36 Hours in Nice, France (2024)

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• Les Puces de Nice, a flea market near Nice’s port, offers an eclectic selection of vintage wares, from antique silverware to pre-loved Hermès scarves.
• Grotte du Lazaret, a prehistoric cave by the port, offers a glimpse into how early humans survived using fire and tools between 190,000 and 120,000 years ago.
• Zitto Speakeasy, a hidden bar, serves creative co*cktails and mocktails in a cavern-like space.
• Musée Masséna, a museum in a typical 19th-century villa, shows the city’s evolution from an aristocratic winter resort to a vibrant cultural center.

• The Musée de Préhistoire Terra Amata, built over an archeological site of the same name, houses a replica of the prehistoric human settlement discovered there, along with artifacts and the remains of hearths made 400,000 years ago.
• The Musée d'Archéologie de Nice-Cimiez​​ is a museum that displays artifacts from the Roman town of Cemenelum, whose ancient ruins can be seen within its grounds.
• Coco Beach is a tiny beach popular among locals near the Promenade des Anglais, Nice’s famous boardwalk.
• The Libération market, the city’s largest food market, sells local seasonal produce six days a week.

• Full Bloom is a woman-owned, L.G.B.T.Q.-friendly and vegan cafe, with exceptional plant-based croissants.
• Comptoir Central Électrique is a popular local bar in an old electrical goods store.
• Café Paulette serves wonderfully eclectic dishes based on seasonal produce.
• Peixes offers a fish-centric menu with flavors from South America, Asia and the Mediterranean.
• Marinette, in the center of Nice’s Old Town, has a quiet outdoor rooftop that is perfect for a sweet brunch.
• Bocca, a rooftop restaurant by Cours Saleya, a colorful square, serves lunch inspired by the Mediterranean; think paella and jugs of fruity sangria.
• Maison Joia, a restaurant that draws on Niçois cuisine, showcases small, French producers on its retail shelves as well as on its menu.
• Le Béthel is an open-air bar, open only in the summer, hidden behind an old church.
• l’Altra Casa, a cafe in the Libération neighborhood, is great for a light breakfast and overlooks the buzz of the open-air market.
• Déli Bo serves artisanal pastries and patisseries, like creamy eclairs and fruity mille-feuilles.
• Kiosque Tintin, a Niçois institution, sells local favorites, like fresh pan bagnat (salade niçoise, the classic tuna salad, in a roll) and pissaladière (a caramelized onion tart).

• Caprice Vintage sells pre-loved designer clothes and high-end streetwear.
• Maison Pampille sources colorful vintage homewares, including chinoiserie, polished cut-glass champagne buckets and Vivienne Westwood bone china.
• Maison Auer is a historic candy shop that once supplied visiting royalty and is known for its chocolates and traditional fruit jellies.
• Papeterie Rontani has offered beautiful maps and stationery for generations.
• Trésors Publics sources hand-made and traditional goods from all over France, like mustards from Dijon, perfumes from Grasse and espadrilles from Saint Tropez.

• Le Negresco, a landmark hotel on the Promenade des Anglais, is a symbol of the city and has been appearing on postcards of Nice for more than 100 years. It also offers a Michelin-starred restaurant and a beautiful spa. Prices are as grand as its lore: Rooms start at around €680, or around $737.
• Hôtel du Couvent, in the heart of Old Town, is a beautifully restored former convent originally established in 1604. The walled grounds include a Roman-inspired bath, two acres of gardens and a restored herbalist shop, once run by nuns, that provides tinctures and teas, as well as herbs for the kitchen. Rooms start at €450.
• The arty and modern Mama Shelter, complete with a rooftop bar, work spaces, pizza bar and restaurant, brings a youthful, eclectic vibe to the Riquier neighborhood. Rooms start at around €185.
• For short-term rentals, the port district of Riquier, as well as Jean Médécin, Massena and Old Nice, are popular areas and close to many of the city’s main attractions. For calmer neighborhoods, Libération and Le Carré d'Or are a little farther out, but highly accessible via public transit and offer a more local feel.

• It’s possible to explore much of Nice on foot. Several tram lines traverse its north-south and east-west axes (T1 and T2, respectively), as well as a network of buses. Ticket machines available at stops, €1.70 one way. Ride-hailing apps like Uber provide coverage throughout the city, and electric scooters (via Yego) and bikes (via Lime and Pony) are available for rent via their respective apps.

