Sunflower Books: WALK & EAT NICE

2nd edition (2008); updated 02/11/08

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Updates for the walks, restaurants, shops and recipes in Nice and the surrounding area given below supplement those provided in the guidebook. It is vital that this Update is read in conjunction with the text of the book, but note that the Update applies only to the edition stated and not to any earlier editions. (If you have an older edition of this book and want to "upgrade" to the latest edition at half price, click here.)

Information has been forwarded to us by users of the book, and Sunflower Books offers the data in good faith but cannot be held responsible for any misleading or inaccurate content in the Update. Unless indicated otherwise, what appears here has not been verified by the author or publisher, so please allow due caution when new or amended routes are suggested. Each piece of information is dated; bear in mind that some of the older observations may have since been overtaken by events or further changes. If, during your holiday, you are using the current edition of the guide and are able to provide any additional updating to add to this page, we will be pleased to hear from you. Please send information, preferably in hard copy, by post, to Sunflower Books, PO Box 115, Exeter EX2 6YU (or if you prefer, by e-mail, to mail@sunflowerbooks.co.uk).

General: Dear John and Pat, I've been over to Nice a few times in the past 12 months and on 3 of those occasions I have taken walks from your wonderful book. I have done "Rooftops of Nice" (Walk 1), "Around Cap Ferrat" (Walk 4), and most recently "La Turbie and Eze" (Walk 6). I have really enjoyed the walks, they have all been beautiful and your guide is excellent. So I just wanted to say thank you for writing such a great book, it has really opened up my eyes to the wonderful views, scenery and character of the area - plus the tranquillity of the walks is a therapy in itself! (User, 8/08)

Transport: Just as we left Nice in Jan 2008, an article in the local paper announced '1 Euro to cross the whole department [of Alpes Maritimes]'. It was too late for us to check, but do look into this! The article implied that if you were to board a city bus (Ligne Azur) for the bus station and then go on to Menton, for instance, with TAM, you would pay only 1 Euro. The journey has to be completed in 2h30min. Tell the driver of the first bus your final destination, and he will give you a ticket - hang on to this, in case anyone on the second (or third!) bus wants to check. It sounds too good to be true - Beuil for 1 Euro? We look forward to any reports from users until we return later this year. (Pat & John, 2/08)

Ligne d'Azur bus station (page 15): This has moved from 10 Av Felix Faure to 3 Place Massena (just to the right of the Maison de la Presse, in the arcades). (John and Pat, 2/08)

Walk 1: The lift up to the Colline du Château is out of action for repairs; it looks as if it will be closed for at least another few months... At the end of the walk, past the cemeteries, follow Montée Eberlé. At the bottom, turn left for 100m to Place Garibaldi. The new tram runs through Place Garibaldi - this is not shown on the map on page 24, but is shown on the map inside the front cover. Place Garibaldi has been re-paved and landscaped due to the tram, and is looking most attractive - as you will see if you lunch at Café de Turin or stop at one of the other watering holes alongside this square. (Pat & John, 5/08)

Walk 2: At the end, take bus 25 from the Aire de St-Michel, then the newly-opened tram to Place Massena - the total journey time is about 1h. (John & Pat, 2/08) + Alternative walk: At 1h05min: The Piste des Morgues does not go to the summit ­ it joins a tarmac road, the D214. At 1h25min: You cannot reach the north side of the fort! We searched both clockwise and anticlockwise for half an hour, inside and outside the main walls, but found only dead ends, barbed wire or sheer drops. (Although you can walk around much of it, the 'grassy moat' is derelict and overgrown.) We had to return to Aspremont by the same route as we had come up. (User, 11/08)

Walk 4, base restaurant: Michelle no longer does the cooking. There is a new chef, Ludovic, who cooks very much in her style. In May there was a really good range of dishes changing daily on the blackboard, including fish - an exquisite dish of sole with citron butter sauce.

