Map: Public Transportation on the French Riviera
▲▲A Scratch-and-Sniff Walk Through Vieux Nice
A hundred years ago, celebrities from London to Moscow flocked to the French Riviera to socialize, gamble, and escape the dreary weather at home. Today, budget vacationers and heat-seeking Europeans fill belle-époque resorts at France’s most sought-after fun-in-the-sun destination.
Some of the Continent’s most stunning scenery and intriguing museums lie along this strip of land—as do millions of sun-worshipping tourists. Evenings on the Riviera, a.k.a. La Côte d’Azur, were made for a promenade and outdoor dining.
My favorite (and the most convenient) home base is Nice, the region’s capital and France’s fifth-largest city. With easy train and bus connections to most regional sights, it’s practical for train travelers. Urban Nice has a full palette of world-class museums, a splendid beachfront promenade, a seductive old town, and all the drawbacks of a major city (traffic, crime, pollution, and so on). Nice also has the best selection of hotels in all price ranges, and good nightlife options. A car is a headache in Nice, though it’s easily stored at one of the many pricey parking garages or for free at an outer tram station.
Nice (sounds like “niece”), with its spectacular Alps-to-Mediterranean surroundings, is an enjoyable big-city highlight of the Riviera. Its traffic-free old city mixes Italian and French flavors to create a spicy Mediterranean dressing, while its big squares, broad seaside walkways, and long beaches invite lounging and people-watching. Nice may be nice, but it’s hot and jammed in July and August—reserve ahead and get a room with air-conditioning (une chambre avec climatisation). Everything you’ll want to see in Nice is either within walking distance, or a short bus or tram ride away.
The main points of interest lie between the beach and the train tracks (about 15 blocks apart—see map on here). The city revolves around its grand Place Masséna, where pedestrian-friendly Avenue Jean Médecin meets Vieux (Old) Nice and the Albert 1er parkway (with quick access to the beaches). It’s a 20-minute walk (or a €15 taxi ride) from the train station to the beach, and a 20-minute walk along the promenade from the fancy Hôtel Negresco to the heart of Vieux Nice.
A 10-minute ride on the smooth-as-silk tramway through the center of the city connects the train station, Place Masséna, Vieux Nice, and the port (from nearby Place Garibaldi). The tram and all city and regional buses cost only €1.50 per trip, making this one of the cheapest and easiest cities in France to get around in (see “Getting Around Nice,” later). A new tramway line along (or under) the Promenade des Anglais may be under construction—prepare for detours and traffic delays.
Nice’s helpful TIs share a phone number and website (tel. 08 92 70 74 07, nicetourisme.com). There are TI branches at the airport (desks in both terminals, typically quiet, daily 9:00-18:00, until 20:00 April-Sept); next to the train station (busy, summer Mon-Sat 8:00-20:00, Sun 9:00-19:00, rest of year Mon-Sat 9:00-19:00, Sun 10:00-17:00); facing the beach at 5 Promenade des Anglais (moderately busy, daily 9:00-18:00, until 20:00 July-Aug, closed Sun off-season); and in a kiosk at the south end of Place Masséna (less busy, mid-June-Sept, typically daily 10:00-19:00). Pick up the thorough Practical Guide to Nice and a free Nice map (or find a better one at your hotel), but skip the Riviera Pass. You can also get day-trip information at any TI.
By Train: All trains stop at Nice’s main station, Nice-Ville (baggage storage at the far right with your back to the tracks, lockers open daily 8:00-21:00). Don’t get off at the suburban Nice Riquier station, which is one stop east of the main station. The station area is gritty and busy: Never leave your bags unattended and don’t linger here longer than necessary. The area in front of the station has been under construction, but should be looking sharp by the time you visit. Because of this work, bus and taxi stops may be different from what I’ve described here.
Turn left out of the station to find a TI next door. Continue a few more blocks down Avenue Jean Médecin for the Gare Thiers tram stop (this will take you to Place Masséna, the old city, and the port). Board the tram heading toward the right, direction: Pont Michel (see “Getting Around Nice,” later). You’ll find many recommended city-center and Vieux Nice hotels a 10- to 20-minute walk down the same street, though for most it’s easier to take the tram to Place Masséna and walk from there.
To walk to recommended hotels near the station or near the beach opposite Promenade des Anglais, cross Avenue Thiers in front of the station, go down the steps by Hôtel Interlaken, and continue walking down Avenue Durante. Follow this same route for the fastest path from the station to the beach—Avenue Durante turns into Rue des Congrés. You’ll soon reach the heart of Nice’s beachfront promenade.
Taxis and buses to the airport (#23 and #99) wait in front of the train station. Car rental offices are to the right as you exit the station.
By Bus: Nice’s bus station was demolished as part of a major project to expand the city’s central parkway. Most stops for bus routes important to travelers (those serving Antibes, the airport, Vence, Villefranche-sur-Mer, Monaco, and St-Jean-Cap-Ferrat) have been moved to other locations (see map on here). As work continues along the parkway, bus stop locations are subject to change; confirm locally.
By Car: To reach the city center on the autoroute from the west, take the first Nice exit (for the airport—called Côte d’Azur, Central) and follow signs for Nice Centre and Promenade des Anglais (expect detours if tramway construction is under way). Avoid arriving at rush hour (usually Mon-Fri 8:00-9:30 & 17:00-19:30), when Promenade des Anglais grinds to a halt. Hoteliers know where to park (allow €15-26/day; some hotels offer special deals but space is limited, so reserve ahead). The parking garage at the Nice Etoile shopping center on Avenue Jean Médecin is pricey but near many recommended hotels (ticket booth on third floor, about €20/day, €13/overnight—18:00-8:00). Other garages, like the one next to the recommended Hôtel Ibis at the train station, have similar rates. All on-street parking is metered (9:00-18:00 or 19:00), but usually free all day Sunday.
You can avoid driving in the center—and park for free during the day (no overnight parking)—by ditching your car at a parking lot at a remote tram stop (Las Planas is best) and taking the tram into town (10/hour, 15 minutes, €1.50, don’t leave anything in your car; tramway described later, under “Getting Around Nice”). To find the Las Planas tram station from the A-8 autoroute, take the Nice Nord exit.
By Plane: For information on Nice’s airport, see here.
Theft Alert: Nice has its share of pickpockets. Thieves target fanny packs: Have nothing important on or around your waist, unless it’s in a money belt tucked out of sight. Don’t leave things unattended on the beach while swimming, and stick to main streets in Vieux Nice after dark.
Medical Help: Riviera Medical Services has a list of English-speaking physicians all along the Riviera. They can help you make an appointment or call an ambulance (tel. 04 93 26 12 70, rivieramedical.com).
Events: The Riviera is famous for staging major events. Unless you’re actually taking part in the festivities, these occasions give you only room shortages and traffic jams. Here are the three biggies: Nice Carnival (mid-Feb-early March, nicecarnaval.com), Grand Prix of Monaco (late May, acm.mc), and Festival de Cannes, better known as the Cannes Film Festival (mid-May, festival-cannes.com).
Sightseeing Tips: The following sights are closed on Mondays: the Modern and Contemporary Art Museum, the Fine Arts Museum, the Russian Cathedral, and the Cours Saleya market. On Tuesdays the Chagall, Matisse, Masséna, and Archaeological museums are closed. All of the sights in Nice—except the Chagall Museum—are free to enter, making rainy-day options a swinging deal here.
Internet Access: There’s no shortage of places to get online. Almost all of the hotels I list have free Wi-Fi, and some have guest computers. For other access points, ask at your hotel or look for one of these establishments, all with free Wi-Fi: Quick Hamburger, Häagen Dazs, and McDonald’s (multiple locations), or the Nice Etoile Shopping Center and Virgin Megastore (on Avenue Jean Médecin).
Laundry: You’ll find launderettes everywhere in Nice—ask your hotelier for the nearest one.
Grocery Store: The big Monoprix on Avenue Jean Médecin and Rue Biscarra has it all, including a deli counter, bakery, and cold drinks (Mon-Sat 8:30-21:00, closed Sun, see map on here). You’ll also find many small grocery stores (some open Sun and/or until late hours) near my recommended hotels.
Boutique Shopping: The chic streets where Rue Alphonse Karr meets Rue de la Liberté and then Rue de Paradis are known as the “Golden Square.” If you need pricey stuff, shop here.
SNCF Boutique: There’s a handy French rail ticket office a half-block west of Avenue Jean Médecin at 2 Rue de la Liberté (Mon-Fri 10:00-17:50, closed Sat-Sun).
Renting a Bike (and Other Wheels): Roller Station rents bikes (vélos, can be taken on trains, €5/hour, €10/half-day, €15/day), rollerblades, skateboards, and Razor-style scooters (trotinettes, €7/half-day, €9/day). You’ll need to leave your ID as a deposit (daily March-May and Sept-Oct 10:00-19:00, June-Aug 10:00-20:30, Nov-Feb 10:00-18:00, next to yellow awnings of Pailin’s Asian restaurant at 49 Quai des Etats-Unis—see map on here, tel. 04 93 62 99 05, owner Eric). If you need more power, the TI has a list of places renting electric scooters.
You’ll notice blue bikes (Vélos Bleu) stationed at various points in the city. A thousand of these bikes, available for locals to use when running errands, rent cheaply for short-term use (first 30 minutes free, European-style chip-and-PIN credit card or American Express card required).
Car Rental: Renting a car is easiest at Nice’s airport, which has offices for all the major companies. You’ll also find most companies represented at Nice’s train station and near Albert 1er Park.
English Radio: Tune in to Riviera-Radio at FM 106.5.
Views: For panoramic views, climb Castle Hill (see here), or take a one-hour boat trip (described later, under “Tours in Nice and the Riviera”).
