Nice Côte d’Azur, a passion for shopping
1 September 2023
An irresistible shopping offer!
“Polygone Riviera” open-air shopping centre in Cagnes-sur-Mer, Cap 3000 in Saint-Laurent-du-Var, Le Carré d’Or in Nice’s pedestrian zone, Galeries Lafayette and Nicetoile in the heart of the city, craft shops, vintage boutiques, antique shops, local shops, markets, gourmet markets… The Nice Côte d’Azur Metropolitan Area offers locals and visitors a very varied shopping offer. Fashion, luxury goods, leather goods, gifts, food, flowers, decoration, jewellery, beauty, sport… There is something to suit all pockets and tastes. Let’s go shopping!
OTM NCA @J.Kelagopian
1 – The shopping districts of Nice
Most of the shops in the city centre and Old Nice are open non-stop, from 10am to 7pm, Monday to Saturday. Many shops are also open on Sunday!
Captions of the map:
Red: Carré d’or (luxury boutiques)
Yellow: Tradition and crafts
Purple: Department stores
Green: Neighbourhood shops
Brown: Antiques
Violet: Pedestrian areas
Le Carré d’Or, the haute couture version of shopping!
Like most major international cities, Nice has around fifty luxury brands in its city centre. Not far from the Promenade des Anglais, a veritable “golden square” made up of Rue Paradis, Rue Longchamp, Rue Alphonse Karr and Avenue de Suède and Avenue de Verdun is home to the most prestigious brands: Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Hermès, Cartier, Armani, Ventilo, but also Kenzo, Max Mara and boutiques where the creations of Helmut Lang, Paul Smith, Sonia Rykiel are expressed…
It is also a good idea to look up to appreciate, in addition to the luxurious shop windows, the Belle Époque bourgeois buildings from the end of the 19th century and the splendid Art Deco style buildings with their more refined lines. This prestigious district is at once residential, commercial and touristy. It is embellished with magnificent green spaces… So, don’t hesitate to go window-shopping… or more, if you feel like it!
The pedestrian zone and the city centre, entertainment in the heart of the city
Big fashion designers, jewellers and luxury boutiques, but also large brands or more intimate shops follow one another in the area of Place Masséna and Avenue Jean Médecin, Nice’s main thoroughfare. These, like the perpendicular streets, are constantly bustling. You are here in the heart of the city. Feel its pulse beating at all hours of the day and night!
In its pedestrian part, the Rue de France, parallel to the sea, offers many terraces. These are ideal for eating, rehydrating or enjoying a giant ice cream in the sun or under the shade. You will only want to slow down and take your time! Although it is very busy, this pedestrian zone allows everyone to stroll at their own pace. It is indeed vast enough to offer you a 0% stress and 100% zen shopping experience! (photo opposite).
Old Nice, from the market to trendy and artisanal shops
With more than 600 shopkeepers, artists and craftsmen, Old Nice is a vast open-air shopping area. There are many shops around the Cours Saleya, but also in the narrow winding streets where it is pleasant to get lost… The artists of Vieux-Nice present their creations in workshops or galleries. You will find local products, such as olive oil, Provençal fabrics or herbs from Provence. Atmosphere and change of scenery guaranteed! Here too, you will find what you are looking for if you want to have a gourmet or refreshing break. The terraces are a real invitation to stroll around and enjoy the Mediterranean way of life!
Marché aux Fleurs
@OTM NCA / Lisa Del Sol
@OTM NCA / Lisa del Sol
@OTM NCA / A.Issock
Every morning, except on Mondays, stalls of flowers, fruit and vegetables invade the Cours Saleya to the delight of tourists and locals. The Marché aux Fleurs, classified by the Conseil National des Arts Culinaires as one of the most exceptional markets in France, also offers spices, soaps and tasting stalls such as socca, making it a must for any visitor!
Not far from there, Place Garibaldi provides a link between Old Nice and the modern city. It opens to the east onto the Avenue de la République, a lively shopping street close to the Nice Acropolis Convention Centre.
2 – Department shops and shopping centres
Initiatives have been put in place for tourists with tax-free counters and, as at Galeries Lafayette, the creation of a privileged lounge where all services are grouped together to facilitate and personalise shopping.
Nicetoile, Avenue Jean Médecin
In the heart of Nice, on the city’s main thoroughfare, the Nicetoile urban shopping mall offers around 100 shops and 15 snack bars and restaurants, spread over 19,000 m2. In a contemporary and spacious architecture, on 4 floors, you will find all the pleasures of shopping: international brands, luxury boutiques, trendy sports or decoration brands. This centre is the place to be in Nice, whether you are a local or a visitor!
The shops are open from Monday to Saturday from 10am to 8pm, and from 11am to 7pm on Sunday.
Are you coming by car? Don’t panic! You’ll find plenty of space for your car in the 2,200 underground parking spaces.
Galeries Lafayette, Nice Masséna
The first after Paris, Galeries Lafayette – while confirming its Hausmanian identity – offers 13,000 m2 on 5 levels of space dedicated to shopping, in a resolutely welcoming setting. Beauty products, men’s, women’s and children’s fashion, leather goods, jewellery, corners of prestigious brands such as Dior, Prada or Valentino… In total, 600 brands are represented in a range of articles, from the most affordable to the most luxurious. In the intimate atmosphere of a private salon, a team of fashion professionals is also available, by appointment, to accompany you in your purchases and make a selection of products adapted to your style and your desires. This is the “Personal Shopper” service!
