Nice has grown to become France's fifth-largest city, but it still feels intimate and easygoing, without the fast pace and occasional mayhem of Paris or other European world capitals. It's a great destination for strolling, whether to browse the many stalls of the local farmers market or to admire the genteel homes set along the city's narrow lanes.
Nice has several gay clubs and bars. Although there aren't as many nightspots here as in larger European cities, the energy you're apt to encounter in Nice's clubs is infectious. Note that, generally, bars in these parts don't get going until around midnight. Definitely try to make it to the city's coolest gay club, Blue Boy, a small but throbbing industrial-looking space that, despite the name, also draws plenty of lesbians. This is a stylish hangout - it's not every day that you find a gay club selling Dom Perignon by the bottle (for 260 euros, which translates to about $310US). Of course, here even a very small beer will set you back 5 euros.
Although lying on sandy beaches beneath swaying palm trees ranks among the area's leading pleasures, there's also much to see and do here from a cultural standpoint.