The Nice Jazz Festival draws more than 45,000 spectators every summer with its 500 plus musicians, 8 days, 75 concerts and 120 hours of magic and music!

The Nice Jazz Festival was created in 1948 and the promoter of the famous Newport Jazz Festival, George Wein is the original creator of this unique event.Nice’s Jazz Festival is held in the historic surroundings of Cimiez Roman Arenas, among the olive groves and ancient amphitheatre which lends a unique ambiance to this relaxed event, where you’ll find local families picnicking under the trees, holiday makers soaking up the atmosphere, and jazz aficionados boogying away at one of the several stages.

The Nice Jazz Festival is a musically eclectic event covering all aspects of jazz music from African roots to avant-garde sounds, from gospel and blues to fusion and urban funk. Over the years, it has made its mark as the most outstanding event in southern Europe. Musicians perform simultaneously on 3 different stages and the atmosphere is fantastic : The audience feels simply entirely free as they can wonder from one stage to another, while tasting gourmet specialties from Nice or New-Orleans and pick up some original pieces from the local artisan stores.

 Every year in July, 45.000 spectators from all over the world rush towards Cimiez hill to be immersed in music and happiness! Past players include Dizzy Gillespie, Joss Stone, Marianne Faithful, Cab Calloway, Miles Davies, Count Basie, Charlie MIngus, and Art Blake to name but a few .This year, some of Attika’s favourites will be playing -Diana Krall, George Benson, Leonard Cohen,THE San Francisco Jazz Collective and the fabulous Rufus WAINWRIGHTYou can buy tickets online or from the FNAC on Jean Medecin. We’ll see you there!

La Petite Maison, the Riviera jet-set's restaurant of choice has just opened at 54 Brooks Mews, London W1 and is attracting the same high-flying and glam clientele as its Vieux Nice counterpart just off the Cours Saleya.

Elton John, Bono, Sarkozy - it seems that every famous person who's ever passed through Nice has eaten in the Old Towns Petite Maison and the food is indeed divine , using the freshest Provencal ingredients in the simplest but most imaginative recipes.

Arjun Waney who is the co-owner of Zuma and Roka is such a fan of the Nicois restaurant that he decided to reproduce the original in Mayfair with Zuma's head chef, Raphael Duntoye.

The menu at Brooks Mews is a taste of fresh Niçois cuisine for London - a typical French Riviera mix of the rustic and the sophisticated, the French and the Italian, with tapenade, artichokes, olives, sea bass, seafood, pasta and grilled meats all featuring.

Definitely worth a stop off in London if you are missing the flavours of Nice  but if you're on the Riviera do pop into the original restaurant in the Old Town. The food is excellent, the service very French (ie you can expect to wait forever to be served but you'll have fun watching the madness around you while waiting!) and the setting relaxed and traditional. Make sure you phone to reserve-even in winter !

For its 124th edition, Nice Carnival’s theme is "King of Bats, Cats, Rats And Other Legendary Creatures" (Roi des Ratapignatas, Raminagrobis et autres ramassis de Rats masques) – quite a mouthful!!  

The Nice Carnival is the top winter event on the French Riviera and the city is in festival mode for a fortnight of festivities with carnival parades, music, dances and flower battles from February 16th till March 2nd,  2008.  The event attracts over a million spectators and so is a great time for renting out your property in Nice centre – it’s one of the winter weeks when your property will earn you similar rates to the high season rates – unless you want to be here to soak up the atmosphere yourself! 

 Spectacular processions take place along the seafront Promenade des Anglais and include the "Bataille des Fleurs" – battle of the flowers when the floats parade down the famous Prom and the thousands of spectators battle to catch the flowers (tons of mimosas!!) thrown from the floats. 

Music flows from every street corner and huge papier mache characters with giants heads parade through the City- some on floats, some dancing with the crowds on the streets.

The culmination of the carnival sees the papier mâché giants dance their last dance as their carnival king is taken down to the beach on his throne and ceremonially set alight, bringing the event to a close among a flurry of fireworks. A great time to be in Nice and a great boost to your rental income if you have a city apartment.

