Best Things To Do in Nice France Travel Guide 2026 4K

What's going on everybody? This is Island Hopper TV and today we're going to show you the best things to do in Nice, France. Let's do it! If you think France is just Paris, think again because you need to come down here to the French Riviera and explore beautiful cities like Nice, Saint-Tropez, Monaco, and other awesome destinations in the south of France. First up, let's explore around the waterfront beaches here right in Nice. One thing that is a must, you have to walk along which actually means the walkway of the English. There's a palm tree-lined waterfront boulevard stretching seven kilometers along the Mediterranean coast here. Locals often just call the area La Prome. People come down here to watch the sunset, do a jog, run, walk, just relax, also hang out on the beach. Just be aware it's not sand, it's actually these smooth kind of pebbles rather than sand. So you may consider just renting out a cabana or maybe going to one of the beach clubs here but getting a towel is another way you can do it if you don't have a chair. Swimming here is nice, the water is very pleasant. Up above the beach you can actually get great views and this is where they have the I Love Nice sign. It's one of the most famous pictures people try to take when they come here. In the middle of the daytime though, people are lining up to take pictures so come early. Now we're actually headed up to Castle Hill which is above the I Love Nice sign so you get even better views of the beach plus the Old Town area. This is a great little hike up the mountain. You can also ride a bike up here or get a car to drive you but either way you do want to come up here just to get those views and they also have some other things like cafes, a park, a walking path, as well as a former cathedral and fortress. There is no more castle up here even though it has that name and one of my favorite things is going to be the waterfall, the Cascadia right here. You can see just a really cool feature up on the mountain. This is an artificial waterfall that was built in the 1880s but it's become one of Nice's most famous photographed landmarks. As far as the archaeological evidence and stuff that's up on the hill, people inhabited this area for more than 2,000 years so this is a major hill in the history and development of Nice and as you walk around the paths you'll see some really cool trees and gardens. I suggest coming up here during sunset. Now let's explore around the Old Town of Nice. The Old Town of Nice is photogenic but the big thing that caught my attention was the diversity in food and the cafes but they have lots of old architecture, cathedrals, churches, and buildings that you will want to check out while you're here. After all it is the Old Town of Nice. It's right here at the base of the Castle Hill. It is at the heart of the city. It dates back to the Middle Ages. It's famous for its narrow colorful streets, pastel painted buildings. It was also part of the Kingdom of Sardinia until 1860 when it became a part of France. So if you go right across the Mediterranean you'll see islands of Corsica which actually belongs to France and then Sardinia which is part of Italy. Those are two big islands in the Mediterranean not too far away from the south of France but as you can see the Old Town of Nice or Nice Town used to belong to the Kingdom of Sardinia. By the way if you wanted to take a ferry to Corsica or Sardinia you can do that from Nice. The area we're at here is called the Corsilea Market. This is the most famous market in Nice and one of the most iconic open-air markets on the French Riviera. It's located near the Old Town. Here you also have a vibrant flower market which is recognized by France as one of the most exceptional markets. In addition to flowers you'll find fresh fruits, vegetables, olives, cheese, herbs, spices, local honey. It's the thing when you come here you do want to try some of that local cuisine and that's going to include those olives. Every Monday the flower and food stalls are replaced by a popular antique and flea market where the vendors sell some of the local furniture, artwork, books, jewelry and collectibles or you could just come down here and eat at some of the best restaurants in Nice. And for those looking to do some shopping the main boulevard here is Avenue Jean Messina which is actually the busiest shopping street stretching for about one kilometer through the heart of the city. You'll have malls, cafes, a tram goes right through the center of it. I visited Nice in July and it was very hot outside so during the middle of the day this is a place you might want to end up especially because they have indoor shopping malls with food courts. That's maybe an idea for you to do in the middle of the day if you're not hanging out around the promenade or the waterfront because it does get hot out here in France in July. I think it's one of the hottest months. As I was walking around I saw Le Grand Café de France. Have a breakfast there or a coffee at the very least. Looks like a nice place. And then at the very end towards the waterfront is Place Messina which is the main square. It serves as the city's cultural and social heart built in the mid-19th century named after Andre Messina, one of Napoleon Bonaparte's greatest military commanders who was born in Nice. The square is famous for its black and checkered pavement. Also its fountains like the Sun Fountain which features Apollo the Greek god of the sun surrounded by five bronze figures representing Earth, Mars, Venus, Mercury and Saturn. Now I