Nice, France

Pack sandals you don’t mind getting wet, not flip flops for sand, because Nice’s beaches are stone. Every one of them. Locals call them “galets” and tourists call them “why does my foot hurt,” and the second you understand that, half your packing decisions sort themselves out. Water shoes aren’t optional gear here, they’re the local secret handshake.

Getting In From The Airport

Nice Cote d’Azur Airport (NCE) sits about six kilometers from downtown, and you have three real options. Tram Line 2, heading in the direction of Port Lympia (not the Centre Administratif branch, easy mix-up), gets you to Jean-Medecin in roughly 30 minutes, running from 5:30am to just before midnight every ten minutes or so. A single ticket costs 1.70 EUR, or grab the 10 EUR airport round-trip fare from the machine. If you’d rather taxi, the official flat rate to central Nice is 32 EUR for four passengers with luggage. Here’s the opinion part: some drivers “forget” the flat rate exists and start the meter, quietly letting it climb to 45 or 50 EUR. Say “tarif fixe” before you get in, or skip the whole negotiation and take an Uber, which tends to be cheaper and comes with a receipt trail. One more thing worth knowing: the Grand Arenas tram stop, where the airport ticket machines live, attracts pickpockets who work the queues. Keep your bag zipped and in front, and if you’re traveling with someone, have one person watch the bags while the other buys tickets.

Getting Around Once You’re There

The Lignes d’Azur network runs three tram lines plus buses, and a single ticket (1.70 EUR) covers transfers within the same direction for 74 minutes. A day pass runs 7 EUR if you’re moving around a lot. Honestly, though, you may not need transit much at all: Vieux Nice, the Promenade, Jean-Medecin, and Cours Saleya are all walkable from each other, and the tram is really only essential for reaching the Cimiez museums, the port, or the airport.

Places To Go

The Promenade des Anglais is free and stretches seven kilometers along the Baie des Anges, past the Hotel Negresco and a parade of grand facades. The famous blue chairs are free to sit in, no purchase necessary, which feels like a rare gift in a city that otherwise loves charging for a view.

Castle Hill (Colline du Chateau) is the best value in Nice precisely because there’s nothing there to buy a ticket for. There’s no actual castle standing anymore; it was demolished in 1706, so what you’re climbing to see is ruins, gardens, and a panoramic overlook. Take the free public elevator from the east end of quai des Etats-Unis if the stairs sound unappealing, or hoof it up the free stairs if you want to earn the view. Either way, this hour will beat most paid attractions in town.

Vieux Nice, the old town, is free to wander and full of pastel baroque buildings and narrow alleys that reward getting a little lost. Cours Saleya sits at its southern edge and hosts a flower and produce market Tuesday through Sunday mornings, switching to an antiques and brocante market on Mondays. Come afternoon, the square fills with cafe terraces, though see the eating section below before you sit down at one.

The Matisse Museum and the Chagall Museum (officially the Musee National Marc Chagall) are two completely separate buildings, both up near Cimiez, and neither one is downtown. This trips up a lot of guides that lazily merge them into one stop. Matisse’s museum occupies a 17th-century villa, open 10am to 6pm, closed Tuesdays, reachable via bus 5, 16, or 18. The Chagall museum sits on avenue Docteur Menard, also closed Tuesdays, and costs 12 EUR during temporary exhibitions or 10 EUR outside of them, with free entry on the first Sunday of each month. Bus 5 gets you there too. If you’re a museum completist, a four-day multi-museum municipal pass exists and can save you money if you’re hitting several.

The Russian Cathedral (Saint-Nicolas), with its distinctive onion domes, sits near the train station and Jean-Medecin, not in Vieux Nice as some assume. It charges a small entrance fee and is worth the detour if Orthodox architecture interests you.

Neighborhoods Worth Knowing

Vieux Nice is where the best food and the most character live, all pastel facades and narrow alleys. Cimiez, up on the hillside north of the center, holds the Matisse and Chagall museums along with Roman ruins and the grand old Regina Palace. Port Lympia, the working and leisure harbor east of Castle Hill, has colorful waterfront buildings and a ferry connection to Corsica. Jean-Medecin is the modern shopping spine, home to the train station and tram lines, and admittedly has the least charm of the bunch, but it’s efficient.

