Sleeper trains can be many things — comfortable, cramped, bumpy, awe-inspiring, isolating, social, luxurious, and unbearable.
21.01.2025 - 20:07 / lonelyplanet.com
Jan 21, 2025 • 9 min read
I love Nice, an outdoor playground that’s fringed by the Alps and lapped by the milky blue sea. Saturated in color, it sizzles with sensory overload. Yet beneath the veneer of Riviera glitz lies a buzzy, ever-changing city filled with hidden pleasures.
Nice makes for an ideal weekend getaway. Within short distances, you can enjoy the beach, soak up culture, eat regally, hike in wild spots along the coast or get further into nature in the hills that rise behind the city. My family lives here, so I’m a regular. While the winter is my favorite time to come, Nice appeals in any season.
When to arrive: Plan on flying in Thursday evening for cheaper fares, then schedule activities from Friday morning to Sunday evening. Factor festivals like Nice Jazz Festival and Carnaval de Nice into your planning.
How to get from the airport: The tram is efficient, easy and cheap, with service right from the airport terminal heading straight into town. A single ticket costs €1.70 (US$1.70); you can buy one at the machine at the airport station. Taxis are overpriced, so after hours order an Uber.
Getting around town: Walking is best. If you need a break, Nice’s tram and bus are super accessible, as are the coastal trains.
Where to stay: With well-priced rooms and a rooftop terrace, Mama Shelter is a solid budget option in the buzzy port district. Check into mid-range Hôtel Suisse for fabulous views over the endless miles of coastline. Splurge at Hôtel du Couvent, with its stylish opulence and terraced herbal gardens.
What to pack: It depends on the season, but generally think attire that’s city cool–meets–outdoorsy. Sunglasses, comfortable walking shoes, swim kit and sunscreen are all essential at all times of year.
Morning: Nice is all about the light, so start your day with a morning dip to catch the rays. My first stop is always the Prom (aka the famous Promenade des Anglais). Anywhere along this stretch is wonderful for a swim – and you have the advantage of looking back from the water onto a cinematic, rainbow-hued line of art-deco and belle-époque buildings. Access to the sea is free, with public showers beachside – so don’t bother with private establishments, which can easily charge you €30 (US$30.90) just for a lounge chair.
The Mediterranean is temperate year long (hovering at 15°C / 59°F in winter), so feel free to take a dip in any season. (If you come for an afternoon swim, watch out for la vague, a single large wave that breaks higher up the beach. Its cause is a great source of local mystery, and it can easily soak all your stuff.)
Afterward, head to the Cours Saleya market, tucked behind the seafront. It’s tourist territory, true – but it’s a true pleasure to weave among the crowds
Sleeper trains can be many things — comfortable, cramped, bumpy, awe-inspiring, isolating, social, luxurious, and unbearable.
Anne Frank's "The Diary of a Young Girl" remains one of the most famous and powerful works of the 20th century — and one of the most poignant accounts of a young person's life during the Holocaust.
How much would you pay to go to the Super Bowl?
Feb 5, 2025 • 8 min read
At the end of 2023, Delta announced that it would start limiting the number of times American Express cardholders could access Delta Sky Clubs starting in February 2025. Now that we're a few days into February, these limits are officially in place.
Elite status in your favorite hotel loyalty program can make your stays more comfortable, convenient and rewarding with perks like bonus points, room upgrades, free breakfast, late checkout and more.
This is part of Why I Moved, a recurring series about Americans building a life abroad.
Jan 30, 2025 • 8 min read
Could all our future planes travel faster than the speed of sound? It’s been more than 20 years since the last supersonic passenger flight took off, but a US company wants to bring it back.
When a member of the hotel team showed me around my sleep-optimized room at Switzerland's Chenot Palace Weggis, I got the sense I would not sleep very well at all. “You set the alarm for the morning and it will play for 20 minutes,” she explained, pointing to a panel on the wall. “Then you put on the eye mask and play this for another 20 minutes.” She gestured toward a smartphone on the other side of the bed that contained the app I would need. There was also a smart thermostat, which had to be set between 66 and 68 degrees, bedsheets coated with infrared-emitting minerals, and temperature-regulating pajamas. I was tired, jet-lagged, and in no shape to comprehend the complicated contraptions that were meant to help me do what's supposed to be the most natural thing in the world.
Human-caused climate change worsened the devastating Los Angeles wildfires, a new study has found.
If you haven't reached your desired American Airlines AAdvantage elite status yet, the qualification deadline of Feb. 28 is rapidly approaching. Although you still have the rest of January and February to earn Loyalty Points toward your desired status, American Airlines AAdvantage is already sending out opportunities to use miles or cash to buy elite status valid through March 31, 2026.