Nice, France

The French Riviera is not only famous for its coastline, and its incomparable weather. The ski resorts in nearby mountain villages have steadily gained in popularity over the years. Guaranteed sunshine, pristine snow and mountain peaks are all within easy reach of Nice.

Easily accessible to Nice are the towns of Eze, Vence, Grasse and St. Paul. The route in their direction is one of olive groves and pine woods stretching for miles down to the shore. Foothills are carpeted with flowers in the light that inspired generations of painters from Renoir to Matisse to Picasso.

For many, the Riviera offers all the grandeur of bygone days: casinos, stately hotels, villas, and historic sites. Hotel Beau Rivage is where Henri Matisse lived and painted. Now a gentle, low-key resort, life thrives in Nice amid pure air and sun above the blue of the Mediterranean, and modern art museums flourish.

As long as anyone can remember, the French seaside Riviera was Europe's foremost resort. Graced by palms, beaches and sub-tropical flowers, the Azure Coast (Côte d’Azur) ranked for over a hundred years as the preferred first class travel destination.

In the mid 20^th century the Riviera additionally became known as the place where the bikini got its start, and a whole new leisure lifestyle evolved. Mid-July to early September now marks the high season, when stars of the entertainment world arrive for sun and sports from golf to horse racing.

It is easy to get around the Riviera with its excellent rail service, luxury buses, and car rentals. In Nice, just a few blocks from the Promenade des Anglais is the colorful "old town" with open-air market for shoppers, and restaurants with hearty Niçoise cuisine at moderate prices.

Centrally located, Nice is 77 miles south of Paris, and 20 miles northeast of Cannes.

From the Nice airport, (the second largest in France), trains and buses travel the entire coast. Because of its brilliant sunshine and relaxed living, artists and writers have been attracted to Nice for years. The city has, on average, 300 days of sunshine a year.

It also has 5 miles of marvelous beaches, many attractions of interest to families with children, and the relaxed lifestyle that makes it the perfect place for a family vacation. The French and Italian influenced cuisine can also be described as “sunny”. The favorites range from seafood, salads, stews, grilled fish and meat, to delicious pancakes and fine wines.

Shopping in Nice is exciting as well. In addition to quality department stores there are hand crafted and embroidered items and many fascinating antique shops.

Nice has a selection of dynamic theaters, concert halls, and an opera, as well as nightclubs, a casino, a variety of cabaret restaurants and live music bars. Local festivals are always popular, especially Carnaval et Bataille de Fleurs and the annual Jazz Festival.

Acres of parks and gardens, filled with paths for walking and cascades of brightly colored flowers, add to the warm welcome, joyful spirit, and many reasons to visit and revisit this city without equal.

Population: 345, 892; over 3.2 million visitors annually

Time Zone: Greenwich Mean Time plus one hour: Time in Nice is 6 hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time in New York.(7 hours ahead of central time in Chicago, etc.)

Average Temperatures and Rainfall

	Low	High	Rainfall
January	35F	50F	1.7"
February	36	53	1.3
March	41	59	1.7
April	46	64	1.7
May	52	71	1.8
June	58	79	0.9
July	63	84	0.4
August	63	83	1.3
September	58	68	2.4
October	51	68	3.0
November	43	58	2.7
December	37	52	2.6

When to Go

Nice has the advantage of an exceptional micro-climate. Although the city opens onto the sea, Nice is protected from the wind by the surrounding hills and the Estérel mountains to the west, and the north-western barrier of the Mercantour Alps. The sea breezes give a mild climate in winter and reduce the heat in the summer.

It is not unusual to lunch outdoors in the Cours Saleya in a T-shirt in February, while the rest of France is shivering in the cold

June and September are the best months to be in the region, as both are free of midsummer crowds and the weather is summer-balmy. June offers the advantage of long daylight hours, while lower prices and many warm days, often lasting well into October, make September attractive. Try to avoid the second half of July and all of August, when almost all of France goes on vacation. Don't travel on or around July 14 and August 1, 15, and 31, when every French family is either going on vacation or driving home. After All Saints (November 1), though most of thesurrounding region closes down for winter, Nice thrives year-round.

