48 Hours in Beautiful Nice: A Charming City Break

A colourful 48 hours in Nice itinerary packed with art, hilltop villages, markets, beaches and brilliant food. This is our guide on the best things to do in Nice, with or without kids!

Nice is one of those cities that makes a weekend feel like a proper holiday. We are just back from a Friday-Sunday trip to Nice, sans kids, but we are already thinking about when we could take them with us. It’s absolutely earned its top spot as a favourite European city break of ours. There is sunshine bouncing off pastel buildings, the Mediterranean glittering at the end of almost every street, and enough art, food and family-friendly exploring to fill far more than two days.

But if 48 hours in Nice is all you have, do not panic! We felt like we maxed out our time. We squeezed in the very best of the city and a glorious little road trip into the hills.

Our weekend in Nice combined the classic things to do in Nice with an art trail through Cimiez, Vence and Saint-Paul-de-Vence. Wear comfortable shoes and accept that a Riviera weekend should always include time to stop for coffee, cheese and a swim.

Getting to and around Nice

Our flights in and out of Nice worked perfectly for a great city break from the UK. We arrived 9pm Friday evening and flew out at 10.30pm Sunday night. Nice airport is just 15 minutes on the bus. Or for a different mode of transport its 30 minutes on an electric bike from the city. There is a free tram between terminal 1 and 2, but if you want to take the tram to the centre, make sure you buy a ticket.

We hired a moped to make visiting sites on the outskirts of the city quicker. This also meant we could explore towns further afield which we would definitely recommend. Moped hire was 45 euros for the day.

Where to stay in Nice

Wondering where the best place to stay is in nice? We highly recommend a stay in Nice Old Town for atmosphere and walk-ability. Vieux Nice puts you right among the ochre façades, shuttered windows and narrow lanes, while keeping the beach, tram and main sights within easy reach. It also means the city is yours for a little while before the day-trippers arrive. You can reach Cours Saleya, Castle Hill, Place Masséna and the beach on foot, with tram stops close by for everything else.

We were on the 6^th floor of an apartment building and whilst there was no lift, it did offer amazing rooftop views both day and night. Read the descriptions carefully if you do have small kids or a pushchair as there is no way we could have managed this place with them.

Here’s the link to our apartment which couldn’t be faulted for location. Although if you are over 6ft tall I’d maybe give it a miss! We paid £256 for 2 nights which was cheap in comparison to many.

Our best places to eat in Nice

We enjoyed some amazing food in Nice. Prices are very similar to the UK but the market offers cheaper options if you prefer a grab and go. These are the places we ate in and would totally recommend.

• Maranna: A lovely breakfast spot for coffees, French toast, waffles, pancakes and eggs. Breakfast for 2 was 30 euros.
• Cheese Cave! For dinner, go all-in on cheese at Cave du Fromager and order the fondue. It is rich, sociable and exactly what you want after a full day on foot and bike. It opens at 7pm and a small queue forms at opening time as booking isn’t possible. Fondue for 2 people, extra potatoes, 3 glasses of wine and water was 80 euros. The setting is incredible too – a cosy cave full of cheese. What more do you need.
• Hobo Café, for brunch or lunch. The sandwiches are simply epic! Portions are incredible and they even serve cold beers if you need that accompaniment!
• LAC chocolatier, for macaroon treats, this is the only place to head! 5 stars!
• Cours Saleya Market – bread, cheese, fruits, nuts – great for a grab and go snack! Croissants and pastries are 2-3 euros and fresh fruit juices 4 euros. You also get the chance to try the Nice-traditional chickpea pancake.

Things to do in Nice

Nice Old Town

Nice Old Town rewards nosiness: peek into tiny squares, follow the sound of church bells and let the lanes lead you towards Cours Saleya Market. The flower stalls are full of colour, while the food market is ideal for fruit, olives, local produce and something delicious to carry for later. Warning, they start closing up around 1.30pm and it isn’t open every day during the week.

