion domes, the multicoloured Cathédrale Orthodoxe Russe St-Nicolas (Russian Orthodox Cathedral of St-Nicolas) was built between 1902 and 1912 in early-17th-century style. This church was designed to resemble St-Basile in Moscow. Inside, the frescoes, icons and panelling smack of Imperial Russia. Dress codes apply.

opposite 17 blvd du Tzaréwich

Ave Nicholas II

W of Gare Nice Ville

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This is a shady public park where local families come to stroll and admire the panoramic views of Nice and the sparkling Baie des Anges. It's a great place for a lazy-day escape or to beat the heat on a summer afternoon or catch an open-air concert. To get to the top of the château, take the lift from under the Tour Bellanda.

east end of quai des États-Unis

Vieux Nice

prices:

Designed by Yves Bayard and Henri Vidal, the Musée d'Art Moderne et d'Art Contemporain (Marmac) is worth a visit for its stunning architecture alone, but it also houses some fantastic avant-garde art from the 1960s to the present, including iconic pop art from Roy Lichtenstein, and Andy Warhol's 1965 Campbell's Soup Can.

av St-Jean Baptiste

Vieux Nice

telephone or fax: 

Web: http://www.mamac-nice.org

A country's hero often turns out to be from somewhere else. Giuseppe Garibaldi (1807-1882), Italian nationalist and wearer of a big moustache and beard, was born in Nice. Place Garibaldi, in Vieux Nice, is named after him.

Aéroport International Nice-Côte d'Azur (www.nice.aeroport.fr) is 6km (3.7mi) west of Nice. Over 40 national and international airlines fly in and out of Nice, and services to Paris are very frequent. Several bus companies link Nice with domestic and international destinations. If you'd rather travel by rail, there are fast trains running all along the coast and an infrequent TGV (high-speed train) service to Paris - you may find it quicker to catch a train to Marseille and change there. Regular ferries sail from Nice to Corsica.

When the Communauté d'Agglomération Nice Côte d'Azur (the Nice Côte d'Azur Community of Municipalities, which comprises 24 towns) was created in 2005, a new public transport provider was established called Ligne d'azur. Some of the public transport changes introduced since then include a single fare system for all 24 towns and modified fares and itineraries. The website (www.lignedazur.com) has all the details. At the time of writing, unlimited travel for one day costs 4 euros which entitles you to travel on the new express bus services (98 and 99) that travel between downtown Nice and the airport.The city is building a new tramway, which is expected to be completed later this year. It will run north and east from Place Massena - north all the way to the Nice football stadium; east along Jean Jaures and around the Old town and through Place Garibaldi to points in the city's far east. Trams will run from 05:00- 01:00 daily.If you'd rather drive, there are plenty of car rental companies to choose from. Exploring the centre of town is best done on foot, but having your own wheels can be helpful for discovering the rest of the Côte d'Azur. Of course, travelling by sea is another option; rent a yacht and live the high life - if only for a day.