Nice

This Month in Nice (March):

Shopping: Pick up some funky new threads, including Grendha jellies and Paul Frank swimwear, at the Old Town's Antique Boutique (19 Rue de la Préfecture, tel: 04 9362 6610).

Sightseeing: Monte Carlo's Spring Arts Festival (Printemps des Arts) spans three weeks, showcasing international acts that include classical Brahms concerts and Persian percussion performances (15 March-6 April, printempsdesarts.com).

Key areas: Spend a day exploring Monaco's Palace hill: hit the Prince's Palace, the aquarium or simply check out the soaring views over the port.

Day trips: A 15-minute drive east of Nice, über-wealthy Cap Ferrat is ringed by a pretty coastal trail. Temperate March days are ideal for a hike around the four-hour loop. Buses get there in 20 minutes and depart every 15 minutes. The path can be accessed from Beaulieu's promenade, Villefranche beach or various spots along the waterfront.

Nice News & Gossip

Snowboarding Weekend in Isola 2000

FRIDAY

Flying into Nice offers spectacular views any time of year, but in winter there's the added beauty of the azure sea and Mediterranean villas contrasting with the white-capped peaks of the Maritime Alps. Book a Europcar at www.easyJet.com and drive the 90km inland from the airport to the resort of Isola 2000, through picturesque canyons dotted with quaint stone farmhouses and villages. Or hop on the resort's bus for just €1 each.

Check into Résidence Les Terrasses d'Isola (available at www.ski.easyJet.com from €120 per night,), which is in the heart of Isola 2000 and one of the resort's newest properties. The modern, cosy apartments are fully self-catering, with onsite facilities including a spa and café.

Depending on what time you arrive, you could head out onto the slopes for a couple of hours. Isola 2000 is one of the Stations du Mercantour in the Mercantour National Park, right on the border with Italy. It's popular with snowboarders because it lacks those features so loathed by them: slow, flat patches and skinny cat tracks. Plus, there's ample powder throughout the season and a snow park.

For a memorable first night, book a table at Le Cow Club (tel: +33 (0)4 9323 1201), at the bottom of the Chapelle run. It specialises in repas de montagne (mountain dishes) such as tartiflette, a calorie-rich mix of potatoes, cheese, bacon and cream. There are also fantastic pizzas, served up amid a quirky interior of rustic accessories and yes, lots of cows - well, the ornamental and pictorial kind anyway. The lively atmosphere offers a fun place to unwind.

SATURDAY

Fuel up for an active day with breakfast at the apartments, including fresh bread and pastries. If it's a clear day, head to the highest points of the resort for views and some unexpected links to recent history. At the top of the new Valette lift, Europe's second-fastest six-seater chairlift, you can unstrap and check out World-War-II bunkers, perched on the border. Then take the Verps run down to the St Sauveur lift, at the top of which, you can see all the way to the Mediterranean Sea.

When your stomach starts rumbling, board down to the centre of the Station, to La Marmotte restaurant (tel: +33 (0)4 9323 9865). Indulge in the novelty of a raclette meal, to share between two. You'll get a plate of potatoes and meat and a strange-looking contraption that's actually a heat lamp, with a half wheel of raclette cheese speared under it. When the cheese melts, you scoop it over the potatoes and voilà, you've got a high-energy meal to get you through the afternoon so you can explore Isola's 120km of slopes.

As the lifts start closing, sort out any aches and pains back at Les Terrasses d'Isola in the fully equipped spa area. The apartments are managed by the Cela Group, which specialises in offering wellness breaks. So book a massage or beauty treatment, or just warm up in the hot tub and hammam.

Isola regulars favour La Raclette (Place du Cinéma, tel: +33 (0)4 9323 1034) for dinner, with its relaxed and contemporary interior and superb food, including of course raclette and fondue, washed down with some Côtes de Provence red wine. For dinner and a movie there's a cinema next door offering a handful of new releases.

SUNDAY

Don't leave the Mercantour without trying out the slopes in Auron, a 40-minute drive from Isola 2000. In a morning you'll get a taster of the different terrain on offer here. Its slopes are wide open and interconnected by large off-piste areas, and the views across forested valleys and snowy peaks are sensational. In the distance you can see the Italian border and the clouds that hover above it thanks to the Lombarde wind (the reason Isola 2000 gets such regular snowfall).

Book a table for lunch at busy La Bergerie (Nabinas Inferieur, tel: +33 (0)4 9323 0681). The desserts are delicious, so try something light, such as the artichoke salad or seafood tagliatelle and then round off the meal with chocolate éclairs and a café crème. Watch the buzz of the resort through the huge windows as you reflect on a satisfying weekend of snowboarding.

Nice Trivia

• March: Little more than a century ago, much of Cap Ferrat was the domain of just one man: King Leopold II of Belgium, the former proprietor of Congo and the largest landowner the world has ever seen.

• February: Nice only became part of France 150 years ago, after locals voted not to join the new Italian republic in 1860. This explains the Italianate architecture, churches and piazzas in the Old Town.

• January: Tiny Île Saint-Honorat has been populated almost exclusively by monks for over 1,600 years.

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