You guys, I love Nice. It’s just so freaking dreamy – big enough to be a real city, great old town with winding streets (Vieux Nice), delicious market, stunning shoreline, and the typical understated glamour that seems to grow out of the ground on the French Riviera. I’ve been there a ton of times, and it never, ever bores me. So, I’m going to give you my advice about what to do in Nice based on my own experiences. Enjoy!
Nice is the easternmost train hub in the South of France, so chances are you’re going to have a bit of time to spare when you’re switching trains – usually an hour or so, sometimes more. You can sit in the crowded station, or outside in the sun, or have something to eat at the cafeteria-style Flunch next door.
Or, you can stash your luggage in a locker, walk (or take a taxi) down to the sea, rent a chaise longue from one of the beach clubs that line the Promenade des Anglais, and get a Riviera tan. Are you there later in the day? Then have a drink at the beach club bar while sitting on a full sofa with a coffee table in front of you, right on the beach. Or grab some fresh steamed mussels from one of the grills. Or just take a stroll along the Promenade!
Nice is a great day trip from Montpellier or Marseille, and a fantastic overnight trip from Paris. Visit the Cours Saleya market in Vieux Nice, have a picnic lunch up on Castle Hill, watch the sun set from the Promenade des Anglais, and then have a delicious, fresh dinner over at the port. It’s a refreshing change from Paris that will make you feel like you’re on a vacation within a vacation. INCEPTION!
If you’re planning on staying in Nice for a while, first of all, good on you. But even if you want to stick around Nice and get into its daily rhythms, you’re so close to so many other fun places that one of the best things you can do in Nice is leave it! Even if it’s just for a meal, or the afternoon. Try the beach at Villefranche. Have lunch in Ventimiglia, Italy. Do your best James Bond in Monte Carlo. Stop and smell the perfume in Grasse. Get a bird’s eye view of your vacation from Eze. Visit the Picasso Museum in Antibes. See what all the hub-bub is about Cannes. See how the other half lives in St-Tropez.
To get a better idea of these excellent adventures, check out Day Trips from Nice.
Check out hotels that are available in Nice with this quick, handy search tool:
And do a quick search for flights to Nice (NCE) from Paris (CDG), Barcelona (BCN), and London (LON):