Although many changes to your property can be carried out with no permission, others do need the necessary French paperwork before you can get stuck in. It’s not necessarily the same as in the UK and since October 2007 certain jobs do need a building permit while others just require a prior declaration (déclaration préalable).

If you want to knock down a partition wall to open up your rooms creating a more open-plan space, then you’ll be pleased to know that you don’t need any permits and no paperwork is required at all at the mairie. (Make sure it’s not a supporting wall first – if you want to make changes to your supporting walls you need to tread carefully. You will need to contact your syndic and get expert advice !)

If you plan on creating a swimming pool then anything up to 10m2 doesn’t require any permits or paperwork.  It’s just as easy if you want a Jacuzzi or pool inside your house or an above ground pool in your garden. However if you are planning something on a grander scale ie above 10m2 you must make a declaration prealable.

In the past, changing an annexe (e.g. a hangar, stables etc) into habitable living space needed building permission before you began the works as you were changing the “destination” of the annexe. This is no longer the case and since 1st October 2007, annexes are considered the same as the main house. This means that the procedure has been simplified and so you now only need to make a prior declaration – a simple process requiring just a quick trip to your local mairie.

 However, if you are adding an extra level to your property then you do indeed need a building permit and you generally need to wait for 2 months in order to obtain this (again via your local mairie who award permits).

Should you wish to make the most of the extra sunshine and wish to create a veranda then so long as it isn’t’ bigger than 20m2 just a déclaration préalable des travaux (prior declaration of work) is necessary . Any bigger than 20m2 and a building permit is required.

Sheds and  pool houses:  If you are using your shed simply for storing your tools and you don’t want anything  bigger than 2m2 you can just go ahead and put the shed up. If you intend putting your lawnmower and garden chairs in there and thus need something a little bigger, a prior declaration is sufficient if the surface is less or equal to 20m2. Beyond that, a building permit is obligatory.

Now you have your pool, you will probably want a built in barbecue and so long as it doesn’t cover more than 2m2, you can roll up your sleeves and go ahead. You have no administrative steps to take.For garages a building permit is necessary for anything bigger than 20m2.

What was originally a humble fishing village is now a world famous jet-set destination thanks to lord Brougham, former Lord Chancellor of England who fell in love with the region in the 1930’s and turned it into a booming tourist resort.

These days the Cannes Film Festival is a firm date in the diary of all Hollywood Royalty and European socialites – and is one of the most profitable times for many Attika clients who have purchased property in Cannes and Nice – so flooded with visitors is the Riviera that apartments are booked out months in advance so Cannes property owners in particular rejoice when May comes around! Everything Cannes, www.everythingcannes.com is the main agency for renting apartments in Cannes and they also offer a superb management service for our property owners in Cannes.

The Cannes film festival is dedicated to developing all sides of the cinematic arts and throughout the event there are daily screenings, cultural events, forums, tributes and master classes, many of which are open to the public. This year Sean Penn, American actor and director (and Madonna’s ex), has been named President of the Jury for the 61st Festival de Cannes, due to take place from May 14 – 25 this year. 

All the movers and shakers of Hollywood are there and it’s a glorious place to be for people watching – it’s even more fun to watch the hangers-on and the “wannabe” stars desperately seek attention in increasingly outrageous ways – a sure-fire entertainment spectacle and one that shouldn’t be missed although – if you want to combine this period with property-hunting in Cannes you’ll find it an almost impossible task because all the apartments are full to the brim so you won’t be able to get in to have a look!

The law forbidding smoking in public places is now in place in all bars, cafes and hotels in the land of the Gauloise smokers!  France is the latest in a long line of European countries - including Italy and Ireland - to introduce complete or partial bans on smoking in public.

The BBC Paris correspondent says 70% of people in France say they favour the ban as do half of all smokers and it has been accepted suprisingly well in a country where smoking - along with flouting European laws - seems to be a favourite national passtime !!

The sensitivity of the issue prompted the authorities to allow special rooms to be set up purely for smokers and so certain employees in some private companies will be allowed to smoke but only if sealed smoking rooms have been set up for them.

