Nice is one of those cities that is just really easy to love. The architecture is gorgeous, the Mediterranean is somehow the brightest Gatorade blue, and you can spend your morning wandering through colorful Old Nice and your afternoon stretched out along the French Riviera.

We spent six days based in Nice during our trip through the South of France, which gave us plenty of time to explore the city, try way too many restaurants, shop, beach, and figure out what was actually worth fitting into a shorter trip.

And honestly? I think three days in Nice is the sweet spot.

It gives you enough time to see the main sights without rushing, spend a proper afternoon at the beach, eat and shop your way through Old Nice, and still have time for a few experiences that go beyond the typical first-time Nice itinerary.

This 3 days in Nice itinerary is how I would plan our trip if I were doing it all over again.

Quick Deets: What to Know Before Spending 3 Days in Nice

• IS NICE A GOOD BASE FOR THE FRENCH RIVERIA?
  • One of the best. The train makes it ridiculously easy to reach towns like Villefranche-sur-Mer, Èze, Monaco, Menton, Antibes, and Cannes without constantly changing hotels.
• WHERE SHOULD YOU STAY?
  • I loved staying just outside of Old Nice. Our Airbnb was a bit cheaper than in Old Nice, and in a quiet residential neighborhood that felt incredibly safe and put us about equal distance from the beach, Old Nice, and the train station.
• DO YOU NEED A CAR?
  • Definitely not. Nice is extremely walkable, and we also used Lime and Pony bikes when we wanted to get somewhere a little faster. Pony even has bikes with a second seat on the back, which became one of our favorite ways to get around.
• IS UBER AVAILABLE?
  • It’s available, but you should download Bolt. Anytime somewhere was too far to walk or bike, we found Bolt to be significantly cheaper than Uber. Most of our rides around Nice were only around €7–€10.
• DO YOU NEED TO MAKE RESERVATIONS?
  • For the restaurants you really care about, yes. Le Plongeoir in particular can be difficult to book, so grab a reservation as soon as you know your dates.
  • Beach clubs also book up in advance, so make sure to grab a chair about a week or two in advance.
• WHAT IS THE TEMP IN THE SUMMER?
  • HOT. If you’re visiting during peak summer, get your sightseeing done earlier in the day and save the hottest afternoon hours for lunch, shopping, or the beach.

Is 3 Days in Nice Enough?

Yes! After spending six days based in Nice, I really think three days is the sweet spot for exploring the city itself.

You could technically see the highlights of Nice in two days, but I think you’d miss some of what makes the city so enjoyable. Nice isn’t a place where you need to spend your entire trip running from one major attraction to the next. Half the fun is wandering through Old Nice, shopping, walking along the Promenade des Anglais, stopping for coffee or a glass of wine, and spending an afternoon doing absolutely nothing at the beach.

Three days gives you enough time to see the major sights, explore beyond Old Nice, and still slow down and actually enjoy being on the French Riviera.

And if you have more than three days? Even better—but I wouldn’t necessarily spend them all sightseeing in Nice. Keep Nice as your home base and start adding day trips. We stayed for six nights and loved being able to unpack once, hop on the train, and explore places like Èze, Monaco, Antibes, Cannes, and Villefranche-sur-Mer during the day.

So if you have three days total, spend those 3 days in Nice. If you have four, five, or six days, keep Nice as your home base and start adding day trips.

How to Get to Nice

Nice is one of the easiest places to use as a starting point for a French Riviera trip, especially because you can fly directly into the city rather than starting somewhere like Paris and making your way south.

Flying Into Nice

If you’re coming from farther away, you’ll most likely fly into Nice Côte d’Azur Airport (NCE).

We flew into Nice from Los Angeles with a connection in Paris, and having Nice as our final destination made starting our South of France trip incredibly easy.

The airport is also basically right in the city. It’s only a few miles from central Nice, so you don’t have one of those annoying hour-plus transfers between the airport and your hotel once you land.

From the airport, you can take the tram into central Nice or grab a taxi or rideshare if you have luggage and want the easiest option.