New Year's Day 1st January

Easter Monday April (date varies)

Labor Day 1st Monday in May

Victory in Europe 1945 (VE Day) May 8

Feast of the Ascension Thursday in June (date varies)

Whitsun early June (date varies)

Bastille Day July 14

Assumption August 15

All Saints Day November 1

Armistice Day November 11

Christmas December 25

Business Hours

Bank hours vary from branch to branch, but are usually open weekdays, generally from 8:30 to 5. Most take a one-hour, or even a 90-minute, lunch break.

Gas Stations Gas stations on the autoroutes are usually open 24 hours.

Museums & Sights

Museum hours are irregular with seasonal variations and a tendency to change often. Usual opening times are from 9:30 or 10 to 5 or 6, but many close for lunch (noon-2). Most museums are closed one day a week (Monday or Tuesday) and on national holidays. Check museum hours before you go.

Shops

Large stores are open from 9 or 9:30 until 7 or 8. Smaller shops often open earlier (8 AM) and close later (8 PM) but take a lengthy lunch break (1 to 4 or 4:30) in the south of France

Customs & Duties

Arriving in France

There are two levels of duty-free allowance for travelers entering France: one for goods obtained (tax paid) within another European Union (EU) country and one for goods obtained anywhere outside the EU or for goods purchased in a duty-free shop within the EU.

Electricity

The electrical current in France is 220 volts, 50 cycles alternating current (AC). French electrical outlets have two round holes ("female") and a "male" ground; your appliances must either have a slender, two-prong plug that bypasses that ground, or a plug with two round prongs and a hole.

Embassies and Consulates

U.S. Embassy (2 rue St-Florentin, Paris, 1, 01-43-12-22-22 in English; 01-43-12-23-47 in emergencies, métro Concorde, weekdays 9-3; 12 bd. Paul Peytral, Marseille, 04-91-54-92-00, weekdays 8:30-12:30 and 1:30-5:30 and until 4:30 on Friday).

Emergencies

In case of fire, hotels are required to post multilingual emergency exit maps inside every room door.

Ambulance ( 15).

Fire Department ( 18).

Police ( 17).

If your car breaks down on an expressway, go to a roadside emergency telephone (yellow boxes) and call for assistance. If you have a breakdown anywhere else, find the nearest garage or contact the police (dial 17).

Language

Although many French people, especially in major tourist areas, speak some English, it's important to remember that you are going to France and that people speak French. However, at least one person in most hotels can explain things in English.

Even if your own French is terrible, try to master a few words. A simple, friendly "bonjour" (hello) will do, as will asking if the person you are greeting speaks English ("Parlez-vous anglais?").

Money

ATMs

ATMs are one of the easiest ways to get cash. Banks usually offer excellent, wholesale exchange rates through ATMs.

To get cash at ATMs in France, your PIN must be four digits long. You may have more luck with ATMs if you are using a credit card or a debit card that is also a Visa or MasterCard, rather than just your bank card. Note, too, that you may be charged by your bank for using ATMs overseas; inquire at your bank about charges.

Currency

The unit of currency in Nice is the Euro (EUR). Under the euro system, there are eight coins: 2 and 1 euros, plus 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, and 50 cents. On all coins, one side has the value of the euro on it and the other side has the national symbol of one of the countries participating in monetary union. There are seven notes: 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200, and 500 euros. Notes are the same for all countries.

Taxes

All taxes must be included in posted prices in France. The initials TTC (toutes taxes comprises - taxes included) sometimes appear on price lists but, strictly speaking, are superfluous. By law, restaurant and hotel prices must include 20.6% taxes and a service charge. If they show up as extra charges on your bill, complain.

Tipping

The French have a clear idea of when they should be tipped. Bills in bars and restaurants include service, but it is customary to round out your bill with some small change unless you're dissatisfied. The amount of this varies: anywhere from 50 centimes/8 European cents if you've merely bought a beer, to 10 francs/EUR1.50 after a meal. Tip taxi drivers and hairdressers about 10%. In some theaters and hotels, coat check attendants may expect nothing (if there is a sign saying Pourboire Interdit - tips forbidden); otherwise give them 2 francs to 5 francs/30 European cents to 76 cents. Washroom attendants usually get 2 francs, though the sum is often posted.

Telephones

The country code for France is 33. All phone numbers in France have a two-digit prefix determined by zone: Nice, in the southeast, has the prefix 04.