3 p.m. Get coffee, then stroll flea markets

Nice, likely settled around 350 B.C. by Greek mariners called Phocaeans, has been a port town for thousands of years. Stroll the still lively waterfront to grab a quick coffee (from €2) at the vegan cafe Full Bloom, just off Rue Cassini, before a short walk south to Les Puces de Nice, the flea market. Thirty or so little stalls, once huts for local fishermen, are packed with curiosities and treasures like vintage Hèrmes scarves and antique silverware. The flea markets border on the Quartier des Antiquaires, the antiques district, with stores offering furniture, books, militaria, clothing and art. In the summer, a restored pointu (a traditional fishing boat) called Lou Passagin shuttles people for free across the port between 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. Hop on for a short ride to the east bank.

4:30 p.m. Enter a prehistoric sanctuary

Before the aristocracy and even the Phocaeans, the French Riviera had inhabitants nearly 400,000 years ago or even longer. Explore a bit of the region's prehistory at the Grotte du Lazaret (free entry), a cave and now-museum where visitors can view animal bones and worn tools, as well as fragments of human bones from when the shelter was inhabited between 190,000 and 120,000 years ago. If time permits, complement the cave with a visit to the Musée de Préhistoire Terra Amata (entry €5), a short walk away, to see the remains of hearths made by Nice’s inhabitants nearly 400,000 years ago. Also not far is Coco Beach (free entry), a tiny spot to watch the sun go down over the Baie des Anges — perhaps once a favorite of prehistoric residents too.

7 p.m. Dine by an old pine tree

Where Paris has Le Marais, that city’s L.G.B.T.Q. hub, Nice has the lively Place du Pin, a gay-friendly, pedestrian-only street and plaza, named for the stalwart pine tree at its center. A popular drinking hole is Comptoir Central Électrique, once an old electrical goods store; you’ll likely spot an aperol spritz on nearly every table. Café Paulette, another local favorite, has an eclectic menu: Housemade hummus (€11) and baked farmhouse Mont d’Or cheese (€29) sit alongside a Black Angus ramen in the style of a traditional pot-au-feu (€26). Reservations recommended. If fresh fish is more your vibe, Peixes is an excellent new addition. The light dishes fuse South American, Asian and Mediterranean flavors, like the prawn and sea bream ceviche with lychee, white pomelo and bergamot gel (€18).

9 p.m. Earn your nightcap

It’s time to seek out Zitto Speakeasy, a hidden bar in the port area that even frequent visitors insist on keeping the secret. To find it, send a message to the bar’s Instagram account to quickly receive a clue. Then the hunt is on (though cheaters can use Google Maps, which now lists the location). The reward is a dimly lit, cavern-like space with plush armchairs and dark woods that contrast with ethereal white drapes. It’s intimate even on weekends. Signature co*cktails (from €14.50), come with unexpected details like mouth-numbing flower buds or co*cktail-flavored gummies. Or — if you’re feeling adventurous — ask for a surprise concoction (including mocktail options) made just for you.

A view of Old Town from the Hôtel du Couvent.

9 a.m. Caffeinate in Old Town

Marinette reminds you you’re really in Europe, thanks to tables that spill out into a bright but narrow alleyway in the middle of Nice’s Old Town. Inside, charmingly mismatched lamps swing from the ceiling. The restaurant’s menu changes, but ever-present is a fresh selection of pastries and sugary little things behind glass display cases. Marinette is known for its giant, fresh-out-of-the-oven cookies, served warm in a cast-iron skillet (€12), with monthly flavors. On a recent visit, it was white chocolate and raspberry, with lashings of pistachio cream. Order your coffee, or perhaps an iced chai latte with a sprinkling of cinnamon (€5.50), and ask for an outdoor table upstairs, where you can watch the world pass by below.

11 a.m. Shop like royals do

Thus caffeinated, wander Old Town, where boutiques offer all sorts of treasures. Caprice Vintage on Rue Droite has a dedicated fan base for its hand-picked clothing and accessories, from luxury designers like Chanel and Escada to high-end streetwear, carefully repaired and well-maintained. Opposite is its men’s boutique. A few steps down is Maison Pampille, a purveyor of vintage and antique wares like colorful chinoiserie, polished cut-glass champagne buckets and Vivienne Westwood bone china. When Queen Victoria wintered in Nice, Maison Auer on Rue Saint-François de Paul delivered her sweets — it still sells hand-made chocolates and fruit jellies today — and Papeterie Rontani, around the corner at Rue Alexandre Mari, was her official stationer. Trésors Publics, on Rue de la Prefecture, features French-made goods like soap from Marseille, mustard from Beaune and glass blown in nearby Biot.

