Nice

Understand

Nice's origins can be found among the Gallo-Roman ruins of Cimiez, in the hills up the boulevard de Cimiez from downtown. Cimiez also contains a monastery and some museums, but nowadays, most of the city's inhabitants live closer to sea level. Nice was part of the Italian Duchy of Savoia and then the Kingdom of Sardinia until it was ceded to France in 1860. The ancient local language is Nissart, and some of the street signs are bilingual. However very few people speak Nissart, and even the elderly know and speak French. Don't assume everyone you encounter will speak English — an effort at French will always be appreciated.

Climate

Nice has a Mediterranean climate with mild winters and warm summers. Due to the movements of the winds, the winter months are generally characterized by chilly, sunny days alternating with periods of milder, cloudy weather. Compared to other Mediterranean climates in the area such as Marseille or Genoa, Nice’s spring features quite a slow warm-up, and there can still be winter-like temperatures well into April. Summer is warm, dry and sunny, assuring beach weather on most days. The autumn months have very distinct temperatures, with September staying generally warm, October being variable, and November presenting a mix of mild and cool weather.

Local information

Nice City Council website

Getting there

By plane

1 Nice Côte d'Azur Airport (NCE IATA). It is one of the busiest in France and has frequent daily flights from Paris, and direct from most major cities in Europe, including Istanbul, as well as flights from New York City, seasonally from Canada, and from several destinations in North Africa and the Middle East. The airport is at the western end of Nice on a landfill. Arrival and departure in good weather often provides beautiful views of the French Riviera. (updated Jul 2022) Most airlines use Terminal 1 (the older terminal) while Terminal 2 is used primarily by Air France (and partners) and Easyjet. The new tram connects Terminal 2, Terminal 1 and the Grand Arénas interchange (where the relocated regional train station Nice St-Augustin is located) for free. There is also a frequent free shuttle bus between the terminals.

Airport to Nice The Tram 2 is now the primary option between the city and the airport. Tram line 2 serves the Nice Côte d'Azur Airport (Terminal 1 and Terminal 2) and connects the city centre at "Jean Médecin" station. A tram carriage goes to the airport every 8 minutes on weekdays. The city now uses a top-up card (no more single use paper tickets). When arriving at the airport, the choice is to either get a €10 "l'Aéro" pass for a one-way trip to town or to take the tram to Grand Arénas interchange for free (1 or 2 stops), to get off and get a regular top-up card with a €1.70/74 min ticket there. You can continue your journey from the same spot. Second option is the cheapest and without much hassle. Both can be bought with contactless credit card or coins from black vending machines. Do not forget to validate your card when entering the tram. You can also buy tickets using a mobile app if your phone supports NFC. Regular bus 12 – Alternatively the local bus service 12 connects the airport to the old town via the seafront "Promenade des Anglais", costing €1.70, and running between 05:30 and 21:00. The bus stop is on the main road outside Terminal 1, and called 1 Aéroport/Promenade. Outbound, the stop is on the opposite side of this busy highway, use the underpass to reach the Terminal. To reach to the main railway station (Gare Nice Ville), it takes about 30 min by bus and then 500 m by foot from the bus-stop "Thiers/Gambetta". Trains – Convenient for some destinations, there is also a small regional train station close to the airport (Nice St Augustin) where you can pick up a TER train one stop eastward to Nice, Monaco and all stations to the Italian border at Ventimiglia, or west back to Antibes and Cannes. The station can be reached by foot (approx. 400 m straight ahead from T1, towards the Sheraton hotel) via underpasses - it is situated directly at the Grand Arénas tram stop. The blue ticket vending machines at the station are complicated to use due to their "wheel" mechanism, however they do accept contactless Visa and Mastercard credit and debit cards. Taxis – are known for ripping off tourists but there is a ride share pick up zone which is easy to find. An Uber or Bolt to the centre of Nice costs around €20. Some hotels offer shuttle buses from the airport, enquire with your hotel before or upon arrival. If there is no transportation running, it's reassuring to know that it is quite possible to walk the 6 km to town or vice versa to airport, in a little over an hour, though the area around the airport is Nice's red light district, and the walkway's first kilometre is a cycleway. This may be a useful in the current social discontent in France, where manifestations (demonstrations) and grèves (strikes) frequently affect public transport. It is prudent to check the local newspaper (Nice Matin), where you will usually receive advance warning of potential problems.

