What to visit in Nice?

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Nice is the capital of the Côte d’Azur and the second city of the PACA region. It is also known by the affectionate name “Nissa La Bella”. Set against the hills and open to the Baie des Anges, it packs a baroque old town, residential hillsides and seven kilometres of seafront into just a few kilometres. Here, we show you the 10 must-see sights in Nice!

Most of these sights can be reached on foot or by tramway from Place Masséna, and you can cover half of them within a two-kilometre radius of the Old Town. The other three, Cimiez, Mont Boron and the coastal path, call for a bus ride or a good pair of walking shoes, enough to fill a two or three-day stay without ever needing a car.

The Promenade des Anglais

The famous 7 km Nice Promenade runs along the city and the seafront, from the Quai des États-Unis, at the foot of Castle Hill, to the airport. It offers many spots to relax and a sublime panorama over the bay. The “Prom’” is known the world over and lined with luxury hotels. It owes its name to a subscription launched in 1822 by the English reverend Lewis Way, whose funds financed the first seafront path, completed in 1824. Since 2021, it has been part of the UNESCO World Heritage site “Nice, Winter Resort Town of the Riviera”. The Promenade des Anglais is an emblematic meeting place for joggers from Nice.

Old Nice

Old Nice, the city’s historic heart, is a maze of shady lanes, colourful façades and typically Mediterranean shuttered windows. The lanes are lined with food shops, artisan boutiques and pavement cafés. In the Old Town, you will find Place du Palais de Justice, Place Saint-François and Place Rossetti, one of the liveliest squares in the area and home to Sainte-Réparate Cathedral. A vast pedestrian esplanade in the Old Town, the Cours Saleya is lined with magnificent colourful baroque buildings and hosts the famous flower market from Tuesday to Sunday. On Mondays, the esplanade changes character and gives way to antique dealers and a flea market. It is also a highly sought-after area to live in Nice.

Castle Hill

Castle Hill was aptly named in its day, but the castle that once stood there was destroyed in 1706 on the orders of King Louis XIV. Today, the Château is the park that sits on the hill overlooking the Old Town. The park is worth the climb for its different viewpoints over the city, the Bay of Angels, the port and the mountains. You can also discover the waterfall, put into service in 1885 on the ruins of an old keep. You can reach the Château on foot, by the little tourist train or by the lift next to the Bellanda Tower, whose operation can be interrupted for technical reasons. The park is open every day from 8.30am, closing at 8pm from April to October and at 6pm for the rest of the year.

The Cimiez district

The Cimiez district is a residential area, but it is also a place steeped in history. Here you can discover the Arènes de Cimiez, the amphitheatre of the ancient Roman town of Cemenelum, and the park that surrounds it. The monastery garden, open to all, offers a panoramic view over the rooftops and the bay. The archaeology museum and its Roman ruins sit next to the Henri Matisse museum on the plateau, while the Marc Chagall national museum occupies avenue Docteur Ménard, at the foot of the hill.

Place Massena

Place Masséna is the central square of the city, the meeting point between the Old Town, the Promenade des Anglais and the start of Rue Masséna. It is known for its black and white chequered paving. The square was decided in 1832, after the cholera epidemic, then built up over the following decades, and it has kept evolving ever since. Its current look dates from 2007, the year it was pedestrianised with the arrival of the tramway. Place Masséna is lined with red-façade Nice buildings, and to the south stands the Fontaine du Soleil, whose seven-metre Apollo statue is the work of Alfred Janniot. The seven figures perched on poles, Jaume Plensa’s “Conversation à Nice”, light up after dark.

Saint Nicholas Cathedral

Also known as the Russian Church of Nice, the Saint-Nicolas Orthodox Cathedral, listed as a historic monument, ranks among the largest Orthodox buildings outside Russia. It was built between 1903 and 1912 on the orders of Tsar Nicholas II, in a neo-Russian style, on the spot where his uncle, Tsarevich Nicholas Alexandrovich, had died in 1865. The interior is richly decorated with numerous icons, frescoes and carved woodwork. Entry is free and the building is open every day, outside of services held on Saturday evening, Sunday morning and the mornings of religious holidays. The treasury of the crypt can be visited for five euros, and a guided tour of the cathedral and the Tsarevich chapel is offered every day.

The coastal path

The coastal path is a very pleasant way to get some fresh air and admire the sublime landscapes of the Côte d’Azur. This path links Cap de Nice to the Lazaret district of Villefranche-sur-Mer, six kilometres and around two hours on foot. It is walked in two sections, separated by eight hundred metres of pavement along the Basse Corniche. Lined with olive trees, Scots pines and rocky outcrops, the path promises you a beautiful, active walk.

The Matisse Museum

Located on the heights of the city, inside the Arènes de Cimiez garden, it is one of the most visited sites in Nice and is dedicated to the painter Henri Matisse. It holds one of the largest collections of his work, in a sublime natural setting. This cultural site is also labelled “Musée de France”. It occupies the Villa des Arènes and is open every day except Tuesday.

The Tête Carrée

The Tête Carrée is a monumental sculpture close to thirty metres high, seven storeys, and is the work of the artist Sacha Sosno. It was inaugurated in 2002 and stands next to Traverse Barla, very close to the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (MAMAC). This “Tête Carrée” is an inhabited sculpture housing the administration of the libraries of Nice, and it cannot be visited. This gigantic work has become an architectural symbol of the city.

Mount Boron

Mont Boron and its eponymous 57-hectare park offer a remarkable view over the city of Nice. Mont Boron peaks at 191 metres and overlooks the whole of the bay, the Massif de l’Estérel and also the roadstead of Villefranche-sur-Mer. You will also find 11 km of waymarked trails winding through a Mediterranean forest dominated by the Aleppo pine. The Mont Boron and Cap de Nice district is in fact one of the most sought-after residential addresses on the Nice coastline.

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