want to talk about my favorite way to get around Nice. And now we're riding a bike here and these aren't just any regular bike. These are electric bikes so when you're going uphill it's a lot easier than a pedal bike. You still pedal but because it's an electric bike it's just more powerful and it's better. It's a little bit more expensive to rent but it's so easy. You just get the Uber app. Look for two wheels. It'll tell you where the bikes are that are nearby. Generally speaking I found that they're more available down there on the promenade. And then you can ride it all around. Some areas are off limit so if you're riding the bike and all of a sudden it stalls out it's because you're in an off-limit zone. But for me there's no better way to explore Nice than on a pedal bike like this. They also have some water sports and water activities like parasailing. When you're out there you'll see people in the sky parasailing. Just be careful with all these activities. Be sure to follow all the rules. Taking the necessary safety precautions for everything depending on the situations. Also down here on the waterfront beachfront those beach clubs that I was talking about that's something on a hot day that you can definitely take advantage of because they're going to have umbrellas and also some of them have Mr. Systems cold drinks. Just a really nice environment on a hot day. If riding a bike isn't for you you can easily ride a tram. They have the tram network all around Nice. Also they have a beautiful public library and several museums. That's something that you can also do on a hot day to beat the heat. But also take advantage of trying local food. People come to France and they don't try the local food. They only stick to what they know and then they maybe venture into croissants. But trying some of the seafood, having the French style breakfast with the coffee. That's really something that I would encourage people from far and wide to do is indulge in the French cuisine. Don't just eat the same old basic French food that you're used to. Although I do admit I ate carbonara every day in Nice. Or some form of pastas. Just the carbonara was so good here I felt like I was in Italy. I guess down here in the south of France it kind of is like Italian food a little bit. But be ready to eat lots of sandwiches. Here we got the Port of Nice. The Port of Nice is actually one of the oldest ports in the French Riviera. It was originally built under the rule of the Kingdom of Sardinia. And it is a working port as well as a luxury marina. They have fishing boats, sailing yachts, super yachts, ferries come out of here, cruise ships. So it's a very functional harbor. But if you're someone who wants to go up and down the French Riviera, maybe even check out some of the other towns along the coastline, this is where you would go. You can talk to some of the tourist vendors about getting a boat or having a captain take you up and down the coast on a yacht. You'll see people in there even in their own vessels or getting ready to go out on a yacht. Who knows what people are doing out here. Maybe a sailboat, sunset cruise or some sort of cruise out there onto the water. And then you have the Memory of the Fallen Memorial. This is a war memorial for 4,000 people who died that were from Nice during World War I. It's in between the promenade and the port. And now here we are at Villa French Sur Mer. And this town is just one over from Nice. It's a lot more laid back here. Not as much beach activity, but there's other things you can do here like on the peninsula if you go out. So if you're looking for a half day trip or a day trip, come up here. They've got some really delicious restaurants. And then speaking of day trips, the absolute best day trip from Nice is going to be to Monaco. Because if you try and stay in Monaco, it might be more expensive than Nice. So taking the train, it takes 35 to 40 minutes to get there, depending on delays of course. But it's really easy to get there. You arrive under the mountain and then you're in the beautiful country or city of Monaco. They have the Monte Carlo. They also have the marina there that you can go to of Hercules and the port. And then you have some museums, viewpoints. Definitely worth a to Monaco. And then you can actually go on another day trip to the largest canyon in Europe spanning 25 kilometers. This is the Verdun Gorge. It is about two to two and a half hours away from Nice by car. If you took public transport, it's much longer. So the best way to get out there is by tour in a van or a car. And here in Nice, they have a beautiful Russian cathedral known as the St. Nicholas Russian Orthodox Cathedral. It is the largest Russian Orthodox Cathedral in Western Europe. Construction began in 1903 and the cathedral was consecrated in 1912 with financial support from Tsar Nicholas II. If you just look for the sign, you'll be able to get there. And as far as how many days you want to spend in Nice, I would say three to four, depending on if you want to do Monaco or some of the other towns along the French Riviera. Now I realized that I visited here in the summertime and some of you may be visiting in the winter when it's much cooler or maybe the spring or fall when the weather is more mild. I would say if you're going to come in the winter, you're going to want to get more historical stuff out of Nice than if you come in the summer. You're going to want to get more out of the water experience and hanging out on the beach. But either way, I hope you guys enjoy your trip and we'll see you on the next one from Paris. Click right here.