What are the top things to do in Nice?

Promenade des Anglais, Vieux Nice and Cours Saleya, Colline du Château, Musée Matisse, and more. Paste your own list into Tripsapien and it checks each place's hours, closures, and booking pressure for your exact dates.

Which neighborhoods should I explore in Nice?

Vieux Nice, Promenade and Carré d’Or, Libération, Cimiez. Tripsapien groups your places by neighborhood so each day stays in one or two areas instead of zig-zagging.

When is the best time to visit Nice?

June, September, July balance comfortable temperatures with fewer rainy days. Pick your month below to see that month's events, public holidays, and seasonal timing.

Will the places on my list be open when I'm in Nice?

Tripsapien checks each place against the exact dates you're in Nice and flags closures, limited hours, and sell-outs before the trip.

Nice France

Things to do in Nice

By Tripsapien Research / Updated May 20, 2026

Nice is the French Riviera's big-city base, squeezed between the Baie des Anges, Vieux Nice lanes, Cimiez hills, and the blue train line toward Monaco and Cannes. The traveler frame is the Promenade des Anglais for sea views, Vieux Nice and Cours Saleya for markets and baroque streets, and Cimiez or Mont Boron for Roman ruins, Matisse, and quieter outlooks.

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About Nice

City overview

Food & drink

Nice is the home base for socca, salade niçoise, pan bagnat, pissaladière, petits farcis, ratatouille, and tourte de blettes. Cours Saleya, Marché de la Libération, Chez Pipo near the port, and old-town snack counters make the Niçois staples easy to compare.

Top sights

Ranked for suitability using weather, setting, ratings, and review volume.

Map of Nice with pinned top attractions (1 through 10)

1
Promenade des Anglais
4.7★ · 2,409
English winter visitors financed the original seaside walk in the 1820s, and the promenade now runs for more than 5km along the Baie des Anges. It links the airport approach, Negresco hotel, public beaches, and Castle Hill viewpoints.
Wikipedia
2
Vieux Nice and Cours Saleya
4.7★ · 423
The old town keeps a dense Italianate street pattern from the Savoy and Sardinian eras, with ochre facades, baroque churches, and market stalls. Cours Saleya hosts flowers, produce, antiques, and restaurants a few steps from the seafront.
3
Colline du Château
4.7★ · 24,967
Nice castle was dismantled by Louis XIV forces in 1706, leaving a hilltop park with ruins, a waterfall, and the city's best free viewpoint. Stairs and a lift climb from the Quai des États-Unis beside Vieux Nice.

Show 7 more sights

4Musée Matisse
5Musée Marc Chagall
6Cimiez Roman Ruins and Archaeology Museum
7Hotel Negresco
8Palais Lascaris
9Place Masséna
10Parc Phoenix

Neighborhoods

1
Vieux Nice
Vieux Nice feels dense and theatrical, with Cours Saleya, Palais Lascaris, Sainte-Réparate, gelato counters, and late bars packed into narrow lanes.
2
Promenade and Carré d’Or
The seafront and Carré d’Or are hotel-and-shopping Nice, anchored by the Negresco, Jardin Albert Ier, Masséna, boutiques, and beach clubs.
3
Libération
Libération is the local market district north of the station, with the Gare du Sud food hall, tram stops, produce stalls, and everyday cafes.
4
Cimiez
Cimiez is greener and older, with Roman ruins, Musée Matisse, the monastery gardens, Belle Époque residences, and hilltop calm above the center.
5
Port Lympia and Garibaldi
The port area mixes ferries, antique shops, seafood terraces, Place Garibaldi arcades, and easy access to Mont Boron trails.
6
Mont Boron and Riquier
Mont Boron climbs into villas, pines, and sea viewpoints, while Riquier adds practical rail links, apartment blocks, and grocery stops east of the center.

Day trips

22km / 25min by TER train from Nice-Ville
Monaco
The principality adds the casino, palace rock, yacht harbor, and cliffside train views. Trains are frequent but crowded during the Grand Prix and summer weekends.
20km / 20min by TER train from Nice-Ville
Antibes
Old ramparts, the Picasso Museum in Château Grimaldi, sandy beaches, and Port Vauban give Antibes a compact Riviera contrast.
12km / 20min by bus from Nice or train to Èze-sur-Mer plus climb
Èze
The hill village has stone lanes, garden terraces, and views above the Mediterranean. Use the Nietzsche Path only with proper shoes and water.

Getting around

Lignes d’Azur trams cover the airport, Jean Médecin, Old Town edges, the port, and western districts, with Line 2 the fastest airport-to-center route. TER trains are best for Monaco, Antibes, Cannes, and Villefranche, while Vieux Nice and the Promenade are easiest on foot.