Day Trips From Nice: 5 Must Visit Places on the French Riviera

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Are you planning a trip to the French Riviera and want to know the best day trips from Nice?

A trip to Nice is special in it’s own right – a city that is full of character with a blend of old and new, beautiful views and a stunning promendade. Combine that with the fact that Nice provides easy access to several incredible locations within 1 hour makes it the perfect place for a summer holiday.

We recently spent a month exploring this region, using Nice as our base and travelling to all of the major attractions nearby during our stay. In this post, we will walk you through 5 of the best day trips from Nice, how to get there, what to do there and food & drink recommendations.

We would also recommend reading our guide to Nice to help you plan your French Riviera trip in full in addition to any day trips from nice you take during your stay.

How to get aRound the French Riviera

If you are planning to take a number of day trips from Nice, the best way to get around is to purchase a Sud Azur pass or else to take guided day trip tours. Ultimately, you are probably best trying a combination of these options as guided tours can remove a lot of the stress and logistics involved in planning a day trip from Nice.

Sud Azur Pass

In our experience, the most cost efficient way to explore the French Riviera by train/bus is to purchase a ‘Sud Azur‘ pass – this pass will give you unlimited access to buses/trams and trains across the region and is really good value if you plan to take day trips by train.

Sud Azur Explore	Cost (Adult)	Cost (4-18 year olds)
3 Day Ticket	€35	€30
7 Day Ticket	€50	€40
14 Day Ticket	€80	€65

*Public transport is free for children under 4

Where to stay in Nice

If you are looking for hotels in Nice, the best approach we have found is to choose an area with easy access to the Metro. Even somewhere that seems to be far from the main areas like Promenade des Anglais and Vieux Ville (Old Town Nice) can be easily reached in 10-15 minutes by metro. Our personal preference would be to choose hotels near Jean Medecin or Garibaldi.

Best Day Trips from Nice

Before we get into the locations, there are a couple of things to consider before going on a day trip from Nice. The most important thing to remember is that trains in this area get busy, very busy. If you are planning to take a day trip with young children and have a pram etc. it can become overwhelming.

At the train station, you can get a guide sowing you the best travel times for each route if you are travelling with kids or have large equipment like a bike. From our experience, we travelled with a one year old and it was essential that we avoided travel at peak times to ensure there was room for his pram on the train.

Avoid peak commuting times where possible and know that the largest crowds board at Monaco so take this into consideration for where you will be boarding as well.

Day Trip 1 – Villefranche Sur Mer

Villefranche Sur mer is one of our favourite places to visit in the French Riviera and the easiest day trip from Nice that you can take.

How to get to Villefranche Sur Mer from Nice

The easiest way to get to Villefranche Sur Mer is by train. You can catch the train from Nice Ville or Nice Riquier stations and Villefranche Sur Mer is the first stop on the route between Nice and Menton.

The train journey only takes around 7 minutes from Nice to Villefranche Sur Mer and the tickets cost €5 return. Alternatively, you can also take the bus from Nice Boyer which will drop you at the top of the village, just a short walk from the Old Town.

Best Things to do in Villefranche Sur Mer

Explore the Old Town

When you arrive, the first thing we wold suggest doing is to explore some of the old town. Villefranche sur Mer is full of vibrant colour and lots of nice shops. There are also some beautiful churches in Villefranche Sur Mer, such as Eglise Saint Michel and Chappelle Saint Pierre. If you have travelled by bus, we would also recommend going to Boulevard Napoleon III to get a stunning birds eye view of the picturesque village below.

Relax at the beach

One of the best things about Villefranche Sur Mer is its beach, Plage Marinieres. Unlike the beach in Nice, Plage Marinieres does not have a strong current and the water is a really nice temperature, making it much more accessible for families visiting with children. This is also one of the sandier beaches along the French Riviera so you could easily spend the day here.

Where to eat in Villefranche Sur Mer

If you want to grab something to eat while you are in Villefranche Sur Mer we would recommend a few places. First up, you could try Espuma, a lovely restaurant just a couple of minutes walk from the beach. They do a great pizza and we found Espuma to be more reasonable priced than some of the other options in the area. Alternatively, we would also recommend Dry or else Alma, which are both great options as well.

Day Trip 2 – Menton

If you want to take a day trip from Nice that combines the best of France and Italy, then Menton is the place for you. Situated a short distance from the Italian border, Menton is renowned for it’s brightly coloured buildings sat against the backdrop of the stunning coastline. Menton is a must visit for any trip to the French Riviera.

How to get from Nice to Menton

Again, the easiest way to get from Nice to Mento is to catch the train from Nice Ville or Nice Riquier stations. The train journey to Menton takes around 35 minutes and costs €12.80 return for an adult ticket. There are two train stations available in Menton, both of which are around a 20 minute walk to the main promenade.

Best things to do in Menton

The main attraction in Menton is to explore the colourful streets throughout the Old Town. The combination of yellows, oranges and pinks against the backdrop of a blue sky is almost like a painting and provides a great canvas for photos throughout your time in Menton. As you make your way through the town, you will come across one of Menton’s most iconic sites, Basilique Saint-Michel Archange de Menton, a beautiful basilica attached to the church perched above the sea.

