In the heart of Nice, where a bus station and car parks once stretched, a magnificent urban park now extends. The Promenade du Paillon, inaugurated in 2013, transformed the city centre into a twelve-hectare green corridor linking the National Theatre to the sea. It has become the favourite gathering place of the Niçois, and a welcome breathing space for visitors.
A River Turned Garden
The name Paillon comes from the river that once crossed Nice at this spot, before being covered over the course of the 20th century. The promenade pays tribute to this history of water, with its fountains, misters and great water mirror. The latter, a vast slab alternating jets and a sheet of water, delights children in summer, who rush in to cool off in the splashes.
Gardens from Around the World
The promenade is designed as a succession of themed gardens evoking the five continents and Mediterranean landscapes. You pass from tropical species to scrubland plants, from bamboo to olive trees. More than sixteen hundred trees and tens of thousands of plants make up this carefully designed landscape, which changes with the seasons.
A Living Space
From morning to evening, the Promenade du Paillon lives to the rhythm of the city. Joggers at dawn, families and children in the afternoon around the play areas, walkers and lovers at dusk. Events and shows are regularly held there. It is also a practical route to cross the centre on foot, in the shade of the trees, away from traffic.
Around the Promenade
The green corridor links several of Nice's major sites. At one end, Place Masséna with its red facades and illuminated statues. At the other, the seafront and the Promenade des Anglais. All around, the museums, theatres and Old Nice are a few steps away. It is the ideal starting point to explore the city centre.
Tips
Access is free and open all year. In summer, the water mirror's games run during the day and attract families, bring a swimsuit for the children. The promenade is superb in the evening, when the lighting highlights the gardens and fountains. And it is one of the few large shaded spaces in the centre, precious during the intense summer heat.