12:30 p.m. Take in the views over lunch

The draw at Bocca, a popular lunch spot, is its nearly 2,700-square-foot rooftop terrace offering a shady, alfresco view of the colorful square Cours Saleya. The menu of shared plates features flavors from all over the Mediterranean, such as a heaped platter of black-ink paella with fresh squid cooked in parsley and butter (€24 per person), or a delicate fried artichoke with raita, za’atar, basil and mint (€14). Enjoy them alongside a pitcher of fruity sangria de Cava (€45 for 1.5 liter).

3:30 p.m. Hit the prom

After lunch, stroll Nice’s famous boardwalk, the Promenade des Anglais, built in the early 19th century by the English elite who made Nice their winter home and lovingly called “la Prom” by locals. Its blue seats — les chaises bleues — have become such a symbol of Nice that over the years they have been the subject of both pranks and protests, and its white pergolas, along with the picture-perfect Negresco hotel, are hints of a bygone era. Along the way, visit the Musée Masséna, a museum housed in a 19th-century Belle Epoque villa (entry €10) that covers Nice’s history, including its transformation into a tourist destination. Inside, artworks, furniture and other sumptuous décor are displayed over four fully accessible floors, giving a glimpse into how the wealthiest here once lived.

7 p.m. Get to know the Niçois palate

Think of Maison Joia as a high-end delicatessen, inspired by Nice. Run by a husband-and-wife team, Julien and Laetitia Pilati, the restaurant and épicerie, or gourmet shop, showcases small, French regional producers on its shelves; local olive oils with pretty stems of rosemary and thyme, terrines of a rare wild boar from the Pyrenees and flavored vinegars from one of the oldest producers in France. The displayed items for sale are all used in the kitchen by Julien. Expect to delighted by dishes like a salade niçoise deconstructed and artfully arranged with tiny edible blossoms, and surprised by desserts like the “illusion of a lemon” (€13) — a mousse-and-marmalade confection that looks like real citrus served on a sprinkling of soil.

10 p.m. Cheers in a church

You would never guess that behind Saint-Jacques-le-Majeur de Nice, a church in Old Town, is a great place for a nightcap. The church opened a speakeasy, Le Béthel, in 2022 as a meeting place for locals and tourists alike. Despite feeling borderline sacrilegious, the open-air bar feels typically Niçois; the space is framed by potted olive trees and lit by twinkling fairy lights, with sweet little corners filled with candles and comfortable seating, and a chess board that is often the center of attention. The menu is low-key and low-cost, with a white, a red and one or two beer options (€4 per drink is a suggested donation, to help with the church’s upkeep). Open in the summer months only (check Instagram for updates on its seasonal closure).

Beach umbrellas lined up along the Promenade des Anglais.

9 a.m. Peruse the produce

Libération, north of the main train station, is a quiet neighborhood with a produce market (open daily, except Mondays) that attracts residents from across the city. One particular stall is dedicated to the potato, with a dozen kinds all marked for different methods of cooking. For a typical French breakfast of a croissant, hot drink and orange juice, grab a table at l’Altra Casa, a great spot to watch the organized chaos of the market in the mornings. For a picnic later, head to Kiosque Tintin, a take-away kiosk for a pan bagnat (a salad niçoise in a fresh bread roll; €5.70) and a slice of pissaladière (a caramelized onion tart; €2.20). Or pick up a pastry from Déli Bo — like a tiny mille-feuille with vanilla cream and fresh raspberries (€6.50).

10:30 a.m. Meet Matisse, then picnic among ancient ruins

Henri Matisse wasn’t born in Nice, but the French painter spent much of his life here until his death in 1954. The Musée Matisse, in a 17th-century villa in the Cimiez neighborhood, has one of the world’s largest collections of his works. The museum sits in Arènes de Cimiez, a public park with ancient ruins of an amphitheater and bath complex — this part of Nice was once the Roman town of Cemenelum. The Musée d'Archéologie de Nice-Cimiez, next to the Musée Matisse, displays artifacts from Cemenelum, including vases, coins, jewelry and perfume bottles. A €12 ticket gives entry to both museums. Once through with the exhibitions, find a spot in the park among the ruins for your picnic lunch.