Beach Gear: To make life tolerable on the rocks, swimmers should buy a pair of the cheap plastic beach shoes sold at many shops (flip-flops fall off in the water). Go Sport at #13 on Place Masséna sells beach shoes, flip-flops, and cheap sunglasses (Mon-Sat 9:30-19:30, Sun 10:30-19:00—see map on here).
Updates to This Book: For updates to this book, check ricksteves.com/update.
Although you can walk to most attractions in Nice, smart travelers make good use of the buses and tram. Both are covered by the same €1.50 single-ride ticket (€5 day pass, €10 for 10 tickets that can be shared, good for 74 minutes in one direction, including transfers between bus and tram; can’t be used for a round-trip or airport express bus). The day pass makes sense if you plan to take the bus to museums and use the tramway several times.
The bus is particularly handy for reaching the Chagall and Matisse museums and the Russian Cathedral. Pick up timetables at Nice’s TIs (or view them online at lignesdazur.com) and buy tickets from the driver. Make sure to validate your ticket in the machine just behind the driver (if you have a pass, you must validate it on every trip)—watch locals do it and imitate. To get to or from the airport on express buses #98 or #99, you’ll need to buy a €6 Aéro pass (available from the driver).
Nice’s tramway makes an “L” along Avenue Jean Médecin and Boulevard Jean Jaurès, and connects the main train station (Gare Thiers stop), Place Masséna (Masséna stop, near many regional bus stops and a few blocks’ walk from the sea), Vieux Nice (Opéra-Vieille Ville, Cathédrale-Vieille Ville), and the Modern and Contemporary Art Museum and port (Place Garibaldi).
Boarding the tram in the direction of Pont Michel takes you from the train station toward the beach and Vieux Nice (direction: Las Planas goes the other way). Buy tickets at the machines on the platforms (coins only, no credit cards). Choose the English flag to change the display language, turn the round knob and push the green button to select your ticket, press it twice at the end to get your ticket, or press the red button to cancel. Once you’re on the tram, validate your ticket by inserting it into the top of the white box, then reclaiming it (tramway.nice.fr).
Taxis are useful for getting to Nice’s less-central sights, and worth it if you’re nowhere near a bus or tram stop (figure €15 from Promenade des Anglais). Cabbies normally only pick up at taxi stands (tête de station), or you can call 04 93 13 78 78.
The hokey tourist train gets you up Castle Hill (see “Tours in Nice and the Riviera,” later).
By Train and Bus: Nice is perfectly situated for exploring the Riviera by public transport. Monaco, Eze-le-Village, Villefranche-sur-Mer, Antibes, Vence, and St-Paul-de-Vence are all within about a one-hour bus or train ride. The train is pricier (fares range from €2 to nearby Villefranche-sur-Mer to €8.50 to farther-away Grasse) than the bus (€1.50 for most destinations), but will often save you time. You make the call—both modes of transportation work well.
All trains serving Nice arrive at and depart from Nice-Ville Station. Most regional buses stop near Boulevard Jean Jaurès, on Avenue de Verdun near Albert 1er Park, or near Place Garibaldi (near Vieux Nice; see map on here for stop locations, lignesdazur.com).
For a summary of train and bus connections, see “Nice Connections” on here.
By Boat: From June to mid-September, Trans Côte d’Azur offers scenic trips several days a week from Nice to Monaco and Nice to St-Tropez. Boats leave in the morning and return in the evening, giving you all day to explore your destination. Drinks and WCs are available on board.
Boats to Monaco depart at 9:30 and 16:00, and return at 11:00 and 18:00 (€35 round-trip, €29 if you don’t get off in Monaco, 45 minutes each way, June-mid-Sept Tue, Thu, and Sat only).
Boats to St-Tropez depart at 9:00 and return at 19:00 (€61 round-trip, 2.5 hours each way; mid-July-Aug Tue-Sun, no boats Mon; June-mid-July and Sept Tue, Thu, and Sat-Sun only).
Reservations are required for both boats, and tickets for St-Tropez often sell out, so book a few days ahead (tel. 04 92 98 71 30 or 04 92 00 42 30, trans-cote-azur.com, croisieres@trans-cote-azur.com). The boats leave from Nice’s port, Bassin des Amiraux, just below Castle Hill—look for the ticket booth (billeterie) on Quai de Lunel (see map on here). The same company also runs one-hour round-trip cruises along the coast to Cap Ferrat (see “Tours in Nice and the Riviera,” next).
Le Grand Tour Bus provides an 11-stop, hop-on, hop-off service on an open-deck bus with headphone commentary (2/hour, 1.5-hour loop) that includes the Promenade des Anglais, the old port, Cap de Nice, and the Chagall and Matisse museums on Cimiez Hill (€21/1-day pass, €23/2-day pass, cheaper for seniors and students, €12 for last tour of the day at about 18:00, some hotels offer small discounts, buy tickets on bus, main stop is near where Promenade des Anglais and Quai des Etats-Unis meet, across from the Plage Beau Rivage lounge, tel. 04 92 29 17 00, nicelegrandtour.com). This tour is a pricey way to get to the Chagall and Matisse museums, but it’s an acceptable option if you also want a city overview. Check the schedule if you plan to use this bus to see the Russian Cathedral, as it may be faster to walk there.
For €8 (€4 for children under age 9), you can spend 45 embarrassing minutes on the tourist train tooting along the promenade, through the old city, and up to Castle Hill. This is a sweat-free way to get to the top of the hill—but so is the elevator, which is free (train runs every 30 minutes, daily 10:00-18:00, June-Aug until 19:00, recorded English commentary, meet train near Le Grand Tour Bus stop on Quai des Etats-Unis, tel. 02 99 88 47 07, ttdf.com).
Here’s your chance to view Nice from the water. On this one-hour star-studded tour run by Trans Côte d’Azur, you’ll cruise in a comfortable yacht-size vessel to Cap Ferrat and past Villefranche-sur-Mer, then return to Nice with a final lap along Promenade des Anglais. It’s a scenic trip (the best views are from the seats on top), and worthwhile if you won’t be hiking along the Cap Ferrat trails that provide similar views.
French (and sometimes English-speaking) guides play Robin Leach, pointing out mansions owned by some pretty famous people, including Elton John (just as you leave Nice, it’s the soft-yellow square-shaped place right on the water), Sean Connery (on the hill above Elton, with rounded arches and tower), and Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen (in the saddle of Cap Ferrat hill—look above the umbrellas of Plage de Passable beach and find the house with a sloping red-tile roof). I wonder if this gang ever hangs out together. Guides also like to point out the mansion between Villefranche-sur-Mer and Cap Ferrat where the Rolling Stones recorded Exile on Main Street (€17; April-Oct Tue-Sun 2/day, usually at 11:00 and 15:00, no boats Mon or in off-season; call ahead to verify schedule, arrive 30 minutes early to get best seats, drinks and WCs available). For directions to the dock and contact information, see “Getting Around the Riviera—By Boat,” earlier.
The TI on Promenade des Anglais organizes weekly walking tours of Vieux Nice in French and English (€12, May-Oct only, usually Sat morning at 9:30, 2.5 hours, reservations necessary, depart from TI, tel. 08 92 70 74 07). They also have evening art walks on Fridays at 19:00.
The TI and most hotels have information on minivan excursions from Nice (roughly €50-70/half-day, €80-110/day). Revelation Tours takes pride in its guides (mobile 06 27 05 67 77, revelation-tours.com). Med-Tour is one of many (tel. 04 93 82 92 58, mobile 06 73 82 04 10, med-tour.com); Tour Azur is another (tel. 04 93 44 88 77, tourazur.com). All also offer private tours by the day or half-day (check with them for their outrageous prices, about €100/hour).
Agnès Dumartin, a top guide for the region, is a good teacher who understands Nice particularly well and loves all forms of art (€205/half-day, €295/day, mobile 06 81 82 17 67, agnes.dumartin@orange.fr). Sylvie Di Cristo offers terrific full-day tours throughout the French Riviera in a car or minivan. She adores educating people about this area’s culture and history, and loves adapting her tour to your interests, from overlooked hill towns to wine, cuisine, art, or perfume (€200-250/person for 2-3 people, €120-150/person for 4-6 people, €90-100/person for 7-8 people, 2-person minimum, mobile 06 09 88 83 83, frenchrivieraguides.net, dicristosylvie@gmail.com). Sofia Villavicencio is a pleasant guide who makes the Riviera’s art come alive (€145/half-day, €200/day, mobile 06 68 51 55 52, sofia.villavicencio@laposte.net). Boba Vukadinovic enjoys sharing her passion for her adoptive home. Her good tours of Nice and the Riviera are tailored to the sights and topics that appeal to you (€250/half-day, from €350/day, mobile 06 27 45 68 39, yourguideboba.com, boba@yourguideboba.com).
Charming Canadian Francophile Rosa Jackson, a food journalist, Cordon Bleu-trained cook, and longtime resident of France, runs Les Petits Farcis, which offers three-hour “Taste of Nice” food tours for €90. She also teaches popular cooking classes in Vieux Nice, which include a morning trip to the open-air market on Cours Saleya to pick up ingredients, and an afternoon session spent creating an authentic Niçois meal from your purchases (€195/person, mobile 06 81 67 41 22, petitsfarcis.com).
(See “Vieux Nice” map, here.)
This approximately hour-long walk leads you through the delights of Vieux (Old) Nice.
• See the map on the next page, and start at Nice’s main market square...
Cours Saleya (koor sah-lay-yuh): Named for its broad exposure to the sun (soleil), this commotion of color, sights, smells, and people has been Nice’s main market square since the Middle Ages (produce market held Tue-Sun until 13:00—on Mon, an antique market takes center stage). Amazingly, part of this square was a parking lot until 1980, when the mayor of Nice had an underground garage built.