From Cours Saleya, loop through the Old Town and explore more of the winding streets. Take in umbrella street and various churches to Place Masséna. Its red façades, broad open space and black-and-white paving make it feel theatrical, and it is a useful point for hopping onto a tram.  

The old town is wonderful for just spotting random things – whether it be street art, wall features or even space invaders!

Castle Hill: Colline du Château without the monster queue

From the old town it is easy to access Colline du Chateau. The hill is the best natural lookout in the centre of Nice. Enter near the cemetery and then pause at the viewpoints over the tiled roofs and port. Find the waterfall, then keep descending through the parks ensuring to cover the port side as well. It is a lovely route rather than simply a viewpoint, and doing it top-to-bottom is far more pleasant in the heat.

Our key tip: enter Colline du Château at the northern end and walk downhill towards the free elevator. Approaching it this way gives you the views, ruins, waterfalls and shady paths without wasting precious time in the huge queues that often build at the lift entrance below. When you reach the bottom, congratulate yourselves on a very smug bit of route planning.

Nice Seafront and Promenade des Anglais

Afterwards, hit the promenade with the joggers, rollerbladers and scooters. You can either hire electric bikes and follow the seafront cycle route. This is completely flat, just watch out for people! Nice is wonderfully easy to cover on two wheels, and the electric boost is welcome once the sunshine and sightseeing start catching up with you. We even cycled back to the airport on a ‘double-pony’ as it’s so easy! You can also use the bikes to head towards Nice marina to the East. Just set up the app ‘pony’ or ‘Lime’ beforehand.

Nice Beach is pebbly rather than sandy, so water shoes make life easier. My trusty chaco sandals came up trumps again. Dip your feet in the bright blue water or go for an all-out swim and enjoy of of the simplest things to do in Nice: doing absolutely nothing for a while. Even in October the sea was warm and we enjoyed 27 degrees on the beach!

There are beach clubs along the front if you want to splash out for the day. A bed and parasol is 30 euros, and food and drink is definitely +20% versus the rest of town prices. But you get service and comfort if that’s a priority.

Why not pick up a takeaway pizza and enjoy dinner on the beach whilst the sunsets.

Top Spot: Can you locate the Statue of Liberty outside the Opera House!? There’s also a ‘I Love Nice’ sign and a World War 1 memorial between the Old Town promenade and the port.

Explore the churches and squares in Nice

Churches in Nice are something else. There’s a replica of the Notre Damm, a Russian Orthodox church and many smaller buildings littered around town. It’s definitely worth a nosey inside, especially on a Sunday morning when mass is being conducted.

There’s also an abundance of squares where you will find cafes for coffee, musicians or just space for the pigeons to fly around. Place de Massena is the most central and best well known and it’s worth calling by here at night. It’s just on the edge of the old town so you’ll likely fall upon it without looking.

An Art Trail from Nice to Vence and Saint-Paul-de-Vence

Being married to an Artist means art will always feature on our itinerary! And Nice is full of art, both in Nice and the hill towns beyond. To fit it all in, we opted for a moped following our fond moped trips in Asia and Central America.

We paid around €45 per day which included us both driving. We only got a 50cc and I would perhaps recommend one a little larger for the hills. We must have looked like Harry and Lloyd from Dumb ‘n’ Dumber at times – IYKYK! Only ride if you are properly licensed and confident.

Chagall, Matisse and Cimiez

The Marc Chagall National Museum is just outside of Nice centre, where the bold colour and dreamlike Biblical works are powerful. The museum is 12 euros to enter and there is a nice café in the grounds. When we visited 2 rooms were being swapped around so we paid a discounted 8 euros each. Don’t miss the amazing mosaic hidden outside and viewed from a room off the main exhibition area. There was a queue to enter but we waited just 20 minutes. The museum does close for lunch between 1-2pm.

The Musée Matisse in Cimiez is just 6 minutes on the moped from Chagall. The museum sits in a beautiful ochre villa in the centre of a park, beside olive groves and Roman remains, so leave time to enjoy the setting as well as the collection. Again, check opening times as we managed to arrive when it was closed for refurbishment – epic fail!