The ban came into full effect on January 2nd, 2008, and applies to cafés, hotels, restaurants, discos and casinos. The ban does not include pavement tables ou open-air terraces.

If you are caught smoking, you will have a contractual fine of 68 euros or legal proceedings and establishments which continue to allow smoking also face hefty fines.

Moroccan tearooms with their narguiles (you'll find these are very trendy with the younger French crowd and there are quite a few in Nice Old Town) are deeply concerned with this ban on smoking .

Properties account for a huge 45% of French energy consumption and 25% of greenhouse gas emissions !!  With such shocking figures it will come as no surprise that after the November 07 French Environment summit, the pressure is on the building sector to ensure that these figures are reduced. 

The French building industry had already started to use the best technology solutions in order to be kind to the environment and now that the  latest advanced materials and equipment is  on the market, developers are using them  to promote “green” buildings. A fine example of this is “Natura” in Languedoc Roussillon, one of the residences Attika is keenly promoting.

Investing in a new build therefore means that you are at the vanguard, promoting sensible building and helping the environment !Your new home will benefit from all the latest regulations and innovations.  The French government has been especially stringent on sound and heat insulation since the 2005 regulation on heat (the RT 2005) came into force in September 06 and whose aim it is to  reduce Carbon Dioxide emissions and optimise energy use in buildings. 

This means that now, as soon as a promoter sets pencil to paper to plan their developments they must offer a solution that uses (for example) properly placed and carefully directed glass windows. The required window to space ration is 1m2 of window for 6m2 of living space. 40%  of the windows in a development must be south facing and 20% north-, east- and west-facing. Since the sun delivers free and clean energy it is vital to use its power and light throughout each season.

Therefore alongside natural air-conditioning (with heat vents to allow for natural air circulation) and with sun-awnings on all windows, new homes are comfortable in the summer and should be able to avoid the use of air conditioning.

The RT 2005 also insists on outside insulation around the building. These insulation requirements have now been increased by 5% and must especially concentrate on thermal bridges (floor edges, lintels, edges of supporting walls etc) which account for 40% of all heat loss and also lead to cold patches  or damp walls inside a property.All new build developers must be able to prove RT2005 compliance either by means of a heat analysis carried out by a professional, or with the help of technical solutions approved by the Ministry for Building and Housing which guarantees compliance with the benchmark values for energy saving and summer comfort.

The latest low temperature boilers are also installed by many developers as these can run continuously at a return temperature of around 40 degrees instead of 90 degrees for a conventional boiler. Another very fashionable technology is the condensing boiler due to their high performance and very low rate of energy consumption.

Surveys as understood by many UK buyers are not readily available – or understood - in France and you cannot make your purchase “subject to survey,” so if you have concerns about a property you should find a surveyor to examine it before you sign an agreement. 

There are a number of UK RICS surveyors operating in most areas but local French buyers tend to call in their local builder to take a look at the property if they want a second opinion on anything. There are, however, several surveys which are mandatory. They are paid for by the seller and you will receive the relevant certificates when you agree to purchase a property.In November 2007 a new mandatory survey came into effect for the sale of any French property with a domestic gas installation over 15 years old.

This is a new survey in addition to several others already obligatory and which are there to protect the buyer from certain risks. When you are purchasing a French property, you will therefore receive a file with an Asbestos Survey (if the building permit for your property was delivered prior to July 1st 1997) to reassure you that there is no asbestos in the building. If any is found, the expert will make you aware of where it is so that should you carry out any work on your property you or your builders can take the necessary precautions. You will also find a lead survey (for any property built before 1948). 

On older properties you will almost always see that your report does show some reports of lead in the paint – particularly on shutters and balcony railings. Also in your pack will be a termites survey (if the property is located in a “termite zone” as defined by the local government, a gas installation survey as described above, a hazards and technological risks survey (indicating natural risks such as flooding or avalanche, seismic risks and technological risks, i.e. if you are situated near a power station). 

