3 days in Nice

Day by day

1. Day 1: Promenade des Anglais and Vieux Nice

   Promenade des Anglais, Vieux Nice and Place Masséna, then Vieux Nice in the evening.

   1. Morning

      Promenade des Anglais

      Nice's seafront promenade runs about 7 kilometres around the Baie des Anges from the airport to the foot of Castle Hill.

   2. Late morning

      Vieux Nice

      Explore in the morning when the lanes are cool and quiet, then return in the evening when the terraces fill up.

   3. Lunch

      Lunch: Socca

      Counters in Vieux Nice and around the Cours Saleya and the port; it is best straight from the oven, so watch for a fresh tray.

   4. Afternoon

      Place Masséna

      Nice's main square has red-ochre Italianate arcades, a black-and-white chequerboard pavement and the Fontaine du Soleil with its marble Apollo.

   5. Evening

      Vieux Nice

      Pubs, wine bars and cocktail terraces around Rue de la Préfecture, Place Rossetti and the Cours Saleya, busy every evening in summer.

2. Day 2: Cours Saleya market and Castle Hill (Colline du Château)

   Cours Saleya market, Castle Hill (Colline du Château) and Palais Lascaris, then Le Port and Rue Bonaparte in the evening.

   1. Morning

      Cours Saleya market

      Go before 10am for the best produce and buy a portion of socca from one of the counters at the eastern end.

   2. Late morning

      Castle Hill (Colline du Château)

      The fortress that once crowned this rock was demolished in 1706, and the hill is now a shaded park with an artificial waterfall, a playground, ruins of the old cathedral and the city's best viewpoints over the Baie des Anges on one side and Port Lympia on the other.

   3. Lunch

      Lunch: Salade niçoise

      Old town restaurants and lunch spots on the Cours Saleya; places that serve it with raw vegetables follow the Niçoise tradition.

   4. Afternoon

      Palais Lascaris

      Use it as a cool, quiet break during a hot afternoon in the old town.

   5. Evening

      Le Port and Rue Bonaparte

      Relaxed bars and restaurants around Place Garibaldi and Rue Bonaparte, popular with locals and the LGBTQ community.

3. Day 3: Promenade du Paillon and Musée Matisse

   Promenade du Paillon, Musée Matisse and Musée National Marc Chagall, then Beach clubs in the evening.

   1. Morning

      Promenade du Paillon

      This long green corridor was built over the covered Paillon river and links Place Masséna with the old town's edge.

   2. Late morning

      Musée Matisse

      Combine it with the Roman ruins in the same park and the monastery gardens next door; bus lines from the centre stop outside.

   3. Lunch

      Lunch: Pan bagnat

      Bakeries and sandwich counters in the old town and near the beaches; buy one in the morning before heading to the sea.

   4. Afternoon

      Musée National Marc Chagall

      Purpose-built in 1973 with the artist's involvement, the museum holds Chagall's cycle of large Biblical Message paintings, a concert hall with his blue stained-glass windows and a mosaic reflected in a garden pool.

   5. Evening

      Beach clubs

      Several private beaches along the Promenade turn into lounge bars with DJs on summer evenings.

Before you go

If it rains

• Swap in Musée Masséna (Promenade des Anglais seafront): Pair it with a rest in the free garden, one of the few shaded green spaces directly on the Promenade.
• Swap in Parc Phoenix (Arénas): Reach it on tram line 2 towards the airport and combine it with a walk back along the Promenade.
• Swap in Musée des Beaux-Arts Jules Chéret (Baumettes): Walk up from the western Promenade; the villa's garden and staircase are worth seeing on their own.

Where to stay for this itinerary

With 3 nights, Vieux Nice (Old Town) keeps most of this route within easy reach. For a calmer or cheaper base, Promenade des Anglais seafront ($$$$) suits beach, families, luxury and first-timers. Compare every area.

Pace and daylight

The sights in this plan add up to roughly 11–14 hours of visiting over 3 days, before meals and getting between them. Daylight runs from about 8.9 hours in December to 15.4 hours in June, so in winter start early and keep museums for the afternoon.

More or fewer days

• One day in Nice
• 2 days in Nice
• 4 days in Nice
• 5 days in Nice
• 7 days in Nice

Questions travellers ask