The first section is devoted to the Riviera’s largest flower market (all day Tue-Sun and in operation since the 19th century). Here you’ll find plants and flowers that grow effortlessly and ubiquitously in this climate, including the local favorites: carnations, roses, and jasmine. Not long ago, this region supplied all of France with its flowers; today, many are imported from Africa (the glorious orchids are from Kenya). Still, fresh flowers are perhaps the best value in this city.
The boisterous produce section trumpets the season with mushrooms, strawberries, white asparagus, zucchini flowers, and more—whatever’s fresh gets top billing. Find your way down the center and buy something healthy.
The market opens up at Place Pierre Gautier (also called Plassa dou Gouvernou—bilingual street signs include the old Niçois language, an Italian dialect). This is where farmers set up stalls to sell their produce and herbs directly.
Continue down the center of Cours Saleya, stopping when you see La Cambuse restaurant on your left. In front, hovering over the black-barrel fire with the paella-like pan on top, is the self-proclaimed Queen of the Market, Thérèse cooking socca, Nice’s chickpea crêpe specialty (until about 13:00). Spend €3 for a wad (careful—it’s hot, but good). If Thérèse doesn’t have a pan out, it’s on its way (watch for the frequent scooter deliveries). Wait in line...or else it’ll be all gone when you return.
• Continue down Cours Saleya. The fine golden building that seals the end of the square is where Henri Matisse spent 17 years with a brilliant view onto Nice’s world. The Café les Ponchettes is perfectly positioned for a people-watching break. Turn at the café onto...
Rue de la Poissonnerie: Look up at the first floor of the first building on your right. Adam and Eve are squaring off, each holding a zucchini-like gourd. This scene (post-apple) represents the annual rapprochement in Nice to make up for the sins of a too-much-fun Carnival (Mardi Gras, the pre-Lenten festival). Residents of Nice have partied hard during Carnival for more than 700 years.
A few steps ahead, check out the small Baroque church (Notre-Dame-de-l’Annonciation) dedicated to Ste. Rita, the patron saint of desperate causes. She holds a special place in locals’ hearts, making this the most popular church in Nice.
• Turn right on the next street, where you’ll pass Vieux Nice’s most happening café/bar (Distilleries Ideales), with a lively happy hour (18:00-21:00) and a Pirates of the Caribbean-style interior. Now turn left on “Right” Street (Rue Droite), and enter an area that feels like a Little Naples.
Rue Droite: In the Middle Ages, this straight, skinny street provided the most direct route from wall to wall, or river to sea. Stop at Espuno’s bakery (at Place du Jésus, closed Mon-Tue) and say bonjour to the friendly folks. Decades ago, this baker was voted the best in France—the trophies you see were earned for bread-making, not bowling. His son now runs the place. Notice the firewood stacked behind the oven. Try the house specialty, tourte aux blettes—a Swiss chard tart. It’s traditionally made with jam (a sweet, tasty breakfast treat), but there’s also a savory version, stuffed with pine nuts, raisins, and white beets (my favorite for lunch).
Farther along, at #28, Thérèse (whom you met earlier) cooks her socca in the wood-fired oven before she carts it to her barrel on Cours Saleya. The balconies of the mansion in the next block mark the Palais Lascaris (c. 1647, gorgeous at night), a rare souvenir from one of Nice’s most prestigious families. It’s worth popping inside (handy WCs) for its Baroque Italian architecture and terrific collection of antique musical instruments—harps, guitars, violins, and violas (good English explanations). You’ll also find elaborate tapestries and a few well-furnished rooms. The palace has four levels: The ground floor was used for storage, the first floor was devoted to reception rooms (and musical events), the owners lived a floor above that, and the servants lived at the top—with a good view but lots of stairs (free, Wed-Mon 10:00-18:00, closed Tue). Look up and make faces back at the guys under the balconies.
• Turn left on the Rue de la Loge, then left again on Rue Centrale to reach...
Place Rossetti: The most Italian of Nice’s piazzas, Place Rossetti feels more like Rome than Nice. Named for the man who donated his land to create this square, Place Rossetti comes alive after dark. The recommended Fenocchio gelato shop is popular for its many flavors, ranging from classic to innovative.
Walk to the fountain and stare back at the church. This is the Cathedral of St. Réparate—an unassuming building for a major city’s cathedral. It was relocated here in the 1500s, when Castle Hill was temporarily converted to military use only. The name comes from Nice’s patron saint, a teenage virgin named Réparate whose martyred body floated to Nice in the fourth century accompanied by angels. The interior of the cathedral gushes Baroque, a response to the Protestant Reformation. With the Catholic Church’s Counter-Reformation, the theatrical energy of churches was cranked up with re-energized, high-powered saints and eye-popping decor.
• Our walk is over. Castle Hill is straight up the stepped lane opposite the cathedral.
▲▲▲Promenade des Anglais and Beach
Bay of Angels (Baie des Anges)
▲Castle Hill (Colline du Château)
▲▲▲Chagall Museum (Musée National Marc Chagall)
▲Matisse Museum (Musée Matisse)
▲Modern and Contemporary Art Museum (Musée d’Art Moderne et d’Art Contemporain)
Fine Arts Museum (Musée des Beaux-Arts)
▲Russian Cathedral (Cathédrale Russe)
Welcome to the Riviera. There’s something for everyone along this four-mile-long seafront circus. Watch Europeans at play, admire the azure Mediterranean, anchor yourself on a blue seat, and prop your feet up on the made-to-order guardrail. Later in the day, come back to join the evening parade of tans along the promenade.
The broad sidewalks of the Promenade des Anglais (“Walkway of the English”) were financed by upper-crust English tourists who wanted a secure and comfortable place to stroll and admire the view. The walk was done in marble in 1822 for aristocrats who didn’t want to dirty their shoes or smell the fishy gravel.
Stroll like the belle-époque English aristocrats for whom the promenade was paved. Start at the pink-domed Hôtel Negresco, then cross to the sea and end your promenade at Castle Hill. The following sights are listed in the order you’ll pass them. This walk is ideally done at sunset (as a pre-dinner stroll).
Nice’s finest hotel is also a historic monument, offering up the city’s most expensive beds (see here) and a museum-like interior that, sadly, has been made off-limits to non-guests—at least in high season. But, it’s worth a try to enter—dress well, appear confident, and march in. (Or, you can always get in by patronizing the hotel’s Le Relais bar, which opens at 15:00.)
The exquisite Salon Royal lounge is an elegant place for a drink and frequently hosts modern art exhibits (opens at 11:00). The chandelier hanging from the Eiffel-built dome is made of 16,000 pieces of crystal. It was built in France for the Russian czar’s Moscow palace...but thanks to the Bolshevik Revolution in 1917, he couldn’t take delivery (portraits of Czar Alexander III and his wife, Maria Feodorovna—who returned to her native Denmark after the revolution—are to the right, under the dome). Saunter around the perimeter counterclockwise.
If the Le Relais bar door is open (after about 15:00), wander up the marble steps for a look. Farther along, nip into the toilets for either an early 20th-century powder room or a Battle of Waterloo experience. The chairs nearby were typical of the age (cones of silence for an afternoon nap sitting up).
Grab a blue chair and face the sea. The body of Nice’s patron saint, Réparate, was supposedly escorted into this bay by angels in the fourth century. To your right is where you might have been escorted into France—Nice’s airport, built on a massive landfill. On that tip of land way beyond the runway is Cap d’Antibes. Until 1860, Antibes and Nice were in different countries—Antibes was French, but Nice was a protectorate of the Italian kingdom of Savoy-Piedmont, a.k.a. the Kingdom of Sardinia. (During that period, the Var River—just west of Nice—was the geographic border between these two peoples.) In 1850 the people here spoke Italian and ate pasta. As Italy was uniting, the region was given a choice: Join the new country of Italy or join good old France (which was enjoying good times under the rule of Napoleon III). The vast majority voted in 1860 to go French...and voilà!
The lower green hill to your left (Castle Hill) marks the end of this walk. Farther left lies Villefranche-sur-Mer (marked by the tower at land’s end, and home to lots of millionaires), then Monaco (which you can’t see, with more millionaires), then Italy (with lots of, uh, Italians). Behind you are the foothills of the Alps (Alpes-Maritimes), which trap threatening clouds, ensuring that the Côte d’Azur enjoys sunshine more than 300 days each year. While half a million people live here, pollution is carefully treated—the water is routinely tested and very clean.
Stroll the promenade with the sea starboard, and contemplate beach time (see next) on your way to the Albert 1er Park.
Settle in on the smooth rocks or find a section with imported sand, and consider your options: You can play beach volleyball, table tennis, or boules; rent paddleboats, personal watercraft, or windsurfing equipment; explore ways to use your zoom lens for some revealing people-watching; or snooze on a comfy beach bed.
To rent a spot on the beach, compare rates, as prices vary—beaches on the east end of the bay are usually cheaper (chair and mattress—chaise longue and transat—about €15, umbrella-€5, towel-€4). Some hotels have special deals with certain beaches for discounted rentals (check with your hotel for details). Have lunch in your bathing suit (€12 salads and pizzas in bars and restaurants all along the beach). Or, for a peaceful café au lait on the Mediterranean, stop here first thing in the morning before the crowds hit. Plage Publique signs explain the 15 beach no-nos (translated into English).
The park is named for the Belgian king who enjoyed wintering here—these were his private gardens. While the English came first, the Belgians and Russians were also big fans of 19th-century Nice. That tall statue at the edge of the park commemorates the 100-year anniversary of Nice’s union with France.