Walk 5: The only point we got lost was where you come down the lane towards the Pointe d'Aiguille and have to cross the N98. The text doesn't say that you have to turn right onto the road for a few hundred yards or so, which feels counter-intuitive, but the Petite Randonnee sign pointed that way, so we felt reassured. Marco Polo was great! (User, 3/08) + At 1h10min: The wide track bears left and the GR branches off to the right (staying alongside the railway) several hundred metres before the railway goes into the tunnel. At 1h30min: At the Col de Théoule, the footpath to Esquillon goes south east (or more accurately SSE), not south west. (There is presumably a straightforward misprint in the book.) This path (as described) eventually widens into a track, and finally into a new tarmac road, before you reach the road junction. At 2h +: There has been a lot of property development in this area in recent years, and this slight detour skirts round above it. We believe the original route is now covered by roads and buildings. On the 'balcony footpath' you eventually find tarmac underfoot again, but soon (just before reaching a road junction) take a sharp left uphill on a wide stony track, the Boulevard des Alpes, signposted Pointe de l'Aiguille and Théoule. Follow this until it curves to the west and you see a signpost on the left with a wooden barrier opposite. Straight ahead is signposted Circuit de l'Aiguille (not Pointe de l'Aiguille) but the arm that should be pointing right is missing. Turn sharp right downhill past the barrier, and after a couple of minutes you come to a small open space with an area map. From here, follow the zigzag path down towards the coast, turn left on the tarmac road at the bottom, and follow this down to the D6098 (formerly the RN98). Turn right and walk about 100m up to the brow of the hill, where steps on the left take you down towards the rocks of the Pointe de l'Aiguille. Now follow the coastal paths, taking whichever branch is nearer to the sea. At one point, where straight ahead is signposted only RN98 (and again the right arm is missing!) turn sharp right down a path to the Plage de Pradeyrol. From here you can walk along a promenade to Théoule. (User, 11/08)

Walk 6: The Hotel Napoleon had reopened by Jan 1008 (serves lunch from 12 noon till 13.45). But we went to Le Café de la Fontaine , diagonally to the right opposite the Mairie (mentioned on pages 76-77). Details: 4, Av. General de Gaulle, Tel 04 93 28 52 79. It was excellent - very busy. The menu changes every day. One can eat very inexpensively here, for just a light meal - soup or salad and a glass of wine, for instance. The service was extremely helpful - as usual we asked about the rich sauce on the calves liver dish that John wanted, and they confirmed that they do NOT use flour. The bill for the two of us, with 250 ml wine each, was 27 Euros. (John & Pat, 2/08) + We would have liked to have seen the Trophee close up, but it is closed on Mondays. Have to be another time, just like the other walks in the book. (User, 3/08)

Walk 7: In May 2008, we found no electrified fences; but we did manage to go wrong close to the beginning of the walk. The path descends from the chapel, and soon reaches the stream, at which point it is crucial to turn sharp right (as shown on the map) and not to follow what looks like the obvious way ahead (in fact slightly left), which leads to an exciting path up the ridge the other side of the stream - one of those much easier to go up than down. It might be worth including a warning about this... Between the Ravin de Cabrolles and Monti, the text refers to a newly-bulldozed track. There are now several such tracks, and one just has to follow one's instincts as to which is the right one. Until things have settled down a bit it will be difficult to give precise instructions. Despite our false start and uncertainties before Monti, a perfect walk for that part of the country. (User, 5/08)

Walk 11: From the Y-fork at the barn (1h10min) the text should read: take the fork to the left of the barn and walk down the overgrown path to the stream bed. Climb from the bed for about a minute and take a faint unmarked path going off to the right. After 10 metres, the path is distinct and there are yellow waymarks on the trees. (User, 7/08; Pat & John: he is right!) + When we did the research for the first edition of this book, we first went to the well-placed Relais de Bellvue hotel to look at the menu. There was nothing on it that John could eat. There is now a new (English) owner, and he has written to say "I offer a unique menu here - no additives or E numbers whatsoever. Lots of fresh vegetables and fruit served up in a smoke- and dog-free environment. Although the menus are necessarily limited to guarantee freshness, this simple cuisine does not mean the dishes are bland - far from it. The hotel I ran for ten years at Alpe d'Huez was recommended by Paris Match and L'Express. We became a victim of our own success and I had to transfer to a quieter resort to pursue my charitable project .' [He provides free holidays for asthma, cystic fibrosis and eczema sufferers]. He says: we are open 7 days a week from 07.00 until 11pm, 12 months a year. Tel: 04 93 02 30 04. Worth a visit! (John and Pat, 10/07) + Regarding the menu from the Hotel de l'Escapade, another name for "head cheese" is brawn; it is a meat terrine, the contents of an animal's head in aspic. (Sunflower)