Around 400,000 years ago, primitive settlers had established themselves as the very first inhabitants of Nice settling in a cave known as the Grotte du Lazaret at the base of Mont Boron, fashioning weapons out of the native limestone rock. A display of prehistoric Nice can be seen in the Terra Amata museum (25, boulevard Carnot, Nice, 06300, telephone +33 4 93 55 59 93).

Nice did not receive its name until the 4th century BC when the Massaliotes (Greeks based in Marseilles, about 200km away) conquered the town in a memorable victory. They named it Nikaia, meaning "giver of victory". They proceeded to establish it as an important commercial trading post. The beginnings of the new town were established on the slopes of the Chateau hillside. During this time period, Nice was a small stronghold which protected the port using its natural defenses - the Colline du Chateau - which now looks over the popular Old Town (Vieux Nice).

In 14BC, the Romans started to occupy Nice and built the town of Cemenelum on top of Cimiez hill. For the following few centuries the area of Cimiez became a strategic centre for the Roman military. In the 6th century the wealth of the maritime merchants and the fall of the Roman Empire brought the centre of power back into Nikaia. The ampitheatres and baths can still be seen in Cimiez today, and even the olive groves date back to Roman times. In the heart of these remains is the Cimiez Archeological Museum (160, avenue des Arenes, Nice, 06000, telephone +33 (0)4 93 81 59 57).

During the dark ages, Nice was mainly controlled by the Sarrasins, who managed to conquer the whole of eastern Provence on the Cote des Maures. In 972 Guillaume, the Compte de Provence, took control of the city and in 1176 the town first drew up its charter.

In 1543 a local washerwoman, Catherine Ségurane, became a legend by repelling a Turkish fleet attacking the city. During the bombardment, she gathered the other ladies and mouted the castle defences whereupon the ladies exposed their backsides. This intimidated the Turkish fleet into fleeing. Whilst walking through the Old Town you may see a cannonball embedded in a wall. If you look below the original Turkish cannonball you will see a dedication to Catherine Ségurane.

In the 17th century, the baroque look and feel of the Old Town came into being. If you look above the doorways, many buildings have their year of construction inscribed into the stone. The Lascaris Palace Museum in the heart of Old Nice, 15 rue Droite, is a Genovan-style palace that shows the grandeur of this burgeoning time for Nice.

During this century the Cimiez Monastary was constructed, which is still an active monastery today. The French army razed the castle on the hill to the ground twice, and the area is still known at the "Colline de Chateau" (hill of the castle) even though none of the original castle remains. The Colline does offer fantastic views over the entire bay of Nice all the way to the Var, and across the Port and all the way the other direction to the Cap. There is a lift on the end of the Promenade des Anglais for the more casual explorer.

Over the next century control of Nice swayed between France and Sardinia, until 1860 when Napoleon III secured Nice for France with the agreement of Victor-Emmanuel II, the then King of Sardinia who went on to become the first king of a united Italy. Relations were further cemented Napoleon's brothers son Joseph married Victor-Emmanuel's daughter Marie Clothilde. This move was ratified by the population of Nice, though it is suspected that the French army posted at every polling station may have influenced the result.

It was during the 19th century that Nice became the darling of the rich and famous, as well as a magnet for artists. Queen Victoria used to spend her winters in Nice, and the Promenade des Anglais was constructed for the English gentry to amble down, or take in the beautiful sunsets at a faster trot in their carriages. Palm trees were imported from Australia and buildings such as the impressive Opera House and Palais de Justice were constructed to make the resort the most opulent in Europe. It has been said that the light in Nice looks different to everywhere else. This, the baroque architectures and the wealthy patrons brought artists such as Van Gogh and Matisse areas such as the Cours Saleya.

The strong transport links, and exceptional climate, has helped Nice to retain its cache and it remains as popular as ever. It now lives in the shadow of its neighbours Cannes and Monaco for the extremely wealthy but successive mayors, including the influential Jean Medicin, have ensured it has never been far behind its rivals. Nice has a colourful and checkered past mayors, including Jacques Medecin who fled to Uraguay before being extradited and imprisoned for corruption. The current mayor is Jacques Peyat, former National Front member and force behind Nice's new 380m euros tramway due in 2006.