New Life to the Port of Nice

 

New visuals of the future Palais des Congrès at the Port of Nice were unveiled at the city council meeting on Tuesday.

Offering wide sidewalks with terraces, more garden space offering panoramic sea views along with the planting of large Mediterranean trees, plus the development of an auction area for fishermen, and enhanced areas for commercial enterprises such as restaurants and cafes.

Here, it was announced a year ago that a rejuvenation of the port would take place with a new sleek building on the Quai Infernet of Port Lympia.

The project, resulting from broad consultation with the inhabitants and the professionals during which 710 proposals were collected, includes a scientific and technical cultural center of 5000 m2.

It will include a coral conservation city and offer immersive exhibits. “It is a major asset for the candidacy of Nice European Capital of Culture”, argues the elected official. “A unique positive energy dyke in the Mediterranean, producing local renewable energy thanks to the sea” is also in the cards. In short, a big change is announced. “I will not leave the port in this state when we have just obtained UNESCO classification”, justifies the mayor.

The Mayor of Nice, Christian Estrosi, who broke the news of the new project in the port, has gone as far as to tell the local press that it was the UN who “insisted the summit take place in the port”.

More than 20,000 delegates from around the world are expected to attend the event over four days. The new congress center, which is currently without an official name, is promising an auditorium larger in size than the former Salle Apollon at the Palais Acropolis with an increase to 2,400 seats.

In total, nearly 10,000m2 of space on the port is to be fully redeveloped. According to Estrosi, the financial burden of the project will fall almost entirely on the UN, which he claims will soak up 90% of costs.

Already a hub of activity with the tramway and buses transporting people to and from the port, various, bars, restaurants, cafes, and other businesses are situated around the port, along with of course, the yachts and fishing boats which all help make this an ideal tourist and local spot. Here’s a historical tidbit, the port, especially near the phare used to be a well-known gay cruising spot back in the day.

The city has been selected for this list for the quality of its landscape, the protection of its most beautiful buildings, the enhancement of its heritage, and the local lifestyle. Working on a tight deadline, it is hoped that Port Lympia will be redeveloped by 2025 in time for the UN One Ocean Summit.

France is Tops in Tourism

 

The numbers keep coming in and it looks like France still holds the distinction of being the most popular tourist destination in the world.

In the past three decades, France has consolidated its reputation as the global leading travel market thanks to an incredibly rich tourism offer, ranging from the world-famous attractions of Paris to the picturesque towns in the Alps and of course, the French Riviera.

Aside from the strong contribution of domestic visitors, generating around two-thirds of travel and tourism spending in France, the country is known for being the most visited global destination by inbound tourists.

Despite the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, France maintained the top spot in the ranking of countries with the highest number of international tourist arrivals worldwide, with arrivals bouncing back to nearly 80 million in 2022. And so far in 2023, there have been 90 million tourists who have visited France according to its Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Although there is a regional feeling the rush of people the last two years has been due to Covid-19 restrictions being lifted and that 2024 might be a calmer, “back to normal” year, France’s popularity is unlikely to wane according to GlobalData, a respected London-based analytics and consulting firm, as they predict a 12% jump in international arrivals from 2022 to 2025 that could equal a mind-blowing 94 million people each year.

In a recent International Tourist Satisfaction Survey organized by the French government, the country scored highly for its warm welcome, accommodation options, cultural and leisure facilities, and, of course, gastronomy.

With that in mind, we have been telling anyone planning a trip here to book your chalet or villa rentals as early as possible before you travel. As a benefit to you, booking early means a wider selection of properties in the location you are interested in and with better rates. Because as an area continues to book up, the requirements you desire may have to become lower and rate wars can even begin to happen due to owners being inundated with requests during the same time requested. And we want only the best rates for you for your vacation.

 

As a side note, while there are many places to enjoy and discover throughout the Cote d’Azur and Monaco. Every year we encounter visitors who are trying to cram in as much as possible in their itinerary.

Frankly, it's not a good way to travel, not only in France but in any other country. We see people who have tried to cover every base during their trip here looking exhausted from taking public transit, waiting in lines, and staring at their phones the whole time as their guide instead of taking in the local scenery while rushing to get from place to place to then only having enough time to take a couple of photos so they are at least able to tell people back home they’ve been there.

By the end of it all, it seems to become a blur and they don’t recognize where they might have been.

What I am trying to say is, that when planning your trip, we are here to help guide you by learning what your interests are before your arrival. The French Riviera offers so much to see and do, that it’s best to pick a few prime locations to visit and build upon your trip once here.

Take the time to see how the locals live in each area, taste the food, relax on a beach, swim in the sea, hike the mountains, and experience as much of the culture as possible.

For your first visit here, it’s best to take your time to truly get a feel for the region. Then you will have real stories to tell friends and family back home. The Cote d’Azur seems to linger within one even after you are gone, enticing you back to discover even more about the region and it’s not going anywhere soon, so we hope you will visit again.

Café de Paris Set to Reopen in Monte-Carlo

 

The rebirth of an iconic property is about to take place as the Société des Bains de Mer recently announced that the new Café de Paris will open its doors later this month on Tuesday, November 14th.

Known worldwide, the legendary brasserie, located at Place du Casino, will be able to accommodate a total of 500 guests, both indoors and outdoors.

Strategically situated as the place to see and be seen, the renovation project was originally scheduled to last just over a year, but delays added more than a few months to the original deadline.

The €55 million renovations and refurbishment, which have necessitated a complete closure of the historic eatery since March 2022, have been extensive, to say the least.

On the website of the Société des Bains de Mer, Éric Gorjux, the establishment's director, gives details of what you'll be able to discover. "In each of our reflections, we kept in mind the establishment's past, while projecting ourselves into the future. A real exercise in style! More than a simple renovation, we're rebuilding the building, with additional floors," he explains.

Société des Bains de Mer's flagship brasserie will be spread over two levels. The interior of the restaurant will seat 300 people. The outside terrace will be able to seat another 200 people. All this, "from breakfast until late at night", adds Éric Gorjux, "to keep pace with the Casino Café de Paris next door." At the helm of this major transformation are two great architects, Monegasque Alexandre Giraldi and Frenchman Alain-Charles Perrot. Above the Café de Paris, the Amazonico restaurant will eventually open its doors. This will take place in spring 2024.

Locals and visitors alike will not have to wait long now to discover what will surely be the next and longstanding hotspot in Monaco.

Zefestival 2023

 

For the 16th year running, Polychromes is proud to present ZeFestival, an LGBTQIA+ film festival celebrating the diversity and richness of our cultures starting on November 4th until December 3, 2023.

Considered a tradition in the Cote d’Azur, this year's edition features no less than 19 never-before-seen feature films, most of which can be seen outside the commercial circuit, as well as a weekend of 13 short films as diverse as they are creative. Of these 32 films, half are directed by women, and all communities are represented, with perfect parity between gay and lesbian films. Zefestival proudly honors the diversity of genders and sexualities.

For this year's edition, Zefestival is displaying its program at the LGBTQIA+ center, organizing 2 special evenings, a breakfast in the dark, and a sensory workshop around Jean Cocteau's drawings to commemorate the 60th anniversary of his death.

Zefestival is also involved in activist events such as World AIDS Day and Trans Remembrance Day. It is a time to be visible and proud.

It is advised to get your tickets to the films and events early.