By train

Domestic Nice is connected to the rest of France via the SNCF train network. A direct TGV train from Paris to Nice takes about 5½ hours, the part between Marseille and Nice (2 hr 40 min) not being on high-speed tracks. The fares for an adult in second class range from about €19 to €180, depending on how far in advance you bought your ticket and the time of the year in which you are travelling. On TGVs a reservation is obligatory. The train arrives in Nice at the Nice-Ville station. Additionally, from March 2021 the classic overnight train from Paris will again be running. Nice is also connected frequently via rail to other cities and towns in the French Riviera, including Cannes (30 min, €9.40), Monaco (€5.60) and Menton. International Regional trains in France and Italy terminate at Ventimiglia, a transfer at Ventimiglia station is needed to cross the border. The former Intercity/Eurocity trains (partially branded as Thello) have been discontinued without replacement. Stations 2 Central Railway station Nice-Ville (Gare de Nice-Ville). Central (city) station, not to be confused with the stations at the city limits, Nice Riquier and Nice St Augustin. Nice-Ville is the station for visits to most sights such as the old town and promenade. Accessing the platforms requires to pass ticket gates. If you have an e-ticket on your phone, arrive a few minutes earlier as the scan of QR codes is unreliable; a yellow intercom at the right of the gates allows contacting the staff if you cannot pass the gate. 3 Railway station Nice CP (Gare des Chemins de Fer de Provence). Terminal for the narrow-gauge line: Nice – Digne-les-Bains in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence (Upper Provence). A few blocks behind the main SNCF Nice-Ville station 4 Gare Nice-St-Augustin, Avenue Edouard Grinda. M-F 06:00-13:10, 13:40-20:40; Sa Su holidays 09:15-12:30, 13:30-17:20. It's the closest train station to the airport. (updated May 2015)

Getting around

By bus and tram

Warning: The following text is outdated as of 2026. Each main town on the French Riviera has its own local bus network, for Nice it is Lignes d'Azur (Antibes has Envibus, Cannes has Bus Azur, and so on), and the 100 or more Lignes d'Azur routes are the main form of urban transport for locals going to work or school. Of more interest to tourists, an inter-urban network, Zou! connects all the Eastern Riviera towns between Cannes and Menton and all the main villages like Èze and Vence. Its terminal is at 16 Avenue des Diables Bleus. Bus fares are only €1.70 (2023) with a change to a non-return connecting service also permitted within 74 min, so it is worth mastering the bus system to get around. The Lignes d'Azur and Zou! routes overlap in and around Nice, so the ticket and tariff system is integrated to a common ticket zone, in which the local Lignes d'Azur tickets and passes are accepted on the longer distance Zou! buses (only between Cagnes-sur-Mer to the west and Cap d'Ail short of Monaco to the east). The fare is identical on both networks - €1.70 for any distance - but with Zou!, you must always tell the driver your intended destination, so he can judge whether you should purchase a Zou! ticket or a Ligne d'Azur. Outside the common zone, Ligne d'Azur passes are not valid and you need to pay the €1.70 fare in cash. Tram line 1 takes a U-shaped route from Las Planas to the northeast to Pont St Michel to the northwest. It links the main train station, bus station, downtown and the university, but it is primarily a mass transit system for commuters and shoppers. Trams use the same tickets as the buses, but you need to buy them from the machines at tram stops (unlike buses, where it is usual to pay the driver or show your pass on entering the bus). Always validate your ticket, especially card-like tickets with magnet bands. Another innovation is the hourly "commuter express" bus service direct to Monaco via the Autoroute, the 100 Express, though visitors may still prefer the slower and more scenic 100 route along the coast. The SNCF rail service also links all the main coastal towns, so which is the best way to get around - bus or train? The journey from Nice to say Cannes by the 200 bus at €1.50 is considerably cheaper than the train, which is over €5. The buses are liable to dreadful overcrowding and have the prospect of standing for nearly 2 hr as it is slow with frequent stops and many traffic lights along the route. If you're short on cash and don't mind discomfort, take the bus. If you're short on time and prefer to sit, take the train. When taking the bus, you must be aware of the somewhat odd way the bus schedules are laid out. They list the departure time at the first bus station, not the one you are at. At the right hand side of the bus schedule, you have a list of stations, and, next to some, you will find the time listed it will take the bus to get there (+20 min, for example). This means that you will have to do a lot of guessing. It is best to ask a native and leave some extra padding time if you plan to take a bus to any scheduled event that you really do not want to miss (airport, train, concerts, etc.) You can find local bus and tram route maps and timetables on-line. Route maps are listed under 'Maps' and timetables as 'Timetables' in PDF format. Also, 'Stop timetables' purports to display the times at your stop. From previous experience with the bus company, those should stand somewhere between educated guesses and outright fiction, due to unpredictable road traffic conditions (like one hour traffic jams around Villeneuve Loubet). Buses rarely run after 20:00. The tram however operates from around 04:30 to after midnight. Five nightly bus routes (called Noctambus) serve the main parts of city, from 21:10 to 01:10, and Zou! has also infrequent buses throughout the night on the 100 line. The night buses leave from the Station J.C. Bermond, near the bus station, and the day fares apply on these night routes. If you are planning a visit involving a late evening return, consider train services, which provide the most reliable form of late travel. The starting point for buses in the direction Villefranche, Eze Village, Cap Ferrat, Monaco and Menton is Segurane/Garribaldi; westward buses towards the airport, Antibes and Cannes start at Albert 1er/Verdun close to the Meridien Hotel.

