Things to Do in Nice, France
Walk the Promenade des Anglais
Seven free kilometers of curved seafront tracing the Baie des Anges, named for the English winter colony that funded the original 1820s walkway. The beaches lining it are pebble, not sand, bring water shoes. A 20-30 minute walk covers the central stretch; the blue chairs were fully restored in stages from May 2026 after a spring refurbishment, worth a quick check that they’re back in place before building a specific photo plan around them.
Get Lost in Vieux Nice
The old town below Castle Hill is where the actual city lives: baroque churches, pastel facades, and the Cours Saleya market (flowers and produce Tuesday-Sunday roughly 6am-1:30pm, an antiques brocante instead on Mondays). Go before 10am for the market at its freshest, or after dark for a completely different, lantern-lit version of the same streets.
Climb Castle Hill (Colline du Château)
There’s no actual castle up here anymore, Louis XIV had the citadel razed in 1706 so it could never threaten France again. What’s left is a park, a waterfall, two atmospheric 19th-century cemeteries, and the best panoramic view over Vieux Nice and the bay in the whole city, all free. The public lift across from Castel Plage beats the stair climb for nearly everyone, especially in summer heat.
See Place Masséna
Nice’s grand checkerboard-paved square, built in the 1830s-40s with Italianate arcades borrowed from Paris’s Rue de Rivoli. The Fontaine du Soleil’s marble Apollo caused a genuine scandal at its 1956 unveiling and spent decades in storage before its 2011 reinstatement; after dark, Jaume Plensa’s seven illuminated seated figures light the square in a way daytime photos miss entirely.
Sort Out Matisse and Chagall
Two separate museums, two separate buildings. The Musée Matisse (12 EUR, closed Tuesdays) sits in a 17th-century villa in Cimiez, near the Roman ruins of Cemenelum. The Musée National Marc Chagall (8 EUR, 10 EUR during exhibitions, free the first Sunday of the month) is nearer the centre, purpose-built in 1973 for his 17-painting Biblical Message cycle. MAMAC, the modern art museum, has been closed for renovation since January 2024 and isn’t due back until 2028, don’t plan a visit around it in 2026.
Walk Port Lympia and Climb to Rauba-Capeu
Nice’s historic harbor, built under Savoy rule in the 1750s, is a quieter, more local register than the Promenade, pastel Genoese buildings around a basin of fishing boats and yachts. Climb to the Monument aux Morts at Rauba-Capeu, a 32-meter WWI memorial cut into the cliff, for a free harbor view most Promenade-focused visitors miss entirely.
Hike Mont Boron for the Bigger View
A forested hilltop park east of the port with a 16th-century fort, Fort Alban, at its summit, reached by a moderate 1.5-2.5 hour round trip from the Vigier park entrance. The views stretch from Cap Ferrat to the Esterel massif, arguably a better, quieter panorama than Castle Hill for the extra legwork.
Taste Bellet, Nice’s Own Wine
AOC Bellet, classified in 1941, is one of France’s smallest appellations and the only one contained entirely within a single city’s limits. It needs a car or taxi to reach, not walkable or tram-accessible, so budget half a day.
See the Russian Orthodox Cathedral
The largest Russian Orthodox cathedral outside Russia, five onion domes completed in 1912 for Nice’s Belle Époque Russian winter colony. Entry runs around 10 EUR with a free guided tour daily 3-5pm; modest dress is expected since it remains an active place of worship.
Hungry after all that? See the full guide to eating in Nice for where socca actually tastes best, and check the main Nice, France guide or pick a 2-day itinerary to fit it all into an actual schedule.