Castle Hill (Colline du Château)

Castle Hill is the rocky hill at the eastern end of the Promenade des Anglais in Nice, and it is the place where the city began. Greek traders from Marseille founded a trading post called Nikaia on its slopes in the fourth century BC, and for many centuries the hill was the fortified core of the town, crowned by a castle that was considered one of the strongest in the region. In 1706, during the War of the Spanish Succession, the French troops of Louis XIV took the town and ordered the castle to be demolished, and almost nothing remains of the walls today. The hill rises 92 metres above the sea, and over the last two centuries it has been turned into a public park.

The park covers some nineteen hectares of terraces, paths, lawns and woods of pine, olive and cypress trees, and it forms a green lung between the old town and the port. It is cool in summer and offers many shaded spots. A few remains tell the story of what was there. The Tour Bellanda, a round tower of the sixteenth century at the western end, is the main survivor, and the composer Hector Berlioz stayed there in 1844 and worked on an overture. On the plateau you can also see the foundations of the medieval cathedral of Nice and part of a Greek and Roman settlement. A cemetery on the eastern slope contains tombs of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, among them Jewish and Christian graves, and some of the monuments are impressive.

The park has a large artificial waterfall, built in the nineteenth century, which tumbles down the rock on the eastern side and is a pleasant sight in the heat. There are playgrounds for children, a café, picnic areas and viewing platforms. The hill is reached by stairs and winding paths from the Quai des États-Unis or from the old town, or by a free lift near the Tour Bellanda, which takes you to the summit in a minute for those who prefer not to climb. The park is open daily from morning to evening, with opening and closing times that change by season, and entry is free.

The views are the reason most people come. From the terrace at the top, the whole sweep of the Baie des Anges lies below, with the long curve of the Promenade des Anglais, the white buildings along the shore and, behind them, the Alps rising in the distance. On the other side the ochre and orange roofs of Vieux-Nice spread out, with the church towers, and beyond them the harbour of Lympia, with its ferries and yachts. At sunset the light turns the sea and the buildings gold, and at sunrise the hill is quiet.

A visit takes from one to three hours depending on how much you explore. The hill is close to the Cathédrale Saint-Nicolas, the Cours Saleya flower market, the Place Masséna, the Jardin Albert 1er and several museums, including the Musée Matisse and the Musée Marc Chagall. It suits families, walkers, photographers and those who want a break from the city.