By train

Nice has no metro and little need for one. The main train service is the national French railway SNCF, which boasts the high speed TGV (slow to Marseilles and then extremely fast on to Paris) and the local TER stopping trains, which serve the main Riviera towns between Cannes and Ventimiglia across the border in Italy, including the daily commute to Monaco. Less well-known is the little narrow-gauge railway Chemin de Fer de Provence, which runs from Nice through the Var valley and along the Route Napoleon, 3 hours to Digne in Upper Provence. In the summer months, the latter part of the journey switches to a real steam train, the Train des Pignes.

By car

You don't need a car to explore Nice itself, and if you do bring or hire one expect some frustration. The town centre is congested and its system of streets is complicated and mostly one-way. Parking is very limited: all on-street parking anywhere central is on meters during the day, and even in spite of this it's very difficult to find a spot; you'll notice the Nicoise happily double-parking to nip to the shops. If you need a reliable parking place, your best bet is to buy a fixed-length ticket (abonnement) at one of the underground car parks, several of which offer 24-hour access. You can expect to pay €8-10 a day for this kind of parking. The best access is by car from the A8 autoroute. The airport is well-signed from the A8 and the A8 is well signed from the airport. Just make sure that you know which way you need to go when getting on the A8 and which terminal when leaving. Especially in the morning and evening rush hour, allow extra time to deal with accidents and traffic jams. The A8 has a ferocious bend right near the airport and accidents are frequent. Even if it is going well for you, driving a car on the Riviera is for the brave: the region has one of the worst accident records in France, and every local has a favourite story about a mad driver. However, all major car rental firms, as well as some less well known ones, are present. Most are near Terminal 2. If you have a choice, try to pick a car that is already well dinged so that no one notices the new dings and scratches that you will add. Never forget to lock the doors of the car when parked.

