Cimiez

Cimiez occupies the hill north of the centre, on the site of Cemenelum, Roman capital of the Alpes-Maritimes, of which the arena and baths survive in a park planted with century-old olive trees. The neighbourhood took its present form in the Belle Époque, when the European aristocracy — Queen Victoria foremost among them — made it their winter resort: the Excelsior Régina palace hotel, now divided into flats, and dozens of villas and bourgeois buildings line Boulevard de Cimiez. The Franciscan monastery, its gardens and the Matisse museum complete an ensemble few cities can offer.

This is a residential, family neighbourhood, set back a little from the sea, with good schools, old buildings with high ceilings and often well-kept 1960s-70s residences with grounds and a pool. The upper part of Cimiez and the boulevard on the Régina side have the best views and the highest prices.