If you detour from the promenade into the park and continue down the center of the grassy strip, you’ll be walking over Nice’s river, the Paillon (covered since the 1800s). For centuries, this river was Nice’s natural defense to the north and west (the sea protected the south, and Castle Hill defended the east). Imagine the fortified wall that ran along its length from the hills behind you to the sea. With the arrival of tourism in the 1800s, Nice expanded over and beyond the river.
This hill—in an otherwise flat city center—offers sensational views over Nice, the port (to the east), the foothills of the Alps, and the Mediterranean. The views are best early or at sunset, or whenever the weather’s clear (park closes at 20:00 in summer, earlier off-season). The city of Nice was first settled here by Greeks circa 400 B.C. In the Middle Ages, a massive castle stood here, with turrets, high walls, and soldiers at the ready. With the river guarding one side and the sea the other, this mountain fortress seemed strong—until Louis XIV leveled it in 1706. Nice’s medieval seawall ran along the lineup of two-story buildings below. Today you’ll find a waterfall, a playground, two cafés (with fair prices), and a cemetery—but no castle—on Castle Hill. Nice’s port is just below on the east edge of Castle Hill.
Getting There: You can get to the top of Castle Hill by foot, by elevator (free, daily 10:00-19:00, until 20:00 in summer, next to beachfront Hôtel Suisse), or by pricey tourist train (described under “Tours in Nice and the Riviera” on here).
Meandering along Nice’s promenade on foot or by bike is an essential Riviera experience. To rev up the pace of your saunter, rent a bike and glide along the coast in either or both directions (about 30 minutes each way; for rental info see “Helpful Hints,” earlier). Both of the following paths start along Promenade des Anglais.
The path to the west stops just before the airport at perhaps the most scenic boules courts in France. Pause here to watch the old-timers while away the afternoon tossing shiny metal balls. If you take the path heading east, you’ll round the hill—passing a scenic cape and the town’s memorial to both world wars—to the harbor of Nice, with a chance to survey some fancy yachts. Walk or pedal around the harbor and follow the coast past the Corsica ferry terminal (you’ll need to carry your bike up a flight of steps). From there the path leads to an appealing tree-lined residential district.
To bring culture to the masses, the city of Nice has nixed entry fees to all municipal museums—so it’s free to enter all the following sights except the Chagall Museum and the Russian Cathedral. Cool.
The first two museums (Chagall and Matisse) are a long walk northeast of Nice’s city center. Because they’re in the same direction and served by the same bus line (buses #15 and #22 stop at both museums), it makes sense to visit them on the same trip. From Place Masséna, the Chagall Museum is a 10-minute bus ride or a 30-minute walk, and the Matisse Museum is a 20-minute bus ride or a one-hour walk.
Even if you’re suspicious of modern art, this museum—with the world’s largest collection of Marc Chagall’s work in captivity—is a delight. After World War II, Chagall returned from the United States to settle in Vence, not far from Nice. Between 1954 and 1967 he painted a cycle of 17 large murals designed for, and donated to, this museum. These paintings, inspired by the biblical books of Genesis, Exodus, and the Song of Songs, make up the “nave,” or core, of what Chagall called the “House of Brotherhood.”
Each painting is a lighter-than-air collage of images that draws from Chagall’s Russian folk-village youth, his Jewish heritage, biblical themes, and his feeling that he existed somewhere between heaven and earth. He believed that the Bible was a synonym for nature, and that color and biblical themes were key for understanding God’s love for his creation. Chagall’s brilliant blues and reds celebrate nature, as do his spiritual and folk themes. Notice the focus on couples. To Chagall, humans loving each other mirrored God’s love of creation.
Although Chagall would suggest that you explore his works without help, the free audioguide gives you detailed explanations of his works and covers temporary exhibits. The free Plan du Musée helps you locate the rooms, though you can do without, as the museum is pretty simple.
Cost and Hours: €7.50, €1-2 more with (frequent) special exhibits, free first Sun of the month (but crowded), open Wed-Mon 10:00-17:00, May-Oct until 18:00, closed Tue year-round, Avenue Docteur Ménard, tel. 04 93 53 87 20, musees-nationaux-alpesmaritimes.fr/chagall.
Getting to the Chagall Museum: You can reach the museum, located on Avenue Docteur Ménard, by bus or on foot.
Buses #15 and #22 serve the Chagall Museum from the Masséna Guitry stop, near Place Masséna (5-7/hour Mon-Sat, 3/hour Sun, €1.50, immediately behind Galeries Lafayette department store—see map on here). The museum’s bus stop (called Musée Chagall, shown on the bus shelter) is on Boulevard de Cimiez (walk uphill from the stop and cross the street to find the museum).
To walk from central Nice to the Chagall Museum (30 minutes), go to the train-station end of Avenue Jean Médecin and turn right onto Boulevard Raimbaldi. Walk four long blocks along the elevated road, then turn left onto Avenue Raymond Comboul, and follow Musée Chagall signs.
Cuisine Art and Services: An idyllic café (€10 salads and plats) awaits in the corner of the garden. A spick-and-span WC is next to the ticket desk. Another WC is inside.
Leaving the Museum: To take buses #15 or #22 back to downtown Nice, turn right out of the museum, then make another right down Boulevard de Cimiez, and catch the bus heading downhill. To continue on to the Matisse Museum, catch buses #15 or #22 using the uphill stop located across the street. Taxis usually wait in front of the museum. It’s about €12 for a ride to the city center.
To walk to the train station area from the museum (20 minutes), turn left out of the museum grounds on Avenue Docteur Ménard, and follow the street to the left at the first intersection, continuing to hug the museum grounds. Where the street curves right (by #32), take the ramps and staircases down on your left, turn left at the bottom, cross under the freeway and the train tracks, then turn right on Boulevard Raimbaldi to reach the station.
This small museum contains a sampling of works from the various periods of Henri Matisse’s long artistic career. The museum offers a painless introduction to the artist’s many styles and materials, both shaped by Mediterranean light and by fellow Côte d’Azur artists Pablo Picasso and Pierre-Auguste Renoir. The collection is scattered throughout several rooms with a few worthwhile works, though it lacks a certain je ne sais quoi when compared to the Chagall Museum.
Henri Matisse (1869-1954), the master of leaving things out, could suggest a woman’s body with a single curvy line—letting the viewer’s mind fill in the rest. Ignoring traditional 3-D perspective, he expressed his passion for life through simplified but recognizable scenes in which dark outlines and saturated, bright blocks of color create an overall decorative pattern. You don’t look “through” a Matisse canvas, like a window; you look “at” it, like wallpaper.
Matisse understood how colors and shapes affect us emotionally. He could create either shocking, clashing works (early Fauvism) or geometrical, balanced, harmonious ones (later cutouts). Whereas other modern artists reveled in purely abstract design, Matisse (almost) always kept the subject matter at least vaguely recognizable. He used unreal colors and distorted lines not just to portray what an object looks like, but to express its inner nature (even inanimate objects). Meditating on his paintings helps you connect with life—or so Matisse hoped.
Cost and Hours: Free, Wed-Mon 10:00-18:00, closed Tue, 164 Avenue des Arènes de Cimiez, tel. 04 93 81 08 08, musee-matisse-nice.org. The museum is housed in a beautiful Mediterranean mansion set in an olive grove amid the ruins of the ancient Roman city of Cemenelum.
Getting to the Matisse Museum: It’s a long uphill walk from the city center. Take the bus (details follow) or a cab (€20 from Promenade des Anglais). Once here, walk into the park to find the pink villa. Buses #15, #17, and #22 offer regular service to the Matisse Museum from just off Place Masséna on Rue Sacha Guitry (Masséna Guitry stop, at the east end of the Galeries Lafayette department store—see map on here, 20 minutes; note that bus #17 does not stop at the Chagall Museum). Bus #20 connects the port to the museum. On any bus, get off at the Arènes-Matisse bus stop (look for the crumbling Roman wall).
Leaving the Museum: When leaving the museum, find the stop for buses #15 and #22 (frequent service to downtown, stops en route at the Chagall Museum): Turn left from the Matisse Museum into the park and keep straight on Allée Barney Wilen, exiting the park at the Archaeological Museum, then turn right. Pass the bus stop across the street (#17 goes to the city center but not the Chagall Museum, and #20 goes to the port), and walk to the small roundabout. Cross the roundabout to find the shelter (facing downhill) for buses #15 and #22.
This ultramodern museum features an explosively colorful, far-out, yet manageable collection focused on American and European-American artists from the 1960s and 1970s (Pop Art and New Realism styles are highlighted). The exhibits cover three floors and include a few works by Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, and Jean Tinguely, and small models of Christo’s famous wrappings. You’ll find rooms dedicated to Robert Indiana, Yves Klein, and Niki de Saint Phalle (my favorite). The temporary exhibits can be as appealing to modern-art lovers as the permanent collection: Check the museum website for what’s playing. Don’t leave without exploring the rooftop terrace.
Cost and Hours: Free, Tue-Sun 10:00-18:00, closed Mon, about a 15-minute walk from Place Masséna, near Vieux Nice on Promenade des Arts, tel. 04 93 62 61 62, mamac-nice.org.
Housed in a sumptuous Riviera villa with lovely gardens, this museum holds 6,000 artworks from the 17th to 20th centuries. Start on the first floor and work your way up to experience an appealing array of paintings by Monet, Sisley, Bonnard, and Raoul Dufy, as well as a few sculptures by Rodin and Carpeaux.
Cost and Hours: Free, Tue-Sun 10:00-18:00, closed Mon; inconveniently located at the western end of Nice, take bus #12 or #23 from the train station to the Rosa Bonheur stop and walk to 3 Avenue des Baumettes; tel. 04 92 15 28 28, musee-beaux-arts-nice.org.
