4 Days on the French Riviera from Nice

Four Days: Nice, Two Trains Out, and a Full Day in Another Country

Four days is where this itinerary really starts to sing. You get a real day in Nice itself, two increasingly ambitious coastal train rides, and then a full day in Monaco, a genuinely separate sovereign country you reach in about as much time as a bus ride across most cities. This is the version of Nice where the phrase “you’re basically launching from here” starts to feel true.

Day Focus
1 Promenade, Place Massena, Castle Hill via the free lift
2 Cours Saleya market, Villefranche-sur-Mer
3 Eze village, the hilltop Riviera postcard stop
4 Monaco: Port Hercule, the Rock, Casino de Monte-Carlo

Book these before you go

Day 1: Nice Itself

Morning

Tram Line 2 (direction Port Lympia, not Centre Administratif) runs the airport to Jean-Medecin in 20-30 minutes for a single 1.70 EUR fare. Heads up: the ticket machines at the airport only sell a 10 EUR round-trip, the cheap single fare needs the Lignes d’Azur app or a reusable card bought once you’re past the terminal.

Afternoon

Walk Place Massena, then the Promenade des Anglais, seven free kilometers of seafront with the blue chairs, fully restored and back in place after this spring’s work. Lunch is socca at Chez Pipo, 13 rue Bavastro, roughly 12 EUR and worth every bit of it.

Evening

Climb Castle Hill via the free public lift for sunset over the Baie des Anges, my honest opinion is this beats any paid attraction in the city, then dinner in Vieux Nice, walking a couple of streets back from Cours Saleya itself rather than eating on the square.

Things to Know

MAMAC, Nice’s modern art museum, is closed for renovation until around 2028, don’t plan a day around it. The Matisse and Chagall museums are two entirely separate buildings in two different parts of the city, not one combined stop, worth sorting out before you commit an afternoon to either.

Day 2: Market Morning and Villefranche-sur-Mer

Morning

Cours Saleya market before 9am for flowers and produce at their freshest (Mondays swap the square to an antiques market instead). Then the TER to Villefranche-sur-Mer, just 8-14 minutes and the easiest coastal escape on the whole line, a deep natural harbor town at half of Nice’s pace.

Afternoon

Walk the old town and waterfront, have lunch by the water, and if you want a quieter swim than Nice’s beaches offer, this is the spot.

Evening

Back to Nice for dinner, seafood near the port fits the day well.

Day 3: Eze Village

Morning

Skip the train, it doesn’t reach the hilltop village, and catch bus 82 or bus 602 from Nice’s Vauban bus station instead, roughly 30 minutes, running every 30-45 minutes Monday through Saturday, direct to Eze.

Afternoon

Wander the medieval, car-free lanes and the Exotic Garden for sweeping coastal views. My actual take: Eze edges out a rushed half-day in Monaco for most first-timers, same postcard Riviera-village feeling, less time, no casino dress code to think about.

Evening

Bus back to Nice, dinner in Vieux Nice or the port.

Things to Know

The 602 bus runs hourly with no Sunday service specifically, so check before planning a Sunday trip. If you’d rather not climb, the train-to-Eze-sur-Mer-plus-bus-83 combo is the flatter alternative, though it takes longer overall.

Day 4: Monaco, a Full Day

Morning

TER from Nice to Monaco takes 7-25 minutes depending on the service, roughly 6.50-7.32 EUR one-way booked ahead, with around 55 trains a day, this is the easiest international day trip most people will ever take. Walk Port Hercule and the Rock (Monaco-Ville) for the Palais Princier and the old town views.

Afternoon

See the Casino de Monte-Carlo’s lobby regardless of whether you plan to play, and if you do want to go past the lobby, bring a passport or national ID, there’s a dress code and an 18+ minimum that trips up more visitors than you’d expect.

Evening

Head back to Nice for dinner, Monaco’s restaurant prices run noticeably higher for comparable food, and Nice’s Vieux Nice kitchens are simply better value.

Things to Know

Monaco’s Grand Prix takes over the entire principality every May, book well ahead if your dates land near it. Outside race season, the port and casino district still draw genuine year-round crowds.

Additional Tips

Peak season is June through September, book accommodation early if that’s your window. A real salade nicoise has no cooked potatoes and no green beans, if you see either, it’s a tourist-menu rewrite. If a fifth or sixth day opens up, the 6-day itinerary adds Cannes and Antibes as a combined day, and the Nice, France base guide covers every coastal option including the Pass Sud Azur Explore for stacking multiple day trips.

Transportation

Lignes d’Azur trams and buses run 1.70 EUR a ride (74-minute transfer window) or 7 EUR for a day pass. Book TER tickets on SNCF Connect ahead of travel dates, since fares climb closer to departure. A rental car buys you nothing extra on this itinerary and costs you parking headaches in Nice, Villefranche, and Monaco alike, skip it.

Budget Breakdown

Accommodation runs roughly 80-120 EUR per night, meals 15-30 EUR depending on where you eat, transit 1.50-7 EUR per day depending on how much you’re moving, and the Monaco/Eze/Villefranche day trips add up to well under 50 EUR total in train and bus fares for all three combined. Expect the higher end of every range in July and August, better deals in May, June, September, and October.

Pack water shoes for the pebble beaches, this coast doesn’t do sand, and comfortable shoes for Eze’s steep lanes and Castle Hill’s climb if you skip the lift.