10 of the best things to do in Nice, France
Every year when we were younger, two of my best friends and I went on a girls trip somewhere. We’ve visited Stockholm, Tallinn, The Amalfi Coast, Milan, Bath, The Cotswolds and London together over the years. In 2019 things changed because they both started their families, and with young babies it meant they couldn’t up and leave for an adventure.
One of the things that no-one talks about with infertility is that you don’t just fail to have a baby, but that often those close to you naturally have their own focuses change when they start their own families meaning you also lose (at least in some part) your friendship support network.
So I was absolutely delighted when one of those friends decided it was time to get back out on adventures. We settled on some winter sun as she’d not been abroad in a while and we chose Nice, along the beautiful French Riviera – for a long weekend of sunshine, pretty villages, good food and lots of wine.
Note: It wasn’t sunny and it rained the entire time.
About Nice
Getting to Nice
- Nice has an international airport which runs regular flights to and from London, New York and lots of other major airports.
- The airport is only a 15-20 minute taxi ride away from the city centre, or you can take the tram straight in to the centre.
Weather in Nice
- Nice receives a whopping 320 days of sunshine a year and only around 20 days of rain.
- Average temperatures in summer are around 25 degrees, with the hottest months being July and August where temperatures can reach up to 30.
- Winters are mild, averaging around 12 – 15 degrees.
Despite visiting for some spring sunshine, on our visit we had a solid 4 days of rain, and temperatures of about 10. On our last day we had about 1hr of sunshine and sat by the beach!
Other Important Information
- Nice is +1hr to the UK.
- It’s a very walkable city but does lie amongst lots of hills. Mobility access amongst some of the smaller surrounding towns and villages is limited.
- French is the first language, but most people we encountered spoke English and my basic French was enough with those that didn’t (or chose to laugh at me).
- In Nice itself, you only really need a maximum of 2 days, but you could easily stay for a week and take the opportunity to explore far and wide along the French Riviera.
Things to do in Nice
Stroll the Old Town
I recommend doing this on a Walking Tour with Walkative Nice, a pay what you wish tour which was amazing! We learnt so much!
For starters, Nice is a city where you can see so many layers of history. Nice was founded by the Greeks in around 350BC, and the city was probably named in honour of a victory (nikē in Greek) over a neighbouring colony.
Conquered by the Romans during the 1st century AD, it became a busy trading station. After the Romans, Nice was later controlled by the House of Provence and the House of Savoy and passed between Italian and French ownership – it was finally ceded to the French for good in 1860.
It means there are plenty of influences throughout the old town and some of the highlights include:
- The Opera Theatre – Designed by François Aune, disciple of Eiffel, you can see little mini Statues of Liberty in the lights! (As well as the Eiffel Tower, he designed the Statue of Liberty).
- Nice Cathedral – There has been a cathedral on this side since 1049, though the one standing today was built in the 1600s, incorporating typically Italian and French designs.
- Auer Patisserie – one of the oldest Patisseries in Nice, and absolutely beautiful, it’s well worth a visit.
- Palais de Justice – Open to the public and free to enter, you can even attend certain trials and court sessions. I particularly liked the story of the famous bank robber in the 1970s who jumped to escape from an upstairs window before his hearing.
Climb Castle Hill
My favourite part of Nice was Castle Hill, which contrary to its name, doesn’t house a castle. Instead it’s home to a waterfall, and the most beautiful views out over the city and sea. There is a lift to get up, but due to the rain on our visit it was closed, so we had to climb the 200+ steps to the top.
Visit the famous Flower Market
Cours Saleya market in Nice is full of life, with its striped awnings and hundreds of stands. Crowds of locals and tourists come here to do their shopping or sometimes just to look and snap photos of the colourful displays. There are 4 markets on the site, but the most famous is the beautiful flower market, full of colours and smells.
Relax on the beach along the Promenade des Anglais
Nice has a long stretch of beach, though it’s a pebble beach rather than beautiful sand. Running alongside the beach is the famous 7km Promenade des Anglais, known as such because the English flocked to the town in the Victorian era for sun and fresh sea air.
Nice is also famous for its iconic blue chairs lining the promenade. I was expecting some jazzy sunloungers but they were actually pretty uncomfortable! The beach was relatively busy even in the cold and rain, so I can only imagine how packed it gets in summer!
Indulge in the Food and Wine
Nice is a foodie paradise – I didn’t have a bad meal whilst visiting. With French and Italian restaurants galore here were some of the highlights which we discovered:
- Edmond Café – for an absolutely delicious breakfast/brunch. The avocado croque was SO GOOD.
- Bistro Gourmand – for some upmarket French dining. The wine here was amazing and we managed to drink two bottles of the local Rose Wine.
