Cimiez is the most aristocratic neighbourhood in Nice

Cimiez is undoubtedly the most prestigious and comfortable residential area, a true symbol of Nice's bourgeois origins.

The town of Cemenelum was founded in the first century AD by the Romans on the hill of Cimiez. It is now home to the archaeological museum and the Matisse Museum.

The Romans certainly chose this place for a good reason. The neighbourhood is landscaped with parks and adds a green touch to the city, as well has having a very particular  microclimate which is cooler in the summer than the seaside.

The first luxury hotels of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries were also built in Cimiez, the climate being considered milder and drier than on the coast.

The era of hotels on the Promenade des Anglais comes a little later.  Today all these luxury palace hotels in Cimiez are apartments on residential estates. With their opulent architecture, spacious rooms, and green parks, these hotels continue to attract clients from all over the world, looking to buy property in Nice for permanent residence or simply to visit the Côte d'Azur as often as possible.

Historic palace hotels offer the most beautiful apartments in Cimiez
 

The most famous period hotels converted into residences are the Regina  and Majestic.

The Regina is a magnificent Belle Epoque palace built for Queen Victoria of England with a park, swimming pool and tennis court above Cimiez  boulevard.

You can also buy a spacious penthouse apartment in Regina, with a private swimming pool.

The recent film Rebecca, the remake of Hitchcock’s famous movie, was shot in the Regina in 2019.

The Majestic is located in the lower part of  Cimiez, and is sure to be popular with people who like to be just a short walk or bicycle ride away from the city centre.

Between the Regina and the Majestic palaces there are other luxurious manors and former hotels in Cimiez.

The Riviera palace,  The Alhambra, The Hermitage, the Grand Palais, and the Winter Palace.

Customers planning to buy a flat in Nice in the historic palaces of Cimiez are impressed by the royal appearance and staircases of the palaces, the luxury of the façades and entrance ways, the high ceilings, the fireplaces, the mouldings and the landscaped parks from centuries gone by. If you like classical architecture, it could be the place for you.

Cimiez  and its 3 main areas

1. Lower Cimiez

This is the part of Cimiez with easy access to the centre, which is just a short walk away: Boulevard Carabacel and the beginning of Boulevard Cimiez to the Stanislas School (the most prestigious school in Nice).
 

The Majestic residence is an iconic building in this part of Cimiez.

 If you are planning to buy a flat in Nice, you can buy a large flat in this royal residence, with high ceilings, a fireplace and panoramic views of the sea and the city.

On the top floor of the Majestic, you can buy a flat with a large terrace; on the other floors there are balconies. 

The Stanislas school district also comprises contemporary residences,  as well as Belle Epoque villas and mansions; this area is a jewel in the crown of Nice's architectural heritage. For those wishing to buy a villa in Nice as an urban home within walking distance of the city’s infrastructure, this is an ideal location.

2. Middle Cimiez

This is the most beautiful historic part of Cimiez between the two iconic buildings of the Majestic and the Regina. Here you find the most beautiful architecture, and the streets even have royal names: Edouard VII, Georges V, Leopold II...

Usually it’s just houses or buildings of historic value which are listed as national heritage by the state. But in this case, the whole area of Cimiez is protected from unsuitable development. Even the Boulevard de Cimiez here has special anti-noise protection measures on the road.

If you dream about buying a flat in Nice in an aristocratic neighbourhood and you like historic facades, we have some great options in this part of Cimiez.

We can offer you not only individual villas or flats for sale in apartment buildings, but also flats in historic mansions, which have an unusual charm, and offer more privacy and comfort.

Cimiez luxury residences are usually surrounded by parkland (the Regina residence also has a swimming pool and a tennis court).  High-rise flats have panoramic sea views. Please note: garages have not been provided in all flats, but there is free parking inside the residences.

Some of the historical villas in the period 1960-70 have been demolished and in their place modern residences with large terraces and underground car parks have been built. Developers have tried to retain elements of the splendid villas, such as the main entrance or the parkland with its ancient trees.
A typical example of this modern concept is the 1975 residence "Les Jardins de Cemenelum", surrounded by 3 hectares of parkland.

If you dream about buying a flat on the Côte d'Azur with a large terrace, garage, security, you will love this type of residence.

3. Upper Cimiez

This part of Cimiez includes the areas above the Regina residence in the direction of Rimiez hill. Whereas the lower and middle Cimiez areas are just a short walk away from the city centre, here you have to go down to town by car or bus.

For those who are planning to buy a flat in Nice in upper Cimiez, there are a lot of medical practices and private clinics, the most famous of which is the Clinique Saint Georges. 

Sometimes our clients have the idea  of giving birth in the mild climate of the French Riviera . The Clinique Saint Georges, along with the Lenval Hospital, is ranked among the most reputable of private clinics.

 Why buy a flat in Cimiez?

In all local proverbs, Cimiez appears as the epitome of Nice's most bourgeois neighbourhood, a prosperous symbol of well-being and a certain social status.

Comfortably-off French families are happy to buy property in Cimiez, which has a number of undeniable advantages:

- a well-developed urban infrastructure

- proximity to the city centre (walking distance from lower Cimiez)

- a choice of high- quality schools and other educational establishments (the most prestigious school in Nice, Stanislas, is in Cimiez)

- public and private parks

- an exclusive residential area

People who choose Cimiez for their permanent residence or holiday home definitely prefer the peace and quiet, and the quality of life in Cimiez, to being within walking distance of the sea and the hustle and bustle of tourism.