Nice & Côte d'Azur

The Promenade des Anglais under Mediterranean sun, the Old Town and Monaco's casino, with Cannes and the eagle's-nest village of Èze completing the classic stretch of France's southern coast.

Nice is the capital of the Alpes-Maritimes department in southeastern France and the country's fifth-largest city. It sits on the Baie des Anges on the Mediterranean, backed by the foothills of the Alps, and is the center of the Côte d'Azur. The coastline runs from Cannes and Antibes in the west, through Nice, east to the Principality of Monaco and Menton on the Italian border, less than 80 km in all, with the train (TER) and coastal roads linking every town. The climate is Mediterranean, with over 300 sunny days a year; May–June and September–October, with temperatures of 20–27°C, swimmable seas and fewer visitors, are the best times. In July–August the beaches are packed and hotel prices double; winter at 10–15°C is still mild, with the Nice Carnival and the Menton Lemon Festival in February, while during the Cannes Film Festival in May and the Monaco Formula 1 Grand Prix at the end of May, rooms are nearly impossible to find. The core areas are: first, Nice itself, with the Promenade des Anglais and beach, the Old Town and Cours Saleya market, Castle Hill, and the Matisse and Chagall museums in the Cimiez district to the north, 1.5–2 days; second, the eastern line, with Monaco (20 minutes by train), the village of Èze (25 minutes on bus 82) and the Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild in Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, 1–1.5 days; third, the western line, with Cannes (30 minutes by train) and the Picasso Museum in Antibes, 1 day. Getting around: Nice Côte d'Azur Airport is France's second-largest international airport, and tram line 2 reaches the city center directly in 25 minutes (€1.7); the TGV from Paris takes about 5.5–6 hours; the TER train is the most convenient way between coastal towns (Nice–Monaco €4.3), and the three coastal roads, the Lower, Middle and Upper Corniches, suit a scenic drive. We recommend 4–5 days. Note: the beaches are mostly pebbly, so bring sandals; watch for pickpockets in the Old Town and on trams; the Monaco casino requires visitors to be 18 or older and to show a passport, with a dress code in the evening; many museums close on Tuesdays, and the Nice city museums pass (€15 for 3 days) includes the Matisse Museum but not the National Chagall Museum.

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Itineraries