See

The greatest thing to see in Nice is the views along the Promenade des Anglais, which skirts the seacoast for over 5 km, then ends at Nice Airport. These are the views you will have seen in dozens of postcards and in paintings by the 20th-century artist Henri Matisse, who spent so many years living in Nice, but whether you've seen pictures or not, you owe it to yourself to walk along some of this stretch if you have made it to Nice. The old town (Vieux Nice) beneath the hill is a maze of streets and alleys, with many picturesque houses, boutiques and home to the daily flower and fruit market of the Cours Saleya. In addition, the local cathedral, the Baroque Cathédrale Sainte-Réparate, in the heart of Vieux Nice, is pretty. You'll want to walk through the Place Sainte-Réparate, anyway, while you're in the old city. If the doors are open, go in and look at the interior and paintings.

1 Colline du Château. The castle hill overlooking the Baie des Anges and harbour offers a spectacular vantage point overlooking the city. Not much is left of its ruined castle besides crumbling walls. Still, climbing up the stairs to reach the platforms 90 m above Nice is well worth the view. There is also a lift (ascenseur) which will take you three quarters of the way up. The castle hill park closes at around sunset. Expect to be escorted outside if you stay longer. 2 Parc Phoenix, 405 Promenade des Anglais, ☏ +33 4 92 29 77 00, fax: +33 492 29 7701, parcphoenix@ville-nice.fr. Daily, Apr-Sep: 09:30-19:30, Oct-Mar: 09:30-18:00. 2500 different plants in botanical garden and tropical glass house. Also various animals. €5.20, 12-18 €3, under 12 free, Nice museums pass-holder €3. (updated Oct 2023)

Museums and art galleries

Nice is also known for several museums. Some of the most famous are in Cimiez, the older, upper part of the city which in a previous century was a favourite of Queen Victoria. Pass for all City of Nice museums provides access for 4 days for €15 per person (2023), one entry per museum, to MAMAC, Musée de la Photographie Charles Nègre, Musée Matisse, Musée des Beaux-Arts Jules Chéret, Anatole Jakovsky Naive Art Museum, Masséna Museum, Palais Lascaris, Nice/Cimiez Archeology Museum, Terra Amata Prehistory Museum, Natural History Museum, and Priory of Vieux-Logis.

Do

Beaches

If you go to Nice for bathing or general lounging on the beach, you may wish to think again. The beaches of Nice consist entirely of large flat stones (gallets). A few private beaches have added a layer of sand, but the free public beaches are a stony experience. Besides towels or mats, you should definitely bring sandals, since walking on the stones can be painful, and a cushion if you want to sit. Free showers are provided on all public beaches and there is a beach volleyball area that is netted off with white sand. Although the beaches are mainly pebbles, many visitors enjoy the beautiful light blue sea for a swim. If you can bear to walk for a few steps on the pebbles it is definitely an opportunity for swimming rather than playing in the water as the beach drops quickly and the tidal pull can be very strong, and not for beginners. Lying on the beach for a sun tan or relaxation is also manageable as long as you rearrange the rocks/pebbles to a comfy surface for sitting and lying. Private beaches offer various services from restaurants and /bars to the rental of lounge chairs and towels. Much nicer beaches exist in other towns close by, such as Villefranche-sur-Mer, Antibes and Cannes, which are far more sandy. Villefranche is a particularly preferred beach choice, especially if travelling with children, only 20 minutes away by the Zou! 100 bus. However, for walks by the seaside with great views, the Promenade des Anglais is arguably unparalleled.

Beautiful landscapes

For views of Nice the best vantage point is the heights of Mont Boron (bus 14). From the derelict old Fort and the nearby villa of Sir Elton John there are fine views over the city to the mountains and east over Villefranche and Cap Ferat. Go to Èze. It is a small village on the way to Monaco. The village is situated on a small mountain and there is a beautiful cactus garden with a spectacular view (a must see, €5 entrance fee). There is also Fragonard perfume factory which you can visit for free. To reach Eze by bus, take the 82 or 602 to Eze Village (not the 600 which stops at Eze Gare, a 90-minute steep walk away from Eze Village). If you missed an infrequent (up to 3 hours) 115 bus in Eze Village, there is a path that goes down the mountain from Eze Village to Eze Sur Mer (also Eze Gare). This is the Path of Nietzsche (named after the famous German philosopher Friedrich W. Nietzsche), with some fantastic views and a waterfall (if you know where to look). Walking downhill through this path takes about 40 minutes. Buses run from Menton-Monaco through Eze Gare back to Nice every 15 minutes or so and vice versa, making trekking back up the hill unnecessary. Also close by is the magnificent Villa Île de France, of the Baroness Ephrussi de Rothschild, straddling the magnificent peninsula of St Jean Cap Ferrat in the so-called Golden Triangle of Villefranche, Beaulieu and Cap Ferrat. Hiking trails emanate from La Turbie high above Monaco and the Grande Corniche, which are double the height above sea level of Eze and offer the hardened walker truly spectacular vantage points over the Riviera.