Household linen, decorative objects and tableware complete this extraordinary inventory. The Galeries Lafayette shop is open from Monday to Saturday from 10am to 9pm and from 11am to 8pm on Sundays!
Polygone Riviera, the open-air shopping centre
I don’t know anyone who can resist it! The open-air shopping centre in Cagnes-sur-Mer offers you an extraordinary shopping experience! With nearly 150 shops, Polygone Riviera is a unique combination of fashion and premium shopping, contemporary art, restaurants and leisure activities in a single location.
Inspired by the atmosphere of Mediterranean villages, the centre is organised into four themed districts: the Palm Tree Promenade, for decorative and natural shopping – the Flavour District, entertainment (10-screen cinema multiplex, the Terrazur Casino, lake with water jets), restaurants and shopping – the Arcade District, dedicated to iconic and trendy brands around a central Provençal-inspired square – The Designer Gallery, a showcase for exclusive brands around the Printemps shop.
Open from 10am to 8pm Monday to Saturday and from 11am to 7pm on Sunday. Underground parking.
CAP3000, shopping with a sea view!
With more than 300 shops and restaurants, an exceptional setting facing the sea, close to Nice Côte d’Azur airport, services, experiences, spaces to live…
The largest shopping centre on the Côte d’Azur, CAP3000 unfurls its undulating facades, terraces and glass roofs facing the Mediterranean and transforms shopping into a new French lifestyle. More than a shopping centre, CAP3000 is, since 1969, the historical destination where people like to walk, stroll and have fun.
CAP3000 welcomes you 7 days a week and offers many services including free parking for the first 3 hours.
Benefiting from exceptional views of the coastline, a restaurant and leisure centre completes the commercial offer and is located to the south, in a large overhang opening onto the Grande Bleue. A perfect combination of shopping, sunbathing and swimming! Who can say better?
3 – The Concept-Stores
In the last few years, new shops have appeared in our favourite neighbourhoods… but not only that… (they can even be found in shopping centres!). These new type of shops are ideal for finding original gifts adapted to your personality or that of your loved ones!
We love the spaces in these trendy shops, where the eye is immediately drawn to the pretty things on the shelves. From solid soap as shampoo, to low-maintenance depolluting plants, to 100% recycled clothes and bags, there is something for every taste and every budget!
The principle of these “concept stores”, as they are called, is to offer the customer a new type of local shop with products from different worlds, all in one place. It is an opportunity to discover new designers with a variety of universes. You can find decoration, hygiene and fashion products and sometimes even a restaurant or tea room! Ideal for the cravings that punctuate our shopping sessions!
Often set up in popular neighbourhoods, these shops are perfect for isolating yourself from the crowds of department stores and finding a more intimate and tailor-made shopping experience. Many shops offer a range of eco-responsible products, or even 100% local production. We like to support our local artisans and help our friends and family discover products that sometimes come from the end of the street!
For a more responsible shopping experience that will please the whole family, don’t hesitate to visit one of the “concept stores” in the Nice Côte d’Azur area.
Joya Lifestore – 1 Place du Pin 06300 Nice
3 activities: catering, design/decoration boutique and work spaces and privatisation.
Between craftsmanship and encounters, it is the promise of a unique shopping experience.
La Maison de Nice and Le Goût de Nice – Nicetoile Shopping Centre and 19 rue Saint-François de Paule, Nice
Official shops of the City of Nice, the Maison de Nice and Le Goût de Nice are showcases for the enhancement and promotion of Nice’s heritage. Candles, night lights, #ILOVENICE hats, but also mugs, jewellery, soaps, photos, masks, posters, sweatshirts, aprons, books, games… Not forgetting stylish products from collaborations with Nice designers: La Boulisterie, la Chaise bleue, les éditions Giletta, les Galets de Nice, Maison Jaune, Nomada Bijoux, Sapone & sens… There is something for every taste and at every price.
Trésors publics – 11 rue du Pont Vieux – Vieux Nice
100% French concept store. Dedicated to historical and emblematic brands. Products guaranteed and made in France.
Le Beau Quotidien – 13 bis, rue Alphonse Karr 06000 Nice
Shop & café to discover useful, beautiful and sustainable everyday objects.
Le Café du Cycliste – 16 Quai des Docks 06300 Nice
Café, clothing shop and bike rental.
CocoKnot – 2 Rue Offenbach 06000 Nice
Natural food and beauty products, ethical cosmetics, responsible decoration.
Bricolités – 14 rue de Paris 06000 Nice
A cabinet of curiosities, where art, crafts, finds and gourmet tea rub shoulders in a joyful poetry, in the heart of a former bakery. Lighting, antique crockery, period linen, vintage radios and other objects of yesteryear tell a story…
L’Atelier Français – 3 place du Frêne 06140 Vence
Chic and relaxed concept store entirely dedicated to products made in France.
More addresses to be found on nice.shopping.fr (in French only)
We hope that this article will give you an attractive overview of the many shopping possibilities in the Nice Côte d’Azur area.
Also, don’t forget to visit the small shops and craftsmen in the villages you visit, such as Eze, Cagnes-sur-Mer, Vence, Villefranche-sur-Mer or Beaulieu-sur-Mer. The range is endless… Nice Côte d’Azur, is unique!
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