- Casa Tua – delicious Italian style food in a homely stone restaurant. The quality was incredible.
- Local Delicacies – When in a new country it’s really important to try the local dishes. We tried Pan Bagnat (basically a Nicoise Salad placed inside a bun), Les beignets de fleur de courgette (Zucchini Fritters) and the totally delicious Socca at Chez Theresa (local pancakes)
Admire the Cathédrale Saint-Nicolas
One of my favourite finds in Nice was a short 25 minute walk out of the centre. The Cathédrale Saint-Nicolas is a Russian Orthodox Church and is the largest Eastern Orthodox cathedral in Western Europe.
The cathedral was built in the early 1900s, as a place for the ever growing group of Russian visitors to the area. Today the cathedral is actually under Russian ownership, and the congregation come under the jurisdiction of the Korsun diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church.
Take in the Museums
Nice is a haven for museum lovers, and we checked out a number of them during our visit. You can purchase a Nice Museum card as well for entry across them all.
- Marc Chagall National Museum – For those in to art, this museum is unique in that it contains the largest public collection of Marc Chagall’s works, largely Biblical. There’s also come lovely gardens and a cafe on site, but it’s a bit far out of the centre and wasn’t our favourite.
- Massena Museum – Set in a beautiful villa, this was my favourite museum of the trip. It pulls together the history of Nice and the French Riviera which I found fascinating.
- Matisse Museum – A museum devoted to the work of French painter Henri Matisse. It gathers one of the world’s largest collections of his works, tracing his artistic beginnings and his evolution. I don’t love art so again it was slightly lost on me.
- Palais Lascaris – A very small museum hosting musical instruments and some beautiful ceiling frescoes; worth popping in to if you have the museum card.
- Modern Art Museum – Closed on our visit but rated very highly.
Enjoy Place Massena
Just a short walk from the Promenade is a lovely open, pedestrianised space, called Place Massena, designed in the 1800s. It’s not always been pedestrianised and at one point has even been a ring road and a car park!
In the middle of the square is the striking Sun Fountain, with a naked Apollo sitting in the centre. When it was unveiled in the 1950s, people were outraged thinking that his manhood was too large. In an effort to calm the controversy, the sculptor took a hammer and chisel to his creation to reduce the size of the offending member. His embarrassing surgery proved to be insufficient; and in the 1970s the fountain was dismantled. Thankfully Apollo was found again in 2007 and re-instated, complete with chisel damaged manhood.
Interestingly, people still live in the flats above the shops here and have to abide by some funny rules – including no hanging of washing, no walking about naked and prescribed colours for windows and paintwork.
Tour the French Riviera
Nice sits at the heart of the French Riviera and not seeing some more of the gorgeous coastline on a visit would be a waste. We explored three areas (posts coming soon):
- Eze – the most beautiful medieval village in France
- Villefranche-sur-mer – A lovely colourful coastal village
- Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild – A luxury villa set in acres of beautiful gardens
I’d also love to have visited a number of other gems, including Menton, Antibes, Cannes, Théoule and the Lerins Islands, to name just a few within a 45 minute train/boat/bus journey from Nice.
Head to another country (Monaco or Italy)
Another amazing thing to do when in Nice is to actually visit another country.
For those of you wanting to tick off as many as possible, it has to be Monaco (post coming soon), home to the famous Grand Prix and one of the smallest countries in the world. With no airport, Nice is the easiest access point.
If you’ve already visited Monaco or fancy something a bit different, you can be over the border on a train within an hour in to Italy and the beautiful city of Ventimiglia for some gelato, pizza and sea views.
Where to stay in Nice
There are lots of options to suit every budget in Nice. We chose to stay at Anantara Nice Plaza. The location was great, in easy walking distance of everything on this list and the train station, however the hotel itself was lacking for a 5* offering.
If you really want to go all out you could stay at the famous Negresco Hotel. Now an icon of the French Riviera, Negresco was opened in the early 1900s but fell in to decline. It was rejuvenated by becoming a living art collection (it has everything from Renoirs to Venetian Street art rooms), and it’s now a luxury hotel offering sumptuous rooms, an incredible spa and all the art you could wish to sleep amongst! Even more amazing, it’s owned by a local cat rescue centre as the previous owner died childless and didn’t want to risk a large hotel chain taking it over. All profits go to charity.
I hope you enjoyed the little trip around Nice. We had a fab stay, though it was a little dampened by the rain and we didn’t get to see as much as we would have liked along the French Riviera. It’s the perfect choice for a relaxing break though, with a mixture of beaches, cities, villages and food. Thanks for reading – stay safe and happy travelling!