1 Cliff Walk (Sentier Littoral) (go past the old port (probably a 15-minute walk) heading east toward Monaco, there is a little pathway that leads from Coco Beach along the side of the cliff). You can follow the path around Cap de Nice half way to Villefranche, but be prepared for several hundred steps up to rejoin the road. It’s a very beautiful walk and you will find mostly local people using it. Train des Pignes (Chemins de Fer de Provence). A regular SNCF train departs from Nice to Puget-Théniers, where it connects to a narrow-gauge railway through the mountains and valleys of the hinterland. A very scenic but less comfortable ride than the SNCF main lines. Terminates at Nice-CP station a few blocks behind Nice-Ville main station. Leaves in the morning, and returns in the evening. Reservations for the steam trains are mandatory. Nice – Puget-Théniers – Entrevaux round trip: adult €37.4, child (up to 11 years old) €24.8; Nice – Puget-Théniers – Annot – round trip: adult €40.4, child €26.8; Nice – Puget-Théniers – Le Fugeret round trip: adult €48.4, child €33.8. (updated May 2023)

Shopping

Most stores and restaurants in Nice will accept the major credit cards, and debit cards from major banks (anything carrying the EC or Maestro or Visa logos). If this fails you can always get money from any of the numerous ATMs. All shops are now allowed to open every Sunday. Postcards (as many other things) vary greatly in price. Do some comparison shopping as the price range is between 20 cents and €1 for a normal postcard. Nice's main shopping street av. Jean Medecin is home to two giant music/entertainment stores, Virgin Megastore and the French FNAC. FNAC definitely has the edge as their many listening stations allow you to "try before you buy" almost every CD in the house, whilst Virgin push only a few promotional selections. Both run near identical pricing policy on new albums. FNAC is closer to HMV, offering most forms of entertainment including books, games, CDs, and DVDs. The 4-storey store on Av. Jean Medecin is well worth exploring! Designer label garments are, as everywhere, notoriously expensive but general fashion goods are really cheap compared to most other European countries, and Galleries Lafayette offers a lot under one roof. If that's not enough for you, they also have a huge superstore at Cap 3000 just next to St Laurent de Var past the airport (Lignes d Azur 52 and Zou! bus 200, 400 and 500, stop La Passerelle). This is also home to Galleries Lafayette Gourmand, a food superstore to rival London's Harrods and Selfridges. The wine selection is brilliant, especially aisles full of Rose de Provence, and there are a half-dozen in-store lunch-time places. Cheap bargain fashions are best sought at Ventimiglia's huge open street market each Friday, accessible by train from Nice Gare Ville to Ventimiglia a few kilometres over the Italian border. Just avoid the tempting fake luxury brands sold by the many street sellers. The war against counterfeiting is taken very seriously by the French border police and big fines are targeted at "innocent" tourists. The central Nice Etoiles is available for anyone pining for a visit to a shopping mall, including three floors of a Dutch brand not seen by British people for 20 years that is still big in France - C&A. More nostalgia can also be found in av Jean Medecins' "Damart" - yes, the people that gave you "Thermolactyl underwear" to keep you warm in winter are also big here. About as sensible as the local Bronzage tanning parlours. The "duty free" shops at Nice airport terminals are the absolute worst value you will ever find and should be avoided at all costs: prices are way over those of even the high street. Food, drink and cigarettes are dreadfully overpriced, and there are no bargains "before you fly". If you haven't yet kicked the habit, cigarettes in particular are best bought in Italy over the border, where taxes on smoking have not reached health-promoting punitive levels.