Taking the Train to Nice

If you’re already traveling through France or Europe, Nice is also really well connected by train.

The main station is Nice-Ville, which is right in central Nice and walkable to many of the city’s hotels and Airbnbs.

And you’re going to become very familiar with this station if you’re using Nice as your French Riviera home base. Regional trains run along the coast and make it incredibly easy to reach places like Antibes, Cannes, Monaco, Menton, and Villefranche-sur-Mer without renting a car.

Do You Need to Rent a Car?

If you’re only following this three-day Nice itinerary, I would absolutely NOT rent a car.

Parking and navigating tiny city streets are just going to create more work for you when almost everything you’ll want to see is accessible on foot, by bike, tram, or a quick rideshare.

Even if you’re planning a few day trips, you still don’t necessarily need one. The train system along the French Riviera is one of the reasons Nice makes such a good home base.

Save the rental car for a longer South of France itinerary where you’re heading somewhere that isn’t as easily connected by train.

How to Get Around Nice

Once you’re in Nice, getting around is incredibly easy.

We walked almost everywhere. The main areas you’ll want to explore—Old Nice, Place Masséna, Cours Saleya, the Promenade des Anglais, and the main shopping streets—are all close enough that walking is usually the easiest option.

We also LOVED using the bikes around the city. You’ll see both Lime and Pony bikes available to rent through their apps, and they were perfect when somewhere was just a little too far to walk.

Pony was especially fun because some of the bikes have a second seat on the back, so the two of us could ride together.

For anything farther away, we used Bolt instead of Uber. We consistently found it cheaper, and most of our rides around Nice were only around €7–€10. We used it for places like Le Plongeoir where walking just didn’t make as much sense.

Between walking, biking, the tram, and Bolt, we never felt like we needed a car in Nice.

3 Days in Nice, france Itinerary

Day 1: Old Nice, Cours Saleya & the Promenade

Your first day in Nice is all about getting a feel for the city. And if you’re arriving around lunchtime or even early afternoon, don’t worry—you can still fit all of this in.

Nice is incredibly walkable, and Old Nice, Place Masséna, Cours Saleya, and the Promenade are all close enough together that you really don’t need a strict schedule. This is the day to wander, shop, stop for a glass of wine, and start getting your bearings.

Start at Place Masséna

Start your trip at Place Masséna, although I can almost guarantee you’ll end up walking through here approximately 100 more times before you leave.

This huge pedestrian square basically connects Old Nice with the newer parts of the city, and it is STUNNING. You’ve got the black-and-white tiled ground, these gorgeous red buildings surrounding the square, fountains, and the Promenade du Paillon running right alongside it.

Definitely come back at night too. There are seven statues sitting on top of these tall poles throughout the square that light up in different colors after dark. It’s one of those little things I didn’t know about before visiting Nice but loved seeing every night when we walked home.

From here, head into Old Nice and just start wandering.

Explore Old Nice

Old Nice was probably my favorite part of the city, and you really don’t need a list of things to see here.

The streets are narrow and colorful, there are little restaurants and cafés everywhere, and there are SO many good shops. We found everything from cute clothing boutiques to home goods, souvenirs, and random little knickknacks that I absolutely did not need but obviously wanted (yes, I could’ve filled a second suitcase with my purchases).

Give yourself time to actually go into the stores rather than just walking through to say you saw Old Nice. We came back to this area over and over during our six days in Nice and still found new streets and shops every time.

Eventually, make your way toward Cours Saleya.

Shop the Cours Saleya Market

Cours Saleya is the big market street running through Old Nice, just a block or so from the water, and it’s definitely something you should plan around because what’s here changes depending on the day.

• TUESDAY – SUNDAY:
  • This is when you’ll find the famous flower and food market. Expect tons of flowers, fresh fruit and vegetables, spices, olives, local products, food stalls, and plenty of souvenirs and little knickknacks mixed in.
• MONDAY:
  • The food and flower stalls are replaced by the antiques and flea market, with vintage pieces, art, jewelry, dishes, furniture, and all sorts of random finds.

