The most beautiful beaches in Nice

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With nearly 2,700 hours of sunshine a year, Nice is a popular destination for everyone. The capital of the French Riviera is renowned for its cuisine, its culture, its landscapes, its climate and its Promenade des Anglais, which runs along the sea for about 7 kilometers. We have selected the 8 most beautiful beaches in Nice for you.

La Crique de la Réserve, the most beautiful beach in Nice

This beach is located after the port of Nice, nestled between the sea and the steep cliffs and exudes a pleasant atmosphere at the end of the world. Reserve beach is a mixture of pebbles and fine gravel and due to its location close to the center of Nice, you will meet people there, but mainly locals. From your sunny little corner, you will have a breathtaking view of the Nice lighthouse as well as the ferries entering the port.

The most family-friendly, Voilier beach

Voilier beach is located near the Masséna museum, in the heart of the Promenade des Anglais in the Carré d’Or district. It is a wide, wide beach sloping gently towards the sea with fine gravel and clear blue water, which makes it popular with families. Half of Voilier beach is public, the other private. The private, concession-run part now trades as La Véla Plage, at 58 Promenade des Anglais, rather than under the name Voilier. For a fee, the private part allows you to have access to deck chairs and a restaurant.

Opéra Plage, run by the same family since 1889

Formerly called Pavillon de l’Opéra, Opéra Plage is Nice’s oldest private beach, located opposite the city’s sumptuous opera house, just before Old Nice. The place has been managed since 1889 by the Maiffret family, now in its fifth generation, and enchants locals and holidaymakers in search of the classic refinement of the Côte d’Azur. Luxurious sun loungers are set up under vintage blue and white umbrellas to take in the breathtaking view of the bay. The Opéra Plage obviously has a restaurant and it is also possible to privatize the spaces of the Opéra Plage and organize an evening there with DJs or musicians.

Clean air and green spaces at Centennial Beach

Plage du Centenaire is a wide gravel beach backed by a large pedestrian promenade and has specific facilities for people with disabilities. It borders the mouth of the Paillon, the coastal river that runs through Nice beneath the promenade before reaching the Baie des Anges. During the warmer months Centenary Beach has a lifeguard and temporary facilities and out of season it is a nice strip of quiet pebbles. It is also one of the five beaches where lifeguard surveillance continues until mid-September, once the high season has passed.

Carras beach, the most dog-friendly

Carras beach, together with the Lanterne site at Lenval, is one of only two beaches in Nice open to dogs all year round, under the city’s municipal orders. This beach is one of the longest and most westerly of Nice, near the Ferber/Carras district, at 400 Promenade des Anglais. It extends over 350 meters. It is also the only beach in Nice where you can go jet-skiing, there is also a beach volleyball court, and, at the western end of the promenade, there is a small port mainly used for diving and swimming.

Platform beach, ideal for sunbathing

Platform beach is the easternmost beach in Nice, on the border with Villefranche-sur-Mer, near Cap de Nice. It sits at the end of the first stretch of the coastal path, backed by steep cliffs and sheltered from the wind, which makes it an ideal spot for sunbathing. The seabed here is worth exploring, and the beach has its regular divers.

It is worth saying upfront that this is not a beach like the others, so it helps to know what to expect. There is neither sand nor pebbles, but a vast concrete slab below the Palais Maeterlinck, and you enter the water down a ladder, which makes swimming better suited to strong swimmers, especially when the sea is rough.

Getting there takes some effort. You can reach the beach via the coastal path that starts at 6 avenue Jean Lorrain, or by climbing down two fairly steep flights of steps from avenue du Cap de Nice. The spot has no facilities and is not among the beaches supervised by the City, which explains why it is mostly frequented by locals from the neighborhood.

Beau-Rivage, the largest private beach in Nice

A stone’s throw from downtown Nice, Beau-Rivage beach stretches over 100 meters of seafront, which makes it the largest private beach in the city. Part of its reputation comes from its imported sand, a rarity on Nice’s pebble coastline, even though a second strip of sand has since been added near Opéra Plage. Beau-Rivage beach has kept its original pontoon in order to freeze its unique side. Upscale place with 5-star facilities, the staff will be happy to meet all of your needs.

Lenval beach, the quietest

Lenval beach is reputed to be quieter than other public beaches in Nice and is located in front of the hospital of the same name, at 137-147 Promenade des Anglais, on the edge of the Magnan district. This vast expanse of pebbles will be perfect for those who do not necessarily appreciate the hustle and bustle of the beaches. It is a place of relaxation specially dedicated to sportsmen with its area dedicated to windsurfing and sailboarding. This is also where you will find the Lanterne site, the second Nice beach open to dogs all year round, marked in summer by two Totor statues.

As a bonus, Ponchettes beach, at the foot of Old Nice

Set against the hill of the Château, Ponchettes beach stretches along the Quai des États-Unis, between Opéra Plage and the Castel. It is the beach of Old Nice, reached by a staircase from the promenade just past the Cours Saleya, and its lively atmosphere is unlike any other. Entirely public and free, it is made up of pebbles, with a strip of sand laid out in summer around the beach volleyball court.

Two details set it apart for regular visitors. Its first aid post stays open until 13 September, making it one of the few beaches still supervised after the summer holidays end. And it is one of ten Nice beaches fitted with ropes for getting in and out of the water, a detail best appreciated once you are faced with the pebble slope on the way back out.

These nine beaches share one thing in common, they are all within walking distance of each other or just a few minutes apart by tram. Comfort is another matter. If you would rather have a sun lounger, a parasol planted in the sand and lunch with your feet in the water, the private concessions are what you are looking for, and we have ranked them in our top 5 private beaches in Nice.

Living in Nice means being able to choose your beach according to the day’s mood rather than the holiday schedule, and walking home at the end of the day. Are you looking for a rental in Nice or do you want to invest in real estate in Nice? Do not hesitate to visit our real estate agency in Nice Gambetta or to contact one of our advisers by telephone so that we can present our offers to you.