Finally there is also the energy performance survey which is purely informative and which informs the buyer of the quantity of energy consumed by their building thus giving an indication of how cost efficient and environmentally-friendly a property is. You will also receive a certificate showing the exact size of your property as measured using the Carrez law (a particular method of measuring a French property) – this applies to apartments and houses in a co-propriete only so if you are purchasing an individual villa you will not receive this certificate.

Please contact Attika International if you would like information on experts to carry out the above tests or a RICS surveyor.

After a slight (0.75%) rise in interest rates lat year, 2008 is off to a good start for home buyers in France and due to the sharp decline in long-term interest rates on financial markets, interest rates on mortgages are expected to remain stable this year.

It should be possible to find a rate of 4.5% over the short term. For  the last four years, banks have been granting long loans which are still low at 4.8% for 25 years or 30% over 30 years. This means you should be able to borrow more or reduce your monthly repayments under still very favourable conditions.

 It is also possible to obtain better terms in certain regions of France – the South East for example, and to a lesser degree in the Paris areas, the North and the Southwest. This is beneficial for the future second-home owners as they can play on the difference between regions to gain optimum conditions. (Groupe Figaro)

Attika works with a wide selection of banks and brokers to ensure you get the best value mortgage to suit your needs. To request mortgage simulation please contact Attika International at info@attikainternational.com

The Notaires de France recently released the figures for property sales for the second half of 2007.  As expected prices show no signs of steadying off in the most popular areas such as the South of France and Paris so you are still making a safe investment if you purchase a property on the Côte d’Azur with Attika!The highest average price per square meter is of course in Paris where you will pay 4 401€ per m² (note this is an average – don’t expect to pay that for a property in Place des Vosges!!).

 The next most expensive is Provence-Alps-Côte d’Azur where the average cost per m² for an apartment was 3340€. Again, this average is including properties in outlying villages and inland so you can expect to pay double this per m` for a Riviera coastal property in Nice or Cannes centre. Brittany – perennially popular – shows an average price per m² at 1930€ and the Languedoc at 2270€ per m².

The cheapest place to buy an apartment is the Auvergne where property prices were 1460€ per m².

For houses and villas, the Côte d’Azur was in front and had the most costly transactions last year with the average price for a house or villa being 396 300€ and the market was very healthy. Prices in Paris-Ile de France for houses were less at 303 833€ on average.  Languedoc Roussillon prices were 202 900€ and Brittany was a bargain at 175 200€ on average.

The cheapest 2 areas were in the Auvergne as well as Limousin where the average cost per house was just 122 200€ per m2.Attika has a fantastic selection of French Riviera properties and we can advise you on the best areas to purchase for your budget so that you can be sure to see your investment grow.

We have some fantastic new build villas in quieter areas of the Coast –such as Plan de la Tour towards St. Tropez – which really are well priced and still offer all the delights of the Mediterranean and Provence. We have also carefully selected other areas of France such as the Alps, the Languedoc and Brittany, not only for their fantastic lifestyle but also for the potential for capital growth.

Take a look at our new build section and see what you can get for your money or call our sales team on 0033 493 16 95 81 to find out more about our top choices.

With increasing frequency, investors are choosing France. They know exactly what they’re doing. There is no mystery. If France is now the third biggest recipient of international investment in the world, the second in Europe and first in the Euro zone, it is because there is something in it for them and because France’s advantages have mounted steadily, in both quantity and quality. The European Union is the biggest market in the world with a gross national product of 51,000 billion francs (8,500 billion dollars), 20% larger than the North-American market; France, with a GNP of 9,300 billion francs (1,550 billion dollars) holds second place in the European market. The largest country in Western Europe with a land area of 550,000 square kilometres, it lies at the crossroads of Western and Central Europe, of Scandinavia and the Mediterranean basin.

