Things to do in Nice France – The Ultimate Nice Travel Guide

Have you planned a trip to the French Riviera and want to know all the best things to do in Nice, France?

With 150+ days of sunshine a year and crystal blue Mediterranean waters, Nice France is the perfect place for a getaway throughout the year. The city itself is great for a long weekend or short stay, while you can easily spend several weeks here to explore the famous coastline.

In our experience, if you’re planning to take a trip to the French Riviera, it is much better to have a base from which you can visit the incredible towns and villages of the coast, than to have to move to new accommodation in each location. With that in mind, there is no better place to base yourself in the South of France than Nice. Nice is less than 2 hours in either direction to the main tourist attractions along the coast – as well as providing easy access to Italy if you would like to venture a little further afield.

Last year, we spent a month living in Nice and in this Nice travel guide, we will be sharing everything you need to know before your next trip to Nice; from how to get to the airports and where to get great photos to our favourite bars and restaurants and everything in between.

Things to do in Nice, France – Summary

Where to Stay

• Aparthotel AMMI Nice Lafayette (€)
• Hotel 66 Nice (€)
• Palm Boutique Hotel (€€)
• Hotel Apollinaire Nice (€€€)
• Le Negresco (€€€€)

When to Visit

The best time to visit Nice France is shoulder season – April, May, September and October

Must do Activities

• French Riviera Tour
• Provence Wine Tour
• Nice Food Tour

Best Nice Photo Spots

• Coline du Chateau (Castle Hill)
• Le Negresco Hotel
• #I Love Nice Sign
• Promenade des Anglais

How to get from Nice Airport to the city

Cote D’Azur Airport

1) Tram:

You can easily get to the city centre using public transport. To get there by tram you can use the routes below.

PORT LYMPIA (TRAM 2) TRAM ROUTE 2 – PORT LYMPIA/CITY CENTRE

This route stops at the airport (Terminal 1 and Terminal 2) and takes you to the city centre (Jean Médecin stop) in less than 30 minutes.

Trams run approximately every 8 minutes on weekdays.

TRAMWAY LINE 3 – SAINT-ISIDORE/ALLIANZ RIVIERA STADIUM

This route runs from the airport (Terminal 1 and Terminal 2) to the Saint-Isidore district and the Allianz Riviera stadium.

Trams run approximately every 15 minutes on weekdays.

A return ticket from the airport is €10.

2) Bus:

Alternatively, you can also take the bus from Avenue Maître Maurice Slama, Grand Arénas district less than 500m walk from Terminal 1 (exit A0).

Bus Routes

Aix-en-Provence (60) – Auron (91) – Cagnes-sur-Mer (21) – Isola 2000 (92) – La Bolline (90) – Le Broc (Exp4) – Saint-Jeannet (54) – Saint-Laurent-du-Var (20) – Valberg (670) – Vence (9)

More information on the public transport connections can be found here.

3) Taxi:

You can catch a taxi directly outside the terminal – there are various different taxi types available depending on the amount of luggage/sports or children’s equipment you need to take. There are set prices depending on where you need to travel with the cheapest option to Nice centre starting at €32. Unless you really need to, we would always advise against using taxis from airports wherever possible.

4) Uber (FreeNow/Bolt)

A cheaper alternative to traditional taxis would be to use the local equivalent to Uber. Download the FreeNow/Bolt apps to get the current prices but when we visited, trips to the city centre were around €20.

Note that if you are staying outside of the city centre, taxis will cost significantly more than the rates advertised to the centre – often €20+ extra.

How to get around Nice

Hop On/Hop Off Tour

If you want an easy way to explore the city, the Nice hop on/hop off tour is the best way to see the city for the first time, especially if you are only visiting for a few days.

Public Transport:

The easiest way to get around the city is by using the public transport system. There are 3 tram line routes so the system is not complicated to navigate:

– 1 provides a north/east connection via the city centre by Avenue Jean Médecin and Place Masséna

– 2 provides a west-east connection from the airport (or CADAM) to the city centre (Jean Médecin station) ending at the Port of Nice

– 3 provides a connection between the airport and Saint-Isidore via the Allianz Riviera Stadium

You can purchase multi trip/day passes depending on your length of stay using a la carte/ma carte pass, which will give you access to the public transport network in Nice. Alternatively, if you plan to take trips along the coast you could also purchase a Sud Azur pass, which will let you use the local network, as well as trains along the coast. You can purchase the passes at ticket machines, train stations and multiple shops and newsagents throughout the region.

Note: If you are travelling with young children, use of public transport is free for under 4 year olds.

How much does public transport cost in Nice?

More information can be found here.

