Nice 4 Day Itinerary

Four days gets you something two- and three-day trips can’t manage: two separate day trips, which means you get to see Nice properly and still sample two of its neighbors along the coast.

Getting In

Tram Line 2 covers the airport to Jean-Medecin run in about 30 minutes for 1.70 EUR, heading toward Port Lympia rather than the Centre Administratif branch. A flat-rate taxi is 32 EUR for up to four people with luggage; confirm that price before departure, since some drivers run the meter instead and let it creep toward 45 or 50 EUR. Uber tends to be both cheaper and more predictable. Watch your bag closely at the Grand Arenas tram stop, a known pickpocket zone during the ticket-buying rush.

Day 1: Settle In, Old Town, Promenade

Check into your hotel, then head to Cours Saleya for the morning market (flowers and produce Tuesday through Sunday, antiques on Mondays). Try socca at the Chez Theresa stall or at Chez Pipo on rue Bavastro, wood-fired since 1923, 5 to 8 EUR either way. Skip the terrace restaurants right on the square for lunch; they charge for the location and the food shows it. Walk a street or two back instead.

Spend the afternoon in Vieux Nice itself, pastel facades and narrow alleys worth wandering slowly. As evening approaches, walk the Promenade des Anglais, seven free kilometers past the Hotel Negresco, and grab a blue chair if one’s open. These are pebble beaches, not sand, so pack water shoes rather than flip-flops.

For dinner, Lou Balico or Acchiardo in Vieux Nice handle Nicois classics properly, daube, stuffed vegetables, mains around 15 to 25 EUR. If you order salade nicoise, know the real version has no cooked potatoes or green beans, just raw vegetables, tuna or anchovies, egg, and olives.

Day 2: Castle Hill And Museums

Climb Castle Hill early, before the heat builds. No actual castle survives up there (demolished in 1706), but the free view over the Baie des Anges is arguably the best hour of the whole trip, ticket price zero. The public elevator from the east end of quai des Etats-Unis saves your legs if you’d rather skip the stairs.

Afterward, tackle the museums if art interests you. Matisse and Chagall occupy two separate buildings near Cimiez, not one combined site and not downtown, a detail plenty of guides get wrong. Matisse’s museum sits in a 17th-century villa, open 10am to 6pm, closed Tuesdays, via bus 5, 16, or 18. The Chagall museum on avenue Docteur Menard, also closed Tuesdays, costs 12 EUR during exhibitions or 10 EUR without, free the first Sunday of the month. If museums aren’t your priority, spend the afternoon at Port Lympia instead, watching the Corsica ferry dock past the colorful harbor facades.

Day 3: First Day Trip, Villefranche And Eze

This is where four days starts paying off. Take the train to Villefranche-sur-Mer, a mere seven minutes and 2 to 3 EUR, and walk the harbor of one of the deepest natural ports on the coast. From there, continue to Eze-sur-Mer (about 15 minutes further), then climb the steep path or catch bus 83 up to the perched village of Eze itself; the train does not reach the hilltop directly. Do this leg in the morning or during cooler months only. A midday summer climb is brutal, not scenic. Head back to Nice for dinner, ideally somewhere new in Vieux Nice you haven’t tried yet.

Day 4: Second Day Trip Or Slow Morning

Pick a second day trip based on what you’re craving. Antibes is 20 to 25 minutes away for 5 to 6 EUR, with its old town, Picasso Museum, and Marche Provencal. Monaco and Monte-Carlo run a similar 20 to 25 minutes for 4 to 6 EUR if glamour appeals more than fishing villages. Cannes takes 30 to 40 minutes for 7 to 9 EUR if you want La Croisette. Or, if two consecutive day trips sound exhausting, spend a slower final morning back at Cours Saleya or the Promenade before your departure flight, since Nice rewards a lazy last morning as much as a packed itinerary. Whichever you choose, budget time to get to the airport, remembering the same 32 EUR flat-rate taxi trick applies leaving town as it does arriving.

Where To Sleep For Four Nights

Old Town hotels put the market and best restaurants within walking distance, though rooms run small and summer nights can be loud. A room on or near the Promenade buys the classic sea view at a higher nightly rate. For four nights, an aparthotel near Jean-Medecin with a kitchen can meaningfully cut your food budget if you’re not precious about eating out every meal.

Practical Notes

French is official, English is common in tourist zones, and the Euro is the currency; cards work widely but keep cash for markets and small cafes. The calmest window to visit is May through June or September into October, warm enough to swim, without the July-August crush of heat, packed pebble beaches, and premium hotel pricing. Four days is enough time to actually rest between excursions, so don’t feel obligated to fill every hour; a slow coffee on Cours Saleya counts as a legitimate use of vacation time.