Nice is Getting Nicer and the Old Port has a New Offering (Great One-Bedroom Apartment for Sale)

Niçois friends are bombarding me with all the news from the sunny seaside city. The “Coulée Verte” known as the “Promenade du Paillon” opened with an inauguration last Saturday welcoming tens of thousands of people after two years of construction. I can’t wait to see it now that the green striped metal barriers are gone. One Nice blogger called it Nice’s very own Central Park!

I’m not so sure about that, but it’s a massive improvement to the gardens and obsolete structures once there. The report from Parler Paris and Parler Nice reader Anne Sliwinwki — who took all the photos — who is now living in Nice and loving it, was…

“So glad I didn’t miss the opening of the Paillon today in Nice!!! Remember the fenced off area of what was to be the Coulée Verte after they tore down the parking lot and Gare Routière in the center? Well, it is BEAUTIFUL!!! It stretches from below Place Masséna to Place Garabaldi and is so beautifully done. It has been six years in the making! The fence is beautiful — iron, but delicate and elegant. The park (in several sections) will be open all day and close in the evenings and will be closely monitored so squatters don’t camp out!! There are several “brumisateurs” [humidifiers] and fountains. Huge, beautiful sculptures for children to play on are in a huge play area. The building we saw through the fence and thought looked like a bus stop — it’s a mini-tourist office. There are five buildings like that scattered around the park and most will be public restrooms, attended and costing 50 cents (per visit). Then, afterward the inauguration, there was music into the evening in the gardens and kiosk music areas by jazz groups and the Nice philharmonic.“

Everything I’ve read in the press, by bloggers and friends, say the 12 hectare Promenade is everything they hoped for and more…”A breath of fresh air.” It will be open from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. in the winter and till 11 p.m. in the summer. I can’t wait to visit it when I land in Nice at the end of the month! To learn more about La Promenade du Paillon, visit nice.fr/Urbanisme/.

Author Timothy J. Smith and photographer Michael Honegger moved to Nice recently and will soon be installing themselves in an apartment on the Old Port on rue Catherine Ségurane (currently under renovation). They’re witnessing the growth of the area and the improvements taking place in the city. Brochures they sent me this week explain the “Nouveau Tram de l’Ouest à l’Est” and one zooming in on “Le Quartier du Port” which is experiencing a serious rejuvenation.

The new tramway will connect the airport, the administrative center of the city and the Old Port in just 26 minutes. The proposed east to west line, expected to improve the quality of life in the city, is an urban transport project that is is expected to radically transform the appearance of the public spaces through which it crosses by planting 2,400 new trees along the route. The tram network will interconnect most major centers of economic activity in the heart of the metropolis as well as major tourist facilities. Eventually, the two tram lines of the “Métropole Nice Côte d’Azur” will serve 260,000 people, two-thirds of the Niçoise population and 85% of the hotels by connecting the main poles — the port, airport, the administrative center, the Arena, the Hospital Lenval the Palais Nikaia, etc. and 210,000 people and their jobs within 500 meters of the route.

The stations will be extensive with elevators and video surveillance cameras. Particular attention will be given to the lighting — the light of day will be made filtered to the heart of the stations. The objectives are to reduce traffic by 5.3% or 20,000 fewer cars, decrease air pollution and noise by 15% to 17% and to create wider sidewalks for the safety of pedestrians and bicycles. Blubike stations (the public rental bike system) will be located close to each tram station, as well as park-and-ride parking lots.

The construction is beginning now with the work to be completed by the end of 2017 when all who live and visit Nice will all benefit from this new and innovative public transport system. For more information, visit tramway.nice.fr.

At the Old Port, now that the Promenade du Paillon reaches all the way to Place Garabaldi and the new tramway will reach all the way to the port, improvements are being made on the streets that join the Place with the port. Sidewalks are being widened, trees are being added, parking is made more available and life will improve for all its residents. Tim and Michael could’t be happier about their decision to move to this part of Nice.

And fortunately for you, we can offer you a 50 square-meter one-bedroom apartment in the heart of the Quartier du Port on the already gentrified rue Bonaparte ((Napoleon lived on this street in the 1790’s) that one of our readers wishes to sell! On the second floor of a typical Niçois building, it has one balcony on the street south-facing off the dining room and one off the bedroom on the courtyard. The living room/dining/kitchen is spacious with three large windows south-facing on rue Bonaparte letting in beautiful sunshine. It has a bathroom with bathtub and toilet and a separate second toilet. It is being sold completely equipped including a washer and dryer.

This has been a successful rental property for many years. With the improvements taking place in the city and especially at the Old Port, this property is becoming an even stronger investment all the time. We recommend a refresh/renovation/redecoration to bring it to the standard of a high quality rental property, but anything you put into it will be well worth it!

The asking Price is 329,000€ + 3% Finder’s fee.

If you are SERIOUSLY interested in purchasing this apartment, and you understand that there is a 3% finder’s fee will be added to the purchase price, be sure to email us for more information at: [email protected].

A bientôt,

Adrian Leeds

Director of The Adrian Leeds Group, LLC

Respond to Adrian: [email protected]

P.S. Did you know that the Adrian Leeds Group offers everything you need for your visit or move to Paris or France? From luxurious vacation rentals at Parler Paris and Parler Nice Apartments to customized concierge services at Parler Paris Plus, long-term apartment rentals searches, purchase property finding services, currency transfers, loans and more, visit our site AdrianLeeds.com.

P.P.S. FPI will NOT be published on Thursday, November 28th in honor of the Thanksgiving holiday.