Promenade des Anglais

Here it is : Nice’s true star, the famous Promenade des Anglais : The English walkway. Fringing the “Baie des Anges” and its blue infinity, it invites you to contemplate as you wander. From the 18th century on, British aristocrats started leaving their renowned grey-ish winter in favor of a sunny atmosphere, taking over the city Nice. However, they complained about not having a proper place walk along. As misery was widespread, Pastor Lewis Way decided to help out the jobless by offering them work : levelling a street by 2 meters! It was very dusty, but it didn’t matter, the movement was underway! For the first time ever a street wasn’t solely used for going from one place to another. People learned how to enjoy the horizon. Thus was born a new form of seaside urbanism, namely with buildings being oriented towards the sea. As time went on, the promenade grew and became the center of the city’s life. Palaces, hotels, casinos and more were built. Take a look at the Negresco, a little further down to your right, facing the sea. It is a superb example of these extravagant buildings from the Roaring Twenties.  Let’s not forget about the fabulous Art Deco facade from the Mediterranean Palace, a little further down on your left, or about the Regina Palace, built specifically for the Queen of England. Queen Victoria has also strongly participated to the popularity of Nice at the end of the 19th century, as she stayed there quite often. In any case, if the Nicois nicknamed this street “Promenade des Anglais”, it is simply because they thought that only the English were crazy enough to walk outside facing the sea in winter !