Nice, France; a great base for visiting the French Riveria
View of Promenade des Anglais from La Colline du Château
Visiting the wonderful French city of Nice allows you to enjoy the seaside city and explore the many nearby iconic French Riviera cities.
Legendary Côte d'Azur spots such as Cannes, Monaco, Eze, Saint-Tropez, and Antibes are just a very short train ride away.
If you have a rental car then you can take day trips to nearby towns such as the medieval hilltop town of Saint Paul de Vence.
Nice has a very useful tram system but the main attractions are easily walkable.
How to get to Nice
Nice is served by its own large international airport. This allows flights directly from the United States and connections from Paris and other nearby European cities.
You can easily travel from the airport to downtown Nice via the city’s tram network. It’s a very convenient and simple-to-use system.
There is also train service between Nice and Marseille. In Marseille, you can take a high-speed train to Lyon or Nice.
Of course, all the major car rental agencies are at the airport and various downtown locations.
We took a high-speed train from Paris to Marseille on our recent trip. After two days exploring Marseille, we rented a car and drove to Nice, with a quick lunch stop in lovely Cassis.
You can read our Driving in France blog post to learn about renting and driving a car in France.
What to see in Nice
Promenade des Anglais
View of Promenade des Anglais after walking up the steps to La Colline du Château.
If you’ve seen any photos of Nice then you’ve seen the iconic Promenade des Anglais at the edge of the city bordering on the Mediterranean beach.
The promenade was constructed in the 1800s for English tourists who were flocking to the area for the great weather.
The palm tree-lined promenade is nearly 5 miles long and consists of a very wide pedestrian-only walkway, a bike lane, and a two-way roadway.
The promenade is a great place for a bike ride and luckily Nice has a new rental bike provider.
Lime has replaced Vélo Blue, and renting a bike is much easier now.
Download the app, add your credit card, and scan the QR code on the bike.
La Colline du Château
All those beautiful aerial photos of Promenade des Anglais are taken from La Colline du Château, a park at the end of the walkway.
If you are standing on the promenade looking at the Mediterranean walk to the left until you see the cliffs.
The staircase to La Colline du Château.
There is an elevator to take you up to the park but unfortunately, it was closed on the day we visited. So we headed up the stairs.
It is a bit of a hike to reach the top but there is a landing halfway up which gives you an excellent view.
If you make it all the way up there is a large plaza area with the classic panorama view of Nice, it’s really stunning.
As a reward for climbing up all the steps, there is more to see in the park.
Follow the signs for a very nice waterfall.
If you walk to the “rear” side of the park you’ll be treated to a great view Port Lymbia. Most people look at the waterfall and leave you you’ll be treated to port views without the crowds.
View of Port Lymbia, Nice, France.
Exploring the Old Town
Old Town Nice is full of colorful architecture, and picturesque piazzas.
You can visit stores like Maison Auer Chocolaterie, featuring countless sweet treats. Rumor has it that Queen Victoria stopped here often.
Cours Saleya market is in the heart of the Old Town.
The flower market is held Tuesday through Sunday. The market also features crafts, vegetables, fruit, baked goods, and jam.
In the afternoon the market clears out and the adjacent restaurants use the space for outdoor dining.
If you are walking along the market you’ll definitely notice the Chapelle de la Miséricorde. The large yellow baroque architecture church was built in the 1700’s. It is open on Tuesday between 2:30 pm and 5;30 pm. The ceiling features a magnificent fresco.
There is a staircase opposite the church that gives a nice elevated view of the market and Chapelle de la Miséricorde.
If you are an art fan Nice has numerous attractions that you’ll want to see
Musée Matisse features artwork and other personal artifacts from the artist who lived in Nice.
The museum is located a distance from the main downtown tourist area but the number 5 bus will get you there in about 20 minutes.
The Chagall Museum has a fairly small collection of the artist’s work. It also is located a bit outside of downtown but is served by the number 5 bus.
If you are a big Chagall fan he is buried in nearby Saint Paul de Vence. The town also has fantastic art galleries with the works of contemporary artists for sale. You can read more in our post: Visiting Saint Paul de Vence: the oldest medieval town in the South of France
Other notable attractions include Lascaris Palace, Galleries des Pochettes, and Cathedral Sainte Reparate.
Our favorite travel resources
Hotels - Booking.com. Lots of search options and information. Link
Activities - Viator. We love food tours and historical guides from Viator. Link
Airfare - FareDrop. Custom notifications of airfare sales. Link
Phone connection - Airalo. E-Sim for your phone, it’s easy and available for every country. Link
Note - This blog post contains affiliate links. This means that if we recommend a product, activity, or hotel, we might receive a small commission if you buy or book from these links. This is done at no additional cost to you. We only recommend products we have personally used or have thoroughly researched.
Old Town Nice at night.
Enjoying the Nice beaches
One of the main reasons people visit Nice is the long stretch of beach and gentle Mediterranean water.
Nice offers both public and private beaches. It’s easy to spot the private beaches, those are the ones with the umbrellas and lounge chairs. To use the private beach you’ll pay an admission price, plus a fee for amenities such as lounge chairs, umbrellas, or lockers. Also, you can’t bring your own food to a private beach, you’ll need to order from their restaurant.
Many people just bring a towel and sit on the public beaches. Just be warned that the beaches in Nice are not sandy instead they are made of pebbles and rocks. So plastic water shoes that are sold throughout Nice are a good idea. Each public beach has two cold water showers available.
Popular private beaches include Neptune Beach, Castle Beach and, Blue Beach.
Popular public beaches include Volilier Beach, Beau Rivage Public Beach (next to the private beach by the same name) and Carras Beach.
Day trips from Nice
It’s hard to imagine how many wonderful day trips are available from Nice.
This guided tour takes you to Monaco, Eze and Cannes in one day.
Menton and St. Tropez are all a very short train ride away.
If you wish to travel a bit further this day trip takes you to Gorges de Verdon, Europe’s largest canyon.
Note - This blog post contains affiliate links. This means that if we are recommending a product, activity, or hotel, we might be receiving a small commission if you buy or book from these links. This is done at no additional cost to you. We only recommend products we have personally used or have thoroughly researched.
Best time to visit Nice
Nice has beautiful weather year-round. December temperatures average in the mid-50s so it’s a great place to escape the cold weather.
Crowds peak in June, July, and August so the spring and fall combine great weather and fewer people.
We visited at the end of April and while it wasn’t warm enough to swim the weather was fantastic and the crowds were very tolerable.
We have wanted to travel to the French Riveria for a long time and we were richly rewarded on our recent trip. Whether it’s to enjoy the waters of the Mediterranean during the summer or to escape the cold in the winter Nice is a place I can see us visiting many times in the future.
Some well-reviewed tours of the Nice area:
Note - This blog post contains affiliate links. This means that if we are recommending a product, activity, or hotel, we might be receiving a small commission if you buy or book from these links. This is done at no additional cost to you. We only recommend products we have personally used or have thoroughly researched.
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