Nice, France

There is a moment every evening in Nice when the heat softens, the church bells drift across the rooftops and the city seems to exhale. By then, the market stalls have packed away, the shutters are half-closed and locals begin gathering at tiny tables tucked into corners of the old town. The light turns everything the colour of honey. It was my favourite time of day.

Hôtel du Couvent

Our stay at Hôtel du Couvent began as a hotel booking and ended as one of those rare travel experiences that reshapes the rhythm of an entire trip. Perched above Vieux Nice beneath Castle Hill, the former convent feels wonderfully removed from the energy of the city below. The climb through the old town is steep, although the hotel thoughtfully offers a cart service to collect guests, winding its way through narrow laneways before arriving at a hidden world of gardens, stone pathways and quiet courtyards.The sensation on arrival is immediate. Not luxury. Relief. The kind that comes from stepping into a place that doesn't feel the need to impress.

The Visitandine Balcony Room

Our room reflected everything we loved about the property. Simple linen curtains moved softly in the afternoon breeze. Ancient stone walls carried centuries of history while the interiors remained warm and understated. Timber, natural fibres and beautiful craftsmanship replaced the usual distractions of modern luxury hotels. The room felt monastic in spirit but entirely indulgent in comfort .Each evening we returned from the old town tired from walking and happily sun-soaked, and every evening the room felt cooler, quieter and calmer than the city below. It became a place to retreat rather than simply sleep.

A Hotel That Functions Like a Village

What makes Hôtel du Couvent remarkable isn't any individual space. It's the collection of them. The property unfolds gradually over several days.

Pathways lead to herb gardens scented with rosemary and lavender. Hidden corners reveal quiet benches beneath citrus trees. There is a herbalist's shop that immediately had me imagining what an Esplora version might look like, filled with botanical oils, remedies, teas and objects connected to the landscape around it.

Then there are the Roman baths. Beautifully restrained and wonderfully restorative, they quickly became part of our daily ritual. Some mornings we found ourselves there before breakfast. Other afternoons we arrived intending to stay briefly and emerged nearly an hour later without any idea of time.

Above it all sits the pool. One of the most beautiful vantage points in Nice. The rooftops of the old town stretch below while church domes and hills rise beyond. Swallows wheel overhead. The sounds of the city drift upwards on the breeze. It is impossible to hurry there.

Mornings at the Bakery

If I could bring one thing home from Hôtel du Couvent, it would be the mornings. The bakery sits at the heart of the property and quickly became the anchor for our days. The smell of fresh bread reaches you before you arrive. Guests and locals gather together over coffee and pastries, creating a lovely sense of connection between the hotel and the community around it. Every morning started with good intentions. A quick coffee. A single pastry. Every morning ended exactly the same way. Another coffee. One more pastry. And a reluctance to leave. The croissants were exceptional, but it was the atmosphere that lingered. The simple pleasure of nowhere else to be.

Why We Loved Vieux Nice

The old town is gloriously imperfect. Laundry hangs from balconies. Paint peels from centuries-old shutters. Tiny chapels hide between apartment buildings. The streets twist and narrow before suddenly opening into vibrant piazzas full of conversation and music. Some of our favourite discoveries happened by accident. A florist spilling onto the footpath. A tiny antique shop hidden behind an unmarked door. A courtyard we'd somehow walked past three times before noticing. The best way to experience Nice is simply to wander. Without a map. Without a plan. Without worrying whether you're heading in the right direction.

Swimming Before Dinner

One evening we left the hotel early and headed towards the water. The beaches in Nice are entirely different from those at home. Smooth stones replace sand and the Mediterranean shifts between shades of blue that never seem entirely real. We climbed into the sea before dinner and floated for a while as the afternoon faded. The sound of waves rolling across the stones is something I'll remember long after the details of the trip begin to blur. There is a rhythm to it. A soundtrack to the Riviera.

Dinner at Le Plongeoir

If there is one reservation worth making in advance, it's Le Plongeoir. Dramatically suspended above the sea, the restaurant occupies one of the most extraordinary settings in France. Our advice is simple. Arrive early. Have a drink downstairs before dinner. Sit close to the water. Watch swimmers making their way back towards shore. Listen to the Mediterranean moving against the rocks below. It's one of those rare places where the anticipation becomes part of the experience. By the time we sat down for dinner, we already knew it would become one of those evenings we'd talk about long after returning home.

The Shops We'd Return To

Shopping in Nice isn't really about shopping at all. It's about wandering. Some of our favourite discoveries happened when we were on our way somewhere else entirely. We'd turn down a side street in Vieux Nice, notice a beautiful display in a window, and suddenly an hour had disappeared. The stores we found ourselves drawn to all had something in common. They felt personal. Thoughtfully assembled rather than commercially curated. The sort of places where every object feels chosen rather than ordered.

