Prospects for first heavy ion physics with the ALICE experiment

The ALICE experiment is the only one at the LHC which has been specifically designed for the study of nuclear collisions. Thanks to the extensive experience gained during the pp running of 2009 and 2010, the experiment is now fully commissioned and ready to make optimum use of the first nuclear collisions at the end of 2010. This talk will present a summary of the Physics potential of ALICE with Heavy Ions with a specific emphasis on the goals of the first run.