Colline du Chatêau, Nice

City of Nice with the Colline du Chatêau at the summit in this image from 1691

La Colline du Chatêau, or Castle Hill, is one of the main visitor attractions of Nice on the Côte d’Azur.  It was a military fortification from the 11th to the 18th century, and was the last bastion in the siege of Nice in 1705 by King Louis XIV of France.  After several weeks of siege the town surrendered, but the castle held out until it was reduced to rubble by 113 canons and mortars.  The king ordered that what remained of the bastion be destroyed by explosives, so that nothing of the original structure is now in place. 

Access to the summit is by a lift inside the cliff face; by the tourist train (le petit train); or by a hard slog on foot. But once there you can enjoy a landscaped garden where the castle once stood; panoramic views over the old town and the Cours Saleya with its celebrated flower market;  expansive views of the equally celebrated Promenade des Anglais and the Bay of Angels; and gaze down on the busy port with its luxury yachts and watch the yellow ferries weighing anchor for Corsica.

La Colline du Chatêau was at second place in the Lonely Planet list of '212 things to do in in Nice', while at No. 1 was the Cours Saleya and at No. 4 the fine arts museum with its definitely not-to-be-missed paintings of Nice by Raoul Dufy.

Looking down from the Colline over the old town of Nice

The port of Nice seen from the summit
of the hill

The broad sweep of the Promenade
des Anglais and the Bay of Angels

Cours Saleya, Nice

Cours Saleya in 1890

The Cours Saleya is the main pedestrian thoroughfare in the old town of Nice and the location of one of the main tourist attractions of the city - le Marché aux fleurs (the Flower Market).


The space was originally known as la Marina, then, from 1714, the term Palco was used. The name Cours was first used during the Napoleonic era, and it adopted its present name of le Cours Saleya at the beginning of the 20th Century. Wikepedia France


The Cours runs parallel to the Quai des États-Unis and the bay, and is overlooked by the Colline du Château (Castle Hill) the ancient fortification which dominates the old town.

Cours Saleya to the left as seen from Castle Hill

In 1839, in one of the houses in the Cours, a literary salon was established by one Benoit Visconti, and for more than 50 years it remained an important point of reference for art and literature lovers around the world. It became a place at which the devotees wanted to be seen. Other attractions at the Visconti residence were musical concerts and illuminated noctural festivals. Wikepedia France

In 1861 the municipality created in the Cours a market for fruit and vegetables which was later expanded to include flowers. In the 1980s the market was fully pedestrianised, and is now the home, not only to the Flower Market, but t0 an antiques market, numerous cafés and restaurants, as well as one of the few authentic Irish pubs on the coast: Ma Nolans Irish Bar. And it was rated No. 1 of 212 things to do in Nice and No. 4 of 5,519 places to shop in Europe by Lonely Planet.

A tranquil spot for strollers and shoppers

View across the market to the Colline