France is always worth a trip – southern France and above all the French Riviera in particular. This knowledge has accompanied me since school days, when I was lucky enough to set foot on the Côte d’Azur for the very first time as part of a language trip – after more than 18 hours of bus travel, which took me directly from the gates of my high school to a parking lot on the probably the most glamorous place I had ever seen: Cannes. Famous for endless hours of sunshine, the big film festivals, where Hollywood stars flood the Croisette – the long beach promenade – and the flashing lights of the paparazzi, who line the red carpet, shine brighter and more numerous than the starry sky.
It’s been some time since my first trip to the south of France and I’ve returned time and time again – and I’ve fallen in love with Nice in particular. The metropolis of the Côte d’Azur, if you will – no less glamorous but also a bit more “real” than Cannes, St. Tropez or even Monaco, this is where all the threads come together. Where in Italy, whose influence is omnipresent in this region, it is always said: “All roads lead to Rome”, for me it is always anew: “All roads lead to Nice”.
Nevertheless, it took more than 15 years, a pandemic and what many are already calling a third world war to take this place, which my heart and soul have now chosen as home, for a little vacation all by myself enjoy. Until recently, I had never traveled all alone – at the latest when I reached my destination, sometimes on the day of my arrival, sometimes a day or two later – I had the company of a partner or one or more friends to show them the beauty of the – for me – to show the most enchanting place in the world. Nowhere else do I feel so secure, so comfortable, so safe, so “at home” and so at home and yet so relaxed and “on vacation” as on the Côte d’Azur.
Studies and intelligence tests are not always as objective as the relevant institutes and co. would like us to believe – and I was ready to get to know “my” city in a completely new way. As a “single lady” in the south of France, so to speak – ready to prove to the world and to myself that not only special people, but also special places can trigger spring fever. And where better to prove this than in France? So it was decided – the flights booked, the bags packed and the single-solo adventure in the south could begin. I now share here what awaited me on my trip. A little spoiler in advance: It was “très magnifique”!
Even the journey to Nice is more than pleasant, especially if you are traveling alone. Vienna has many flight connections to the French Riviera – even more than Berlin. Not only Austrian Airlines offers very pleasant direct flight connections to Nice almost every day – the Hungarian low-cost airline WizzAir also flies directly to Nice, with a flight time of only about 1.5 hours. With light luggage, I quickly reached the goal of my “old” dreams and my new, self-imposed research. Would Nice feel “different” if I walked alone through the narrow, beloved streets of the old town? Would I get bored just by myself in a place I had visited several times before? Would the Cote d’Azur still give me that special feeling – and what do you actually do when you’re out and about all alone. How and where is the best place to stay, where to eat, what to see?
Thankfully, all of these questions should answer themselves – because alongside my own experiences from past pre-pandemic trips in society, I had the best “travel planning” support one can have: a personal contact to Asset Francethe French Tourist Board in Austria, made the slide the first and best address for all questions that those interested in traveling might have before visiting Nice: Das official local tourist office of Nice. What may sound “terribly old school” to some in the digital age full of travel blogs, Instagram inspiration and booking pages is actually the very best address for an authentic and ultimately “up to date” experience of the Cote d’Azur. Because nowhere else do the many threads of endless local possibilities come together as clearly and directly as there – and so the perfect program for a small solo getaway in springtime Nice was put together for me, entirely on me and my preferences and ideas.
It already started with the selection of my accommodation: As a solo traveler, I found myself confronted with the completely new task of finding a hotel before my trip, which also had all the important points for me in terms of comfort, facilities, location, service and budget – and was also affordable and available. Relevant booking portals on the net made me shortly before the decision to rent a hostel with several beds again in my early 30s – not that that would be a bad thing, but in view of my need for peace and a real single experience, the desire for a quiet one was there small room just for myself with a single, comfortable bed then overwhelming. Lo and behold: Anne, the responsible expert from the tourism office, found me the perfect place to stay here: Das Palm Hotel Nice.
The small, brand new boutique hotel combined everything I could have wished for in this case: In addition to ideal accessibility and location near the beach promenade and the old town, absolute cleanliness and a chic design that completely corresponds to my line, the hotel impresses above all by the cordiality and closeness of its owners and the friendliness of all the staff.
The Palm Hotel is easy to reach and find – from the airport it is just a pleasant journey on tram line 2 to the central Jean Médecin station, which is also home to one of the finest hotels in Nice – the Boscolo Exedra Hotel & Spa – it’s only a stone’s throw to the cozy Palm Hotel, which is located on the small and pleasantly quiet Rue Maccarani. Run by the young couple Orlane and Nicolas, you will usually be served directly by the owner. When I arrived, however, I met his no less friendly employee, who took me to my room, where I could put my bags down and freshen up before my little getaway as a single lady in southern France could finally really begin.
