7 Days in Nice & the French Riviera
Belle Époque promenades, a clifftop village 400 meters above the sea, and a full day in Monaco, a week based in one hotel that covers the best of the Côte d'Azur.
Belle Époque promenades, a clifftop village 400 meters above the sea, and a full day in Monaco, a week based in one hotel that covers the best of the Côte d'Azur.
The airport sits right on the coast, just a short transfer from most Promenade des Anglais hotels.
🚕 ~20 min taxi from the airport 💵 ~€35 🕐 Plan around your flight timeWander the pastel alleys of the old town, then browse the flower and produce stalls at Cours Saleya before they pack up for the day.
🚶 Walkable old town 💵 Free to browse 🕐 Before 1 PM, stalls close earlyThe Belle Époque hotel façades turn gold as the sun drops into the Baie des Anges, a fitting first look at the city.
🚶 Along the bay, flat and easy 💵 Free 🕐 Golden hourClimb the switchback path, or take the small lift, up Castle Hill for the postcard view over the Baie des Anges and the old town rooftops.
🚶 ~15 min climb from Vieux Nice 💵 ~€2 for the lift 🕐 Right at 8 AM opening, before the hazeRent a chair at a private beach club, or spread a towel on a public stretch of Nice's smooth Riviera pebbles.
🚶 Steps from the Promenade 💵 ~€30 for a private beach chair 🕐 Early afternoon, before peak sunThe Matisse Museum sits in the Cimiez hills where the painter lived for decades; the Chagall Museum, closer to downtown, holds the largest public Chagall collection anywhere.
🚌 ~15 min bus to Cimiez 💵 ~€10 entry 🕐 Late afternoon, before the 5 PM closeRide the coastal train to Èze-sur-Mer, then catch the local shuttle bus up the switchbacks to the perched village itself.
🚆 ~25 min train + 10 min shuttle 💵 ~€3 one-way 🕐 Before the day-trippers arriveCacti and succulents frame a genuinely stunning 360-degree view from the ruins of the old château at the village summit.
🚶 Steep cobbled lanes, wear good shoes 💵 ~€8 garden entry 🕐 Midday, for the clearest viewsA handful of restaurants in the village serve dinner with a sea view that rivals anywhere on the coast, at a price to match.
🚆 Last shuttle back down to the station 💵 ~€75 dinner 🕐 Reserve a sunset tableThe regional train hugs the coastline the entire way. Arrive at the palace square in time for the Changing of the Guard.
🚆 ~20 min train from Nice-Ville 💵 ~€9 round trip 🕐 Right at 11:55 AM for the guard changeFounded by Prince Albert I, the museum's shark lagoon and cliffside terrace are worth the entry fee on their own.
🚶 ~15 min downhill from the palace 💵 ~€32 entry 🕐 Early afternoonEven without a hand of cards, the Belle Époque façade lit up at dusk, plus a drink at Café de Paris across the square, makes for a classic Monaco evening.
🚶 Across Casino Square 💵 ~€80 dinner nearby 🕐 Blue hour, when the façade lights upWalk the sea-facing ramparts above the Mediterranean, where the old fortified town meets Europe's largest yachting harbor.
🚆 ~20 min train from Nice-Ville 💵 ~€9 round trip 🕐 Morning light along the sea wallHoused in the Château Grimaldi, where Picasso lived and worked for several prolific months in 1946.
🚶 In the old town, on the ramparts 💵 ~€8 entry 🕐 Early afternoon, fewer crowdsOne of the Riviera's oldest hilltop villages, ringed by ramparts and galleries that once counted Matisse, Picasso, and Chagall as regulars.
🚗 ~35 min transfer from Antibes 💵 ~€50 round-trip taxi 🕐 Late afternoon light for the galleriesThe famous waterfront boulevard, lined with palm trees, grand hotels, and the red-carpet steps of the Palais des Festivals.
🚆 ~35 min train from Nice-Ville 💵 ~€14 round trip 🕐 Mid-morning strollClimb the hill above the harbor to Cannes' original fishing village, then duck into the covered market for a Provençal lunch.
🚶 Uphill from the port 💵 Free to wander 🕐 Before 1 PM, market still fullGrab a terrace table facing the bay and watch the yachts and the light shift together.
🚶 Back along the bay 💵 ~€18 per drink 🕐 Golden hour over the Bay of CannesRent a bike right on the Promenade and ride its full flat length before the day's heat and crowds arrive.
🚲 Rental stand on the Promenade 💵 ~€15 half-day rental 🕐 Right after breakfast, quiet pathA pedestrian shopping street a block back from the beach, good for a final coffee and a souvenir run.
🚶 Central Nice, walkable 💵 Varies 🕐 Early afternoonThe airport sits close enough to the center that even a late afternoon flight leaves room for a full last day.
🚕 ~20 min taxi 💵 ~€35 🕐 Leave 2 hrs before your flightA single-digit-euro ticket between Riviera towns beats a private transfer many times over, and the coastal views are better too.
Multi-course lunch specials at family-run bistros in Vieux Nice cost far less than the same restaurant's dinner menu.
Castle Hill and Rauba-Capeu rival any paid boat tour for panoramic views, at no cost at all.
A quiet clifftop path just past Castle Hill with front-row Baie des Anges views and a fraction of the Promenade's crowds.
One short train stop away: a working fishing port with pastel buildings and none of the Monte Carlo price tags.
By early evening, the same square turns into an open-air restaurant terrace favored by locals over tourists.
Where to next