Numbers beginning with 08 are either toll-free or toll calls (with an additional charge on top of making the call). To make calls in the same city or town, or in the same region, dial the full 10-digit number.

Directory & Operator Information

To find a number in France, dial 12 for information. For international inquiries, dial 00-33-12 plus 11 for the U.S., 44 for the U.K.

Another source of information is the Minitel, an on-line network similar to the Internet. You can find one - they look like a small computer terminal - in most post offices. Available (free for the first three minutes) is an on-line phone book covering the entire country.

International Calls

To call out of France, dial 00 and wait for the tone, then dial the country code (1 for the United States and Canada, 44 for the United Kingdom, 61 for Australia, 64 for New Zealand) and the area code (minus any initial 0) and number. Expect to be overcharged if you call from your hotel.

Long-Distance Calls

To call any region in France from another region, dial the full 10-digit number (including the two-digit prefix).

Public Telephones

Most French pay phones are operated by télécartes (phone cards), which you can buy from post offices, métro stations, and some tabacs (tobacco shops. Coin-operated pay phones are scarce, existing only in cafés (whose proprietors can set their own rates) and post offices. Phone cards are accepted everywhere else. The easiest but most expensive way to phone is to use your own Visa card, which is accepted in all phone booths and works like a télécarte.

Arriving & Departing

By Air

Most airlines fly to Paris and have connecting flights to the south of France on domestic airlines. The one exception is Delta, which has frequent nonstop flights to Nice from New York. Air France serves Nice daily from Paris and London.

Paris's Charles de Gaulle/Roissy (CDG) ( 01-48-62-22-80 in English; www.adp.fr) has daily flights to Nice.

Paris's Orly (ORY) ( 01-49-75-15-15; www.adp.fr) has daily flights to Nice.

The Nice-Côte d'Azur Airport (NCE) 7 km/41⁄2 mi from Nice, 04-93-21-30-30; sits on a peninsula between Antibes and Nice. There are frequent flights between Paris and Nice on Air Liberté, AOM, and Air France as well as direct flights on Delta Airlines from New York. The flight time between Paris and Nice is about 1 hour.

Flying time to Paris is 71⁄2 hours from New York, 9 hours from Chicago, 11 hours from Los Angeles, and 1 hour from London.

Trains arrive at Gare Nice-Ville, avenue Thiers 08-36-35-35-35. From there you can take frequent trains to Cannes, Monaco, and Antibes, with easy connections to virtually anywhere else along the Mediterranean coast

Visitors who arrive at Aéroport Nice-Côte d'Azur 04-93-21-30-30) can board a yellow-sided bus, known as the navette Nice-Aéroport, which travels several times a day between the railway station and the airport. They operate every day from 6am to 10:30pm or until the last incoming flight arrives, no matter how delayed. A taxi ride from the airport into the city center is considerably more costly. Trip time is about 30 minutes.

Transfers Between the Airport and Town

By Bus

A city bus makes the run to and from the train station all day, leaving from both terminals every half hour.

By Car

A8 flows briskly from Fréjus to Cannes to Antibes to Nice to the resorts on the Grand Corniche.

By Train

Nice is the major rail crossroads for trains arriving from Paris and other northern cities and from Italy, too. This coastal line, working eastward from Marseille and west from Ventimiglia, stops at Cannes, Antibes, Monaco, and Menton. To get from Paris to Nice (with stops in most resorts along the coast), you can take the TGV, though it only maintains high speeds to Valence before returning to conventional rails and rates. Night trains arrive at Nice in the morning from Paris, Metz, and Strasbourg.

The Chemin de Fer de Provence (Provence Railroad; Gare du Sud, 33 av. Malausséna, 06000 Nice, 04-97-03-80-80) leads from Nice to Digne and makes a local stop at St-André-les-Alpes, about 20 km (12 mi) north of Castellane, the eastern gateway to the Gorges du Verdon.

SNCF (88 rue St-Lazare, 75009 Paris, 08-36-35-35-35, France's national rail service, is fast, punctual, comfortable, and comprehensive.

Getting Around

Most of the local buses in Nice create connections with one another at their central hub, the Station Central, 10 av. Felix Faure 04-93-16-52-10, which lies a very short walk from the place Masséna.

Bus nos. 2 and 12 make frequent trips to the beach.