It is the only country with both a direct link and a frontier with the six largest European markets (Germany, Italy, Spain, Benelux: Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands). It offers industrialists vast open spaces, many sparsely populated regions, with land prices that are still attractive. The market is close to 60 million consumers, whose purchasing power per head reaches 120,000 francs (20,000 dollars), one of the highest on the continent. But that is not all: its strategic geographical position provides access to 370 million European consumers. If political stability is a decisive feature for foreign investors, economic stability is no less important. And in France itself the possibility of recession at present seems remote, while prospects for growth are once again substantial and growth rates are approaching 2.3%. Inflation remains very low, less than that of Germany, Italy or Spain. Falling interest rates are just as significant. Finally, the balance of trade for the last few years has shown record surpluses (122 billion francs in 1996, equivalent to 20.3 billion dollars), thus creating an environment particularly favourable to business.

The Paris Bourse stands fourth in world terms, and is wide open to international companies with more than 200 foreign securities listed. In terms of shares, it has seen the highest rate of growth in Europe. In ten years, between 1985 and 1995, the number of foreign banks and financial institutions established in Paris has increased from 260 to 420.

First class communications In terms of infrastructure, France undoubtedly has one of the most efficient and innovative systems. The road network is the most extensive in Europe with 800,000 kilometres of roads, 8,000 kilometres of motorways and 5,000 under construction. The High Speed Train (TGV), which travels at 300 kilometres/hour in particular between Paris, Lille, Brussels, London, Cologne, Lyons, Bordeaux and Marseilles, is the fastest in the world. For air travel, 370 companies of 100 nationalities serve 136 countries from seven French international airports. The finishing touch is the existence  of multimode transport hubs, the only ones of their kind in the world, which provide air, rail and road connections. Thus the interchange facilities at Roissy Charles-de-Gaulle and Lyon-Satolas airports make it possible to change without difficulty from plane to TGV or RER (Réseau Express Régional - fast surburban rail network). Other links of this type are currently being set up in a number of regions, particularly in Champagne (East). An American transport company like Federal Express states that it set up its distribution and logistics centre at Roissy after having been won over by these facilities.

France today in second place worldwide for productivity per employee in industry. The quality of research, both fundamental and applied, has made it possible to achieve the highest level in advanced technology. The recent establishment of 400 research units by international companies is evidence of the interest they are taking in the network of high-tech centres and science parks. The best known is probably Sophia Antipolis near Nice, home to 1,100 organisations, including 140 research laboratories from every part of the world. Europe’s second largest location for the number of company head offices established there, the Ile-de-France region has the highest concentration of scientists in Europe. The American company, Motorola, has set up its world coordination centre in Marne-la-Vallée, attracted by « the idea that the largest concentration of mathematicians is to be found there », while IBM has opted for Corbeil-Essonne. Did French winners of the Nobel prize for physics, Pierre-Gilles de Gennes (1991) and Georges Charpak (1992) weigh in the balance? Probably less than the tens of thousands of engineers, computing specialists and researchers employed by American companies such as Canon in Rennes, Brittany and Hewlett-Packard in Grenoble in the Alps, or the Korean company Daewoo at Metz, in Lorraine. For, while the Paris area has the largest concentration of universities and scientific educational establishments in Europe, there is more to France than its capital and the other regions are benefiting considerably from four strategic joint programmes, which aim to promote innovation in industry, by linking public bodies and businesses. .

Finally, mention must be made of the quality of life in France and of the welcome extended to investors. This approach is politically driven and is relayed to all levels of administration and for some years now has permeated managerial attitudes. This has not always been the case. In the early 1970s, the general attitude towards international companies was not really open. Today, in complete contrast,  The quality of French medicine, the particularly progressive social security system and the existence of a free first class school and university system explain to foreigners the relatively high level of social security contributions, which may, at first sight, seem to be a dissuasive factor. In Ile-de-France, for example, there are 3.5 doctors for every thousand residents, and 7.1 in Paris itself. A capital which has 600 hospitals and clinics, including over 50 in the public sector, with establishments whose names are known all over the world, like the Curie Institute, or the Pasteur Institute.

