Anyone who at least once visited Nice, probably could not resist the temptation to look at this city, and the azure sea, from a bird's eye view. I want to tell you about the place where the most amazing views of the capital of the Cote d'Azur open and show the incredible beauty and sights of Nice from above. It just so happened that on the Cote d'Azur we managed to visit the observation deck of the Hill Castle. Believe me, it was worth it.
CASTLE HILL CHATEAU
Getting to Castle Hill (or Chateau Hill) is easy and simple. First, walk along the Promenade des Anglais towards the port to the corner of Ponchettes Street, then a little to the right, the bright (in red and yellow tones) building of the Suisse Hotel with a sort of pot-bellied tower in the middle will be your reference point - it is called Bellandarium.
And here is the elevator building right in front of you, and this is the fastest and most accessible way up, if you are too lazy to get up by stairs. Lift's opening hours are from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. (8:00 p.m. in the summer months). For free! There are other options for climbing: on foot along the paths, steps and shady alleys - for active sports, courageous and romantic, or on a sightseeing tourist train, as part of a 45-minute sightseeing tour (8 Euro for adult). We decided on our own that we could climb the stairs. In order for tourists to have the opportunity to take a breath, there are a couple of intermediate viewing platforms.
And in order to capture and enjoy the best views, you still have to make very little effort on foot, but the panorama of the Azure Sea and the Old Town, from a height of 92 meters, is worth it! The ancient part of Nice, the bright roofs of houses, mountains in the distance, the legendary embankment, the Bay of Angels, the endless azure sea - all this is at your feet!
It is convenient that there are several such viewing platforms from the top of the Castle Hill and there is a place for admiring and filming for everyone. Evening views, I think, will be no less interesting. Maybe someday you'll be lucky ... In the meantime, enjoy!
You ask: "Since this hill is a castle, then where is the Castle itself?" Believe me, this place keeps many secrets and legends, and not all of them are revealed to us.
Nice begins its history in the 4th century BC., when the Greeks dropped anchor and settled on the Chateau hill. Their goal was to make Nicaea (now Nice) the center of trade in the Mediterranean. In the 11th century, the settlement was already a castle with strong walls, behind which there was a village and a cathedral. This made sense, in connection with frequent wars and piracy, as "I sit high, I look far away" and people felt protected. After a while, the population grew and the city decided to move to the foot of the hill. Now it is called the Old Town, which is the historical heart of Nice, with an area of only 2 square kilometers.
The castle hill is relatively low (about 90 meters). If you strain your imagination a lot, you can imagine a castle-fortress on its top. Throughout its history, the castle has withstood many sieges. Any war does not pass without a trace, alas, so it happened with the castle. In 1706, the castle, during the War of the Spanish Succession, was unable to withstand another siege, surrendered and was later destroyed to the ground and was not rebuilt. Though it might be worth it.
For more than a century, only stone ruins overgrown with grass and trees remained on the top of the hill, until the king of Sardinia, Charles Felix, decided to make a park here! Everything was cleared and ennobled to the delight of the townspeople and us tourists. It is they, grateful tourists, who climb this hill every day for the sake of beautiful landscapes and fascinating sea views. And we were no exception.
The entire space of the park is cut with paths, along which evergreen cypresses, oaks, pines, hornbeams and other southern trees and shrubs stretch. They create such a pleasant shade and coolness that visitors to the park enjoy relaxing under them on benches, or sitting right on the grass. The locals are also not indifferent to Chateau Hill. They find the park to be convenient to relax on a hot day on the lawn, under the shade of pines, oaks and cypresses, to enjoy a picnic taken with them. We personally observed this and even regretted that we did not take a small snack with us.
If you find yourself on a hill at exactly noon, then get ready to hear a shot from a cannon. This ancient tradition is still observed today. We were lucky!
Having taken plenty of pictures, we leisurely strolled along the alleys of the park, slightly took a breath on the bench, staring at the ruins and began to descend.
The descent is easy and not tiring. It is possible along the ladder, past the ancient cemetery. After the troops blew up the castle, on the lower plateau, they settled in the city cemetery, which today is a real open-air museum and one of the most beautiful in Europe. In this cemetery, not only the most noble residents of Nice, but also Russian, French, and English celebrities found their last refuge and among them: Alexander Herzen, the founder of the Mercedes campaign, and his daughter, mother Giuseppe Garibaldi and many others.
There are also many playgrounds with various slides, ropes, swings, sandboxes. A favorite place for video and photography is a waterfall on top of which, always sitting and looking down on the staring tourists, are several respectable-sized gulls. And yet, it’s so nice, on a hot day, after climbing to the top of the hill, to feel the refreshing drops of water on you, which you can’t avoid when passing by the waterfall.
For those who are planning to be in Nice, I want to advise you not to limit yourself to exploring the city and having dinner in a typical French coastal restaurant. Do not be lazy, come up here, to Castle Hill, take a walk here, enjoy the silence after a noisy, many-voiced city, rest your body and soul here, look at the city from above, because only from here can you see it all.
No walk around the city will give you a complete review. Even raising your head, you will not see the beauty of tiled roofs made in the same style, you will not see how far and wide Nice is spread.
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With love, @madeirane
Photos are taken by me.
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