1 Flower Market (Marché aux Fleurs), Cours Saleya. Tu-Sa 06:00-17:30; Su 06:00-12:00; closed public holidays. Originally a 19th-century flower market, this street market is now full of produce and baked goods, and some souvenirs. 2 Marché aux Fruits et Legumes. Tu-Su 06:00-13:00. Food market. Antique Market. M 07:30-18:00. 3 Confisserie Florian, 14, Quai Papacino, ☏ +33 493 554 350. M-Sa 09:00-12:00, 14:00-18:30. This gourmet shop has specific jams, sweet fruits and petals, which are traditional from that area. The candied clementine and the rose jam are their fine specialities.

Eat

Nice specialities

Many restaurants and cafés serve local food. You might consider preparing some simple meals chez vous or take home some local Nice delicacies to enjoy on your balcony. Street food is widely available in Nice. A combination of choices could easily replace a lunch without paying restaurant prices.

Socca, a chickpea flour flat bread snack, lightly fried, warm and ready to take away (about €3) in a paper wrap to enjoy on a bench overlooking the sea on the Promenade des Anglais Pan bagnat is a tuna fish sandwich with olives, sliced hard boiled eggs and fresh vegetables Pizza can be a 'street food' take away but might be better served directly from a wood-fired oven. It would be fun to compare. Pissaladiere is a simple form of pizza topped with sweet sauteed, caramelized onion, olives, garlic and anchovies; it does not include tomatoes or cheese. Don't worry about anchovies. Anchovies are salty, offset the sweet onion flavour and add a wonderful complexity to this otherwise simple dish. Tourtes aux blettes sweet tarts are made with Savoy cabbage (Swiss chard), raisins, nuts, and powdered sugar Barbajuan is an appetizer found in the eastern part of the French Riviera and Northern Italy. The dough is stuffed with Swiss chard and ricotta among other ingredients and fried

Glace (gelato or ice cream) No visit to Nice would be complete without a visit to Fennocchio's, 2 place Rossetti (within Place Rosetti), ☏ +33 4 93 80 72 52. Mar-Nov: daily 10:00-12:00 (one store closed on Tuesday). Serves ice creams and Italian-style ices. It's a tough choice to select just one or two of the 94 flavours, which include classics like chocolate or vanilla and less usual ones like thyme, cactus or lavender. 2 locations in the Old Town. €2.50 for glace. (updated Jun 2024) Nice culinary staples - Neither street food nor restaurant dishes, these culinary staples should not be overlooked when visiting Nice. A picnic lunch can be quickly assembled from a market with among other delicacies, olives, cheese, a baguette, a fruit tart and a bottle of light rosé wine. In packing to visit Nice, don't forget to add a corkscrew, pocket knife and napkins for picnics. Borrow glasses from your hotel (but return them, please).

Drink

With the hot Niçois summers, carrying a bottle of water is almost a must. Bear in mind the largest single complaint to the municipal authority tourist department is the offering in restaurants of branded water bottles whose seal has been broken – i.e. refilled with tap water – and charged as Perrier or Evian. You can save a lot of money by buying alcoholic drinks and such in a normal supermarket instead of the vendors geared towards tourists. Carrefour has a huge selection and unlike the other supermarkets has a policy of buying in wine show "prize winners" distinguished by their gold, silver or bronze medal stickers. Wine in restaurants is often ferociously expensive, so do as the locals and order it by the "pichet" – usually a 50-centilitre jug. However, if you fancy quality appellation French wine to drink back home, Les Caves Caprioglio at 16 Rue de la Prefecture in Vieux Nice has a fabulous cellar of the wines you usually only read about in the fine wines books but rarely see. To see French wine making, the Chateau's Bellet and Cremat in the Var are nearest to Nice and will do tours by arrangement (reachable via the tiny narrow-gauge train from the Chemin de Fer de Provence). Some popular places to go out for a drink include:

