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Nice · History

Before Nice Was French: The City of the House of Savoy

For almost five hundred years, from 1388 to 1860, Nice belonged to the House of Savoy, whose rulers went on to become Kings of Sardinia and then of Italy. This walk follows what that long chapter left behind: a ducal palace, a promenade with a Piedmontese air, noble residences, a square designed as the gateway to the Turin road and a royal harbour. It ends by the sea, at the memorial to the Niçois who fell in the Great War, by then as citizens of France.

  • 6 stops
  • 2.3 km
  • 2 h
  • Free
Start with GPS Read about this stop 1
The cream-coloured Prefecture Palace in Nice, with its colonnaded gallery and palm trees in front

The route

Stop by stop

  1. 1 Prefecture PalaceThe palace of the Dukes of Savoy and the Kings of Sardinia, where Nice stopped being Piedmontese in 1860.
  2. 2 Cours SaleyaThe promenade of Nice's nobility under the Kings of Sardinia, squeezed between the old town and the sea.
  3. 3 Palais LascarisThe home of a family of counts who bore the eagle of the Byzantine emperors on their coat of arms.
  4. 4 Place GaribaldiAn arcaded square built as the gateway to the Turin road, now named after Nice's most rebellious son.
  5. 5 Port LympiaA harbour dug out of dry land on the orders of a King of Sardinia, which took more than a century to finish.
  6. 6 Rauba Capeù War MemorialA giant urn carved into the rock of Castle Hill, where Nice engraved the names of the sons it lost in the First World War.

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Start with GPS

Guide mode

Walk it with GPS.

Open guide mode on your phone: you’ll see your position and the distance to each stop, and we’ll let you know when you arrive. Then read or listen.

Start with GPS

  1. Turn on your location

  2. Walk to the spot

  3. Check the photo and listen

What you’ll discover

Before Nice Was French: The City of the House of Savoy

The handover of 1860

The County of Nice was formally handed over to France in the rooms of today's prefecture, on 14 June 1860.

A Piedmontese city

Ochre façades, arcades and squares planned from Turin: Nice was built on Italian models before it ever became French.

Garibaldi, a Niçois

The hero of Italian unification was born by the harbour and fought tooth and nail against the transfer of his home town.

Keep exploring

More routes in Nice

Back to Nice
Mysteries & legendsAngels, Sieges and Phantoms on the Hill of Nice MixedThe Best of Nice: From the Negresco to Castle Hill

Itineraries

How many days do you have in Nice?

We’ve planned it day by day for you: which routes to walk and in what order, what else to see and where to eat.

1

Nice in 1 day

All three routes in one full day: the highlights, the history and the legends at dusk.

See the itinerary 2

Nice in 2 days

A gentler pace: the three routes over two days, plus extra sights and where to eat.

See the itinerary 3

Nice in 3 days

The city in depth: one route a day, extra museums and neighbourhoods, and a day for good food.

See the itinerary