7 Days on the French Riviera from Nice
Seven Days: The Full Coastal Circuit, Nice as Home Base
A week in Nice is the itinerary where you stop rationing train tickets. You get a real day in the city, four coastal escapes each bolder than the last, Nice’s own hillside culture stop, and a genuine bonus day, Menton or a scenic run into the Alps, that most trips never get around to. By day seven you’ll have used pretty much every trick this coast’s single rail line has to offer, and you still won’t have rented a car.
| Day | Focus |
|---|---|
| 1 | Promenade, Vieux Nice, 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 |
| 5 | Cannes and Antibes, combined on one rail line |
| 6 | Cimiez: Matisse and Chagall museums |
| 7 | Menton or the Train des Merveilles into the Roya Valley |
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.
- The Train des Merveilles’ guided run sells out its June-September season fast, book a Train des Merveilles tour if Day 7 is your pick.
Day 1: Nice Itself
Tram Line 2, direction Port Lympia, runs the airport to Jean-Medecin in 20-30 minutes for a 1.70 EUR fare, get the cheap single via the Lignes d’Azur app or a reusable card, the airport machines only sell a 10 EUR round-trip. Walk the Promenade des Anglais, seven free kilometers with the blue chairs, fully restored and back in place since this spring. Cut into Vieux Nice, lunch on socca at Chez Pipo (13 rue Bavastro, roughly 12 EUR), then Castle Hill via the free public lift for the panoramic view over the Baie des Anges. Dinner in Vieux Nice, a couple of streets back from Cours Saleya itself.
Accommodation: A small hotel or apartment in Vieux Nice or near the Promenade keeps everything on this route within walking distance.
Day 2: Market Morning and Villefranche-sur-Mer
Cours Saleya before 9am for flowers and produce at their freshest, Mondays flip the square to an antiques market instead. Then TER to Villefranche-sur-Mer, 8-14 minutes, the easiest coastal escape on this line, a deep natural harbor moving at half of Nice’s pace. Walk the 16th-century Citadelle for sweeping views without Nice’s crowds, lunch by the water, back to Nice for dinner.
Day 3: Eze Village
Bus 82 or bus 602 from Nice’s Vauban bus station, roughly 30 minutes, running every 30-45 minutes Monday through Saturday, the train doesn’t climb up to the village itself, it sits 427 meters above the rail line. Wander the car-free medieval lanes and the Jardin Exotique. My honest opinion: this beats a rushed half-day in Monaco for most first-timers, same hilltop Riviera postcard, less time, no casino dress code to plan around. Try a glass of Bellet, grown in the hills right above Nice, with dinner back in town, a genuinely local pour you won’t find outside the region.
Day 4: Monaco, a Full Day
TER from Nice to Monaco, 7-25 minutes depending on the service, roughly 6.50-7.32 EUR one-way booked ahead, around 55 trains a day. Walk Port Hercule and the Rock for the Palais Princier, see the Casino de Monte-Carlo’s lobby at minimum, bring a passport or ID plus proper dress if you’re going past it, there’s an 18+ minimum too. Back to Nice for dinner, Monaco’s restaurant prices run noticeably higher for comparable food.
Day 5: Cannes and Antibes, Combined
Cannes first, 35 minutes and roughly 10 EUR one-way, for La Croisette and Le Suquet’s old town, and note that from January 1, 2026 Cannes caps cruise-ship arrivals to under-1,000-passenger ships with a 6,000-person daily visitor limit. Then a short further hop to Antibes for the Provençal market, the Picasso Museum in the actual Chateau Grimaldi where he worked, and a walk out to Cap d’Antibes if there’s time. Back to Nice for seafood near the port.
Day 6: Cimiez, Matisse, and Chagall
Bus 5, 16, or 18 up to Cimiez, an entirely separate trip from Vieux Nice or Castle Hill, budget the time accordingly. The Matisse Museum sits in a 17th-century villa here, 10am-6pm, closed Tuesdays. The Chagall Museum is nearby on avenue Docteur Menard but is its own separate building, not the same stop, entry runs 10-12 EUR depending on whether an exhibition is on, free the first Sunday of the month. MAMAC, Nice’s modern art museum, is closed for renovation until around 2028, skip planning around it. In the afternoon, walk the Roman arena and monastery gardens next door, or head back to Vieux Nice for one more market pass and a last socca run.
Day 7: Menton or the Train des Merveilles, Then Departure
Your bonus day, pick one. Menton is roughly 30-35 minutes by TER, about 7 EUR one-way, a gentler, less-crowded Belle Epoque waterfront than Nice or Cannes, and the actual lemon-festival town, worth it if you want one more easy, relaxed coastal morning before flying out. Or, if it’s June through September and you booked ahead, the Train des Merveilles is the better call: a genuinely dramatic 2-hour, 120km scenic run from Nice-Ville up into the Roya Valley, past Sospel, Breil-sur-Roya, and Saorge, with a bilingual guide narrating the 9:32am departure, this only runs in season and needs an early start given your flight. Either way, head back via Tram Line 2 to the airport, budgeting the same 20-30 minutes you used arriving.
Tips and Other Things of Interest
If you’re stacking this many day trips, look at the Pass Sud Azur Explore before you arrive, roughly 35 EUR for 3 days or 50 EUR for 7, covering TER trains plus trams and buses across the whole region, it pays for itself well before day seven. A real salade nicoise has no cooked potatoes and no green beans, if you see either, it’s a tourist-menu version. May-June and September-October beat peak summer decisively: same warm sea, noticeably thinner crowds, better prices across hotels and restaurants alike.
Transportation: Book TER tickets on SNCF Connect ahead of your dates, fares climb closer to departure. A rental car adds parking headaches without adding anything this itinerary needs, skip it.
Safety: Nice is generally safe, but stay alert for pickpockets at the Grand Arenas tram stop, in crowded Old Town alleys, and around the market. Keep bags in front and don’t leave valuables unattended, especially at beach-club restaurants where drink prices often aren’t posted until the bill arrives.
For the full rundown of every coastal train and bus option, fares, and the Pass Sud Azur details, see the Nice, France base guide ; if seven days ever feels like too much train and not enough Nice, the 4-day itinerary is the tighter version of this same route. Last concrete thing: decide Menton-versus-Alps before your final morning, not on it, the Train des Merveilles departs at 9:32am sharp and won’t wait for a slow breakfast.