Places to Visit in Europe
Nice — the Promenade des Anglais and the Bay of Angels at sunset

Nice, France

Nice (Nizza in the Niçois dialect, Nizza Marittima in Italian) sits on a curve of the French Riviera where the Alps fall into the Mediterranean — a city of pale yellow and terracotta buildings, a seven-kilometre crescent bay, promenades lined with palms and plane trees, Italian-influenced cuisine, and a gritty working-class authenticity that sits awkwardly but pleasingly under the Riviera glamour. France's fifth-largest city, with about 340,000 inhabitants in the city proper and roughly 1 million in the greater metro area, Nice has been attracting artists, writers, aristocrats, and ordinary holidaymakers since the English took to it in the 18th and 19th centuries. The old town (Vieux Nice) is one of the most concentrated and most charming in France, a tangle of narrow lanes, baroque churches, ochre-and-cream apartment blocks draped with washing, and tiny shops selling socca, lavender, and olive oil.

Nice was not French for most of its history. The city was part of the Duchy of Savoy, then the Kingdom of Sardinia, and only became permanently French in 1860, after a controversial plebiscite (the residents voted 99% to join France, but only because the alternative offered by the Savoyard authorities was worse — Victor Hugo protested, and the whole affair is a small footnote in the long history of French-Italian border disputes). The result is that the local language — Niçois (Nissart in the local dialect) — is an Occitan dialect closer to Piedmontese Italian than to standard French, and the city's architecture, food, and street life still carry an Italian accent: the bright facades, the deep arcades, the pasta and the socca (a chickpea pancake that is nothing like anything in Paris), the long Sunday lunch in the family kitchen. The famous Cours Saleya market is essentially a Ligurian market on French soil.

For visitors, Nice is a 3-4 day city break with a small but extremely concentrated old town, a half-moon bay good for swimming (pebbles, not sand), an art scene that punches well above its weight (Matisse, Chagall, the School of Nice, the contemporary galleries of the Carré d'Or), a food scene that mixes Provençal, Italian, and Niçois traditions, and an unrivalled position as the gateway to the Riviera — Monaco is 30 minutes by train, Cannes 40 minutes, Antibes 20 minutes, Èze 15 minutes by bus, and the perched villages of the arrière-pays (the hill towns of the pre-Alps) are within an hour.

This guide covers where to stay in each of Nice's neighbourhoods, where to eat (Niçois cuisine, the Riviera classics, the food markets, the modern restaurant scene), the essential sights, a 3-day itinerary, the events worth planning around, the day trips, and the practical details for visiting in 2026.

Best Places to Stay

Nice's accommodation is spread along the bay and in the hills behind. The neighbourhoods worth knowing are the Vieux Nice (the old town, atmospheric, central, full of restaurants), the Carré d'Or (the 19th-century grid east of the old town, the smartest and most elegant), the Port (the harbour area, slightly cooler, more contemporary, with a strong food scene), the Promenade des Anglais (the seafront, the most expensive, with the grand hotels), Gambetta / Liberation (north of the centre, residential, with the best value mid-range options), and the Cimiez (the hilltop neighbourhood of the Belle Époque villas, the quietest and most residential). Vieux Nice is the most atmospheric but can be noisy at night. The Carré d'Or is the most central and the smartest. The Port is the most contemporary and the most local. The Promenade has the grand hotels but is far from the restaurants. Gambetta has the best value. Cimiez is the quietest and the most residential.

Luxury on the Promenade and in the Carré d'Or:

Mid-range in Vieux Nice and the centre:

Boutique in the Port and Carré d'Or:

Budget and Hostel:

In Cimiez (the hilltop neighbourhood):

Apartments and long-stay options:

Nice has a strong apartment-rental scene, especially through platforms like Airbnb and Vrbo. The most central and best-equipped areas are the Carré d'Or (around the pedestrian streets of Rue de France, Rue de la Préfecture, and Rue Gioffredo) and the Port (around Rue Bonaparte, Place Garibaldi, and the Cours Saleya). Expect to pay €80-150 per night for a one-bedroom apartment in a central location in shoulder season, double that in July and August.

