Photo: Patafisik · CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Nice
A seafront promenade, a pastel old town and Matisse and Chagall on one hill.
A seafront city with a long palm-lined promenade, a pastel old town of narrow lanes and a castle hill with the best view on the coast. Pebble beaches and two art museums on one hill; the trains to Monaco and the coast's villages start here.
Places to see
Cours Saleya marketMarket · A long pedestrian strip between the old town and the sea, filled most mornings with…Free
Vieux Nice (the old town)Walk · A tangle of shady lanes between tall ochre and pink houses with laundry and shutters,…Free
Castle Hill (Colline du Château)Viewpoint · A wooded hill between the old town and the port, with paths, a man-made waterfall and…Free
Marc Chagall National Museum
When to go
- Jan13° / 5°Some rainQuiet
- Feb14° / 6°Some rainBusy
- Mar16° / 8°Some rainQuiet
- Apr18° / 10°Some rainBusy
- May21° / 14°Some rainBusy
- Jun25° / 17°Mostly dryBusy
- Jul28° / 20°Mostly dryVery busy
- Aug28° / 21°Mostly dryVery busy
- Sep
Staying and getting around
Good areas to stay
Vieux Nice and Castle Hill. The old town's lanes, the Cours Saleya market and the hill above it: lively day and night, with a few hostels tucked into old buildings.
The centre, station and seafront. Place Masséna, the main shopping avenue, the station and the Promenade des Anglais: handy for trains, with most of the city's hostels.
Flying in
Nice Côte d'Azur (NCE): Tram line 2 to the city centre and port, about 30 min, ≈ A$3. Usually an ordinary single tram ticket (check).
Flewaway's estimate for the usual budget way into Nice; check times and fares before you fly.
Getting around
You can walk everywhere. A single ticket is ≈ A$3. The old town, centre and seafront are all walkable; trams and buses cover Cimiez and the airport. Regional trains run along the coast to Villefranche, Monaco and Menton (check).
Tourist tax
Nice's taxe de séjour: usually about €1–3 a person a night in hostels and budget hotels, paid at check-in; under-18s don't pay (check).
