Riviera Pebbles Blog: Word on the street: Bicicletta Shop, Nice

Posted on 9th Sep 2014 in Nice News

The new Bicicletta Shop on rue Delfy, Nice, France

The picturesque rue Delfy neighbourhood is tucked into the northeastern-most corner of the Carré d’Or neighbourhood. Just behind Nice’s MAMAC (Museum of Contemporary Art) and place Garibaldi, the residential area is dotted with antiquarian bookstores, offbeat boutiques and friendly cafés. Best of all, this vibrant quarter is entirely off the beaten track for most holidaymakers visiting the city.

Smack in the centre of rue Delfy sits brand-new Bicicletta Shop, which opened in late May 2014. Feeling inspired by this month’s Tour de France? Aren’t we all. But cycling is all about sustainable and fashionable transport too. Hipster wheels have long since taken over the streets of New York, Berlin and London. And now it looks like Nice is also succumbing to their irresistible charm.

This seaside city has offered the Vélo Bleu bicycle-sharing scheme since 2009. But for peddlers seeking a little je ne sais quoi design, Bicicletta sells and rents stylish classic and vintage bicycles from around €14 per day (or €8 per half day).

Bicicletta's brightly coloured wheels

Want to head up to Cimiez, or along the seafront eastwards to some of the Riviera's pretty coastal towns – but can't handle the hills? Electric bikes, a kind of bicycle-scooter hybrid, are available too. And if you’d rather explore the city with a group of cyclists, Bicicletta Shop can help hook you up with Nice Azur Visit, a small local outfit that offers tours of Nice, using Bicicletta’s own fashionable wheels.

The shop also sells bicycle accessories and colourful hand-painted T-shirts, as well as retro cycling-inspired jewellery created by local outfit Le Peuple des Perles.

9 rue Delfy, Nice. Tel 09 80 39 33 27. Open 10am-12:30pm and 2-7pm.