Best Places to Eat

Niçois cuisine is one of the most distinctive regional cuisines in France — closer to Italian than to Parisian, and closer to Provençal than to either. The signature dishes are socca (a thin chickpea pancake baked in a wood-fired oven, eaten with pepper, traditionally standing up at the counter), pissaladière (an onion-and-anchovy tart, the Niçois version of the pizza), salade niçoise (the original version, with tuna, hard-boiled egg, olives, anchovies, and green beans — never with the lettuce and tomato that the international version picked up), daube niçoise (a slow-cooked beef stew with olives and orange peel), pasta au pistou (a Niçois pasta with basil pesto, similar to the Ligurian version), pan bagnat (a round bread roll filled with salade niçoise and soaked in olive oil, originally the lunch of the Niçois dockworkers), farcis niçois (stuffed vegetables — tomatoes, peppers, onions, and zucchini — with breadcrumbs, herbs, and minced meat), tourte de blettes (a sweet-and-savoury Swiss chard tart, the Niçois adaptation of the Italian torta verde), petits farcis (smaller versions of the farcis, the classic starter), beignets de fleurs de courgette (deep-fried courgette flowers, in season in early summer), bourdin de mer (a sausage of fish and herbs, the Niçois answer to the Provençal bourride), raïto (a thick tomato-and-wine sauce served with skate, monkfish, or stockfish), and gâteau des rois (the galette des rois, eaten in January for Epiphany, with a bean hidden inside).

The sweet side is tourte de blettes sucrée (the sweet version, with raisins, pine nuts, and apple), panisses (chickpea-flour fritters, more of a snack), oreillettes (thin fried pastry, eaten at carnival), and fenocchio ice cream (the famous 1966 ice-cream shop on Place Rossetti — try the lavender, the rose, the olive, the basil, or the pistachio, and the more unusual sorbets like the rosemary or the thyme).

Niçois and Provençal restaurants in Vieux Nice:

Fine Dining:

Cafés, ice cream, and patisserie:

Markets and food halls:

Best Sites to Visit

The Promenade des Anglais: The iconic seafront walkway, 7 kilometres long, built in the 1820s by the English winter community (hence the name), lined with palms, benches, the blue chairs of the Baie des Anges, the pebbly beach, and the grand hotels. The most famous stretch is from the Jardin Albert 1er to the Quai des États-Unis, with the Negresco and the Hyatt, the Baie des Anges (Bay of Angels), the Méridien, and the most beautiful sunset in Nice. The Promenade is at its best in the early morning (joggers, swimmers, the cleaning crews) and at sunset (the famous «English hour» — a quiet drink on the terrace of the Negresco or the Ruhl, watching the light fade over the Baie des Anges). Free, always open.

Vieux Nice (the Old Town): The most concentrated old town on the Riviera — a tangle of narrow lanes, pastel buildings, baroque churches, Place Rossetti (the prettiest square, with the pink Cathedral of Sainte-Réparate and the Fenocchio ice-cream shop), the Cours Saleya market, the Opéra de Nice (a 19th-century opera house in the Italian style), and the Palais de la Préfecture (the former palace of the Dukes of Savoy). Free to wander, the most rewarding 90 minutes in Nice.

Castle Hill (Colline du Château): The 92-metre hill at the east end of the Promenade, the site of the original Greek and then Roman citadel (the citadel itself was demolished in 1706 by Louis XIV, only the foundations remain). The hill is now a public park, with panoramic views over the Baie des Anges, the old town, the Port, and the hills behind. The park has a waterfall, a children's playground, a couple of cafés, and the cemetery of the Jewish community of Nice. Free, the best 45 minutes in Nice.

Place Masséna: The grand central square, designed in the 19th century, with the iconic red-ochre buildings, the Fontaine du Soleil (the Sun Fountain), the tram lines, the black-and-white checkerboard pavement, and the seven statues representing the seven continents (illuminated at night, occasionally «flying» in contemporary art installations). The square connects the old town to the modern city, the most photographed square in Nice.

The Matisse Museum: (164 Avenue des Arènes-de-Cimiez) — the most important art museum in Nice, in a beautiful 17th-century Genoese villa in the Cimiez neighbourhood, with the largest collection of Henri Matisse's work in the world — the paintings, drawings, sculptures, and the personal collection. The building is a piece of art in itself, and the surrounding park (the Arènes-de-Cimiez park) has the Roman arena, the monastery garden, and a café. The museum is essential if you have any interest in Matisse; if you don't, the building and the park are still worth the visit. Around €10, free first Sunday of the month.

The Marc Chagall National Museum: (Avenue du Docteur Ménard) — the only national museum outside Paris dedicated to a single artist, opened in 1973 with the artist's personal involvement, with the famous 17 paintings of the Biblical Message (the central work of Chagall's late career), a smaller collection of his earlier work, and a beautiful garden. The collection is the most peaceful art collection in Nice. Around €10.

MAMAC (the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art): (Promenade des Anglais, behind the Théâtre National) — the contemporary art museum of Nice, with a strong collection of the School of Nice (Yves Klein, Arman, Ben, Martial Raysse, Niki de Saint Phalle, César), a major American pop-art section, and a permanent collection of 1,400+ works. The building is a striking piece of 1990s architecture on the edge of the old town. Free to visit the ground floor.

