Day 1
Old Nice & the seafront
Start at the Cours Saleya market, then wander Vieux Nice to Place Rossetti for gelato. Climb Castle Hill for the bay view, then stroll the Promenade des Anglais to a blue chair at sunset.
Capital of the French Riviera, Nice pairs turquoise sea with ochre streets and a light that lured painters from Matisse to Chagall. Its old town is a warm tangle of markets, baroque churches and gelato, while the Promenade des Anglais unrolls along the Baie des Anges.
The cooking leans as much Italian as French — socca, pissaladière and pan bagnat eaten with your fingers. And the city is the perfect base: hilltop Èze, glitzy Monaco and pastel Villefranche are all a short coastal train ride away.
Itinerary
Day 2
Art, squares & the beach
Head up to Cimiez for the Matisse and Chagall museums among olive groves. Back down, cross the red-arcaded Place Masséna, browse the Carré d'Or, then flop onto a pebble beach for the afternoon.
Day 3
Riviera coast day trip
Take the coastal train to pastel Villefranche-sur-Mer for a swim, then bus up to the medieval eyrie of Èze. Finish in Monaco for the harbour, the casino and the changing of the guard.
Highlights
🏛️Landmark
Promenade des Anglais
This palm-lined seafront curves for kilometres along the Baie des Anges, its famous blue chairs facing a turquoise sea. Rent a bike or rollerblades and glide past belle-époque hotels like the Negresco.
🏘️Neighbourhood
Vieux Nice
A sun-warmed maze of ochre façades, hanging laundry and baroque churches where the Niçois dialect still peppers the air. Follow your nose to a bakery for socca, then lose yourself until you hit Place Rossetti for gelato at Fenocchio.
🌄Viewpoint
Colline du Château (Castle Hill)
Climb (or ride the free lift) to this leafy hilltop for the classic postcard view over Nice's terracotta rooftops and the sweep of the bay. A man-made waterfall and shaded benches make it a cool escape on hot afternoons.
🛍️Market
Cours Saleya Market
Every morning but Monday, this long square erupts into a flower and produce market heavy with mimosa, lavender and sun-ripe tomatoes. Come early, grab a slice of pissaladière, and browse the antiques stalls that take over on Mondays.
🍽️Food
Socca & Cuisine Niçoise
Nice's street-food icon is socca: a chickpea-flour pancake, crisp-edged and blistered, pulled from a wood-fired oven and eaten hot with black pepper. Chase it with pan bagnat, pissaladière and a proper salade niçoise (no potatoes, the locals insist).
🖼️Museum
Musée National Marc Chagall
This purpose-built museum holds the world's largest public collection of Chagall's work, centred on the 17 luminous canvases of his Biblical Message. Set among gardens and olive trees, its intimate scale lets the dreamlike colour do the talking.
Neighbourhoods
Vieux Nice
The atmospheric heart: narrow lanes, the Cours Saleya market and buzzing tapas bars. Base here for old-town charm and easy nights out, if you don't mind the noise.
Cimiez
A leafy, aristocratic hillside north of the centre, home to the Matisse and Chagall museums, Roman ruins and grand belle-époque villas. Quiet, green and residential.
Le Port (Port Lympia)
The photogenic harbour of bobbing yachts, antique dealers and some of the city's best restaurants. Walk over from Castle Hill for a more local, foodie base.
Le Carré d'Or
The elegant shopping district around Place Masséna and Rue Masséna, steps from the beach. Central, chic and well connected by tram.
Where to eat
Socca
A giant chickpea-flour pancake baked in a wood-fired oven, scraped into hot, peppery shards. Buy it by the slice at Chez Pipo or from the vans on Cours Saleya.
Pissaladière
A thin dough tart smothered in slow-caramelised onions, anchovies and tiny black olives — no tomato, no cheese. Best warm from a bakery, eaten walking.
Pan Bagnat
A Niçoise salad stuffed into a round roll rubbed with garlic and olive oil, until the bread soaks up every drop. The ultimate beach lunch.
Salade Niçoise
Tomatoes, egg, anchovies or tuna, black olives, spring onions and raw baby vegetables — dressed in olive oil, never with cooked potatoes or green beans (locals are firm on this).
Good to know
Best time to visit
Nice shines from May to October, with hot, dry summers and a warm sea into September. July and August are busiest and priciest; late spring and early autumn bring the same sun with fewer crowds. Winters stay mild, and February's flower-filled Carnival is a highlight.
Getting around
The compact centre is best on foot, backed by a clean tram network and cheap single tickets. Skip a car: frequent TER coastal trains reach Villefranche, Monaco and Menton in minutes, and buses climb to hilltop Èze. The airport sits just west of town, 20 minutes by tram line 2.
- Currency
- EUR €
- Languages
- French
How much does Nice cost?
A realistic daily budget per person, in three styles.
Backpacker€60per person / day
Mid-range€120per person / day
Comfort€250per person / day
Nice is generally considered a moderately expensive destination.
Local tips
- ✓Nice's beaches are pebbles, not sand — pack water shoes and a padded mat.
- ✓Order socca early: the wood-fired batches sell out by mid-afternoon.
- ✓For coastal day trips, the TER train beats the bus — faster, cheaper and it hugs the sea.
