Carré d'Or

The Carré d’Or, known in French as the Golden Square, is one of the wealthiest areas of Nice, located just to the West of the City Centre, southwards from the beautiful Boulevard Victor Hugo and to the East of Boulevard Gambetta. Throughout the Carré d’Or, the architecture is exquisite including many large Bourgeois apartments. The closer to the Promenade des Anglais and the Mediterranean Sea, the more the luxury shops, upmarket restaurants and lavish hotels. The most popular area of the Carré d’Or is the pedestrian zone just off Place Masséna, known simply as the Zone Piétonne. It is one of the most touristic streets of Nice overflowing with a continuous buzz coming from the bars and cafés: great for a drink, a bite to eat and to watch the world go by.

Parallel to the Promenade des Anglais, the Zone Piétonne turns into the Rue de France where the famous Musée Masséna is located. Initially constructed by Victor Masséna, prince of Essling and duke of Rivoli, as a private villa facing the sea, the villa was later sold to the town of Nice by his son André Masséna with the intent of turning it into a local history museum and rendering the gardens open to the public.

Next to the Musée Masséna is the illustrious Hotel Negresco. This century-old hotel was the inspiration of Henri Negresco to build an incredible hotel worthy of world-wide contemplation. To design such a project, he hired Edouard-Jean Niermans, architect of the Belle Epoque known for his work on theatres and hotels such as the Hôtel de Paris in Monaco and the Moulin Rouge in Paris. Attracting royalty, artists and celebrities, the Hotel Negresco recognised immediate success. However, that was quickly followed by a decline in affairs when World War I broke out and the hotel was transformed into a hospital. It was not until the Augier family took it over in 1957 that the hotel was finally reinvigorated in all its former glory. The Hotel Negresco has been listed as a National Historic Building since 2003.

Boulevard Victor Hugo acts as the Northern delimitation of the Carré d’Or. It is a beautifully wide, residential street brimming with extraordinary Victorian-esque buildings and tall trees all along. Several of the ground floor premises are offices to doctors, accountants and lawyers. A new tramway line was inaugurated at the end of 2019 joining the airport in the West of Nice to the port in the East of Nice, including an underground stop at the junction between Boulevard Victor Hugo and Avenue Jean Médecin.

Being perfectly located close to the beach and sea and to the City Centre, the Carré d’Or is considered a premium area of Nice. However, in addition to purchasing a magnificent spot in paradise, the idea of holiday letting should not be neglected in some areas of the Carré d’Or as the rental yield has the potential of going from good to excellent.