As lame as it sounds, yes, grocery shopping.

Depending on your length of stay in Nice I just thought you’d like to know where you could quickly pick up some of the essentials to perhaps stock up your hotel fridge or to have on the go while you are sightseeing.

Don’t get me wrong; I love eating at the many great restaurants to choose from in Nice, I’m just trying to give you the option of saving a bit of money as well.

You will be amazed at the variety of food products you can buy in the grocery stores in France. And Nice has a large number of grocery store chains to serve you, along with smaller, usually family run shops all over the city.

Whatever you had in mind, there is a good chance you will see it or find something better than you’ve had before. You will come across a lot of familiar looking North American brand foods; just some of them might also come with their own unique flavor.

If you are staying in the city center, one place I would suggest you try out is the Monoprix at: 42 avenue Jean Medecin.

It’s a large building that has a clothing department on the upper level and a combined drug store, deli, bakery, liquor, groceries, etc., all on the main level. Everything you would regularly go grocery shopping for in North America can be found here.

I find this store very reasonably priced, that goes for the vast wine and hard liquor selection too. And naturally there is a fresh array of fruits and vegetables, cheeses, meat and seafood.

I am hooked on the little pre-packaged pasta and green salads, you can also pick up freshly pre-packaged sandwiches incase you wanted something to snack on while at the beach or on a road trip.

While making your way around the Cote d’Azur, you will likely come across another chain of stores named Casino. They are in size from SuperCasino to Petit Casino so depending on which one you go to the selection will vary. Most I have found are just as good for shopping as Monoprix.

Carrefour is another chain of stores that can be found in and around the city of Nice, if you are going out to one of the stores in the suburbs, you’ll find they can be quite big.

Galeries Lafayette at Place Massena also has it’s own gourmet food supermarket in the lower level. It seems to be very popular, as many times when I have gone, some of the basics near the end of the day will be sold out. But they still have a great overall selection of items.

What I am always pleasantly surprised about is the quality and variety of foods available in these stores, lots of healthy choices too. And the prices, to me, don’t seem outrageous. Don’t forget to bring your own bag to carry your purchases in or some stores may charge you for one.

If you are on a budget, don’t necessarily shop where the tourists do, shop where the locals go and you’ll be much further ahead.