Nice Is Not a Stopover: The Best Places in Nice and Along the Coast

Nice is the capital of the French Riviera and, depending on who you ask, its best-kept secret or its worst-kept one. Everyone has heard of it, but most people only see it on the way somewhere else: a night before a cruise, a stopover on the drive to Monaco, a quick walk on the seafront before heading to Cannes. That is a mistake. Nice deserves a few days of its own, and it makes the perfect base for exploring the whole coast.

Here are the places from The Atlas that make Nice worth slowing down for, plus the best of the coast within an easy train ride.

Start with the market

The Cours Saleya Market is the best way to begin a morning in Nice. Flower stalls bursting with color, fruit and vegetables piled high, olives, cheese and the local specialty socca, a crispy chickpea pancake cooked in a wood oven and served hot in paper. On Mondays, the market turns into an antiques fair. Grab a coffee at one of the cafés along the edge and watch the city wake up.

Plan at least ninety minutes here if you want to taste several stands. Socca runs about three euros a slice. The best version comes from the stall at the far western end, where the queue moves quickly after nine. Skip the pre-packaged olive mixes and buy from the bulk barrels instead; they charge by weight and the herbs are fresher.

Get lost in the old town

Right behind the market, Vieux Nice is a maze of narrow lanes painted in shades of ochre, pink and orange, with laundry strung between shutters and tiny squares that appear out of nowhere. It is full of bakeries, little shops and restaurants, and it feels more Italian than French, which makes sense, since Nice only became part of France in 1860.

Return in the evening when the day-trippers leave. Many lanes stay lively until midnight with small wine bars and tables spilling onto the cobbles. The rue Droite holds the best ice-cream shop in the quarter; their rosemary-honey flavor uses local honey and changes only with the season.

Climb Castle Hill

At the eastern end of the old town, the Colline du Château rises straight up from the sea. The castle is long gone, but the hilltop park left behind has the best view in Nice: the old town's rooftops, the long curve of the Baie des Anges and the port on the other side. There is even a waterfall. You can walk up or take the free elevator if your legs are not feeling it.

The elevator runs from six in the morning until eight at night in summer. Bring a bottle of water; the only café on top closes by four. Stay until dusk for the lights on the bay, then walk down the eastern stairs straight into the port instead of retracing your steps.

Walk the Promenade des Anglais

The Promenade des Anglais runs for miles along the seafront, lined with palm trees, grand hotels and the famous blue chairs. It is where Nice comes to walk, jog, skate and people-watch. Go at sunset, when the whole bay turns gold. A heads-up about the beaches below: they are made of smooth round pebbles, not sand. Bring water shoes.

Rent one of the blue chairs for two euros an hour if you want to sit without buying a drink at the hotels. The western section past the Negresco stays quieter after dark. Early morning joggers thin out after eight, leaving the path to locals walking dogs.

The port and the Russian cathedral

On the other side of Castle Hill, Port Lympia is Nice's old harbor, lined with colorful buildings, yachts and fishing boats, and cafés that are a little less touristy than the old town. Across the city, the St Nicholas Russian Orthodox Cathedral is a surprise: onion domes in green and gold, built in the early 1900s for the Russian aristocrats who wintered here. It is the largest Russian Orthodox cathedral in Western Europe.

Visit the cathedral on a weekday morning when tours are not running. The interior mosaics catch the light best before ten. At the port, choose the smaller cafés on the Quai des Docks side for lunch; the fixed menus there run twelve to fifteen euros and include the catch of the day.

Matisse and the hills of Cimiez

Henri Matisse lived in Nice for decades, and the Musée Matisse, in a red Genoese villa in the Cimiez hills, traces his work from early paintings to his famous paper cut-outs. Next door, the Cimiez Monastery Gardens are a peaceful spot of rose beds and lemon trees with views over the city. Matisse is buried in the cemetery nearby.

The museum charges ten euros for adults and stays open until six on summer evenings. Combine the visit with a walk through the Roman ruins that sit behind the monastery. The arena still hosts occasional summer concerts; check the schedule at the tourist office on the Promenade.

Day trips along the coast

Nice's location is its superpower. The coastal train runs right along the sea, and in less than an hour you can be in another world.

Èze. The medieval village of Èze is wrapped around a rocky peak high above the sea, with an exotic garden at the very top and one of the most spectacular views on the coast.

Monaco. The tiny principality is twenty minutes away by train. See the Prince's Palace on the rock, then the grand Monte Carlo Casino, where the lobby alone is worth the trip.

Cannes. West along the coast, Cannes is all film festival glamour on La Croisette, but the real charm is up the hill in the old quarter of Le Suquet and in the covered Marché Forville. See the Cannes guide for more.

Saint-Tropez. In season, boats run from Nice and Cannes to Saint-Tropez, where the old port is full of yachts and the Musée de l'Annonciade holds a surprising collection of Impressionist paintings.

Trains to Monaco cost two euros each way and run every twenty minutes. Èze requires a steep walk from the station or a short bus ride up the hill. The boat to Saint-Tropez takes two hours and costs around sixty euros return in high season; book the morning departure to avoid the afternoon wind.

Put it all together

Day	Plan
1	Cours Saleya Market, Vieux Nice, Castle Hill, sunset on the Promenade
2	Musée Matisse, Cimiez gardens, the Russian cathedral, dinner at the port
3	Èze in the morning, Monaco in the afternoon
4	Cannes: Marché Forville, Le Suquet, La Croisette
5	Saint-Tropez by boat, or a slow beach day in Nice

Our Paris and the French Riviera in 10 Days guide does almost exactly this after two days in Paris, then finishes in Marseille. If you have longer, the Grand Tour of France works its way down from Paris through the Loire Valley, Lyon and Provence to end on the coast. The Nice travel guide covers when to go and where to stay.

The Paris travel guide pairs cleanly with any of these routes. Travelers who want more time inland can swap the Loire Valley travel guide or the Lyon travel guide into the middle of a longer France itineraries plan without changing the coastal finish.

Come for a stopover if you must. But we suspect you will stay longer next time.

Frequently asked questions

How many days do you need in Nice?

Three to five days: two for the city itself and the rest for day trips to Èze, Monaco and Cannes.

How do you get from Nice to Monaco?

The coastal train is the easiest way and takes about 20 to 25 minutes. Buses also run along the coast.

Are the beaches in Nice sandy?

No. Nice's beaches are made of smooth pebbles, so bring water shoes or cheap flip-flops.