We went for the flower and food market and there was still plenty of shopping beyond just produce and flowers. I loved wandering the stalls and would absolutely make time for it, even if you aren’t planning to buy anything.

One important thing: go earlier in the day. The main market is a morning thing, and the stalls start packing up around lunchtime/early afternoon. If your first day in Nice starts too late, just move Cours Saleya to the morning of Day 2 or Day 3.

Walk Along the Promenade des Anglais

From Cours Saleya, you’re basically right at the water, so head toward the Promenade des Anglais and start walking.

This was another one of those things we did constantly while we were in Nice. The Mediterranean here is the most insane Gatorade blue, and with the palm trees, beach clubs, giant hotels and gorgeous architecture lining the other side of the street, this is where Nice really starts feeling like the French Riviera.

You don’t need to walk the entire promenade. Just wander for as long as you feel like it, stop at one of the iconic blue chairs, and take in the view.

Also, you’ll immediately notice that Nice does NOT have a soft sandy beach. It’s basically all large pebbles. We’ll get into that more on Day 3, but consider this your first warning to pack water shoes.

Have an Easy Dinner at La Claire Fontaine

For your first night, head back into Old Nice for dinner at La Claire Fontaine.

I’m going to set expectations here: this was not the best meal we had in Nice. But the little courtyard it’s located in is absolutely adorable, glasses of wine were around €5, and it was a really easy, pretty first-night dinner when we didn’t want anything overly complicated.

I had the pesto gnocchi and thought it was decent. This is more of a you’re tired from traveling, want to sit somewhere cute and drink an inexpensive glass of wine recommendation than a drop-everything food recommendation.

And honestly, sometimes that’s all you need on the first night.

End With Gelato at Fenocchio

After dinner, walk over to Fenocchio for gelato. It’s directly nextdoor. 

Unlike some of our Nice restaurant experiences, this one absolutely delivered. They have a ridiculous number of flavors, so expect to stand there debating your decision for way too long. But know you can only get one sample, so choose wisely!

Grab your gelato and wander through Old Nice before looping back through Place Masséna.

If you saw it during the day earlier, this is your chance to see the square completely lit up at night.

Day 2: Fiat Tour, Shopping & Our Favorite Dinner in Nice

Day 2 is probably my favorite day of this itinerary because you get to see a completely different side of Nice without spending the entire day running from tourist attraction to tourist attraction.

You’re heading into the hills in the morning, coming back into the city to shop in the afternoon, and ending at the best dinner we had in Nice.

Grab Breakfast at La Base

Start with coffee and breakfast at La Base.

We tried a LOT of bakeries and coffee shops during our six days in Nice, and La Base had some of my favorite croissants. They also have plenty of little breakfast pastries, breads, sandwiches, and snacks, so it’s an easy place to grab something before heading out for the morning.

Try to get moving somewhat early, especially if you’re visiting during the summer. Nice gets seriously hot in the middle of the day, and doing your more active sightseeing in the morning makes everything more enjoyable.

Take the Electric Fiat Tour Through Cap de Nice

This was hands down one of the most fun things we did in Nice!

We booked the Electric Fiat Tour through GetYourGuide, which is a two-hour self-drive tour in these adorable little electric cars designed to look like vintage Fiats.

The tour starts a little bit past the Port of Nice, and from there you follow your guide out of the city and up into the hills. Just be aware the starting point is literally on the side of a highway, where you’ll find a few garage doors – we almost missed it on our way up!

We drove through these beautiful winding roads and gardens, passed a castle, drove by Elton John’s house, and stopped at some incredible viewpoints overlooking Nice and the Mediterranean. You eventually make your way toward Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, where you get even more ridiculous views over the beaches and coastline.

It was such a good way to see more than just the center of Nice without having to rent a car or devote an entire day to sightseeing outside the city.

We didn’t end up making it to Castle Hill during our trip, partially because this tour gave us so many amazing views from above Nice already. I would still include Castle Hill in a first-time itinerary, but if you’re worried about doing too much, the Fiat tour definitely gives you some of that panoramic-view fix.

And driving around the French Riviera in a tiny fake-vintage electric Fiat? Very cute. Would absolutely do again.

