3 Days on the French Riviera from Nice
Three Days: One City, Two Train Rides Out
Give Nice three days and the whole calculation changes. Day one is the city itself, and days two and three belong to the coast, because the entire reason you base yourself in Nice instead of somewhere quieter is the train line running along it. This itinerary spends its extra day getting you further out, not deeper into museums you can visit anytime.
| Day | Focus |
|---|---|
| 1 | Promenade, Vieux Nice, Castle Hill via the free lift |
| 2 | Cours Saleya market, Villefranche-sur-Mer, Eze-sur-Mer |
| 3 | Eze village, the hilltop Riviera postcard stop |
Book these before you go
- A hotel in Vieux Nice or near the Promenade keeps this base simple, check current rates on Booking.com before dates fill up.
- Eze village draws heavy midday coach traffic, book an Eze village tour if you’d rather skip timing the Vauban bus yourself.
Day 1: Nice Orientation
Land, take Tram Line 2 (toward Port Lympia) into Jean-Medecin, 20-30 minutes for a single 1.70 EUR fare, then walk straight to the Promenade des Anglais. Seven kilometers of free seafront, the blue chairs are back in place after this spring’s full restoration, and it’s the best way to get your bearings on arrival. Cut into Vieux Nice for the pastel lanes, then climb Castle Hill, take the free public lift rather than the stairs, the panoramic view over the Baie des Anges is identical either way and the lift is simply the smarter call for most people.
Lunch: socca. Chez Pipo at 13 rue Bavastro has been baking this chickpea pancake in a centuries-old stone oven since 1923, roughly 12 EUR, and nothing on the Promenade competes with it. Dinner, walk a couple of streets back from Cours Saleya itself, the restaurants directly on the square are priced for the view, not the food.
Day 2: Market Morning, Villefranche, and a Push to Eze-sur-Mer
Hit Cours Saleya before 9am for the flower and produce market at its freshest (it flips to an antiques market on Mondays). Then take the TER east: Villefranche-sur-Mer is 8-14 minutes away, the easiest, closest coastal escape on this entire line, a genuinely deep natural harbor town moving at half of Nice’s pace. Walk the waterfront, grab lunch by the water.
If you’ve still got energy, stay on the train a few more minutes to Eze-sur-Mer at sea level, this is not the hilltop village itself, that sits 427 meters up, so either catch bus 83 for the climb or hike the steep Chemin de Nietzsche if you’re up for it and it’s not the middle of a summer afternoon. Otherwise, save the full Eze visit for tomorrow and head back to Nice for the evening.
Day 3: Eze Village, Properly
This is the day I’d argue is the best value on the whole coast. Skip the train entirely and catch bus 82 or bus 602 (Lignes d’Azur/regional Zou network) from Nice’s Vauban bus station, roughly 30 minutes, running every 30-45 minutes Monday through Saturday, direct to the perched village itself. Here’s my actual opinion: for most first-time visitors, Eze beats a rushed half-day in Monaco. You get the classic hilltop Riviera postcard, sweeping sea views from the Exotic Garden, medieval lanes with no cars, in less time, with none of the casino dress-code logistics Monaco demands if you want to go past the lobby.
Back in Nice for the evening, this is your last night, so make it count, seafood near the port or one more pass through Vieux Nice for socca you didn’t get to on day one.
Where to Stay
Vieux Nice or the streets just off the Promenade keep you within walking distance of everything on Day 1 and close to the station for the train rides on Days 2 and 3. Budget travelers should look near Jean-Medecin; anyone spending more should book a small hotel inside the old town itself.
Transportation
Tram Line 2 handles the airport run. Around town, Lignes d’Azur trams and buses run 1.70 EUR a ride (74-minute transfer window) or 7 EUR for a day pass. For the coastal days, book TER tickets on SNCF Connect , and if you’re already thinking about a longer trip next time, the Pass Sud Azur Explore (roughly 35 EUR for 3 days) covers trains, trams, and buses across the whole region in one purchase.
Things to Know
Every beach in Nice and along this stretch of coast is pebble, not sand, so water shoes are not optional gear, they’re the difference between a good afternoon and a miserable one. Watch your bag closely at the Grand Arenas tram stop and in the Cours Saleya crowds, both are known pickpocket spots. If a salade nicoise arrives with boiled potato or green beans on it, send it back mentally, that’s not the traditional recipe.
Tips
For the full rundown of every coastal day trip from here, Monaco, Cannes, Antibes, Menton, and the scenic Train des Merveilles into the Alps, see the Nice, France base guide ; if a fourth day opens up, the 4-day itinerary is built around adding Monaco. The one thing to actually act on: book the Vauban bus to Eze, not a train ticket, the village sits well above the rail line and a train alone won’t get you there.