Ma Nolan's. Right in the heart of the 'Old Town' and next to the opera, Ma Nolan's has everything you would expect from an Irish pub: live music every night, major sporting events on four screens, really good food and very friendly staff. Akathor Pub. — Big Scandinavian/Irish pub with live music every night. On two floors with a large terrace this place is expensive but chill. Many of the larger hotels (such as the Holiday Inn) have 2-for-1 drink coupons which can be easily obtained even if you are not a guest. Wayne's. — An old school bar with live music and theme nights, a bit coyote ugly meets cheers. When the place is crowded, people dance on the tables. It's somewhat expensive to drink here (but Wayne's isn't alone with this characteristic), but definitely one of the most fun/party places in Nice. English-speaking tourists also seem to gravitate to this bar, but you'll also meet lots of French people or locals here. Checkpoint — A cozy bar on the ground level, and a great dance floor underground. Ladies night on Monday offers €0.50 champagne (as of Feb 2013). Master Home — A pub by Wayne's and King's Pub. More "French" than Wayne's and King's pubs and a little more classy. When you order alcoholic drinks, they bring you two or three dishes of nibbles. Even though the price is a little more expensive than the "English" pubs next door, it's still worth a visit and a fraction cheaper that the touristy bars/pubs. Try the rose (€3.20), the cheapest on the menu but delicious! Pompeï — Stays open late, live music most nights (usually rock), good dancing on the weekends, indoor smoking room, next to Wayne's and the other Irish pubs - everyone flocks here after they close. Jonathan's — If you're looking to meet locals, go to Jonathan's. Small hole-in-the-wall place full of younger people (mostly students) with great drink specials most nights. Not very well known by tourists. 1 L’Essenciel Bar Panoramique, Boulevard Victor Hugo 50 (Roofop of the Splendid hotel), ☏ +33 4 93 16 41 45, info@splendid-nice.com. 07:00-00:30 but depending on season. Lounge bar at the pool on top of the hotel. Relaxed atmosphere and great views over the city. €12 cocktails and more. (updated Oct 2022) Le Blue Whales, 1 Rue Mascoinat (Vieux Nice), ☏ +33 4 93 62 90 94, info@lebluewhales.com. 18h30 - 5h00. Created in 1993. Rock ambiance for young folks. Live music, live sports and Trivia Night entertainment Wednesdays at 20h00. The restaurant offers typical pub grub and a few salads. (updated Jan 2023)

Sleep

There are a number of hotels within walking distance of Terminal 1 of the airport and a special hotel shuttle bus serves other hotels within Nice itself. The hotels near the airport are a long way away from Nice center (7 km) and it will take a bus journey or taxi to reach the centre. A wide range of modern and traditional French hotels is available in the town, though few in the old quarter itself, which is mainly apartments. Convenient locations are between the main station and the promenade, in particular below Boulevard Victor Hugo and east of Boulevard Gambetta. Hotels further from the seafront are most convenient in the vicinity of the tramway along Avenue Jean Medicine or Avenue de la Republique.

Budget

It would seem that the simplest solution is to stay at a youth hostel. There are quite a number in Nice:

Les Camélias, 3, rue Spitalieri, near the shopping centre Nice Etoile, in the heart of the city centre. Villa Saint Exupery, 22, Avenue Gravier. An amazing hostel with a great party vibe, includes free internet and free breakfast. Situated a short way to the north of the town centre in a former monastery. You can easily catch a bus there from Nice Ville train station (1, 2 or 23), the staff are very helpful, knowledgeable and will even pick you up free if you arrive late. Backpacker's Hostel Chez Patrick, 32, Rue Pertinax. A clean, cheap hostel with dorm rooms and a shared kitchen. The host is very kind and helpful and you're just a few minutes from the Nice train station (Gare SNCF) and a few metres away from the next tram station. PV-Holidays Résidence Maeva Nice Les Palmiers, ☏ +33 1 58 21 55 84. A renovated three-floor residence, located in a private garden in the heart of the Fabron district. 500 m from the shops, 800 m from the beach, 4 km from the old port of Nice and 6.5 km from the airport.

