My What to Do list in Nice

Nice is a beautiful city in the South of France, surrounded by blue seas, history and culture.  There’s a surprising amount to see and do across the beaches of Nice as well as places to eat and beautiful hotels right on the coast.  If you’re visiting Nice this summer, read on to find out the best places to visit on your stay.

First and foremost, my favourite place to start in Nice is the Old Town.  It’s located right at the bottom of Castle Hill and consists of streets and streets of old culture and delicious restaurants on narrow windy streets with beautifully painted buildings.  It’s just a stone throw from the beach so is a lovely way to divide your day into relaxing and exploring.  There are plenty of markets and shops to visit while walking through the Old Town, as well as loads of flower shops and fresh fruit, I can assure you it smells amazing!  You can explore Old Nice yourself by walking or there are lots of guided tours that you can book which will take you to the best spots and give you all the history you need to know.

After taking a nice stroll through the Old Town you can head straight from there up the Castle Hill of Nice.  This is an opportunity to take in the breath-taking views of Nice while hiking (or taking the elevator) up to the spot where the Castle of Nice once stood.  The view from the top is spectacular at any time of day but extra beautiful at Sunrise or Sunset if you’re willing to wake up that bit earlier to beat the crowds.  Again, you can do this yourself of join a guided tour which will take you to the best photo shots and of course, give you all the history!

Another walking opportunity (pretty much most of Nice consists of walking), is the Promenade de Anglais.  This is the promenade that runs along the Mediterranean front with unbeatable views of the clear sea and a long line of beautiful hotels, casinos and restaurants to stop off at.  It also runs parallel to the beach and the beach clubs which isn’t a sandy beach like you’d expect, it’s a pebble beach but that doesn’t stop it being full of people catching some sun and enjoying the sea.

A must-do when you’re visiting Nice is to take the train to the neighbouring towns, Villefranche and Monaco.  Villefranche is a stunning coastal town with beautiful coloured houses (think Balamory but 10x prettier) and stunning beaches and harbours.  To stay in Villefranche is pretty pricy but to visit for the day, it is so worth it.  It’s described as a ‘postcard perfect place’ as every location you visit is really that gorgeous that it feels like you’re in a postcard.

Monaco if one of the richest countries in the world and is only a 20 minute train from Nice.  It’s full of stunning hotels, apartments, restaurants, cars and yachts.  It’s very modern and high end as well as being very historical and old in places, which gives you so much to explore in a day.  Overall, it is an expensive city to both stay in and to visit but it is worth the visit to literally ‘see how the other half live’.  There are super yachts as far as the eye can see as well as super cars on every corner, and of course the famous Casino de Monte-Carlo which you can go in and see for free or take a gamble and get involved! 

Back to Nice, there is a square called the Place Massena which is located near the Old Town.  It is surrounded by beautiful buildings and statues as well as plenty of cafes that you can sit in and enjoy the view and take in the culture with a coffee in hand.  Lastly, there are plenty of Cathedrals and Museums around the coast of Nice that give even more of an insight to the beautiful city.  Cathedrale Saint-Nicolas a Nice is an exotic cathedral homing many religious stories and objects, Musee Massana is a museum that tells the history of Nice through paintings and art, and Cathedrale Sainte-Reparate is a one thousand year old cathedral of stunning architecture and art.  All of this, plus the most crystal clear sea make up all the reasons why Nice is a must see city in the South of France!