When to visit Nice

Nice has good weather most of the year but becomes extremely crowded in peak summer season, particularly in July. The crowds at train stations along the main coastal route become very uncomfortable in the middle of the summer, with temperatures in the mid thirties (Celsius). This is the main tourist city in France after Paris, with around 5 million visitors a year so avoiding peak times is key to having a more relaxed stay.

Outside of that, Nice is suitable to visit throughout the year, with the average number of days rainfall never passing 6 per month. For the right balance of good weather and less crowding, we would suggest visiting in either May, September or October – temperatures during these months sit between 14-24 degrees celsius on average.

Search for flights to Nice:

Best Place to Stay in Nice

If you are visiting Nice for the first time, we would suggest finding hotels in Nice City Centre, close to the Promenade des Anglais where possible.

That being said, the tramlines run throughout the city so you can reach Nice city centre quite easily from most of the areas on the outskirts. If you are not staying along the main Promenade, it is best to look for hotels in Nice that close to any of the stops on the Line 1 tram network. This line runs through the centre of the city and also stops beside the Old Town, as well as the main train station.

Note: Please note that for any bookings made via the affiliate links included within this post, we will receive a small commission from the supplier but this will not affect the price you pay.

Best things to do in Nice France

Within the city itself, Nice has lots to see and do, as well as having a great food scene. Here are just some of the best photo spots and attractions the city has to offer:

• Cathedrale Saint-Nicolas
• Promenade des Anglais
• Villa Massena
• Le Negresco
• Vieux Ville
• Cours Saleya
• Place Massena
• Port Lympia
• Coline du Chateau
• Cascade de Gairut
• Eglise Notre Dame
• I Love Nice # sign
• Umbrella Street
• Cathedrale Saint Reparate
• Fontaine du Soleil
• Palais de Justice
• Jaques Chirac Arches

Explore Old Town Nice (Nice Vieux Ville)

This is our favourite area of Nice, filled with so much colour and character – you could easily spend a day wandering around these streets and you will find something new at every turn. This area is great for photos too, with the narrow colourful streets providing great backdrops for capturing memories. Here, you will also find a lot of amazing food and drink options, with great cafes, restaurants and wine bars.

Swim in the ‘Gatorade Water’

No trip to Nice would be complete without taking a dive into the the incredible blue water along the Promenade des Anglais.

A couple of things to note about the beach here before diving in:

1. The beach is very stony so it is best to bring a pair of water shoes with you – they can be found at most of the shops nearby
2. The tide is quite strong and the water gets deep quite quickly so if you are not a confident swimmer stay as close to the shore as possible

Watch the Sunset at Coline du Chateau

For any trip to Nice, watching the sunset as the planes fly over head at the beach is a must. There are three main options (1. Coline du Chateau; Mont Alban; 3. I Love Nice #) that we found for doing this, with Coline du Chateau (Castle Hill) being the most popular.

If you are travelling with young children, we would not recommend the walk up to the viewpoint at castle hill for sunset but there is a lift that operates from 10am-5:30pm that takes you to the top and makes it much easier if you are travelling with a pram etc. At the top, there is a play park for kids and a number of other viewpoints well worth seeing, as well as a beautiful waterfall so this place is worth visiting throughout the day.

The best alternatives to Castle Hill at sunset, are the promenade itself which is a beautiful place for photos at sunset, particularly as the palm trees provide a picturesque backdrop; start off at the ‘I Love Nice#’ sign, grab some photos, get a takeaway pizza (other healthy alternatives are available) and sit at the beach watching the sunset, admiring the planes and boats as they pass – a perfect way to end an evening in Nice.

Cathedrale Saint Nicolas

This beautiful Russian orthodox church situated just a short walk from Nice city centre is well worth adding to your next trip to Nice. The building is incredibly picturesque and is beautiful inside and outside the building.

Cascade de Gairaut

This is a hidden gem in Nice – situated up on the hills of Nice, this offers a great view overlooking the city and is also a nice photo spot to stop at during your trip. To get there, you can get the number 35 or 63 bus and it takes around 10-15 minutes.

Best Day Trips to take from Nice

If you plan to visit a number of towns on consecutive days your best option might be the French Riviera pass, which provides access to a wide variety of attractions, as well as including your public transport fares between each town. These can be purchased as 24/48 or 72 hour options – more information can be found here. You can also purchase the Sud Azur pass mentioned earlier in the post.

One thing to take into consideration for your day trips is that the trains get crowded (very crowded) so where possible, try to avoid travelling at peak times, especially if you are travelling with luggage/bikes etc. or with young children. If you are visiting the South of France with a young family in particular, knowing the best times to use public transport will save you a lot of unnecessary stress.

You can check out some of the best activities to do around the French Riviera has to offer through the links below.

Useful Apps for Nice France

Taxis

• Bolt
• FreeNow

Public Transport

• Lignes D’Azur
• SNCF

Food Delivery

• Uber Eats