While you are hear you can also visit the beach at Plages des Sablettes, which again is a great place for photos along the promenade with the colourful buildings behind you. Or there are also some really beautiful botanical gardens in Menton, like Jardins Bioves, which is really beautiful in Spring/Early Summer.

Where to eat and drink in Menton

For food and drink options in Menton, we would recommend Eunoia for coffee/brunch, Chez Jules for a hamburger or else for Italian food, try out Falco.

Day Trip 3 – Antibes

For your next day trip option, we have Antibes, which in our view is the best place to go if you are travelling with children. It is easy to get around, not as hilly as some of the other options and it has a water park nearby.

If you are unsure of where to stay on the French Riviera other than Nice, Antibes is a great alternative and brings you a bit closer to other major tourist attractions like Cannes and St Tropez.

Explore The Beaches

Antibes is blessed with a number of great beaches, most of which are easily accessible and again a bit more sandy than some of the other beaches in the French Riviera.

If you are happy to do a bit of a trek and aren’t travelling with young children, we would highly recommend Billionaire’s Bay. This stunning area, along the Cap d’Antibes is lined with beautiful boats and crystal clear waters. You can also take a hike around Cap D’Antibes to get stunning views of the surrounding area.

For alternative beaches, we would also suggest visiting Plage de la Garoupe; Plage Juan les Pins or else Plage de la Gravette.

Visit the waterpark

If you are travelling with children, Antibes is where you will find one of the only waterparks in this region. Aquasplash is just outside Antibes, with tickets costing €32 for adults and €28 for children.

Explore the Old Town

Antibes Old Town is a beautiful area, filled with character and a nice atmosphere. One place we would recommend taking a walk around is Rue de la Bas Castelate, a picturesque residential street that epitomises the style of the French Riviera. This is a really nice place to snap a photo but remember to be considerate of the residents when you are exploring this picture perfect street.

Not far from there, you can also go see ‘The Nomad’, a large sculpture perched above the waterfront, take a dip in the water along Plage de la Gravette and also explore the Picasso museum.

Where to eat in Antibes

Another great thing about antibes is that it has a wide range of restaurants within a short walking distance. Our personal recommendation would be Chez Jules, a beautiful Italian restaurant with a great menu or La Guingette for a Meditteranean style menu and a quirky vibe. If you are looking for breakfast or coffee options check out Nomad; Good Mate or Cha Bothe, all really good options to start your day off. We would also recommend grabbing a pastry from Lilian Bonnefoi during your day trip in Antibes.

Day Trip 4 – Eze

Our next day trip from Nice is to Eze. This is probably the most picturesque location on the list, filled with medieval charm and cobbled streets, this is a beautiful place to spend a day along the French Riviera.

How to get from Nice to Eze

There are two main options by public transport to get from Nice to Eze. You can use the train from Nice Ville which takes around 25 minutes and costs €7.20 return. However, we would not recommend the train as the station is below Eze, meaning you have a steep climb to reach the main centre of the village.

If you don’t have a car, the best option is to take the bus. You can get the bus from Nice Vauban and it will get you there in a similar time to the train. But more importantly, taking the bus means you don’t have to endure a trek once you arrive.

Best things to do in Eze

One of the best things to do in Eze is to admire the view below and there is no better place to do this than from Jardin Exotique d’Eze. Not only are the gardens themselves beautiful but they provide panoramic views of the coastline below, unmatched almost anywhere ele along the French Riviera. Entry to the gardens is around €7 and the gardens are open fro 9am-6:30pm daily.

Eze is worth visiting for the views alone but as well as that, take the time to walk around the character filled cobbled streets that line the village. The village has lots of great shops and courtyard cafes so take some time to relax here as well during your day trip.

One caution when it comes to Eze, we visited the French Riviera with our 1 year old at the time and the narrow streets and cobbled stones are not pram friendly. If you have a sling etc. that you are comfortable with using Eze is still perfectly accessible but it is not an easy place to push a pram/stroller around so do consider that before visiting.

Where to eat in Eze

For casual food in Eze we would recommend Deli for casual food (sandwiches etc.) or else we would suggest trying La Taverne D’Antan for italian food.

Day Trip 5 – Monaco

Your final day trip from Nice will take you to Monaco, home to the rich and famous and filled with more yachts than you could ever imagine.

Best things to do in Monaco

For sports fans of course, Monaco is home to one of the most famous Formula 1 races in the world and seeing the track in person is a great experience. Equally for sports fans, Monaco also plays host to the Monte Carlo Masters in tennis during the Spring so this would also be worth checking out.

Monaco has lots of great botanical gardens that are worth visiting such as le Jardin Exotique or the Japanese Gardens. Ona similar theme, you can also visit a beautiful rose garden dedicated to Princess Grace at Fontvielle park. The Old Town in Monaco is a really nice area to explore and has lots of great boutique shops and cafes, a nice place to pick up a souvenir from your visit.

Of course no trip to Monaco would be complete without seeing the incredible range of super yachts parked up at Port Hercule and you will also find great views of the area from Palais Princier, the official residence of the monarchy in Monaco. If you want to visit the beach then Monaco does not have a great range to choose from but there is a man made beach that is free to access to the public, Plage Larvotto.

Where to eat in Monaco

So there you have 5 amazing day trip from Nice to choose from, all within 1 hour journey from Nice and with amazing views, food and activities available. If you need any help planning your day trips from Nice just drop us a message and we hope you have a great time!