walk & eat around NICE

by John and Pat Underwood

This new 6th edition has been revised on the ground just a few months before publication — especially important in view of the considerable tram extensions in the city. The walking maps in the guide now include waypoints, and free downloadable GPS tracks are available for all the walks.

This pocket-sized full-colour guide to walking in Nice and the Côte d’Azur is designed for short-break walking holidays using the excellent public transport services. Nice is easily and inexpensively reached by several budget airlines, and the climate makes for brilliant walking and excursions all year round.

Even ‘non-walkers’ will appreciate the large-scale plan of Nice centre, descriptions of the sights, and recommendations for restaurants in Nice and places like Cap Ferrat, La Turbie, Menton, Théoule-sur-Mer. For each suggested restaurant there is a photograph of the décor and one of their dishes, sample menu, price guide, opening times, and a recipe for one of their specialities.

Other sections include: planning your trip, logistics on arrival, local markets and specialities, a glossary of local food terms, and a restaurant mini-vocabulary. A special feature is an emphasis on natural local foods suitable for those with food intolerances. All recipes have been made by the authors and are known to ‘work’.

12 walks and 2 fairly long excursions — one by train and one by bus, with walks from each
144 pages + plan of Nice; area map; 1:35,000 topo maps for the countryside walks
6th ed, 2020; ISBN 978-1-85691-532-8; UK retail price £8.99 / USA retail price $15.00

Table of contents:

PLAN OF CENTRAL NICE inside front cover

INTRODUCTION 4
the walks 5
the excursions 5
the restaurants 6
the recipes 6
planning your visit 7
when to go 7
where to stay 8
what to take 8
planning your walks 10
verifying timetables in advance 12
on arrival 15
city bus pass 15
tourist information 15
shopping for self-catering 16
markets 17

Walk 1 · on the rooftops of nice 20
restaurants: café de turin and rené socca in nice 26
recipes: socca and petits farcis (stuffed vegetables) 30

Walk 2 · mont chauve d’aspremont 32
restaurant: hostellerie d’aspremont 39
recipe: roast leg of lamb with juniper, garlic and rosemary 41

Walk 3 · peillon and peille 42
restaurant: auberge de la madone in peillon 48
recipe: christmas-day pheasant (in brandy cream sauce) 49

Walk 4 · around cap ferrat 50
restaurants: various around cap ferrat, le pot d’étain in nice 55
recipes: cassoulet, potato cake, chocolate cake 58

Walk 5 · to the esterel 62
restaurants: various in théoule, la mère besson in cannes 66
recipes: chicken with tarragon and cream, bourride (fish stew) 67

Walk 6 · la turbie and èze 70
restaurants: various in la turbie and èze 76
recipe: caramelized rabbit with lemon 78

Walk 7 · ste-agnès and castellar 80
restaurants: various in ste-agnès, monti, castellar, menton 85
recipe: menton lemon tarte 87

Walk 8 · cap martin 88
restaurants: roquebrune, le canne à sucre in nice 91
recipes: turbot or halibut, in wine or à la provençale 92

EXCURSION 1 · train des pignes 94

MAP OF THE NICE HINTERLAND 96
restaurants: various in entrevaux and annot 101
recipe: daube à la provençale (beef stew in red wine) 102
restaurant: caffé promenade in nice 103

Walk 9 · above puget-théniers 104
restaurants: various in puget-théniers 108
recipe: lamb stew with chestnuts 109

Walk 10 · grès d’annot 110
recipe: osso bucco nice-style 115

EXCURSION 2 · gorges du cians 116

Walk 11 · above beuil 120
restaurants: various in beuil 125
recipes: various chestnut recipes, blettes (chard) à la provençale 126

Walk 12 · cime de l’arpiha 128
restaurant: les trois vallées at the col de turini 132
recipe: venison steaks with blackberry sauce 133

EAT GF, DF 134
eating in restaurants 135
self-catering 136
gf, df shopping 137
gf, df cooking; conversion tables 138

GLOSSARY (menu items, shopping terms) 140
INDEX 143
IN the restaurant (pocket vocabulary) inside back cover