Long-distance buses between Nice and such long-haul destinations as Monaco, Cannes, St-Tropez, and other parts of France and Europe depart from the Gare Routière, 5 bd. Jean-Jaurès 04-93-85-61-81.

You can rent bicycles and mopeds at Nicea Rent, 9 av. Thiers 04-93-82-42-71), near the Station Centrale. From March through October, it is open daily from 9am to noon and 2 to 6pm (closed Sunday November to April.

By Bus

Local buses cover a network of routes along the coast and stop at many out-of-the-way places that can't be reached by train. Timetables are available from tourist offices, train stations, and local bus stations (gares routières

In Nice, the Sun Bus is a convenient way to cut across town. Bus drivers give change and hand you a ticket, which must be validated.

By Car

The best way to explore the secondary sights in this region, especially the deep backcountry, is by car.

By Train

You can easily move along the coast between Cannes, Nice, and Ventimiglia by train on the slick double-decker Côte d'Azur line, a dramatic and highly tourist-pleasing branch of the SNCF lines that offers panoramic views as it rolls from one famous resort to the next.

Districts of Nice

Old Town (Vieille Ville)

Until the 1970’s Nice’s Old Town was a decaying slum seldom visited by tourists. Today it is one of the liveliest, most colorful neighbors in the city, and is constantly filled with visitors. Interesting old houses, baroque churches, and 17^th-18^th century civic buildings have been restored.

Cimiez

Set above the town center, this was a residential area for the wealthy in Roman times, and remains so today. The Romans called it Cemenelum. Cimiez was the capital of the Maritime Alps province. Within the district, a Roman site has been excavated revealing the remains of an amphitheater and Roman public baths. Housed in a nearby archeological museum are the treasures uncovered there.

Seafront (Promenade des Angláis)

Early in the 19^th century the English discovered the mild winters of the French Mediterranean coast. As thousands flocked to Nice and surrounding area, afternoon strolls became fashionable. The rocky footpaths bordering the sea proved unacceptable for strolling ladies and gentlemen. In 1820, Reverend Lewis Way took the matter in hand and inspired construction of a sweeping promenade planted with palm trees and flowers. Thus was created “The Englishman’s Walk” (Promenade des Angláis).

Masséna

Elegant, arcaded Place Masséna is located behind the Promenade des Angláis, and is considered by many to be at the heart of the city. In the center of the square is a sparkling fountain from which broad boulevards, lined with designer stores, extend. On both sides of the square run more than a mile of gardens. Among these are the Jardin Albert I and the Promenade du Paillon, a stepped garden filled with azaleas, camellias and aromatic pines.

Note: There is free admission offered to the museums of Nice on the first Sunday of each month.

Carte Musées Côte d’Azur is a pass which entitles the holder to visit 62 museums on the French Riviera for the price of the pass.

Or buy a Carte Passe-Musée from the local tourist office in Nicefor a 3-day pass, or 140 F or a 4-day pass. There are no reductions for students or children. It will allow you admission into seven of the city's largest museums.

Opened on 5 March 1982 in the former residence of the perfumer François Coty, this Museum owed its existence to the large donation by Anatole and Renée Jakovsky: 600 paintings, drawings, engravings and sculptures retracing the history worldwide of Modern Art from the 18th century to the present. Works by Bauchant, Bombois, Rimbert, Séraphine... Croatian, Haitian, Brazilian artists... completed by a rich State collection from the National Museum of Modern Art Centre Georges Pompidou.

10 -noon and 2 - 6. 1 April - 30 September; 10 - 1. and 2 - 5: 1 October - 31 March, closed Monday and some holidays

Founded by Augustus in 14 BC, Cemenelum was, from the 1st to the 4th century, the capital of the Alpes Maritimae province. You can visit the amphitheatre, the public baths (3rd century AD), see the paved streets and the Palæochristian Episcopal Group (5th century AD).

The Museum, inaugurated in January 1989, offers collections ranging from the Bronze and Iron Age (1100 BC) to the Dark Ages: ceramics, glass, coins, jewelry, sculptures, and tools.

Designed by the Japanese architect Kenzo Tange, in the heart of Parc Phœnix, in a subtle architecture of glass and steel, this museum offers classical works and contemporary creations. The tea pavilion evokes the aestheticism of the Zen ceremony.