Grab an Afternoon Drink at Waka Bar

Once you’re back, walk over toward the Promenade and stop at Waka Bar for a drink.

We came here right after our Fiat tour and had Sarti Spritzes overlooking the water, which was exactly what I wanted at that point in the day.

We also split a Mediterranean plate that was…fine. I wouldn’t necessarily come here specifically for the food. Come for an afternoon drink, the view, and a little break before you start shopping.

Shop Your Way Through Nice

I didn’t really expect Nice to be such a good shopping city, but we ended up shopping A LOT. Between Old Nice, the little markets, and the bigger stores around Place Masséna, there is so much to wander through.

I definitely preferred the smaller shops in Old Nice, especially for finding things that felt a little more unique than your typical souvenir. A few places I would make sure to stop:

• Trésors Publics: One of my favorite finds, filled entirely with French-made home goods, gifts, food, stationery, and plenty of cute little things you didn’t know you needed.
• Ricami Veronica: A tiny embroidery shop where you can personalize bags, linens, pouches, and other pieces for a really cute souvenir.
• Maison Brémond 1830: A Provençal specialty shop filled with olive oils, vinegars, spices, spreads, sweets, and other goodies from the South of France.
• Galeries Lafayette Nice Masséna: Your stop for more traditional shopping, beauty, and designer brands right off Place Masséna.

But honestly, don’t over-plan the shopping portion of your day. There are cute boutiques, markets, and little stores tucked all over Old Nice, and some of our favorite places were ones we found just by wandering around.

And while you’re wandering, stop at Mellow Madeleines. These were the absolute best cookies, and the people working there were amazing and even taught us exactly how to reheat them later. Buy extras.

Have an Early Dinner at Le Plongeoir

Now for the meal that finally made us say, okay, THIS was worth it. Le Plongeoir was easily our favorite dinner in Nice.

The restaurant is built on these rocks sticking out over the Mediterranean, so you are basically sitting above the water. It’s one of those restaurants that could probably get away with mediocre food because the setting is so good—but thankfully, the food was actually amazing too.

Get the truffle pasta. Seriously. And get a pornstar martini. Also seriously.

Our reservation was at 5 PM, which is obviously an aggressively early dinner for Europe, but reservations here are hard to get and that was the time available. I would book as early as you possibly can and take whatever decent reservation you can find.

The earlier time ended up being beautiful anyway because we could really see the water and the entire setting while we ate.

And don’t immediately leave after dinner. Stay for a drink at the bar.

If you can’t get a reservation at all, I would still try to come for a cocktail at the bar just to see the restaurant and have a drink over the water.

Day 3: Castle Hill & Lounge at the Beach Club

At this point in the intierary, you’ve seen the city, you’ve shopped, you’ve driven around the hills in a tiny electric Fiat. It’s now time to relax at the beach. But first, one last viewpoint.

Grab Coffee at Big Boy

Start your morning at Big Boy, which had my favorite coffee we tried in Nice.

If you’re staying a little farther from Old Nice, don’t be afraid to try the neighborhood coffee shops too. We had Le Country Store right next to our Airbnb and ended up going there multiple times because the coffee was so good and it was incredibly convenient.

Another bakery worth adding to your list is Philippe Tayac. They have these super elaborate, almost too-pretty-to-eat desserts along with croissants and other pastries. Our croissants weren’t warm when we went, so I have a feeling they’d be even better if you catch them fresh.

Go Up Castle Hill Before It Gets Hot

From here, head to Castle Hill—and do this EARLY.

Nice gets hot fast in the summer, and climbing a million stairs in the middle of the afternoon is probably not how you want to spend your day. Luckily, there is a free elevator near the base that can take you most of the way up, so look for that if you want to skip the climb.

Castle Hill sits between Old Nice and the Port and gives you that classic view you’ve probably seen in every photo of Nice: the curve of the Promenade des Anglais, the rooftops of Old Nice, and that ridiculously blue Mediterranean stretching out in front of you.