The Molinard family has been making perfume in Grasse (about an hour’s drive from Nice) since 1849. Their Nice store has a small museum in the rear that illustrates the story of their industry. Back when people believed water spread the plague (Louis XIV supposedly bathed less than once a year), doctors advised people to rub fragrances into their skin and then powder their bodies. At that time, perfume was a necessity of everyday life.
Cost and Hours: Free, daily April-Sept 10:00-19:00, Oct-March 10:00-13:00 & 14:00-18:00, sometimes closed Sun off-season, just between beach and Place Masséna at 20 Rue St. François de Paule, see map on here, tel. 04 93 62 90 50, molinard.com.
Visiting the Museum: The tiny first room shows photos of the local flowers, roots, and other plant parts used in perfume production. The second, main room explains the earliest (18th-century) production method. Petals were laid out in the sun on a bed of animal fat, which would absorb the essence of the flowers as they baked. For two months, the petals were replaced daily, until the fat was saturated. Models and old photos show the later distillation process (660 pounds of lavender produced only a quarter-gallon of essence). Perfume is “distilled like cognac and then aged like wine.” The bottles on the tables demonstrate the role of the “blender” and the perfume mastermind called the “nose” (who knows best); clients are allowed to try their hand at mixing scents. Of the 150 real “noses” in the world, more than 100 are French. Notice the photos of these lab-coat-wearing perfectionists. You are welcome to enjoy the testing bottles.
Nice’s Russian Orthodox church—claimed by some to be the finest outside Russia—is worth a visit. Five hundred rich Russian families wintered in Nice in the late 19th century, and they needed a worthy Orthodox house of worship. Czar Nicholas I’s widow provided the land (which required tearing down her house), and Czar Nicholas II gave this church to the Russian community in 1912. (A few years later, Russian comrades who didn’t winter on the Riviera assassinated him.) Here in the land of olives and anchovies, these proud onion domes seem odd. But, I imagine, so did those old Russians.
Cost and Hours: Free; Tue-Sat 9:00–12:00 & 14:00–19:00, Sun 9:00-12:00, closed Mon; chanted services Sat at 17:30 or 18:00, Sun at 10:00; no tourist visits during services, no shorts allowed, 17 Boulevard du Tzarewitch, tel. 04 93 96 88 02, acor-nice.com. The park around the church stays open at lunch and makes a fine setting for picnics.
Getting There: It’s a 10-minute walk from the train station. Head west on Avenue Thiers, turn right on Avenue Gambetta, go under the freeway, and turn left following Eglise Russe signs. Or, from the station, take any bus heading west on Avenue Thiers and get off at Avenue Gambetta (then follow the previous directions).
Visiting the Cathedral: Step inside (pick up English info sheet). The one-room interior is filled with icons and candles, and traditional Russian music adds to the ambience. The wall of icons (iconostasis) divides the spiritual realm from the temporal world of the worshippers. Only the priest can walk between the two worlds, by using the “Royal Door.”
Take a close look at items lining the front (starting in the left corner). The angel with red boots and wings—the protector of the Romanov family—stands over a symbolic tomb of Christ. The tall black hammered-copper cross commemorates the massacre of Nicholas II and his family in 1918. Notice the Jesus icon to the right of the Royal Door. According to a priest here, as worshippers meditate, staring deep into the eyes of Jesus, they enter a lake where they find their soul. Surrounded by incense, chanting, and your entire community...it could happen. Farther to the right, the icon of the unhappy-looking Virgin and Child is decorated with semiprecious stones from the Ural Mountains. Artists worked a triangle into each iconic face—symbolic of the Trinity.
Both of these museums are acceptable rainy-day options, and free to enter.
This museum displays various objects from the Romans’ occupation of this region. It’s convenient—just below the Matisse Museum—but has little of interest to anyone but ancient Rome aficionados. You also get access to the Roman bath ruins...which are, sadly, overgrown with weeds.
Cost and Hours: Free, very limited information in English, Wed-Mon 10:00-18:00, closed Tue, near Matisse Museum at 160 Avenue des Arènes de Cimiez, tel. 04 93 81 59 57.
Like Nice’s main square, this museum was named in honor of Jean-André Masséna, a highly regarded commander during France’s Revolutionary and Napoleonic wars. The beachfront mansion is worth a gander for its lavish decor and lovely gardens alone (pick up your free ticket at the boutique just outside; no English information available).
Cost and Hours: Free, Wed-Mon 10:00-18:00, closed Tue, last entry 30 minutes before closing, 35 Promenade des Anglais, tel. 04 93 91 19 10, massena-nice.org.
Visiting the Museum: There are three levels. The elaborate reception rooms on the ground floor host occasional exhibits and give the best feeling for aristocratic Nice at the turn of the 19th century (find Masséna’s portrait to the right after entering).
The first floor up, offering a folk-museum-like look at Nice through the years, deserves most of your time. Moving counterclockwise around the floor, you’ll find Napoleonic paraphernalia, Josephine’s impressive cape and tiara, and Napoleon’s vest (I’d look good in it). Next, antique posters promote vacations in Nice—look for the model and photos of the long-gone La Jetée Promenade and its casino, Nice’s first. You’ll see paintings of the Russian nobility who appreciated Nice’s climate, images of the city before its river was covered over by Place Masséna, and paintings honoring Italian patriot and Nice favorite Giuseppe Garibaldi.
The top-floor painting gallery is devoted to the Riviera before World War II, with scenes of rural Villefranche-sur-Mer and other bucolic spots showing how the area looked before the tourist boom.
Promenade des Anglais, Cours Saleya, and Rue Masséna are all worth an evening walk. Nice’s bars play host to a happening late-night scene, filled with jazz, rock, and trolling singles. Most activity focuses on Vieux Nice. Rue de la Préfecture and Place du Palais are ground zero for bar life, though Place Rossetti and Rue Droite are also good targets. Distilleries Ideales is a good place to start or end your evening, with a lively international crowd and a fun interior (where Rue de la Poissonnerie and Rue Barillerie meet, happy hour 18:00-21:00). Wayne’s Bar is a happening spot for the younger, English-speaking backpacker crowd (15 Rue Préfecture). Along the Promenade des Anglais, the plush bar at Hôtel Negresco is fancy-cigar old English.
Plan on a cover charge or expensive drinks where music is involved. If you’re out very late, avoid walking alone.
Don’t look for charm in Nice. Go for modern and clean, with a central location and, in summer, air-conditioning. The rates listed here are for April through October. Prices generally drop €15-30 November through March, but go sky-high during the Nice Carnival (nicecarnaval.com), the Cannes Film Festival (festival-cannes.com), and Monaco’s Grand Prix (acm.mc). Between the film festival and the Grand Prix, the second half of May is very tight every year. Nice is also one of Europe’s top convention cities, and June is convention month here. Reserve early if visiting from May through August, especially during these times. For parking, ask your hotelier (several hotels offer deals for stashing your car or have limited private parking; reserve early), or see “Arrival in Nice—By Car” on here.
I’ve divided my sleeping recommendations into three areas: in the city center, between the train station and Place Masséna (easy access to the train station and Vieux Nice via the tramway, 20-minute walk to Promenade des Anglais); in the heart of Vieux Nice between Nice Etoile and the sea (east of Avenue Jean Médecin, good access to the sea at Quai des Etats-Unis); and near the beach, between Boulevard Victor Hugo and the sea (a somewhat classier and quieter area, offering better access to the Promenade des Anglais but longer walks to the train station and Vieux Nice). I’ve also listed hotels and a hostel on the outskirts. Before reserving, check hotel websites for deals (more common at larger hotels). Book directly with the hotel to get any special discounts for Rick Steves readers.
The train station area offers Nice’s cheapest sleeps, though most hotels near the station ghetto are overrun, overpriced, and loud. The following hotels are the pleasant exceptions (most are near Avenue Jean Médecin). For locations, see the map on here unless otherwise noted.
$$$ Hôtel Masséna****, in a classy building two blocks from Place Masséna, is a “professional” hotel (popular with tour groups) with 110 rooms and way-mod public spaces. It’s worth it only if you get a discounted rate (small Db-€199, larger Db-€289, still larger Db-€339, skip the €17 breakfast, call same-day for special rates—prices drop big time when hotel is not full, sixth-floor rooms have balconies, parking-€25/day—book ahead, 58 Rue Gioffredo, tel. 04 92 47 88 88, hotel-massena-nice.com, info@hotel-massena-nice.com). See map on here.
$$ At Hôtel Durante***, you know you’re on the Mediterranean as soon as you enter this cheery, way-orange building with rooms wrapped around a flowery courtyard. Every one of its quiet rooms overlooks a spacious, well-maintained patio/garden with an American-style Jacuzzi. The rooms are good enough (mostly big beds), the price is right enough, and the parking (limited spaces) is free (Sb-€85-105, Db-€100-115, Tb-€150-175, Qb-€180-200, breakfast-€10, air-con, Wi-Fi, 16 Avenue Durante, tel. 04 93 88 84 40, hotel-durante.com, info@hotel-durante.com).
$$ Hôtel Lafayette***, in a handy location a block behind the Galeries Lafayette department store, is a good value. It’s comfortable, homey, and modest, with 17 mostly spacious rooms (some with thin walls), all one floor up from the street. It’s family-run by Kiril, George, and young Victor. Rooms not overlooking Rue de l’Hôtel des Postes are quieter and worth requesting (standard Db-€105-120, spacious Db-€115-130, preferential rates for Rick Steves readers if booked directly with hotel, breakfast-€10, in-room coffee service, air-con, no elevator, guest computer and Wi-Fi, 32 Rue de l’Hôtel des Postes, tel. 04 93 85 17 84, hotellafayettenice.com, info@hotellafayettenice.com). See map on here.
$$ Hôtel St. Georges**, five blocks from the station toward the sea, offers fair rates, a backyard patio, and friendly Houssein at the reception. All rooms should be freshly renovated by the time you visit (Sb-€90, Db-€120, Tb with 3 beds-€140, extra bed-€20, breakfast-€9, air-con, free Wi-Fi, 7 Avenue Georges Clemenceau, tel. 04 93 88 79 21, hotelsaintgeorges.fr, contact@hotelsaintgeorges.fr).
$$ Hôtel Vendôme*** gives you a whiff of the belle époque, with pink pastels, high ceilings, and grand staircases in a mansion set off the street. Its public spaces are delightful. The rooms are modern and come in all sizes; the best have balconies (on floors 4 and 5)—request une chambre avec balcon (Sb-€115-135, Db-€150-180, Tb-€180-200, prices vary with demand, check website for deals, breakfast-€15, air-con, guest computer and Wi-Fi, limited parking-€15/day—book ahead, 26 Rue Pastorelli at the corner of Rue Alberti, tel. 04 93 62 00 77, hotel-vendome-nice.com, contact@vendome-hotel-nice.com).