Av. Nicolas-II From the central rail station, head west along av. Thiers to bd. Gambetta; then go north to av. Nicolas-II. Off boulevard du Tzaréwitch

Ordered built in 1903 by Tsar Nicholas II, in memory of his son, Nicholas, who is buried on the grounds. This is the most beautiful Orthodox edifice outside Russia and is the perfect expression of Russian religious art abroad. It dates from the belle époque, when some of the Romanovs frequented the Riviera. The cathedral is richly ornamented and decorated with many icons. It is crowned by ornate onion-shaped domes. Church services are held on Sunday morning.

Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and 1 Sunday each month, 3 - 5 or by appointment for groups

A late medieval interior reconstructed in a 16th-century home with collections of 14th, 15th and 16th-century objects.

The collection is housed in the former residence of the Ukrainian Princess Kotchubey. There's an important gallery devoted to the masters of the Second Empire and belle époque, with an extensive collection of the 19th-century French experts. The gallery of sculptures includes works by J. B. Carpeaux, Rude, and Rodin. Note the important collection by a dynasty of painters, the Dutch Vanloo family. One of its best-known members, Carle Vanloo, born in Nice in 1705, was Louis XV's premier peintre. A fine collection of 19th- and 20th-century art is displayed, including works by Ziem, Raffaelli, Boudin, Renoir, Monet, Guillaumin, and Sisley.

A re-creation of the life of Franciscan monks in Nice from the 13th to the 18th century intended as an illustration of the spiritual and social message of Saint Francis of Assisi through paintings, sculptures, engravings, illuminated manuscripts, frescoes, reconstructed chapel and monk’s cell, prayer-books on parchment.

open 10 - 6 1 April - 30 September and 10 - 5 1 October to 31 March, closed Tuesday and some holidays. For annual closing: contact the Museum.

This completely renovated 17th-century Genoan-style villa in the heart of the olive grove in the Gardens of Cimiez houses the personal collection of the great Fauvist painter who lived in Nice from 1917 until his death in 1954.

Works from all periods of his life offer a comprehensive panorama: from the first paintings made in 1890 to the famous gouache cutouts, 236 drawings, 218 engravings and the complete presentation of the books illustrated by the artist.

10 - 6 : 1 July to 30 September and 10 - 5 October to June (without interruption), closed Tuesdays

Biblical scenes illustrated in 17 large paintings, sculptures, stained glass windows, mosaics and tapestries, 205 preparatory sketches, 39 gouaches (1930), 105 engravings (1956) and 215 lithographs.

In a splendid Empire setting, the museum houses collections of late Gothic “Primitive” painters from Nice and Europe, from the 15th to the 18th centuries, regional porcelain and faïence and a department reserved for local painters: watercolors, Napoleonic Empire, Masséna, and Garibaldi among others.

This original architecture (four grey marble towers linked by transparent walkways) and a major permanent collection trace the history of the European and American avant-garde since the early 1960s.

10 - noon and 2 - 7. 1 June to 30 September and 10 a.m. - noon and 2 - 5 p.m. 1 October to 31 May, closed Monday, Tuesday and some holidays

Located in Tour Bellanda, a listed historic monument, this museum has a large collection of weapons, models of boats, instruments of navigation, engravings and paintings on the theme of the sea.

The baroque Palais Lascaris in the city's historic core is intimately linked to the Lascaris-Vintimille family, whose recorded history predates the year 1261. Built in the 17th century, it contains elaborately detailed ornamentation. An intensive restoration undertaken by the city of Nice in 1946 brought back its original beauty, and the palace is now classified as a historic monument. The most elaborate floor is the étage noble, retaining many of its 18th-century panels and plaster embellishments. A circa-1738 pharmacy, complete with many of the original Delftware accessories, is on the premises. Every Wednesday between 2 and 4pm, the museum presents programs of appeal to children, inviting craftspeople to show the details of how they accomplish their art forms through live demonstrations.

Reconstruction of a prehistoric (Acheulean) occupation site, plaster casts, documents on the site of an elephant hunters’ camp in Nice 400,000 years ago.

