With kids · Nice · France
Nice with kids
Family-tested sights, a calm base and the practical details that make travelling with children easier.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Miniwark, CC BY-SA 3.0
Quick answer
Nice works well for families: flat seafront walks, playgrounds on Castle Hill and the Promenade du Paillon, a botanical park with animals and easy train trips to Monaco. The pebble beaches shelve steeply, so younger children need close supervision and water shoes. Top picks: Promenade du Paillon, Castle Hill (Colline du Château) and Parc Phoenix. Families usually base themselves in Promenade des Anglais seafront.
Key facts
- Family picks
- 5
- Best area for families
- Promenade des Anglais seafront
- Rainy-day options
- 1
- Busiest months
- July–August
Best things to do with kids
Park · Jean-Médecin and Place Masséna
1.Promenade du Paillon
This long green corridor was built over the covered Paillon river and links Place Masséna with the old town's edge. Its water mirror sends up jets and mist that children run through on hot days, and there are large wooden playgrounds shaped like sea creatures, lawns and shaded benches.
Bring a change of clothes for small children if you plan to stop at the water mirror in summer.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Free
- Kids
- Free
- Outdoors
Viewpoint · Vieux Nice (Old Town)
2.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. Stairs climb from the old town and the port, and a lift near the Tour Bellanda saves the steepest section.
Climb up from the old town in the late afternoon and walk down the far side to the port for dinner.
- Time needed
- 1–1.5 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Views
- Free
- Kids
- Photo spot
- Outdoors
- Couples
Garden · Arénas
3.Parc Phoenix
A botanical park near the airport end of the Promenade, built around one of Europe's largest greenhouses, the Diamant Vert, which holds tropical plants, butterflies and small animals. Outside are lakes, birds and play areas, making it a good half-day with young children.
Reach it on tram line 2 towards the airport and combine it with a walk back along the Promenade.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Kids
- Nature
- Outdoors
- Rainy day
Waterfront · Seafront
4.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. It is lined with palms, the famous blue chairs and Belle Époque façades such as the Hotel Negresco, and has a separate two-way cycle lane. Steps lead down to free public pebble beaches between the private beach clubs.
Walk it at sunset from the Negresco towards the old town, then continue up to Castle Hill for the view back along the bay.
- Time needed
- 1–2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Iconic
- Free
- Outdoors
- Couples
- Kids
- Views
Landmark · Jean-Médecin and Place Masséna
5.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. Seven kneeling figures by Jaume Plensa sit on tall poles above the square and change colour after dark. Tram line 1 crosses it and the Promenade du Paillon begins on its northern side.
Come back after dark to see Plensa's illuminated figures, then walk the Promenade du Paillon's water mirror.
- Time needed
- 30 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Iconic
- Free
- After dark
- Architecture
- Photo spot
Rainy-day ideas
- Parc Phoenix — Reach it on tram line 2 towards the airport and combine it with a walk back along the Promenade.
Where families should stay
$$$$ · Best for beach, families, luxury and first-timers
Promenade des Anglais seafront
The hotels lining the Promenade des Anglais, from the domed Negresco to more modern sea-view blocks, put the beach directly across the road. The cycle lane and wide pavement run the full length of the bay, and tram line 2 runs a few blocks inland towards the airport and the port.
- Good
- Sea views and direct beach access; Flat, easy walking and cycling; Good tram link to the airport
- Watch out
- Expensive for sea-view rooms; Traffic noise on the seafront road
- Nearby
- Musée Masséna, Hotel Negresco, Public beaches, Place Masséna
Family travel tips
- Pack water shoes; the beaches are made of large pebbles that are hard on small feet.
- The sea floor drops quickly a few metres from the shore, so keep young swimmers close.
- Trams are step-free and stroller-friendly; the old town's lanes and Castle Hill stairs are not, though a lift serves part of the hill.
- In Monaco, the Oceanographic Museum's aquariums make an easy rainy-day outing with children.
- Restaurants open for dinner around 7pm; a pan bagnat picnic on the beach is often easier with kids.
Day trips for families
- Monaco (About 20 minutes by train) — The tiny principality packs the Prince's Palace on the Rock, the Oceanographic Museum, Monte-Carlo's casino square and a harbour full of superyachts into a few steep kilometres.
- Menton (About 35 minutes by train) — The last town before the Italian border has a pastel old town climbing to the Basilica of Saint-Michel, lemon groves, subtropical gardens and the Jean Cocteau museum.
When to go with children
The best months overall are May–June and September–October. July–August are the busiest, so book the big sights early. Weather by month.
Questions travellers ask
+Is Nice good for kids?
Nice works well for families: flat seafront walks, playgrounds on Castle Hill and the Promenade du Paillon, a botanical park with animals and easy train trips to Monaco. The pebble beaches shelve steeply, so younger children need close supervision and water shoes.
+What can kids do in Nice?
Promenade du Paillon, Castle Hill (Colline du Château), Parc Phoenix, Promenade des Anglais and Place Masséna.
+Where should families stay in Nice?
Promenade des Anglais seafront: Belle Époque hotels, sea-view rooms and the famous blue chairs along the bay.