One afternoon we spent far longer than intended inside Trésors Publics, drawn in by its beautifully edited collection of homewares, artisan-made objects and pieces that felt distinctly French without feeling predictable. It was one of those stores where every shelf offered another idea to bring home.

We also loved ICI Concept Store, a wonderful mix of design, fashion, books and lifestyle objects. The kind of place that reminds you how beautifully the French approach everyday living. Nothing felt excessive. Everything felt considered.

Beyond the boutiques, some of our favourite hours were spent exploring the antique quarter around the Port district. We wandered in and out of small dealers and hidden galleries, discovering weathered terracotta vessels, antique linen, silver serving pieces and ceramics that looked as though they had spent decades in family homes along the Mediterranean. These were the treasures we found hardest to leave behind. A beautifully faded tablecloth. An imperfect ceramic bowl. A set of vintage oyster plates that somehow convinced us we needed a larger suitcase.

One of my favourite discoveries was Caprice Vintage, tucked away in the old town. More like stepping into the wardrobe of a stylish French friend than a traditional vintage store, every piece seemed to carry a history of its own. But the truth is, the places that stayed with us weren't necessarily the ones marked on a map. They were the tiny linen merchants where shelves overflowed with textiles softened by time. The family-run perfumeries scented with orange blossom and fig. The small artisan workshops where the person making the pieces was often standing behind the counter. These are the places I always find myself searching for when travelling. Not souvenirs. Not trends. Just beautiful objects connected to a place and the people who live there.

Perhaps that's why Nice felt so aligned with the spirit of Esplora. Everywhere we turned, there was evidence of craftsmanship, of collecting rather than consuming, of living with fewer things but better things. And those are the discoveries that stay with us long after we've unpacked our bags.

Art, Light & The Creative Spirit of Nice

It's impossible to spend time in Nice without understanding why so many artists chose to stay. The light feels different here. It bounces off the Mediterranean, reflects against pale stone buildings and settles across the city in a way that softens every colour. By late afternoon, even the simplest doorway feels worthy of a painting. As we wandered through the city, we found ourselves thinking often about the artists who fell under its spell long before us.

Henri Matisse famously arrived on the Riviera and never quite left. Looking out across the sea or walking through the gardens and old streets of Nice, it's easy to understand why. The vivid blues, warm ochres and softness of the Mediterranean light seem to appear everywhere, not just in his paintings but in the city itself.

A visit to the Musée Matisse offered a beautiful insight into his relationship with the region, but what stayed with us most was the feeling that his work still belongs here. The colours, the energy, the warmth and sense of ease all feel inseparable from Nice.

We were equally captivated by the Musée Marc Chagall. Surrounded by gardens and filled with extraordinary works, it feels less like a museum and more like an intimate conversation with the artist. There is a quietness to the space that encourages you to slow down and spend time with each piece.

Yet some of our favourite artistic moments happened away from the museums altogether. They happened while walking. A beautifully weathered façade in Vieux Nice. Sunlight spilling across terracotta walls. A row of green shutters framed by climbing jasmine. The arrangement of fruit and flowers in a market stall. The colours of handmade ceramics sitting in a gallery window. Art feels woven into everyday life here. Perhaps that's why Nice continues to attract painters, designers, photographers and makers. There is creativity everywhere, but it never feels forced. It simply exists as part of the landscape.

We loved visiting smaller galleries throughout the city as much as the more established institutions. Spaces like Galerie Eva Vautier reminded us that Nice remains a city that nurtures contemporary creativity while still honouring its artistic past. These smaller galleries felt approachable and personal, offering the kind of unexpected discoveries that often become the most memorable parts of a trip.

What resonated most was how closely the city's creative spirit mirrors the values we are constantly seeking out through Esplora. Craftsmanship over trend. Beauty with character. Objects, artworks and interiors that tell a story. The longer we spent in Nice, the more we realised that it isn't simply a city filled with art. It is a city that lives artfully. And perhaps that's the reason so many creatives have fallen in love with it for generations. The inspiration isn't confined to gallery walls. It's found in the light, the architecture, the gardens, the sea and the slower rhythm of life itself. Those are the details we carried home with us. And, much like a beautiful artwork, they continue to reveal something new each time we revisit the memory.

What Stayed With Us

When I think about Nice now, I don't immediately think about landmarks. I think about the smell of bread drifting through a convent garden. The view from the pool as the city turned gold. Wandering the old town with no destination in mind. The sound of waves rolling over stones before dinner. A pastry that was too good not to order again. The stillness of the Roman baths. The coolness of our room after a long day in the sun. The best places leave you feeling as though you've briefly borrowed another way of living. Hôtel du Couvent and Nice did exactly that. And for a little while, we were happy to let them set the pace.