$ Hôtel Ibis Nice Centre Gare***, 100 yards to the right as you leave the station, gives those in need of train station access a secure refuge in this seedy area. It’s big (200 rooms) and modern, but a good value with well-configured rooms, a refreshing pool, and cheap €9 parking (Db-€93, big “Club” Db-€125, breakfast-€9, air-con, guest computer and Wi-Fi, bar, café, 14 Avenue Thiers, tel. 04 93 88 85 85, ibishotel.com, h1396@accor.com).
$ Hôtel Belle Meunière*, in a fine old mansion built for Napoleon III’s mistress, offers cheap beds and private rooms a block below the train station. Lively and youth hostel-esque, this simple but well-kept place attracts budget-minded travelers of all ages with basic-but-adequate rooms and charismatic Mademoiselle Marie-Pierre presiding (with perfect English). Tables in the front yard greet guests and provide opportunities to meet other travelers. Air-conditioning may be installed in time for your visit (bunk in 4-bed dorm-€24-28 with private bath, €18-22 with shared bath; Db-€68-78, Tb-€84-93, Qb-€116-124; includes breakfast, Wi-Fi, laundry service, limited parking-€9/day, 21 Avenue Durante, tel. 04 93 88 66 15, bellemeuniere.com, hotel.belle.meuniere@cegetel.net).
$ Auberge de Jeunesse les Camélias is a fun, laid-back youth hostel with a great location, modern facilities, and a fun evening atmosphere. Rooms accommodate between four and eight people of all ages in bunk beds (136 beds in all) and come with showers and sinks—WCs are down the hall. Reservations must be made on the website at least 3 days in advance. If you don’t have a reservation, call by 10:00—or, better, try to snag a bunk in person. The place is popular but worth a try for last-minute availability (€28/bed, one-time €18 extra charge without hostel membership, includes breakfast, maximum 6-night stay, rooms closed 11:00-15:00 but can leave bags, guest computer, laundry, kitchen, safes, bar, 3 Rue Spitalieri, tel. 04 93 62 15 54, hihostels.com, nice-camelias@fuaj.org).
$ B&B Nice Home Sweet Home is a great value if you have patience. Genevieve (a.k.a. Jennifer) Levert rents out three large rooms and one small single in her home. Her rooms are simply decorated, with high ceilings, big windows, lots of light, and space to spread out. One room comes with private bath; otherwise, it’s just like at home...down the hall (S-€35-44, D-€61-75, Db-€65-78, Tb-€75-85, Q-€80-110, includes breakfast, elevator, one floor up, washer/dryer-€6, kitchen access, 35 Rue Rossini at intersection with Rue Auber, mobile 06 19 66 03 63, nicehomesweethome.com, glevert@free.fr).
Hostel: $ Villa Saint Exupéry Beach, run by the same owners as the Villa Saint Exupéry Gardens outside of town, is a new hostel in the center of Nice with a friendly vibe and reasonable rates (behind the Galleries Lafayette at 6 Rue Sacha-Guitry; see Villa Saint Exupéry Gardens listing on here for contact info). See map on here.
These Vieux Nice hotels are either on the sea or within an easy walk of it. For locations, see the map on here.
$$$ Hôtel la Perouse****, built into the rock of Castle Hill at the east end of the bay, gets my vote for Nice’s best splurge. This refuge-hotel is top-to-bottom flawless in every detail—from its elegant rooms (satin curtains, velour headboards) and attentive staff to its rooftop terrace with Jacuzzi, sleek pool, and lovely garden restaurant. Sleep here to be spoiled and escape the big city (garden-view Db-€380, seaview Db-€480, good family options and Web deals, free Wi-Fi, 11 Quai Rauba Capeu, tel. 04 93 62 34 63, hotel-la-perouse.com, lp@hotel-la-perouse.com).
$$$ Hôtel Suisse****, below Castle Hill, has Nice’s best sea and city views for the money, and is surprisingly quiet given the busy street below. Rooms are quite comfortable, the decor is tasteful, and the staff is helpful. There’s no reason to sleep here if you don’t land a view, so I’ve listed prices only for view rooms—many of which have balconies (Db-€200-285, extra bed-€36, breakfast-€17, book far in advance for better rates, Wi-Fi, 15 Quai Rauba Capeu, tel. 04 92 17 39 00, hotels-ocre-azur.com, hotel.suisse@hotels-ocre-azur.com).
$$ Hôtel Albert 1er*** is a good value, located on Albert 1er Park, two blocks from the beach and Place Masséna. Rooms are bright and well appointed. Some come with views of the bay, while others overlook the park (standard Db-€169-189, sea- or park-view Db-€179-199, Tb-€189-209, breakfast-€12, air-con, Wi-Fi, 4 Avenue des Phocéens, tel. 04 93 85 74 01, hotelalbert-1er.com, info@hotel-albert1er.com).
$$ Hôtel Mercure Marché aux Fleurs**** is ideally situated across from the sea and behind Cours Saleya. Rooms are tastefully designed and well-maintained (some with beds in a loft). Prices are reasonable, though rates vary dramatically depending on demand—check their website for deals. Don’t confuse this Mercure with the four other branches in Nice (standard Db-€172, superior Db-€200 and worth the extra euros, sea view-€50 extra, breakfast-€8, air-con, 91 Quai des Etats-Unis, tel. 04 93 85 74 19, hotelmercure.com, h0962@accor.com).
$$ Hôtel de la Mer** is a tiny place with an enviable location overlooking Place Masséna, just steps from Vieux Nice (it’s among the closest of my listings to the old town). The majority of the rooms are smartly renovated and worth the higher price; the remaining few are “old school” and priced that way (older Db-€110, newer Db-€140, Tb-€160, breakfast-€7, air-con, Wi-Fi, 4 Place Masséna, tel. 04 93 92 09 10, hoteldelamernice.com, hotel.mer@wanadoo.fr).
These hotels are close to the Promenade des Anglais (and most are far from Vieux Nice). The Negresco, West End, and le Royal are big, vintage Nice hotels that open onto the sea from the heart of the Promenade des Anglais. For locations, see the map on here.
$$$ Hôtel Negresco***** owns Nice’s most prestigious address on Promenade des Anglais and knows it. Still, it’s the kind of place that if you were to splurge just once in your life...Rooms are opulent (see here for more description), and tips are expected (viewless Db-€380-560, seaview Db-€450-680, view suite-€890-2,700, breakfast-€30, Old World bar, 37 Promenade des Anglais, tel. 04 93 16 64 00, hotel-negresco-nice.com, reservations@hotel-negresco.com).
$$$ Hôtel West End**** delivers formal service and décor, polished public spaces, and high prices. Its chic rooms come with effective blinds and all the comforts (viewless Db-€300, seaview Db-€350, check website for deals, guest computer and Wi-Fi, 31 Promenade des Anglais, tel. 04 92 14 44 00, hotel-westend.com, reception@westsend3ahotels.com).
$$$ Hôtel Splendid**** is a worthwhile splurge if you miss your Marriott. The panoramic rooftop pool, bar/restaurant, and breakfast room almost justify the cost...but throw in plush rooms (all seven floors are non-smoking), a free gym, spa services, and air-conditioning, and you’re as good as home (Db-€230—some with decks, deluxe Db with terrace-€270, suites-€355-410, breakfast-€19, better prices available on website, parking-€24, 50 Boulevard Victor Hugo, tel. 04 93 16 41 00, splendid-nice.com, info@splendid-nice.com).
$$ Hôtel le Royal*** is an old-school resort hotel with big lounges, long hallways, and 140 rooms that have seen better days. But the prices are close to acceptable, considering the terrific location—and sometimes they have rooms when others don’t (viewless Db-€155-170, seaview Db-€195-215, bigger view room-€215-235 and worth it, extra person-€25, breakfast-€14, 23 Promenade des Anglais, tel. 04 93 16 43 00, hotel-royal-nice.cote.azur.fr, royal@vacancesbleues.com).
$$ Hôtel Massenet*** is tucked away a block off the Promenade des Anglais in a pedestrian zone. It has 29 tidy rooms (love the shag carpet) at good rates (small Db-€95, standard Db-€140-155, larger Db-€160, some rooms with decks, breakfast-€10, parking-€10/day, 11 Rue Massenet, tel. 04 93 87 11 31, hotelmassenet.com, hotelmassenet@wanadoo.fr).
$$ Hôtel les Cigales***, a few blocks from the Promenade des Anglais, is a smart little pastel place with tasteful decor, 19 sharp rooms (those with showers are a tad small, most have tub-showers and are standard size), air-conditioning, and a nifty upstairs terrace, all well managed by friendly Mr. Valentino, with Veronique and Elaine. Rick Steves readers who book directly through the hotel get a discount by typing this code: RICK (standard Db-€110-160, Tb-€130-180, free Wi-Fi, 16 Rue Dalpozzo, tel. 04 97 03 10 70, hotel-lescigales.com, info@hotel-lescigales.com).
$$ Hôtel Gounod*** is behind Hôtel Splendid. Because the two share the same owners, Gounod’s guests are allowed free access to Splendid’s pool, Jacuzzi, and other amenities. Most rooms are comfortable and quiet, with high ceilings and appealing decor (Db-€160, palatial 4-person suites-€260, breakfast-€11, air-con, parking-€18/day, 3 Rue Gounod, tel. 04 93 16 42 00, gounod-nice.com, info@gounod-nice.com).
$$ Hôtel Villa Victoria**** is a fine place managed by cheery Marlena, who welcomes travelers into her spotless, classy old building with an open, attractive lobby overlooking a sprawling garden-courtyard. Rooms are comfortable and well kept, with space to stretch out (streetside Db-€160, garden-side Db-€175, Tb-€190, suites-€210, breakfast-€15, air-con, minibar, Wi-Fi, parking-€18/day, 33 Boulevard Victor Hugo, tel. 04 93 88 39 60, villa-victoria.com, contact@villa-victoria.com).
