Plage Publique de Beau Rivage
Nice's public beaches are free to use and stretch along the entire Promenade. The beach is pebbly, not sandy, but the water is clear and the Mediterranean sun is generous.
City in France
Nice
11 things to see
Nice is the rare French Riviera city where the best experiences cost nothing. Climb the stone steps of Colline du Château (Castle Hill), or ride the free public elevator near the Bellanda Tower, for a panoramic view over the apricot rooftops of Vieux Nice and the curve of the Baie des Anges. The park itself is free and open every day. Spend a morning wandering the old town and the Cours Saleya market, where socca and local produce can be sampled cheaply, then walk the Promenade des Anglais and laze on the public pebble beach without paying for a lounger. The city’s municipal museums, including the Matisse and the Jules Chéret Fine Arts collections, open their doors for free on the first Sunday of each month, and a low-cost multi-day pass covers them the rest of the time. The regional train line hugs the coast, making day trips to Monaco, Cannes, Antibes, and the hilltop village of Eze easy for the price of a ticket. Visit in spring or autumn shoulder season to dodge the summer crowds and the highest accommodation prices while keeping warm, walkable weather.
What to see
Things to do in Nice
What each one costs, where the cost is known.
Castle Hill
Castle Hill (Colline du Chateau) is the rocky park at the eastern end of the Promenade des Anglais, with ruins of the old castle, a waterfall, and the best panoramic views in Nice. Free.
Marc Chagall National Museum
The Musee National Marc Chagall in the Cimiez district was designed with Chagall's input to house his series of 17 monumental paintings of biblical themes. Entry is paid.
Cours Saleya Market
Cours Saleya is Nice's main open-air market, filling a long square in the Old Town with flowers, fruit, vegetables, olives, lavender products, and prepared food. Free to browse.
MAMAC
MAMAC (Musee d'Art Moderne et d'Art Contemporain) is Nice's modern art museum, a square building with a rooftop terrace offering panoramic views over the old town, the sea, and the hills. Entry to the permanent collection is free.
Matisse Museum
The Matisse Museum is housed in a 17th-century Genoese villa in the Cimiez neighborhood, dedicated to the painter who lived in Nice for nearly four decades. Entry is free.
Nice Old Town
The Vieille Ville (Old Town) of Nice is a dense grid of narrow streets between the Promenade and Castle Hill, painted in warm ochres and reds. Free to wander.
Place Massena
Place Massena is the grand central square of Nice, with red ochre buildings, a neoclassical fountain, and seven resin statues on illuminated poles by Jaume Plensa that glow in different colors at night. Free.
Promenade des Anglais
The Promenade des Anglais is the seven-kilometer seafront walkway along Nice's Baie des Anges, lined with blue chairs, palm trees, and the grand facades of belle-epoque hotels. Free.
Promenade du Paillon
The Promenade du Paillon is a 12-hectare urban park running through the center of Nice from Place Massena to the MAMAC museum, built over the Paillon River. Free.
Russian Orthodox Cathedral Nice
The St Nicholas Russian Orthodox Cathedral is the largest Russian Orthodox cathedral in Western Europe, built for the Russian aristocrats who wintered in Nice in the early 1900s. Free to enter.
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