Full disclosure, we did not actually make it here. Between six days of exploring, day trips, and our Fiat tour taking us to viewpoints above Nice, it somehow kept getting pushed.

But it’s the one classic Nice sight I wish we had squeezed in, and I would absolutely put it into a first-timer’s three-day itinerary.

Once you’ve taken in the view, head back down toward Old Nice.

Pick Up BART for Lunch

Before the beach, grab sandwiches from BART.

There is nearly always a line, even at opening. It took us around 25-minutes, but it was WELL worth it. These were some of the best sandwiches we had in Nice and one of the few casual food spots that I would immediately go back to.

But, if the BART line is out of control or you just don’t have the patience, Foca is another really good option. We had sandwiches there too, they were delicious, and there was basically no line.

Either way, this is the perfect day for a casual lunch because you’re about to spend the rest of your afternoon parked in a beach chair.

Spend the Rest of the Day at La Plage de L’Opéra

This is the biggest thing I would change if we did Nice again.

We didn’t get to the beach until around 4 PM on our beach day, and by then it didn’t really make sense to pay for chairs at a beach club. We ended up just going down to the public beach—which was still beautiful—but I wish we had committed to a full beach-club afternoon.

I would book La Plage de L’Opéra

We walked by a bunch of the beach clubs along the Promenade, and this one had my favorite vibe with the blue chairs and umbrellas. Ruhl Plage also looked like a good option if Opéra is booked.

Get there earlier, rent your chair and umbrella, order drinks, swim, read, nap, eat something, whatever. You’re on the French Riviera. You are allowed to spend an afternoon doing absolutely nothing.

One thing you absolutely should bring: water shoes.

The beach in Nice is made up of large pebbles rather than sand, and getting in and out of the water barefoot is…an experience. This is also pretty common throughout the South of France, so a pair of water shoes will get plenty of use if you’re doing a longer Riviera trip.

Dinner + Drinks at Boca Nissa

After the beach, head home, shower, change, and go to Boca Nissa for your final night.

We only came here for drinks, which is one thing I would change. The food coming out looked really good, and I think doing dinner and drinks here would be a much better way to experience it.

The space itself is really fun and has much more of a lively, going-out atmosphere. Just know that the bigger party happens on Saturdays, so plan accordingly if that’s what you are after.

Also, I need you to go to the bathroom…I’m serious.

Find the stall with the red button and press it. You’ll understand.

Have More Than 3 Days in Nice?

If you have more than three days, I wouldn’t necessarily keep adding days of sightseeing in Nice.

This is when I would start using Nice for what I think it does best: being an amazing home base for exploring the French Riviera.

We stayed in Nice for six nights, and I loved having one place to come home to while being able to hop on the train and explore a completely different town during the day.

You have SO many options within easy reach:

• Villefranche-sur-Mer: One of the easiest trips from Nice and perfect if you want a beautiful waterfront town and another beach day.
• Èze: Go for the hilltop village, tiny winding streets, and insane views.
• Monaco: Very easy to pair with Èze if you want to see both in one day.
• Menton: Colorful, beautiful, and farther east toward the Italian border.
• Antibes: One of my favorites for wandering the Old Town and doing the Billionaires’ Bay coastal walk.
• Cannes: Shopping, restaurants, beach clubs, and a much glitzier Riviera feel.

You could easily spend a week based in Nice and barely scratch the surface of the French Riviera.

Looking for more things to do across the French Riviera? Check out my Best Towns on the French Riveria post for more inspo to add to your trip.

Is Nice Worth Visiting?

Nice ended up being such a great home base for our South of France trip, but I also loved the city way more than I expected to. Between the colorful streets of Old Nice, the insane architecture, that almost Gatorade-blue water, and how easy it is to walk, bike, shop, beach, and just explore, it’s a place I would happily come back to.

Spending 3 days in Nice gives you enough time to really enjoy the city without feeling like you’re racing through it—and if you have longer, even better. Keep your bags unpacked, hop on the train, and start exploring the rest of the French Riviera.

Planning a few day trips while you’re based in Nice? I rounded up my favorite options in my Best Day Trips from Nice guide.