$ Villa Saint Exupéry Gardens, a service-oriented hostel (they answer the phone in English), is a haven two miles north of the city center. Its amenities and 60 comfortable, spick-and-span rooms create a friendly climate for budget-minded travelers of any age. Often filled with energetic youth, the place can be noisy. There are units for one, two, and up to six people. Many have private bathrooms and views of the Mediterranean—some come with balconies. You’ll also find a laundry room, complete kitchen facilities, and a lively bar. There’s easy Internet access with a wall of guest computers in the lobby and Wi-Fi in all the rooms (bed in dorm-€20-40/person, S-€50-70, Db-€60-110, Tb-€110-150, includes big breakfast, discounts in low season, no curfew, 22 Avenue Gravier, tel. 04 93 84 42 83, toll-free tel. 08 00 30 74 09—works only within France, villahostels.com, reservations@vsaint.com). From the center of town, ride the tram (direction: Las Planas) to the Compte de Falicon stop, then either walk 10 minutes or take the free shuttle from the Casino supermarket by the tram stop (no service 12:00-17:00).
Several airport hotels offer a handy and cheap port in the storm for those with early flights or who are just stopping in for a single night: Hôtel Première Classe (premiereclasse.com) and Hôtel Ibis Nice Aéroport (ibisnice.com). Free shuttles connect these hotels with both airport terminals.
You’ll find greater comfort at the airport for a bit more (and free private shuttle vans) at these hotels: Novotel (novotel.com), Holiday Inn (holidayinn.com), and Campanile (campanile.fr).
Remember, you’re in a resort. Seek ambience and fun, and lower your palate’s standards. Italian is a low-risk and regional cuisine. The listed restaurants are concentrated in neighborhoods close to my recommended hotels. Several offer fixed-price, multi-course meals (menus). Promenade des Anglais is ideal for picnic dinners on warm, languid evenings. Vieux Nice has the best and busiest dining atmosphere (and best range of choices), while the Nice Etoile area is more local, convenient, and also offers a good range of choices. To feast cheaply, check out my suggestions in Vieux Nice, or explore the area around the train station. Allow yourself one dinner at a beachfront restaurant in Nice, and for terribly touristy trolling, wander the wall-to-wall eateries lining Rue Masséna. Yuck.
Nice’s dinner scene converges on Cours Saleya (koor sah-lay-yuh), which is entertaining enough in itself to make the generally mediocre food a good deal. It’s a fun, festive spot to compare tans and mussels. Even if you’re eating elsewhere, wander through here in the evening. For locations, see the map on here.
La Voglia has figured out a winning formula: Good food + ample servings + fair prices = good business. Come here early for top-value Italian cuisine, or plan on waiting for a table. There’s fun seating inside and out (€12-14 pizza and pasta, €15-25 plats, open daily, at the western edge of Cours Saleya at 2 Rue St. Francois de Paule, tel. 04 93 80 99 16).
Le Safari is a fair option for outdoor dining on Cours Saleya, with a few more locals than tourists. The cuisine is Niçois, and the service is professional (€18-30 plats, open daily, 1 Cours Saleya, tel. 04 93 80 18 44, restaurantsafari.fr).
Chez Palmyre is the place to eat on a budget in the old town. It’s popular, so book this one ahead. The ambience is rustic but intimate, and the menu changes every two weeks. The three-course menu is only €15, and the food could not be more homemade (closed Sun, cash only, 5 Rue Droite, tel. 04 93 85 72 32).
Le Bistrot du Fromager’s owner, Hugo, is crazy about cheese and wine. Come here to escape the heat and dine in cozy, cool, vaulted cellars surrounded by shelves of wine. All dishes use cheese as their base ingredient, although you’ll also find pasta, ham, and salmon (with cheese, of course). This is a good choice for vegetarians (€10-14 starters, €15-21 plats, €6 desserts, closed Sun, just off Place du Jésus at 29 Rue Benoît Bunico, tel. 04 93 13 07 83).
Oliviera venerates the French olive. This shop/restaurant sells a variety of oils, offers free tastings, and serves a menu of dishes paired with specific oils (think of a wine pairing). Welcoming owner Nadim, who speaks excellent English, knows all his producers, and provides “Olive Oil 101” explanations with his tastings (best if you buy something afterward or have a meal). You’ll learn how passionate he is about his products, and once you’ve had a taste, you’ll want to stay and eat—so go early (or reserve ahead), as tables fill fast (allow €40 with wine, €16-24 main dishes, Tue-Sat 10:00-22:00, closed Sun-Mon, indoor seating only, 8 bis Rue du Collet, tel. 04 93 13 06 45).
Bistrot D’Antoine is a welcoming, vine-draped option whose delightful menu emphasizes Niçois cuisine and good grilled selections. The food is delicious and the prices are reasonable, so call ahead to reserve a table (€7-10 starters, €13-18 plats, €6 desserts, closed Sun-Mon, 27 Rue de la Préfecture, tel. 04 93 85 29 57).
La Merenda is a tiny place on the edge of the old town. Dine on simple, home-style dishes in a communal environment. The menu, presented tableside on a small blackboard, changes with the season. This place fills fast, so go early (opens at 19:00) or, since they don’t have a phone, drop by during the day to reserve (€10-12 starters, €12-20 plats, €6 desserts, closed Sat-Sun, cash only, 4 Rue Raoul Bosio, lamerenda.net).
L’Acchiardo, hidden away in the heart of Vieux Nice, is a homey eatery that does a good job mixing a loyal clientele with hungry tourists. Its simple, hearty Niçois cuisine is served at fair prices by gentle Monsieur Acchiardo. The small plaque under the menu outside says the restaurant has been run by father and son since 1927 (€8 starters, €15-20 plats, €7 desserts, cash only, closed Sat-Sun, indoor seating only, 38 Rue Droite, tel. 04 93 85 51 16).
Ville de Siena draws young travelers who dig this place for its big portions, open kitchen, and raucous atmosphere, with tables crammed outside on a narrow lane. The food is Italian and hearty (€12-17 plats, closed Sun, 10 Rue St. Vincent, tel. 04 93 80 12 45).
Lou Pilha Leva delivers fun and cheap lunch or dinner options with Niçois specialties and always busy outdoor-only picnic-table dining (daily, located where Rue de la Loge and Rue Centrale meet in Vieux Nice).
Restaurant Castel is a fine eat-on-the-beach option, thanks to its location at the very east end of Nice looking over the bay. Lose the city hustle and bustle by dropping down the steps below Castle Hill. The views are unforgettable even if the cuisine is not; you can even have lunch at your beach chair if you’ve rented one here (€15/half-day, €18/day). Dinner here is best: Arrive before sunset and find a waterfront table perfectly positioned to watch evening swimmers get in their last laps as the sky turns pink and city lights flicker on. Linger long enough to justify the few extra euros the place charges (€18 salads and pastas, €20-28 main courses, 8 Quai des Etats-Unis, tel. 04 93 85 22 66, castelplage.com).
(See “Vieux Nice” map, here.)
Gelato lovers should save room for the tempting ice-cream stands in Vieux Nice. Fenocchio is the city’s favorite, with mouthwatering displays of 86 flavors ranging from tomato to lavender to avocado—all of which are surprisingly good (daily March-Nov, until 24:00 in summer, two locations: 2 Place Rossetti and 6 Rue de la Poissonnerie). Gelato connoisseurs should head for Oui, Jelato, where the selection may be a fraction of Fenocchio’s but the quality is superior (5 Rue de la Préfecture, on the Place du Palais).
(See “Nice Restaurants” map, here.)
If you’re not up for eating in Vieux Nice, try one of these spots around the Nice Etoile shopping mall.
On Rue Biscarra: An appealing lineup of bistros overflowing with outdoor tables stretches along the broad sidewalk on Rue Biscarra (just east of Avenue Jean Médecin behind Nice Etoile, all closed Sun). Come here to dine with area residents away from the tourists. These two places are both good choices, with pleasant interior and exterior seating: L’Authentic has creative cuisine and comes with a memorable owner, burly Philippe (€23 two-course menus, €27 three-course menus, reasonable pasta dishes, tel. 04 93 62 48 88, lauthentic.com). Le 20 sur Vin is a neighborhood favorite with a cozy, wine-bar-meets-café ambience. It offers (bien sûr) good wines at fair prices, and tasty bistro fare (tel. 04 93 92 93 20).
