For more than 80 years, one of Nice’s most iconic landmarks has been missing from the city’s skyline. Today, a free exhibition at Nicetoile brings the legendary Jetée-Promenade back to life – at least virtually.
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Sometimes I wonder how many stories disappear along with the buildings they belong to. Not because they are hidden and simply waiting to be rediscovered, but because the places themselves have vanished completely.
That’s exactly how I feel about the Jetée-Promenade. Ever since I first spotted it on an old postcard, I’ve been fascinated by this extraordinary building. And I’m willing to bet many visitors to my adopted city feel the same way. The moment you see its remarkable silhouette—combining several architectural styles into one breathtaking structure—you can’t help but wonder: Where can I see this extraordinary building for myself?
Sadly, the answer is simple: you can’t.
The Jetée-Promenade disappeared more than eighty years ago. Today, only historic photographs and postcards remain of what was once one of Nice’s defining landmarks. The concerts, elegant balls, gaming rooms and glamorous evening receptions have all vanished. All that’s left is the imagination: ladies in elaborate gowns and gentlemen in tailcoats strolling across the roughly 60-metre-long pier towards the magnificent casino rising above the Mediterranean, eagerly anticipating an unforgettable evening.
That’s why I was so delighted to discover Nissa la Bella, an exhibition on display at Nicetoile shopping centre during the summer of 2026. Thanks to an impressive augmented reality experience, visitors can briefly step back into the world of the Jetée-Promenade. The installation is available only until 9 August, while the exhibition itself remains open until 5 September. But Nissa la Bella is about much more than this lost landmark. It takes visitors on a journey through the Belle Époque, revealing how places such as the Promenade des Anglais, Jardin Albert Ier, and Avenue Jean Médecin helped shape Nice into the elegant Riviera destination we know today.
Historic photographs, illustrations, archival documents and original artefacts trace the city’s transformation from a relatively small coastal town into one of Europe’s most prestigious winter resorts.
The exhibition isn’t just about architecture. It also explores how wealthy international visitors, luxury hotels and the Belle Époque transformed Nice’s identity. At the same time, it connects past and present: since 2021, the city has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site under the official title “Nice, Winter Resort Town of the Riviera.”
The Jetée-Promenade Returns Virtually
For me, the virtual reconstruction of the Jetée-Promenade is undoubtedly the highlight of the exhibition.
Developed by HoloForge Interactive in collaboration with Villa Masséna, the augmented reality experience is based on historic photographs, architectural plans and numerous contemporary sources. It offers a fascinating glimpse of what this extraordinary structure once looked like—and the atmosphere that must have surrounded it.
Because nothing of the Jetée-Promenade survives above the water today, the reconstruction makes its former importance to Nice’s waterfront all the more striking.
Created in Collaboration with Nice's Cultural Institutions
The exhibition was developed in cooperation with several of Nice’s leading cultural institutions, including the Centre du Patrimoine, Villa Masséna – Musée d’Art et d’Histoire, and the Centre Nice Patrimoine Mondial. Their historical sources and academic expertise ensure that the exhibition offers far more than a simple display of old photographs.
Practical Information
Dates
11 July – 5 September 2026
Location
Nicetoile
Avenue Jean Médecin, Nice
Augmented Reality Experience
11:00 am – 6:30 pm (11 July – 9 August 2026)
Languages
🇫🇷 French
🇬🇧 English
Admission
Free
📌 Please note: The exhibition runs until 5 September 2026, but the augmented reality reconstruction of the Jetée-Promenade is only available from 11 July until 9 August.
Is It Worth Visiting?
If you’re interested in the history of Nice, this exhibition is well worth a visit. It combines fascinating historical insights with modern digital technology, allowing visitors to experience some of the city’s most iconic places from an entirely new perspective.
Although the exhibition itself isn’t particularly large—you’ll need around 30 to 45 minutes to explore it—it has been thoughtfully curated and offers fascinating insights into Nice’s development during the Belle Époque and the first half of the 20th century.
If you’d like to dive even deeper into the city’s history afterwards, I’d love to welcome you on my Free Walking Tour of Nice. Many of the places featured in the exhibition are also part of the tour—but there you’ll experience them in their original locations and within their full historical context.
For me, the virtual reconstruction of the Jetée-Promenade remains the exhibition’s true highlight. Anyone who has read my articles about Nice’s history will know how fascinated I am by this remarkable building. That’s what makes this exhibition so special to me: for a brief moment, one of Nice’s most remarkable landmarks comes back to life.
The exhibition ends here –
the story continues outside.
If you'd like to do more than simply see Nice, join me on my Free Walking Tour through the Old Town and discover the stories behind its streets and squares.