Cimiez

Wealthy hilltop neighborhood with museums (Matisse, Chagall) and Roman ruins. Very safe but isolated from restaurants and nightlife. Visit for a few hours, don't stay here.

Cimiez is on a hill north of downtown - a wealthy residential area with old mansions, tree-lined streets, and gardens with views over the city and sea. This is where rich people live quietly. Not much cafe culture or nightlife. The draws are the Matisse Museum, Chagall Museum, Roman ruins with an amphitheater, and a monastery where Matisse is buried. Good for museum visits and walking through nice streets, but you'll go back downtown for food and evening stuff. Limited restaurants and cafes - mostly bakeries that close early. Less English spoken since it's residential, though museum staff speak it. People visit for a few hours to see the museums, not to stay here. Very safe because it's an affluent area. Quiet, green, pleasant, but separated from anything lively. Come for the art and history, not for experiencing the city.