Nice 6 Day Itinerary
Nice, France: 6 Days, Done Right
Six days in Nice is enough to actually settle in rather than sprint through a checklist. Here’s how I’d spend it, including where I’d tell you to slow down instead of adding one more sight.
Day 1: Land, walk, don’t overplan
Get from the airport into town on tram Line 2 toward Port Lympia, not the Centre Administratif branch. It’s about thirty minutes to Jean-Medecin for 1.70 euros. If you’d rather skip the tram, confirm the flat taxi rate of 32 euros before the car pulls away, or just take Uber; drivers running the meter instead of the flat rate is a known move here.
Once you’re settled, head straight for Vieux Nice. Skip lunch on the Cours Saleya terraces; the food there is priced for the view, not the plate, and it’s mediocre. Walk one or two streets back and eat better for less. If socca is on your list, and it should be, Chez Pipo on rue Bavastro has been making it since 1923, or grab it from the Chez Theresa stall right on the market square.
Spend the afternoon wandering the old town’s alleys and pastel facades, then climb Castle Hill before dinner. There’s no actual castle up there, it was torn down in 1706, but the free elevator or the stairs get you to a view that’s better than most paid attractions in this city. Watch the sunset from up there if your timing works out.
Day 2: Museums, and knowing where they actually are
A lot of people assume the Matisse and Chagall museums sit in the old town. They don’t. Both are up in Cimiez, and they’re two separate buildings, not one complex. Take bus 5 to reach them. Matisse is housed in a 17th-century villa, open 10am to 6pm, closed Tuesdays. The Chagall museum, the Musee National Marc Chagall, is nearby on avenue Docteur Menard, also shut on Tuesdays, and costs 12 euros during special exhibitions or 10 outside of them, free on the first Sunday of the month.
For lunch, stay local rather than chasing a themed restaurant across town; something simple near Cimiez keeps your afternoon moving. Spend the rest of the day back at sea level: walk the Promenade des Anglais, all seven free kilometers of it, and remember the beaches here are pebble, not sand, so don’t wear the wrong shoes into the water.
Day 3: Day trip to Cannes
The train from Nice to Cannes takes 30 to 40 minutes and costs 7 to 9 euros, easily the better option over a car or bus. Spend the day on La Croisette and around the Palais des Festivals if film history interests you; if it doesn’t, you can skip Cannes entirely and swap in a second day trip elsewhere. It’s the least essential stop on this itinerary and I won’t pretend otherwise.
Come back to Nice for dinner and eat somewhere in Vieux Nice proper. Lou Balico or Acchiardo are solid for traditional Nicois dishes like daube and stuffed vegetables, mains in the 15 to 25 euro range.
Day 4: Day trip to Monaco
Monaco is a 20 to 25 minute train ride for 4 to 6 euros, genuinely worth the short trip even if the casino itself doesn’t interest you. Walk the old town, look at the Oceanographic Museum from outside if you don’t want to pay to go in, and take in the scale of the place, it’s absurdly small for how much wealth is packed into it.
Head back to Nice for dinner. If you want to splurge once on this trip, Chantecler at the Negresco is the two-Michelin-star option, but it’s not required reading for a good Nice trip. A simpler Nicois meal will serve you just as well.
Day 5: Eze and the coast
Take the train to Eze-sur-Mer, not straight to the village, that’s a common mix-up. From the station it’s a steep walk uphill or bus 83 to reach the perched village itself. Do this in the morning if you’re visiting in summer; the climb at midday in July or August is genuinely unpleasant, not charming in the slightest.
From Eze, continue toward Villefranche-sur-Mer on your way back, an easy stop with a deep, pretty harbor and barely a seven-minute train ride from Nice, 2 to 3 euros. Have dinner back in Nice near the port, where the colorful harbor facades make for a nice last coastal evening.
Day 6: Wrap it up without rushing
Use your last morning to revisit whatever you liked most rather than cramming in something new. If you haven’t been to Cours Saleya during market hours yet, Tuesday through Sunday for flowers and produce, Monday for antiques and brocante, this is the morning for it. Buy something small to take home instead of a magnet from a gift shop.
For a final meal, keep it simple and local instead of chasing a Michelin star on your way out the door. Get to the airport with buffer time via the tram, and keep an eye on your bag at the Grand Arenas stop specifically; it’s a known spot for pickpockets working the ticket machines while you’re distracted buying your ticket.