The region is home to more than 50 international schools, in which all the existing educational systems are represented. The dream of Datar’s manager is to provide each département with an international high school. Considerable efforts have been made regarding financial assistance which is often decisive. More and additional aid with fiscal matters and State, community or regional finance is being provided

Finally, is there any need to remind the reader that France has an exceptionally rich culture, which explains why it has more than 60 million visitors a year, and is the most popular tourist destination on earth? Some of the finest museums in the world, 30,000 châteaux, 400,000 historic buildings and monuments certainly, but also a very great variety of countryside and a genuine understanding of how to enjoy life. For, heads of companies concerned with ensuring the welfare of their staff, are well aware that they are most motivated when their life in general is pleasant.

Liliane Delwasse
Journalist with Le Nouvel Economiste  

It’s a cliché, but like many clichés it contains more than an element of truth; the French in general really do prefer to buy new properties rather than older ones.

Across France, in cities, towns and tiny villages, new homes are being built and immediately snapped up by French buyers.However, they are no longer alone. Overseas buyers are increasingly choosing to purchase new build rather than older homes.

Partly this trend is linked to the growing number of people who are entering the French market as investors. New build homes are popular with investors because they are low on maintenance and ideal for tourism lets (for which many investment properties are used).

Second homes Increasingly, though, foreign buyers are choosing new homes either as second homes or as their main residence when they move to France. For them the main advantages include the lack of maintenance and the lower running costs – for example on heating. There is also peace of mind; many new developments have security measures in place meaning that your property is at less risk while you are away than, say, an isolated rural cottage.

New developments often also have leisure facilities attached to them – for example swimming pools, gyms, restaurants and even golf courses – though these are often more restricted in city developments where space is more limited. And there is also the attraction of having a ready made ‘community’ for you to join, often with people who speak the same language as you.


No DIY.  Katie Edwards of French Property Consultants Attika International agrees. ‘Buying off-plan in France is simple and straightforward - and it comes with no DIY frustration or spiralling financial costs.’But she also points to another reason for people choose new build – peace of mind over the quality of the home you are buying. ‘New property comes with various guarantees attached to it covering the structure of the building to the fixtures and fittings,’ she says.

These guarantees form part of the contract when buying new build- though it’s also important to make sure that the developer has proper insurance to cover any liability to meet the guarantees. If in doubt about this check with the notaire or hire your own lawyer to make sure. Of course, just because a property is new does not guarantee it is right for you either as a home, holiday home or investment. There are bad developments as well as good ones.

Local plans It is important to check out the area where the new build is being (or perhaps already has been) built. Don’t simply accept the words in the developers’ brochure about how beautiful the area is or the wonderful facilities that are on hand. They are unlikely to tell you about plans for a new chemical dump down the road or the new factory that’s being built round the corner. Also, if you are buying on a small development that is full of character you should make sure that the same or other developers are not planning to put up a row of new box-style homes next door in a few years once all the up market homes are sold. To find out more ask at the mairie and any existing neighbours, and also ask around local estate agents.


Desolate .You should also be aware what the area is like in the off-season. Most places look good in the sunshine. But some new developments can feel empty and desolate places in the winter, especially if many of the facilities close down. In tourist areas, for example, you might find that your favourite restaurant doesn’t open for the winter months.
So as with any property purchase you need to weigh up carefully the pros and cons of a new build home – and certainly you should never feel pressurized into buying one. However you can feel reassured by the fact that the French have been buying new build for years - and they seem to keep coming back for more.
Michael Streeter
Property editor -French Entree   View Article

Following Paris in 1989, Avignon in 2000 and Lille in 2004, is Nice set to become the fourth French town to be granted the prestigious "Capital of Culture" award for 2013 ?

The initial French shortlist will be drawn up at the end of 2007 and Nice is competing with Marseille-Provence, Lyon, Bordeaux, Toulouse as well as Strasbourg and the competition does incite great rivalry - Lille certainly made a good many towns envious when they won the honour, even moreso with the resulting cultural, touristic, economic and media interest that fell upon the town following their time in the spotlight - to the point that the image of the town was completely turned around - for the better !.

To aid the town in its bid, Nice's most famous living artist, Ben, has taken the town hall's file to be blessed at St Rita's church in Nice Old town and he has no doubt that Nice  is going to win.