The "Théâtre de la Photographie et de l'Image" in the heart of Nice in the building which formerly housed the "Théâtre de l'Artistique", has maintained its charm and elegance of the Belle Epoque period. Its mission is to collect photographs of Nice and its region by researching ancient documents but also sending photographers to "report" on the city's human, urban, historic and industrial heritage.

daily 1 - 7 July - September and 1 - 6 October - June. Closed Mondays October - June

Splendid 18th-century villa, surrounded by contemporary architecture of concrete and pebbles. This site covers acres of terraces and gardens housing the National Art School and a Contemporary Art Center and residence for artists.

Every Wednesday between 2 and 4pm, the museum presents programs of appeal to children, inviting craftspeople to show the details of how they accomplish their art forms through live demonstrations. ( to see if these are presented only in French. )

The Riviera's largest aquatic park : 1 giant swimming pool (1000 sqm.) 1 sea-water wave

Life on a 1-hectare farm. Shows with the animals: puppet theatre: ponies, miniature golf: workshops and activities.

Wednesday, Saturday, Sunday, bank and school holidays from 10am to midday and from 1.30pm to 7pm.

A large funfair is held in Luna Park with rides and attractions for the delight of young and not so young spectators every year. (Palais des Expositions, esplanade de Lattre de Tassigny).

The Nice Carnaval draws visitors from all over Europe and North America to this ancient spectacle. This "Mardi Gras of the Riviera" begins sometime in February, usually 12 days before Shrove Tuesday, celebrating the return of spring with parades, floats (corsi), masked balls (veglioni), confetti, and battles in which young women toss flowers.. Climaxing the event is a fireworks display on Shrove Tuesday, lighting up the Baie des Anges (Bay of Angels). King Carnival goes up in flames on his pyre but rises from the ashes the following spring.

Nice International Trade Fair. (Palais des Expositions, esplanade de Lattre de Tassigny - Port)

Festin des Cougourdons. A traditional festival with local folklore and decorated "cougourdons" which takes place every spring. The interesting shapes of these gourds grown in the area, lend themselves to a wide variety of interpretations ...

With this festival, probably the oldest folk tradition in Nice, every Sunday in May; dancing, picnics, folk dancing brighten up the Cimiez gardens and amphitheatre.

Every year the fishermen of Nice celebrate Saint Peter's day. The festivities open with mass in the Gesù church, followed by a processsion all the way to Les Ponchettes beach (in front of old Nice) where a boat is burned in honour of their patron saint.

Nice Festival du Jazz, occurs for a week in mid-July.A roster of great jazz artists perform in the ancient Arène de Cimiez. For information and tickets, contact the Comité des Fêtes, Mairie (town hall) de Nice, 5 rue de l'Hôtel-de-Ville, 06000 Nice 04-97-13-20-00).

Inspired by the great American jazz performances, this international jazz festival is one of a kind. Every year it draws the most famous soloists and bands to the incomparable venue of the Cimiez gardens and Amphitheatre.

With this meeting, the city of Nice has obtained a leading place in the world-class athletic events calendar. Every summer, 20 000 spectators crowd into the Charles Ehrmann Stadium to attend a program of competitions with the world's champions

Every July the Festival is held under ancient pines. It's one of the oldest festivals in Europe and claims to have hosted the European debut performance of Miles Davis. More recent jazz greats gracing the tropical nights include Herbie Hancock, Kyle Eastwood, and Joshua Redman.

In August, Menton's takes place on the stone-paved plaza outside the St-Michel Church.

In July, the Jazz Festival draws international performers from around the world for outdoor concerts in the Parc de Cimiez north of the center, the Matisse museum, and the Roman arena.

This is the main venue of the Opéra de Monte-Carlo and the Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo, both worthy of the magnificent hall.

This venue offers independent theater productions of traditional and contemporary works.

headed by stage and screen star Jacques Weber, alternates productions imported from Paris with creative experiments of the Centre National Dramatique Nice Côte d'Azur.

Nice's seafront is home to at least seven different public beaches. None of them has sand; they are covered with gravel (often the size of golf balls). The rocks are smooth, but can still be difficult to navigate for people with poor balance or sensitive feet. Tucked in between the public beaches are the private beaches of hotels. Most of the public beaches are divided into two sections: a free area and an area where you can avail yourself of the chaise longues, mattresses, parasols, changing cabanas, and freshwater showers for a fee. Nude sunbathing is prohibited, but toplessness is common. Take bus nos. 9, 10, 12, and 23 from the center of town to get to the beach.