Rolancy’s Restaurant & Bistrot des Viviers attract those who require attentive service and authentic Niçois cuisine with a big emphasis on fish. This classy splurge offers two intimate settings as different as night and day: a soft, formal restaurant (€58 menu, €28-38 plats), and a relaxed bistrot next door (€10 fish soup starter, €24-35 plats, €45 bouillabaisse). I’d reserve a table in the atmospheric bistrot, where some outdoor seating is available (restaurant closed Sun, bistrot open daily, 5-minute walk west of Avenue Jean Médecin at 22 Rue Alphonse Karr, tel. 04 93 16 00 48, restaurant-gastronomique.fr).
L’Ovale takes its name from the shape of a rugby ball. This welcoming, well-run bistro has quality food at respectable prices, with an emphasis on the cuisine of southwestern France. Dine inside on big plats for €12-16; consider their specialty, cassoulet (€17), or the salade de manchons (€13), with duck and walnuts (excellent €18 three-course menu, €13 big salads, daily, air-con, 29 Rue Pastorelli, tel. 04 93 80 31 65).
Le Luna Rossa is molto Italian, with a smart setting inside and out. It’s also molto popular with locals. Come early or book ahead (€10 starters, €20-27 plats, just north of the parkway at 3 Rue Chauvain, tel. 04 93 85 55 66).
La Maison de Marie is a surprisingly good-quality refuge off touristy Rue Masséna, where most other restaurants serve mediocre food to tired travelers. Enter through a deep-red arch to a bougainvillea-draped courtyard, and enjoy the fair prices and excellent cuisine that draw neighborhood regulars and out-of-towners alike. The interior tables are as appealing as those in the courtyard, but expect some smokers outside. The €23 menu is a terrific value (€12-18 starters and €20-30 plats, open daily, look for the square red sign at 5 Rue Masséna, tel. 04 93 82 15 93).
Villa d’Este has the same owners as the recommended La Voglia (listed earlier, under “In Vieux Nice”). The portions are big, the price is right, and the quality is tops (daily, on a busy pedestrian street at 6 Rue Masséna, tel. 04 93 82 47 77).
(See “Nice Restaurants” map, here.)
Worthwhile restaurants are few and far between in this area. Either head for Vieux Nice or try one of these good places.
On Place Grimaldi: This square nurtures a lineup of appealing restaurants with good indoor and outdoor seating along a broad sidewalk under tall, leafy sycamore trees. Crêperie Bretonne is the only crêperie I list in Nice (€11 dinner crêpes, closed Sun, 3 Place Grimaldi, tel. 04 93 82 28 47). Le Grimaldi delivers basic café fare (€17 pasta, €15-25 plats, closed Sun, 1 Place Grimaldi, tel. 04 93 87 98 13).
Chantecler has Nice’s most prestigious address—inside the Hôtel Negresco. This is everything a luxury restaurant should be: elegant, soft, and top quality. If your trip is ending in Nice, call or email for reservations—you’ve earned this splurge (menus from €100, closed Mon-Tue, 37 Promenade des Anglais, tel. 04 93 16 64 00, chantecler@lenegresco.com).
(See “Nice Restaurants” map, here.)
Both of the following restaurants, a block below the train station, provide good indoor and outdoor seating as well as excellent value.
Voyageur Nissart has blended good-value cuisine with cool Mediterranean ambience and friendly service since 1908. Current owner Max is a great host, and the quality of his cuisine makes this a good choice for travelers on any budget—try the wonderful €14 filet de rouget à la niçoise or the fine €8 salade niçoise (€16 three-course menus, good plats from €11, inexpensive wines, closed Mon, 19 Rue d’Alsace-Lorraine, tel. 04 93 82 19 60).
Zen provides a Japanese break from French cuisine. Interior seating is arranged around the chef’s stove, and the tasty specialties draw a strong following (€16 three-course menu, €8-15 sushi, open daily, 27 Rue d’Angleterre, tel. 04 93 82 41 20).
Note that most long-distance train connections to other French cities require a change in Marseille. The Grande Ligne train to Bordeaux (serving Antibes, Cannes, Toulon, and Marseille—and connecting from there to Arles, Nîmes, and Carcassonne) requires a reservation. Remember that on regional buses (except on express airport buses), many one-way rides cost €1.50—regardless of length (the €1.50 ticket is good for up to 74 minutes of travel in one direction, including transfers).
From Nice by Train to: Cannes (2/hour, 30-40 minutes), Antibes (2/hour, 15-30 minutes), Villefranche-sur-Mer (2/hour, 10 minutes), Eze-le-Village (2/hour, 15 minutes to Eze-Bord-de-Mer, then bus #83 to Eze, 8/day), Monaco (2/hour, 20 minutes), Menton (2/hour, 25 minutes), Grasse (15/day, 1.25 hours), Marseille (18/day, 2.5 hours), Arles (11/day, 3.75-4.5 hours, most require transfer in Marseille or Avignon), Avignon (20/day, most by TGV, 4 hours, most require transfer in Marseille), Paris’ Gare de Lyon (hourly, 5.75 hours, may require change; 11.5-hour night train goes to Paris’ Gare d’Austerlitz), Munich (4/day, 12.5-14 hours with 2-4 transfers, longer night trains possible, some via Italy), Interlaken (6/day, 9-10 hours, 2-5 transfers), Florence (6/day, 7-9 hours, 1-3 transfers), Venice (5/day, 8-9 hours, all require transfers), Barcelona (1/day via Montpellier, 10 hours, more with multiple changes).
From Nice by Bus to: Cannes (#200, 4/hour Mon-Sat, 2-3/hour Sun, 1.5-1.75 hours), Antibes (#200, 4/hour Mon-Sat, 2-3/hour Sun, 1-1.5 hours), Villefranche-sur-Mer (#100, 4-5/hour Mon-Sat, 3-4/hour Sun, 20 minutes; or #81, 2-4/hour, 20 minutes), St-Jean-Cap-Ferrat (#81, 2-4/hour, 35 minutes), Eze-le-Village (#82 or #112, 16/day Mon-Sat, 8/day Sun, 40 minutes), La Turbie (#116 or #T-66, 5/day Mon-Sat, 7/day Sun, 45 minutes), Monaco (#100, 4-5/hour Mon-Sat, 3-4/hour Sun, 45 minutes), Menton (#100, 4-5/hour Mon-Sat, 3-4/hour Sun, 1.25 hours), St-Paul-de-Vence (#400, every 30-45 minutes, 45 minutes), Vence (#400, every 30-45 minutes, 50 minutes), Grasse (#500, every 30-45 minutes, 1.25 hours).
Nice’s easy-to-navigate airport (Aéroport de Nice Côte d’Azur; airport code: NCE) is on the Mediterranean, a 20- to 30-minute drive west of the city center. Planes leave roughly hourly for Paris (one-hour flight, about the same price as a train ticket, check easyjet.com for the cheapest flights to Paris’ Orly airport). The two terminals (Terminal 1 and Terminal 2) are connected by frequent shuttle buses (navettes). Both terminals have TIs (and Terminal 1 has an info desk just for Monaco), banks, ATMs, taxis, baggage storage (€6.50/day per piece, open daily 5:45-23:00), and buses to Nice (tel. 04 89 88 98 28, nice.aeroport.fr).
Taxis into the center are expensive considering the short distance (figure €35 to recommended hotels, 10 percent more 19:00-7:00 and all day Sun). Taxis stop outside door (Porte) A-1 at Terminal 1 and outside Porte A-3 at Terminal 2. Notorious for overcharging, Nice taxis are not always so nice. If your fare for a ride into town is much higher than €35 (or €40 at night or on Sun), refuse to pay the overage. If this doesn’t work, tell the cabbie to call a gendarme (police officer). It’s always a good idea to ask for a receipt (reçu).
Airport shuttle vans work with some of my recommended hotels, but they only make sense when going to the airport, not when arriving on an international flight. Unlike taxis, shuttle vans offer a fixed price that doesn’t rise on Sundays, early mornings, or evenings. Prices are best for groups (figure €30 for one person, and only a little more for additional people; keep in mind that taxis to the airport cost roughly €35, so be wary of services that charge much more). Nice Airport Shuttle is one option (1-2 people-€32, additional person-€14, mobile 06 60 33 20 54, nice-airport-shuttle.com). Med-Tour, in addition to sightseeing tours, also offers airport transfers (1-4 people-€29, €10 extra before 7:00 or after 21:00, tel. 04 93 82 92 58, mobile 06 73 82 04 10, med-tour.com). Ask your hotelier for other recommendations.
Three bus lines connect the airport with the city center, offering good alternatives to high-priced taxis. Bus #99 (airport express) runs from both terminals to Nice’s main train station (€6, 2/hour, 8:00-21:00, 30 minutes, drops you within a 10-minute walk of many recommended hotels). To take this bus to the airport, catch it right in front of the train station (departs on the half-hour). If your hotel is within walking distance of the station, #99 is a breeze.
Bus #98 serves both terminals, and runs along Promenade des Anglais to the edge of Vieux Nice (€6, 3/hour, from the airport 6:00-23:00, to the airport until 21:00, 30 minutes, see map on here for stops). The slower, cheaper local bus #23 serves only Terminal 1, and makes every stop between the airport and train station (€1, 5/hour, runs 6:00-20:00, 40 minutes, direction: St. Maurice).
For all buses, buy tickets in the information office just outside either terminal, or from the driver. To reach the bus information office and stops at Terminal 1, turn left after passing customs and exit the doors at the far end. Buses serving Terminal 2 stop across the street from the airport exit (information kiosk and ticket sales to the right as you exit).