A short walk away from the Matisse museum is the Cimiez Monastery and its gardens offer a quieter moment and definitely worth a mooch whilst there. Spotting the parakeets in the trees was lovely. In the adjoining cemetery you will find Henri Matisse’s tomb. It is an understated stop, and a fitting way to connect the artist, the museum and the city where he spent so much of his life.

Vence: Matisse’s chapel and a beautiful old centre

Ride 45 minutes inland to Vence for the Chapelle du Rosaire, usually called the Matisse Chapel. Matisse designed the building, stained glass, ceramics and furnishings as a complete work of art, and the sun pouring through blue, green and yellow glass is the star of the show. Opening days and split visiting hours can be limited, so check the official timetable before setting off. There are also Matisse sketches and paper works on display in the Chappelle museum. This is a must visit for any Matisse fans.

Do not leave the town straight afterwards either. Park up and walk through Vence town centre, where stone lanes curl between little squares and fountains. It’s really cute. Step inside the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Nativity; its modest exterior hides layers of history and another artistic surprise – another Chagall mosaic. It claims to be the smallest cathedral in France!

Vence has so many cafes for lunch, but we settled on sandwiches and quiche from a boulangerie. And an absolutely divine chocolate mousse cake.

Saint-Paul-de-Vence and Chagall’s tomb

Finish the loop at Saint-Paul-de-Vence, just 15 minutes back towards the coast. This is a walled hilltop village of cobbled lanes, galleries and huge views. Walk the ramparts, browse the art-filled streets and continue to the cemetery near Porte de Nice, where Marc Chagall’s tomb lies. Chagall lived in the village from 1966 until 1985, so this is more than a famous grave.

Allow time simply to wander. Saint-Paul-de-Vence is busy in the middle of the day, but the side lanes and viewpoints still deliver that dreamy, stone-built Provence feeling. Ride back to Nice before dark and return the moped with a full tank if your hire agreement requires it.

Things to do in Nice with kids

Whilst this was a ‘sans kids’ trip, we were on the hunt for things for the kids. Nice is very family friendly and we saw plenty to do with the kids. I doubt we would have done quite as much in 48 hours if they had been with us, but nothing mentioned so far should be avoided with the kids. It may just take you somewhat longer.

Some specific things to call out for visiting Nice with kids:

• There is a huge grassy park area running along the edge of the old town from Place Massena. There are playgrounds galore and even water fountains for splashing on hot days. This area is known as Promenade du Paillon.
• There are ice-cream and gelato shops everywhere. You’ll never be far from a counter with every flavour you could imagine. We even spotted ‘ketchup’ flavour.
• There’s a large play park and plenty of space for running on Castle Hill. They will also enjoy plane spotting from the viewpoints.
• The sea can be quite steep to get in so watch toddlers especially.
• For very little legs, why not use the electric train which runs all through the city

48 Hours in Nice: Quick Tips

• Check museum and chapel opening times before locking in the route; several close on Tuesdays or have seasonal hours.
• Bring water, sun protection and shoes that can handle polished cobbles and beach pebbles. We did 23,000 steps each day!
• At Colline du Château, enter from the north and descend towards the free elevator to avoid the biggest lift queues.
• If you would rather not ride a moped, Vence and Saint-Paul-de-Vence can be reached by regional buses, but you will need to allow more waiting time.
• There are plenty of baggage storage places but the only one we could find open on a Sunday was near the main station. We paid 13 euros to leave 2 bags for the day and this was 100% worth it.
• Take a water bottle as there are plenty of taps for re-fills as you explore the town.

Is 48 Hours in Nice Enough?

Honestly, you will leave wanting longer and that is never a bad sign. In two days you can experience Nice’s markets, Old Town, seafront and major art museums, then trade the coast for two unforgettable hill towns. 48 hours in Nice is fast-paced, colourful and full of variety: exactly the kind of weekend that leaves you tired, happy and already checking flights back. We are now desperate to return with the kids.