Nice · Things to do

Museum devoted to Henri Matisse on the Cimiez hill above the city, inaugurated in 1963 and carrying the national Musée de France label. Tickets are sold through the museum's own online system, and the hill is a bus ride or a steady climb up from the centre.

Belle Époque villa at 1 avenue Ephrussi de Rothschild in Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, between Nice and Monaco, with an art collection and nine themed gardens including French, Spanish, Florentine, Japanese, exotic and Provençal. Open daily 10:00 to 19:00, with a tea salon and restaurant on site; it makes a half-day trip out of the city.

Municipal park of seven hectares near the airport end of the Promenade, holding about 2,500 plant species and 2,000 animals across mammals, birds, fish, reptiles, insects and a farm section, plus a tree-climbing course. Aimed squarely at a half day rather than a quick look.

The hill closing the east end of the old town, with the remains of the former citadel and the widest view over the bay, the roofs of Vieux Nice and the port. Free to walk into; you can take the steps up from the seafront or the lift near the Tour Bellanda if you would rather not climb.

The market strip running through Vieux Nice, with flowers and produce through the morning most days and an antiques and bric-a-brac market on Mondays instead. Go early: it is a working market and the stalls start packing up around lunchtime.