French Riviera (Cote d'Azur)
Nice
Stay in or near Vieux Nice for three or four nights, take the L2 tram in for a couple of euros, accept the pebble beaches, and let the coastal train pick off Monaco, Eze and Cannes.
Best length
3-4 nights
Airport
Nice Cote d'Azur (NCE), ~7km west of the centre
Airport to centre
Tram L2 ~20-30 min, about EUR 1.70; taxi ~EUR 32-40
Best base
Vieux Nice for atmosphere; Carre d'Or for a calmer feel
In short
Nice at a glance
Nice works best as a 3- or 4-night Riviera base: stay in or near Vieux Nice, take the tram L2 in from the airport for a couple of euros rather than a taxi, accept that the beaches are pebbles, and use the coastal train to pick off Monaco, Eze, Antibes and Cannes on day trips.
The short version
- Stay in or beside Vieux Nice (the old town) for atmosphere, or Carre d'Or for a calmer, smarter base a few minutes' walk west.
- Take tram L2 from the airport into the centre for about EUR 1.70 a ride; a taxi is roughly EUR 32-40 for the same short hop.
- Nice beaches are pebbles, not sand, so pack a mat and shoes you can walk in or you will regret the lounger-free public stretches.
- Treat Nice as a day-trip hub: the coastal TER puts Monaco at ~20 minutes, Antibes ~25 and Cannes ~40 for a few euros each way.
- Three to four nights is the sweet spot: a day in town, a day or two on day trips, and an afternoon on a beach or up Castle Hill.
Nice is the obvious base for a French Riviera trip, and the trick is to treat it as exactly that: a comfortable home for three or four nights with the coast hanging off it. The city itself earns a day or so of attention — the ochre lanes and morning market of Vieux Nice, the free view from Castle Hill over the Baie des Anges, a slow walk along the Promenade des Anglais — but its real superpower is the coastal railway that runs east to Monaco and Menton and west to Antibes and Cannes for a few euros a hop.
Two things catch first-timers out. The beaches are pebbles, not sand, so the dreamy loungers-on-golden-sand picture is wrong; bring a padded mat and footwear, or book a beach club and pay for the comfort. And the seafront charges a premium for everything, so the move is to eat the lunchtime formule, drink a few streets back in the old town, and save your money for the day trips. Below, the structured planning — where to stay, the cheap tram in from the airport, a realistic budget in pounds, and the train times along the coast — picks up from here.
Plan your Nice trip
Keep a first trip focused: book the big timed sights, then leave room for neighbourhoods and food.
Top things to do in Nice
Promenade des Anglais
The Promenade is free — it's a 7 km public seafront you walk or cycle, not a ticketed attraction, so don't pay for anything to be on it. The beach below is pebble, not sand, and roughly half of it is free public beach with showers; the rest is private beach clubs charging from about €22 for a lounger and umbrella. Walk the busy central kilometre between the Hôtel Negresco and Castle Hill for the architecture and the famous blue chairs, then turn back — the airport end is just a wide path beside a dual carriageway.
Vieux Nice and Cours Saleya market
There's nothing to book here — Vieux Nice and the Cours Saleya are open public space. Wander the narrow ochre lanes, duck into the baroque churches, and hit the Cours Saleya for flowers and produce on weekday mornings (antiques replace it on Mondays). Go before about 11am, eat socca standing up, and treat it as a slow morning rather than a checklist.
Where to stay first
The areas that make a first visit easier — not an exhaustive directory.
Vieux Nice (Old Town)
££ mid-rangeThe most atmospheric base: market, bars, restaurants and Castle Hill all on your doorstep. Mostly apartment rentals rather than hotels, and noisy at night, so it is wrong for light sleepers or anyone with mobility issues or young children.
Best for: First-timers, couples, atmosphere, food
Carre d'Or (Golden Square)
£££ premiumJust west of the old town, Belle Epoque buildings, smart shops and proper hotels, a few minutes' walk from the sea and the Promenade. Calmer and tidier than Vieux Nice but pricier; the easiest comfortable first-timer choice.
Best for: Couples, comfort, easy walking
Le Port
££ mid-rangeNice's working port, more local in feel, with good restaurants and the ferries. A short walk or tram hop east of the centre; decent value some nights, but you trade the central-everything convenience of the old town.
Best for: Repeat visitors, food, a more local stay
Liberation / near Nice-Ville station
£ valueAround the Libe market north of the main train station: the most affordable area and ideal if you are day-tripping by train every day. Less postcard-pretty, a 15-20 minute walk or short tram from the sea.
Best for: Budget, day-trippers, rail-first stays
Airport to city centre
| Option | Time | Cost | Book ahead? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tram L2 to the centre (Jean Medecin / Garibaldi) | ~20-30 min | about EUR 1.70 single | Cheapest; buy from machines, board at the terminal |
| Taxi to the old town | ~15-20 min | usually EUR 32-40 flat-ish | Good with luggage or late arrivals |
| Airport express bus (line 12 to station) | ~25-35 min | EUR 1.70 single | Useful for the station area |
| Pre-booked private transfer | ~15-20 min | from about EUR 30-45 | Worth it for groups or families |
When to go
Sweet spot: May, June, September and early October are the sweet spot for Nice: warm, walkable and far less crammed than July-August, with September the pick because the sea is at its warmest (around 23-24C) after the summer heat.
The sea only really warms up from June to October, so spring trips are for walking and day trips rather than swimming (May water is about 16C). July and August are hot, packed and dear; winter is mild and cheap but a sightseeing-and-cafe trip, not a beach one. Remember the beaches are pebbles in any season.
What it costs
UK return flights to Nice are often GBP 50-130 outside school holidays when booked ahead from London, Manchester, Bristol, Birmingham and Edinburgh; summer weekends and half-terms push fares well above GBP 200.
Daily budget per person
Nice gets expensive fastest on the seafront: a beer on the Promenade or at a beach club runs EUR 10-12 against EUR 6-7 a couple of streets back. Eat the lunchtime formule (around EUR 15-20 for two or three courses) and do drinks in Vieux Nice instead.
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