Stay safe

Nice's crime rate is comparable to other cities in western countries. Nevertheless, locals have been grumbling about a number of issues since the 2000s, often with good reasons. Basic precautions are needed at times. Nice is known to be the city in France with the highest number of police officers per capita – and since the tragic 2016 terrorist attack by the promenade, Nice hosts a large number of military patrols. They can be somewhat intimidating to meet, especially in the middle of the night, however they are there to maintain an air of control. Most French people maintain their weapons are fake, and they will normally never interact with you. As with other larger cities, Nice has areas that must be avoided. The most commonly cited areas are:

The neighbourhoods of Arianne and Pasteur, located in the eastern parts of the city, and the neighbouring town of la Trinité are known hotbeds for gang violence and drug dealing. It is highly discouraged to wander there at night. Some of the neighbourhoods immediately north of the airport have been the stages of pickpocketing. The Thiers neighbourhood, immediately south of the Nice-Ville train station, has a few unsavoury streets. A few tips to stay safe are:

Don't take unlicensed "taxis"! That applies doubly so at times like the Film Festival, especially if you are female and have been drinking and partying late. Take precautions against pickpockets, who are a constant and serious problem on the Côte d'Azur. They operate usually in teams in any crowded areas like buses, train stations, and tourist sites. Be vigilant at the tram station, Gare Thiers, where pickpockets prey on travel-weary tourists. They may well look like harmless fellow passengers, but they are extremely skilled and will lift your wallet from either your front or back pants pocket without your noticing. You are strongly advised not to carry anything valuable or annoying to replace in your pockets. Use pouches underneath your clothing for anything valuable, including cash. In restaurants and cafés, opportunist theft of handbags is a constant risk - keep them close at hand. If you are travelling by car, take care not to leave anything of value in the car when parking. Theft from car boots is a particular issue in underground parking beneath the Nice old town. Leaving the parcel shelf off so that it's clear the boot is empty is a good way to avoid problems. Judging from local newspaper reports, personal safety concerns are most likely to arise after 02:30, and visitors should stick to well lit streets with people still around. If you do fall foul of Nice's criminal practitioners, the National Police Station is where you need to go to report problems such as being pickpocketed. It's at the junction of Ave Marechal Foch and Dubouchage, a couple of hundred metres east of the Nice Etoiles shopping centre. They will supply you with the necessary statements to support insurance claims, but don't expect them to recover your property. You will find the police station very busy with other victims towards the end of the evening.

Go next

Some nice places just to the west of Nice include Haute de Cagnes, Antibes, Cannes and Saint-Tropez. East of Nice the trains stops at Villefranche, Monaco and Menton, and the border town of Ventimiglia. To the North of Nice in the interior of Provence, Vence and Saint-Paul de Vence are worth a visit for their hilltop old towns and boules pitches.

Villefranche is two stops east of the main station in Nice and is a rather nice village with a small beach (and it is much less rocky than in Nice). The village is quieter and more relaxed than Nice. A train ticket from the main station in Nice is just €1.70 each way. You can also get there by bus 81 or 100 — or by taking the scenic walk by the cliffs in little over an hour. Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat: Among the many expensive villas on this cape, Villa Ephrussi de Rotschild is the most impressive one. You can walk around the cape on a pathway and stop for a swim. Take city bus #15 from Nice, about 40 min. Beaulieu-sur-mer: Right next to Cap Ferrat, this small town is known for the beach and Villa Kerylos, a Greek-style property built in the early 1900s. Take city bus #15 from Nice. Liguria - the Italian Riviera including San Remo that is just a little over one hour away, switch trains in Ventimiglia Èze village — a few hour-long hike (or take citybus #81 from Nice) from Nice, Èze is a medieval village and well worth seeing, if only over a day. Visit the beautiful mountainous Touët-sur-Var, Puget-Théniers, Entrevaux, Annot, and even Verdon Gorge from along the narrow gauge Train des Pignes stops between Nice and Digne-les-Bains. Admire the castles or just hike the surrounding treks of each village.