Cimiez Monastery and the Roman Ruins: (Place Jean-Paul II, Cimiez) — a 16th-century Franciscan monastery, the Matisse Museum, the Roman amphitheatre (one of the three largest in the region, with capacity for 5,000 spectators), the Roman baths, and the olive grove (with trees over 600 years old). The monastery has a small museum, a peaceful garden, and a café. Free, a quiet alternative to the busier parts of the city.

The Russian Orthodox Cathedral (Cathédrale Saint-Nicolas): (Avenue Nicolas II, Boulevard du Tzarewitch) — the largest Eastern Orthodox cathedral outside Russia, built in 1912 for the Russian aristocratic community that wintered in Nice in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The interior is a riot of gilded iconostasis, painted arches, and Russian Orthodox decoration. Free, an unexpected and very beautiful detour.

The Opéra de Nice: (4 Place Saint-François-de-Paule) — a 19th-century opera house in the Italian style, with a horseshoe-shaped auditorium, a 1,500-seat capacity, and a strong opera and ballet season. Worth visiting for the architecture alone, even if you don't see a performance.

Place Garibaldi: The grand 18th-century square at the western edge of the old town, with the Café de Turin on the corner, the Théâtre National de Nice, the modern tram lines, and the most impressive ensemble of baroque buildings in the city.

The Port of Nice: The working port of Nice, with the fishing boats, the ferries to Corsica, the modern marina, the restaurant and bar scene of the Cours Saleya extension, and the views of Castle Hill from the eastern quay. The port is one of the most photographed parts of Nice at sunset.

The Castle Hill cemetery (the Jewish cemetery): A peaceful, atmospheric cemetery on the northern slope of Castle Hill, with the graves of many members of the Jewish community of Nice (including several members of the Rothschild family, which had a long association with the city). The cemetery is the most moving place in Nice.

Sample 3-Day Itinerary

Day 1 — Waterfront, Old Town, and Castle Hill:

Start at the Promenade des Anglais at sunrise, walking west to east (the most beautiful direction, with the sun coming from behind you). Allow 90 minutes, ending at the Quai des États-Unis and the stairs up to Castle Hill. At the top of the hill, take the panoramic view over the Baie des Anges, the old town, and the hills behind. Walk down through the park to the old town. Late morning: a Niçois breakfast at the Cours Saleya market — socca and a small rosé, standing at the counter of one of the socca vendors. Midday: walk the old town — the Place Rossetti, the Cathedral of Sainte-Réparate, the Opéra de Nice, the Palais de la Préfecture, the Rue Droite (the main shopping street of the old town). Lunch: La Merenda for the most authentic Niçois menu, or the Café de Turin on Place Garibaldi for the seafood platter. Afternoon: the Musée de la Photographie Charles Nègres (in the old town) or the MAMAC (the modern art museum on the edge of the old town). Late afternoon: an aperitif on the terrace of the Negresco, watching the light fade over the Baie des Anges. Dinner: Le Plongeoir for the spectacular setting and the seafood, or Le Safari on the Cours Saleya for the Niçois classics.

Day 2 — Museums and the Carré d'Or:

Morning: the Matisse Museum in Cimiez (the most important art museum in Nice, in a beautiful 17th-century villa, with the largest collection of Matisse's work in the world). Combine with the Marc Chagall National Museum, which is a 5-minute walk away. Allow 3 hours for both. Lunch: a Niçois lunch in one of the small restaurants in the Cimiez neighbourhood, or return to the centre for a longer lunch. Afternoon: walk the Carré d'Or — the 19th-century grid east of the old town, the smartest part of Nice, with the Avenue de Verdun, the Avenue Jean Médecin (the main shopping street), the Place Magenta, and the Rue de France. Late afternoon: tea or a glass of rosé at the Maison Laffitte patisserie, or a wine tasting at one of the small wine bars in the Carré d'Or. Evening: dinner at Keisuke Matsushima (book in advance) for a special occasion, or L'Acqua for the modern Mediterranean menu. The Russian Orthodox Cathedral is a 10-minute walk from the Carré d'Or and well worth a quick visit on the way.