Nice has already started planning projects to wow the world should we win, ranging from transforming Place Garibaldi with angelic cherubs perching on the Baroque architecture to a boat floating ABOVE Nice port (really!) and a nod towards Nice's old mafia connections with an underwater concrete sculpture...with a man in a dark suit attached to it!!

Hurray!

A new night bus service has recently opened in Nice making going out on the Riviera far easier. Although there is an excellent public transport system here, it does stop very early in the evenng in many areas. Starting from 18th January 2007, 3 main night bus services began and are operating on the main social nights of Thursday, Friday and Saturday and will cost 1Euros 30 per journey. The number 100 will leave from Nice airport and serve Monaco and Menton. Four return journeys per night starting at 10pmn and finishing at 3.45am. The number 200 will leave from Nice airport and will serve Cannes. Four return journeys from 10pm to 4.10am. The number 600 will leave from Cannes and serve Grasse. Three return journeys starting at 10.30pm to 3.30am

Nice’s new tramway set to push property prices higher!

The Niçois have been waiting with baited breath (along with a few choice words at the constant traffic diversions during the construction!) for the long-awaited Nice tramway and it really does look as though you will all be finally able to hop on one of the high tech trams to make your journey around town from late Autumn 2007 onwards.

The first tram could be seen making a test run on 27th December 2006 after being on display in Place Massena for the previous 2 weeks (and yes, the town did come out to watch!). The first trials started taking place in March 2007 and the trams can regularly be seen now making test runs through the centre of Nice and everyone agrees that they are very sleek and will go a long way in alleviating Nice’s traffic problem by providing a cheap and reliable mode of transport.

Further lines are planned for 2013 which will bring in other outlying areas of Nice as well as the Plaine du Var. The tramway has been so newsworthy because it isn’t just a new mode of transport here but it’s also proven to be a catalyst for an urban project which is transforming and beautifying the town (1200 trees have been planted along the routes, 14 works of art commissioned along line 1) and whole swathes of the town have been redesigned with Place Massena now a breathtaking centrepiece along with Place Garibaldi (near the Port) as another main central focal point redesigned and handed back to pedestrians after years of both these beautiful squares being largely overlooked and losing much of their former glory.

 Such major investments made by the government cannot fail to pay rich dividends to property owners in the area too and areas which were largely forgotten about by investors along the tramline have shot up in price. The opening of Place Massena this Summer after years of construction works due to the tramway was a huge success with the central area transformed into a simply stunning open square that takes your breath away! All of the areas surrounding Place Massena, including the old town, will reap major benefits from the hefty investments made in prettifying the centre and more and more investors are looking to purchase property within just a short walk of place Massena.

Anything with a view over the square will now be extremely expensive with prices starting at 7000 euros per m2 and rising upwards steadily if a partial view of the sea is included along with the Square ! Place Garibaldi and Avenue de la Republique -This area is one of the jewels of Nicois history but has over recent years lost some of its shine. All that’s changed with the tramway when Place Garibaldi will regain its former glory and be dedicated to pedestrians - Avenue de la Republique will also be much pedestrianised. The tramway unearthed Roman ruins in Place Garibaldi (part of the reason for the delays) also and these will be left on display in the Square beside the tramline - the tramway is linking Nice's history to her future!! Other public Transport There is already an excellent public transport system in Nice with 3 train stations in Nice centre itself (the main train station is Gare Thiers in Nice town centre and then there is St. Augustin not far from the airport and also Riquier behind the port.)

There is a comprehensive bus service, the new tramway, a coach service through to pretty much every town and village along the coast (and elsewhere) and plenty of cycle routes throughout the town centre and all along the Promenade. The trains run regularly all along the coast through to Italy (Ventimiglia) and cover all the towns such as Monaco, Villefranche, Cannes, Menton, Juan les Pins, Antibes etc). The trains are clean and fast (often double deckers!) and prices are reasonable (for instance return Nice to Cannes is around 11 euros full price and takes just over half an hour).