3 Best Bars in The French Riviera, France

If you're all dressed up and have just won big, invest in a drink in the intimate walnut-and-velour Bar Le Relais in the iconic Hôtel Negresco. It's worth the price (€17 for a glass of local red wine, or €6 for Perrier) just to get a peek at the washrooms. There is live music every evening, and in the summer an outdoor bar hosts a nightly DJ.

Take a trip back to the days of Hemingway, and taste some absinthe to find out what that talk of hallucinating is all about; you might just get a hat to commemorate the occasion. This underground establishment is open Tuesday to Sunday and has a piano bar on Friday and Saturday nights.

Don't forget your camera when heading up to this panoramic bar on the seventh floor of the Aston La Scala Hotel. The views of old Nice and the Promenade du Paillon across to the airport are spectacular, and drink prices are more than reasonable. There's live music Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evenings, and, in the summer, the action moves to the rooftop Moon Bar, where there's a pool (for guests) and a 360-degree view. Note that there are 23 steps from the hotel lobby to the bar’s elevator.