ITALY BLOG SEPTEMBER 16th, 2025 - NICE

 

9/16/25– This is our last full day of the trip before we fly home. Our check-out time is 10am and it’s time to lug our bags down the four flights of steps again. I am not looking forward to this at all, but at least the view is nice from our window.

We take it slow down the steps, one bag at a time, and then see the cleaning lady already waiting for us on the dot. So when they say 10am they mean 10am. Got it. We make it to the train station, relax for a few moments before realizing the boards are not working that suppose to show what platform our train is on. We stroll over to the tracks and see several people waiting on one so we gamble that this will be our train, and at 10:20am it rolls in.

We find an empty handicap compartment which helps with our luggage and watch the scenery outside the window as we zoom in and out of tunnels. It takes seven stops before we arrive in Nice near the airport. We exit the train and realize the wait for the elevator is pretty long. Either way, I’m not doing any more stairs. Once we are at the top, there’s another elevator wait to go down… then at the station itself there’s one more. Geez, this is the “airport” stop, don’t you think catering to people with luggage is essential?

Good thing is, our hotel (Ibis Aeroport) is only a few minutes walk away. We arrive before check-in time but only have to wait about ten minutes before our room is ready… and boy is it small. It does have a view of the airport.

With our legs tired and Sharece not feeling well, we aren’t sure what to do today. But she didn’t want our last day to be spent in the hotel so we call an Uber to take us into town. And yes, this place has Uber unlike the last several where it would’ve helped tremendously.

It takes us to the base of Castle Hill where we fortunately find an elevator to the top, because there are a ton of stairs to scale this thing. Just around the corner we are met with a beautiful view of the entire beach and town of Nice.

Now to brave the heat for a spell as we manage to take the stairs down the hill and into Old Town Nice which is a block away. Here is where we find refuge with the shade. It’s been years since we’ve been to this area (over thirteen) and for whatever reason we really enjoy it better this time. Perhaps it’s an age thing, or the fact that we are just tired and prefer the slow walk through small streets.

Around the corner we come to Nice Cathedral which has stood since 1650. It’s interesting to see where churches here spend their money. Some toward their ceiling frescos, others for the stained-glass, and this one with their huge pipe organ.

A few hours are enough to enjoy another city and we call an Uber to take us toward the airport. Before going back to the hotel, we pick up a few items from the grocery store and sit down at a restaurant that literally makes the best burger we’ve had around.