Cours Saleya, Pedestrian market street in Nice, France
Cours Saleya is a wide pedestrian street running through Nice's old town that fills with flower stalls, vegetable vendors, and craft stands each morning. The street naturally divides into separate zones, each focused on different types of goods and merchandise.
In the early 18th century the street was called Palco and served as a public promenade. It was later converted into a car park before eventually becoming a pedestrian zone in modern times.
The market serves as a daily meeting point where local residents shop for flowers, vegetables, and regional products together. This everyday habit connects generations to the same routines and rituals.
The market lies parallel to Quai des Etats Unis and operates each morning except Mondays, when antique dealers set up instead. Visit early to see the best selection before vendors break down their stalls around midday.
The setup of this market follows a surprisingly choreographed pattern where flower vendors arrive early while other merchants come later, and this unwritten schedule has developed over decades without official coordination. This organic rhythm keeps the market functioning smoothly despite its busy design.
Location: Nice
GPS coordinates: 43.69560,7.27504
Latest update: December 6, 2025 17:40
Nice reveals much more than its beaches and the famous Promenade des Anglais. This collection invites you to discover the treasures that Niçois cherish daily: the Castle Hill Park overlooking ancient ruins, the Matisse and Marc Chagall museums housing exceptional collections, and the Cimiez Monastery surrounded by gardens. These sites narrate the story of a city shaped by diverse influences, from the Orthodox Saint Nicholas Cathedral to the alleys of the Old Town. From the flower market at Cours Saleya, where local accents can be heard, to Fort Mont Alban perched on the heights, each location offers a different experience of Nice. Some places, like the Louis Nucéra Library with its modern architecture, showcase the city's contemporary face. Others, more subtle, allow you to grasp the essence of a Mediterranean city where history and daily life blend effortlessly.
Nice combines museums, parks and coastal areas in a city between hills and the Mediterranean. The Marc Chagall Museum holds the largest public collection of his works, while the Matisse Museum is devoted to the paintings and sculptures of an artist who spent many years here. Castle Hill offers views over the rooftops and the water, and the Promenade des Anglais follows the shoreline. The Saint Nicholas Russian Orthodox Cathedral is the largest of its kind in Western Europe and stands in a quiet neighborhood north of the center. Parc du Mont Boron spreads across wooded slopes with trails for walking. Place Masséna marks the heart of the city with red facades and open squares. Port Lympia lies east of the old town and keeps the feel of a working harbor. These places show different sides of Nice, from art to nature to everyday life by the sea.
The French Riviera between Monaco and Saint-Tropez features a diverse architectural heritage reflecting centuries of history. Visitors can explore medieval villages such as the historic center of Grasse, known as the perfume capital since the 16th century, or Saint-Paul-de-Vence, home to the Maeght Foundation and its modern art collection. The region also has Belle Époque buildings like the Negresco Hotel in Nice, along with 20th-century architectural creations such as the Palais Bulles in Théoule-sur-Mer. Mediterranean gardens are another attraction along this coastal area. The Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild in Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat has nine themed gardens with vegetation suited to the local climate. The Bastide du Roy in Antibes preserves its geometric gardens and century-old olive trees. The coastline offers several vantage points overlooking the Mediterranean Sea, notably from the Le Corbusier Promenade connecting Cap Martin to Monaco over two miles, or from coves like Coco Beach where rocks and pebbles enable swimming and marine life observation.
Nice naturally lends itself to photography. The Mediterranean light shapes the city from morning to evening, revealing in turn the ochre facades of Old Nice, the palms lining the Promenade des Anglais, or the blue domes of Saint-Nicolas Orthodox Cathedral. From the Château hilltop, at 92 meters high, the view encompasses the entire bay, while below, Place Masséna displays its geometric paving stones and red facades. The flower market at Cours Saleya, established since the 17th century, extends to Lympia Port where yellow facades reflect in the water, each neighborhood forming a different scene. The Negresco Hotel with its pink dome marks the coastline, and the Matisse Museum shares the painter's love for the light of the South. Nice offers a variety of viewpoints, making it a preferred destination for those interested in capturing the architecture, colors, and vitality of a city oriented toward the Mediterranean.
Opéra de Nice
201 m
Palais Lascaris
294 m
Neuf Lignes Obliques
322 m
Palais de la Préfecture
89 m
Église Sainte-Rita de Nice
127 m
Chapelle de la Miséricorde de Nice
34 m
Church of Gesù, Nice
227 m
Town hall of Nice
292 m
Église Saint-François-de-Paule
227 m
Statue de Masséna
286 m
Chapelle du Saint-Suaire
181 m
Ancien palais du Sénat
181 m
Chapelle Sainte-Croix de Nice
336 m
Pipe organs of Cathédrale Sainte-Réparate de Nice
192 m
Tour de l'Horloge
175 m
Palais d'York
183 m
Place Rossetti
205 m
Palais Hongran
160 m
Opera plage
235 m
Sun fountain
370 m
Maison Adam et Ève
131 m
Plage des Ponchettes
105 m
Castel plage
332 m
Maison, 15 rue Alexandre-Mari
152 m
Immeuble du 14 rue Droite
308 m
Cascade de la colline du Château
365 m
Immeuble, 22 rue de la Préfecture
137 m
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