Day 3 — Day Trip:

Three excellent day-trip options from Nice. Option A — Monaco and Èze: Take the train to Monaco (30 minutes, €4), walk the old town on the Rock, the Prince's Palace, the Oceanographic Museum, and the Monte Carlo Casino. Take the bus back to Èze (15 minutes), the cliffside medieval village, and visit the Jardin Exotique for the extraordinary views. Lunch in Èze at the Château Eza (a Michelin-starred restaurant in the village) or at one of the smaller village restaurants. Option B — Antibes and the Cap: Take the train to Antibes (20 minutes, €4), walk the old town, the Picasso Museum, the Marché Provençal, the ramparts, and the Port Vauban. Take the bus to the Cap d'Antibes (the peninsula), the most exclusive residential area on the Riviera, with the Château de la Croë, the Hôtel du Cap-Eden-Roc, the path along the coast. Lunch in Antibes at one of the harbour restaurants. Option C — Cannes and the Lérins Islands: Take the train to Cannes (40 minutes, €6), walk the Croisette, the old town (Le Suquet), the Marché Forville, and the Vieux Port. Take the ferry to Sainte-Marguerite (one of the Lérins Islands, 15 minutes), the fortress prison of the Man in the Iron Mask, the Fort Royal, the étang (the lake), and the eucalyptus forest. Lunch in Cannes at one of the smaller restaurants in Le Suquet.

Day Trips from Nice

Upcoming Events 2026

Travel Tips and Practical Information

Best time to visit: April, May, June, September, and early October are the best months — warm but not hot, the city is at its most beautiful, the spring flowers are out, and the major events (the Carnival, the Ironman, the Jazz Festival) are in full swing. July and August are the high season — the city is busy, hotel prices are at their highest, the beaches are crowded, and the air-conditioning in the hotels is essential. December and January are the low season — cool but rarely cold, the Christmas market is on, the Carnival is in February, and the prices are at their lowest.

Currency: The euro (EUR / €). Credit cards accepted almost everywhere, including most restaurants and the small shops. The contactless limit in France is €50.

Language: French. Less English than in Paris, especially in the smaller restaurants and the residential neighbourhoods. The local dialect (Niçois / Nissart) is an Occitan dialect closer to Italian than to French — the older Niçois still speak it, and the street names and the local literature preserve it. Learn «bonjour», «merci», «s'il vous plaît», and «l'addition, s'il vous plaît» (the bill, please).

Getting there:

Getting around: The historic centre is entirely walkable. The tramway (L1 and L2) is the most useful public transport — the L1 runs east-west along the Promenade des Anglais, the L2 connects the airport to the centre via the Port. Buses are useful for the arrière-pays (the Nice urban bus network covers the whole département). The vélo bleu bike-share scheme is a good option for the flat seafront, less useful for the hill neighbourhoods. Taxis are metered and reasonable — a taxi from the station to the Port is around €10. Uber and FreeNow both work.

Free or cheap things: The Promenade des Anglais (free), the Castle Hill park (free), the Vieux Nice walk (free), the Cours Saleya market (free to wander, the flowers are free to photograph), the Place Masséna (free), the Place Garibaldi (free), the MAMAC (free on the ground floor), the Russian Orthodox Cathedral (free, a small donation is appreciated), the Marc Chagall Museum (free for under-26s and on the first Sunday of the month), the Matisse Museum (free first Sunday of the month), the beach (pebbly but free), the hike up to the Croix de Cimiez (the cross on the hill above the Matisse Museum, with panoramic views of the bay).

Tap water: Safe to drink. Many bars serve «eau du robinet» (tap water) with a small carafe alongside the bottled water.

Tipping: Service is included by law, but a 5-10% tip for excellent service in a restaurant is appreciated. Tipping bars is uncommon; tipping taxis is rounding up the fare to the next euro.

Safety: Nice is one of the safer large cities in France, but the pickpocketing on the Promenade des Anglais in summer, around Place Masséna, and on the buses from the airport is a real problem. The usual precautions apply. The city centre is safe to walk around at night. The northern suburbs (the Ariane, the L'Ariane, and some parts of Las Planas) are best avoided at night.

Hours: Most shops and businesses close for lunch, 12-2pm, and reopen at 2pm. The big stores and the shopping streets stay open continuously. The restaurants open for lunch at 12-1pm and close at 2-3pm; the dinner service starts at 7-8pm. The Cours Saleya market is open every morning (except Monday, when it's a craft market); the Marché de la Libération is open every morning.

Customs: Dinner is late (8-9pm in restaurants, 10pm-1am in the bars). The Niçois take their time over lunch (the French lunch is at least 1.5 hours, the Niçois lunch is at least 2 hours). The Sunday is family day — most shops are closed, the Cours Saleya is a craft market only, and the restaurants are the main attraction.

