Top tips

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First time in Nice? We recommend Vieux Nice.

Planning a romantic trip to Nice? You might like to stay in Carre d'Or, the Promenade des Anglais, Le Port, or Cimiez.

Want to see the sights of Nice? It's easily done if you stay in Vieux Nice the Promenade des Anglais, or Carre d'Or.

Visiting Nice for the food and sunshine? Consider staying in Carre d'Or, the Promenade des Anglais, Libération or Le Port.

Hoping to lose yourself in old Nice? Stay in the Promenade des Anglais, Cimiez or Vieux Nice.

Looking for sunshine and water views? We recommend the Promenade des Anglais, Carre d'Or, Cimiez or Le Port.

Bringing your whole family to Nice? Stay in Vieux Nice, the Promenade des Anglais or Cimiez.

Want to bring home beautiful photos of Nice? Consider Vieux Nice, Carre d'Or, the Promenade des Anglais,

Want to enjoy Nice's nightlife? Stay in Libération or Le Port.

Want to live like a local? Consider Libération or Cimiez.

Charming, vibrant, sunny, and a little bit Italian, Nice is the Côte d’Azur’s capital, a place where the art scene buzzes, the beach beckons, and the food beguiles. This is a city for shopping, sunbathing, strolling through gardens or art galleries, and eating and drinking well.  

Nice Neighbourhood Guide

From French Riviera Traveller

If you’re looking for luxury, consider staying on the Promenade des Anglais — it's also a good choice for families as it's close to the sea and the main sights. Cimiez is a lovely area, particularly if anyone in your party is an admirer of romantic Belle Époque architecture. The Old Town, or Vieux Nice will tempt with architecture too, and the scent and flavour of the Cours Saleya Market. Nice has a wide range of accommodation, with something for every budget, and a good range of apartment hotels and B&Bs too.

Vieux Nice

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Vieux Nice, or Old Nice, the city’s oldest part of town, is a collection of tall buildings, painted yellow and orange, lining narrow streets — there’s a reason this old part of town was built like this: to create plenty of shade. Street level is a collection of cafes, shops and restaurants, and boutiques and galleries run by local artists. This is a wonderful place to shop for local delicacies, pottery, handmade jewellery and cosmetics. Nice’s main historic market, the Cours Saleya, sells produce and flowers before midday, and street food in the evenings — there are weekly clothing, bric-a-brac and antiques markets too. This is the part of town for strolling around: streets open onto squares, with churches and grand villas; the cathedral, and several museums are well worth seeking out. Accommodation in Vieux Nice is mixed, with more historic hotels than contemporary ones, some wonderful converted villas, and great apartment options.

Carre d'Or

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Nice’s Carre d'Or neighbourhood is one of the city’s most affluent, arranged along a pretty bit of seafront, lined with high-end shops and hotels and many-palmed gardens on one side, and a mega-yacht-lined marina on the other. Officially, the Carre d’Or ends with the Boulevard Gambetta and Avenue Jean-Médecin, encompassing some of Nice’s most beautiful Belle Époque buildings, as well as some Art Deco beauties built in the 1930s. Many of these elegant buildings have been converted into hotels, or aparthotels; some of Nice’s most luxurious hotels are in Carre d’Or, including the iconic Windsor.  

Promenade des Anglais

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We can all agree that this unusually named road is one of the most spectacular in Nice, running along the Mediterranean for seven kilometres with beachfront views, palm trees, pebble beaches, clear blue water and charm. It’s lined with hotels, restaurants, cafes, bars and shops, and around the centre of Nice, it has some of its most luxurious offerings of each. The names of the hotels, The Westminster and West End, for example, are further reminders of how popular Nice was with English aristocrats in the 18th century. As well as strolling this street, today people cycle, skateboard, and rollerblade along it  — there’s a bike path running through the centre, and you can rent all sorts of wheels locally. The Promenade des Anglais neighbourhood refers to the smartest bit, close to the centre of town. Stay here, and you’ll be within a stone’s throw of Vieux Nice, Castle Hill, the Musée Masséna, the Museum of Fine Arts, and the Nice Opera House, which has its very own mini Statue of Liberty.

Le Port

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Le Port, or Port Lympia, is Nice’s ferry, fishing, and sailing and yacht port. Le Port’s position, under the limestone cliffs of Castle Hill, is central, as well as beautiful, with notable architecture in warm oranges and yellows, as well as the bright blue sea and palm trees. In addition to the marina and ferry and cruise ship terminals, Le Port has its own sightseeing destinations, the most famous being the Place Île de Beauté, the Notre-Dame-du-Port church, the Prehistory Museum and the lighthouse. As with many marinas, Le Port has loads of places to eat and drink. On the Castle Hill side you’ll find antique shops, while closer to the centre of town, you’ll find the high-end boutiques. 

Libération

Helena Jankovičová Kováčová from Pixabay

Libération is a good neighbourhood to base yourself in if you’d like to be close to the centre of town, but not in a ‘touristy bit’. Along Libération’s main avenue there are lots of shops, cafes and restaurants — businesses with local people in mind as well as visitors. Towards the end of the avenue is a massive produce market, which is open every morning. The Cours Saleya is a fantastic experience, and packed with treasures, but the Libération market still caters for the locals, and local restaurant market. If you’re looking for somewhere to eat in Libération, you’ll find a lot of choice under one roof: the old train station, the Gare du Sud. It’s a unique space, with lots of atmosphere and well worth seeking out even if you’re not staying locally. Local landmarks include the amazing Art Deco Church of Sainte Jeanne D’Arc. The University of the Cote d’Azure is in the neighbourhood’s north, which means two things: great public transport links, and young, vibrant nightlife.  

Cimiez

By Édouard Hue (User:EdouardHue) - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0

Cimiez is a green and well-to-do neighbourhood that rises out of central Nice — about 2kms from the centre of town — offering views over the city and the Mediterranean. Expect shaded gardens, panoramic views, and Belle Époque architecture. It’s about a 20-minute stroll gently upwards from Nice’s train station. Cimiez started as a Roman settlement, just as Nice did, and Cimiez still has the ruins of an amphitheatre, an arena, and thermal baths. Today, the area is where you’ll find the Musée Matisse and the National Musée Marc Chagall, as well as the atmospheric Cimiez Monastery.  A great place to stay to appreciate the views, cool breezes, and rarified atmosphere.