Cimiez is the name given to a residential area in Nice built on a hill located northeast of the city centre. According to a popular myth, it takes its name from the extraordinary height of the trees that populated the hill, with peaks reaching to the sky. This upscale bourgeois district is home to magnificent Belle Epoque houses and mansions but also to more modern Art Deco villas.
The Cimiez arenas, set in a vast park with more than 100-year-old trees, contains the remains of a Roman city as well as the gardens of the Cimiez Monastery, offering a panoramic view of the city and the seaside. Famous museums such as the Matisse Museum and the Marc Chagall National Museum also make up this historically rich district. Between the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century, Cimiez saw the construction of palaces and luxurious villas that welcomed sovereigns and rich aristocrats from all over Europe, thus disrupting the architectural style of Nice.
Cimiez has been a very dynamic cultural centre in recent years and attracts more and more tourists from all over the world. Historically intended for a retired population, the district has recently experienced a major renewal of its inhabitants with the arrival of many young working families who find in this district with charming villas, a calm and green environment, as well as all the necessary amenities. Also, the presence of one of the most important clinics in France, the Saint-Georges clinic, as well as the new university hospital of the Pasteur hospital, make Cimiez a mecca for health professions. The district also includes several elegant residential buildings, including the Winter Palace, the Hermitage and the Excelsior Régina Palace, a majestic late 19th century building that has now been transformed into luxurious residential apartments.
