The Christmas market in Nice, France is unlike any other I had been to. Why? Because of the locale along the Mediterranean coast of southeastern France. We had sun, palm trees and delicious food. Read on for more about the Christmas market in Nice.
Location
There’s really only one Christmas market in Nice and it’s located in the park Jardin Albert 1er & Place Massena, a historic square. We first visited the market at night and it was pretty busy.
What really surprised me was the security. You had to pass through metal detectors before entering. Nice was victim of a terrorist attack in 2016 when a cargo truck was deliberately driven into crowds of people celebrating Bastille Day on the Promenade des Anglais, but security at a Christmas market wasn’t something we had seen before.
In the picture below, you may notice a kneeling figure high on a pole. It’s an art installation along Place Massena that was designed by Catalan artist Jaume Plensa. There are seven figures total and they represent the seven continents. At night, they are illuminated in different, changing colors.
Place Massena
On the other side of Place Masséna is a large fountain called the “Fontaine du Soleil”, the Sun Fountain.
There are 5 bronze sculptures in the basin and in the center stands an impressive marble Apollo statue. Long story short, some conservative inhabitants of the city thought that his “manhood” was too large and college students took to decorating it as a prank.
In an effort to calm the controversy, the sculptor took a hammer and chisel to his creation to reduce the size of the offending member, now some older ladies think it’s too small.
The Catholic women’s “League of Feminine Virtue” were still not pleased about a nude statue. They gained enough support that in the 1970s the fountain was dismantled. Finally in 2011, Apollo was reinstated to his rightful position at the center of the fountain in Place Massena.
Related: More on our visit to Nice in December
The Market
The Christmas market in Nice is what you would expect. A big ferris wheel, a Christmas pyramid, vendors and food. It is suggested that the Christmas pyramid is a predecessor of the Christmas tree. Instead of branches it is a kind of carousel with several levels, some depicting Christian motifs.
I cannot stress how beautiful the Christmas Market in Nice was. It helped that the day we spent the most time walking around was a beautiful, sunny day.
Food-wise, the market had all the usuals. Different beer and drink options. Raclette sandwiches and even some barbecue. We picked up a couple of pretzels to take with us on the train ride we would be taking the next day.
I’m admittedly not a fan of strong and smelly cheeses, particularly Swiss and Blue, so it’s funny that I like Raclette, a Swiss type of cheese that’s heated and scraped off onto bread or potatoes. The sandwich I had at this market was one of the best I have ever had. No picture of it because I ate it too quickly.
Overall, Nice has become one of my favorite European cities. I am so glad we visited and experienced the Christmas market in Nice – so different from any other that we’ve been to before.
First of all, Nik and Julie your precious Koval is the cutest thing. Oh, what a face. I have enjoyed your article so much. And your photis are fabulous. my close friends are renting a house in St Jeannet, very close to for the week of Christmas. The first thing we look for of course about the Christmas markets. And these friends are Christmas market fanatics. In fact, my family will be going to Germany for 10 days mid December. I was excited to see what y’all had written. Thanks much and good luck in your travels.
Irevta thanks for stopping by! I’m sure your friends will have a great time in Germany during December. Here are the other Christmas Markets we’ve visited: https://nikandjulie.com/tag/christmas-markets/
So very sorry, but it seems that it automatically change the spelling of Nik and Koval. Hope it doesn’t do that this time.