Recommended reading: Jean-Gabriel Domis's *Nice et son comté* (a 19th-century account of Nice and the surrounding villages), Anthony Burgess's *Earthly Powers* (the opening chapter is set in Nice), Graham Greene's *The Tenth Man* (set partly in Nice), Jean-Paul Sartre's *La Nausée* (the Roquentin character is partly based on a Niçois Sartre knew), F. Scott Fitzgerald's *Tender is the Night* (set on the Riviera, with the fictional Hôtel des Étrangers based on the Hôtel du Cap-Eden-Roc in Antibes, a day trip from Nice).

Where to Next?

From Nice, the rest of the Riviera and the French-Italian borderland opens out — and the train connections are excellent.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many days do I need for Nice? 3 full days is the right amount for a first visit: one day for the Promenade, the old town, and Castle Hill; one for the museums (Matisse and Chagall); one for a day trip (Monaco, Antibes, or Cannes). 2 days is possible but rushed. 4-5 days lets you add a second day trip and a quieter exploration of the Carré d'Or, the Port, and the Russian Orthodox Cathedral.

What is the best area to stay? For first-time visitors, the best balance of central location, walkability, and value is the Carré d'Or or the Vieux Nice — both are walkable to almost everything, with a wide choice of hotels and restaurants. For the most atmospheric, the Vieux Nice is the most beautiful and most central but can be noisy at night. For the most contemporary, the Port area is the coolest and the most local. For the most luxurious, the Promenade des Anglais has the grand hotels but is far from the restaurants. For the cheapest, the area around the station (Thiers) has the best value budget options.

Is Nice expensive? Yes, by French standards Nice is more expensive than most other French cities outside Paris, but less than Monaco or Saint-Tropez. A mid-range traveller should budget around €80-130 per day (excluding accommodation). Hotel prices in July and August are high (€200-400 for a 4-star); in spring and autumn, half that. Restaurant prices are reasonable — a menù del giorno (set lunch menu) is €15-20, a dinner in a mid-range restaurant with drinks is €25-40, a glass of local rosé is €4-6.

Is Nice safe at night? Yes, the centre, the old town, the Port, the Carré d'Or, and the Promenade are all safe to walk around at night. The main concerns are pickpocketing in the most crowded areas (the Promenade in summer, the Cours Saleya market, the bus from the airport). The northern suburbs (the Ariane, the Las Planas) are best avoided at night. The Promenade des Anglais is well-lit and busy until late.

Do I need a visa for France? EU, EEA, and Swiss citizens can enter without a visa. UK, US, Canadian, Australian, New Zealand, and most other passport holders can enter for up to 90 days without a visa. France is in the Schengen area, so a Schengen visa is the standard. Check the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the latest rules.

When is the best time to avoid the crowds? The shoulder months — April, May, September, and early October — are the most comfortable. The school holidays in France (mid-July to end of August, the February winter break, the Easter break, and the Toussaint in late October) are the most crowded. The Carnival in February brings the biggest crowds of the year.

Is the beach in Nice really all pebbles? Yes, all the beaches on the Côte d'Azur are pebble beaches, not sand. The pebbles are the famous «galets» — smooth, rounded, grey and white, and famously uncomfortable to lie on without a beach mat. The water is clear and clean, the beach is free, and the public beach sections are well-maintained. The private beach sections (managed by the grand hotels and the beach clubs) charge around €15-25 per day for a sun lounger and an umbrella.

Is it worth visiting the Matisse Museum if I'm not a big art fan? Yes, even if you only have a passing interest in Matisse, the museum is worth the visit — the collection is exceptional, the building is beautiful, and the surrounding park (with the Roman arena, the monastery, and the olive grove) is one of the most peaceful in Nice. Allow 90 minutes for a complete visit.

Can I get by without speaking French? Yes, the centre and the tourist areas are English-friendly, the menus in most restaurants are in French and English, and the museum labels are in French and English. Outside the centre — in the smaller restaurants, in the residential neighbourhoods, in the market — French is essential. Learn the basics: «bonjour» (good day), «merci» (thank you), «s'il vous plaît» (please), «l'addition, s'il vous plaît» (the bill, please), «combien?» (how much?).

How do I get from the airport to the centre? The L2 tram from the airport to the centre is 30 minutes, €1.50, the cheapest and most reliable option. The bus 98 runs from the airport to the station and the Promenade, 30 minutes, €1.50. A taxi from the airport to the centre is around €25-35 (fixed rate, supplements for luggage and after 7pm). The taxi is the easiest option if you have a lot of luggage, but the tram is faster in the rush hour.

Nearby destinations

Monaco Monaco · 30 min by train Paris France · 5.5h by TGV Lyon France · 4.5h by TGV Florence Italy · 4h by train Milan Italy · 4.5h by train