Where To Eat, And Where Not To

Socca, the chickpea-flour pancake that’s basically the city’s edible flag, is worth seeking out specifically at Chez Pipo (13 rue Bavastro), a wood-fired institution founded in 1923, or from the Chez Theresa stall on Cours Saleya. Expect to pay 5 to 8 EUR. Pan bagnat, essentially a salade nicoise stuffed into a bun, runs 6 to 9 EUR from a boulangerie or market stall and travels well if you’re beach-bound.

Speaking of salade nicoise: the authentic version does not include cooked potatoes or green beans. It’s raw vegetables, tuna or anchovies, hard-boiled egg, and olives. If a tourist menu serves you a warm potato salad and calls it nicoise, that’s a tell, not a tradition.

For a proper sit-down meal of Nicois classics like daube or stuffed vegetables, Lou Balico or Acchiardo in Vieux Nice are solid, with mains in the 15 to 25 EUR range. And here’s the unpopular but necessary opinion: skip the restaurants with terraces directly on Cours Saleya. They’re pricing for the view, not the food, and quality drops noticeably right on the square. Walk one or two streets back and you’ll eat better for less.

Where To Stay

The Hotel Negresco remains the five-star landmark on the Promenade, all chandeliers and history, for travelers who want to splurge properly. La Reserve Hotel & Spa offers a quieter five-star alternative with a strong spa. Hotel Windsor sits in the heart of Old Town at four stars with genuine character. For self-catering, Appart’City Nice Promenade gives you an apartment setup with sea views at a friendlier price point.

Day Trips By Train

This is where Nice quietly becomes one of the best-connected cities in Europe for a day-tripper. Villefranche-sur-Mer is barely seven minutes away by train and costs 2 to 3 EUR, making it the easiest half-day escape to a genuinely deep natural harbor. Eze takes about 15 minutes by train to the Eze-sur-Mer stop, but don’t expect the train to drop you at the famous perched village itself; you still need a steep uphill walk or bus 83 to reach it. It’s worth the climb, but only in cooler months or early mornings. A midday July ascent is genuinely miserable.

Monaco and Monte-Carlo are 20 to 25 minutes away for 4 to 6 EUR. Antibes, with its old town, Picasso Museum, and Marche Provencal, runs 20 to 25 minutes and 5 to 6 EUR. Cannes and La Croisette take 30 to 40 minutes for 7 to 9 EUR. And Menton, roughly 35 to 40 minutes and 6 to 7 EUR away, is the actual lemon capital of the region, home to the Fete du Citron. That’s Menton’s signature, not Nice’s, despite what some guides carelessly imply.

If you want Saint-Paul-de-Vence or Grasse, note that the train doesn’t reach them; you’ll need a bus or car, though the Ticket Azur (2.50 EUR) does cover onward bus travel to Saint-Paul from Nice.

When To Go

May, June, September, and October give you warm, swimmable weather with noticeably fewer crowds and lower prices than peak summer. July and August bring serious heat, packed pebble beaches, and hotel prices that reward advance booking. If you can choose, May or June beats August: same sea temperature, half the crowds. February brings Nice Carnival, centered on Place Massena, with flower parades by day and illuminated ones by night.

Practical Notes

French is the official language, though English is common in tourist zones. The Euro is the currency, and while cards are widely accepted, keep some cash for market stalls and small cafes. Nice is generally safe, but stay alert around Grand Arenas, crowded Old Town alleys, the Promenade, and the market, where pickpockets are known to operate. Beach-club restaurants along the Promenade often skip posted menus and charge premium prices, so ask before you order, especially drinks.

For emergencies, dial 15 for medical assistance or 17 for police. The main post office sits at 4 Rue Pujolle, just off Place Massena, if you need to mail a postcard the old-fashioned way. Bring water shoes for the beach, confirm your taxi fare before the meter starts, and save the paid attractions for a rainy afternoon since the best view in the city, from Castle Hill, doesn’t cost a euro.