A Multi-Day Plan for Nice
Three days covers Nice itself plus one rail excursion; four lets Monaco and Cannes each get their own day instead of a rushed half. The coastal TER line makes every extension a train ticket, not a rental car.
Day one: the city on foot
Start along the Promenade des Anglais toward Castle Hill, a 93m limestone rise reached by a free lift (10:00-17:25) or the 213 steps of Montée Lesage; the fortress that once stood there was demolished by gunpowder in 1706, so what’s up top is ruins, a waterfall and a view, not a castle interior. Work down into Vieux Nice through Place Rossetti, and time the afternoon around Cours Saleya, whose flower market runs Tuesday to Sunday and closes by 17:30 (13:30 on Sundays). The Russian Orthodox Cathedral, free to enter self-guided, sits 2.5km west on Avenue Nicolas II, not on Castle Hill, so it needs its own detour rather than a stop on the hill circuit.
Day two: Monaco
TER trains reach Monaco-Monte-Carlo in 20-22 minutes for €4.40 each way. The Palais Princier changes its guard daily at 11:55 (State Apartments €10), the Musée Océanographique built into the cliff face runs about €19, and the Casino de Monte-Carlo atrium is free while the gaming rooms cost €18 and require a passport.
Day three: Cannes or Antibes
Cannes is 28-35 minutes by TER for €7.90; walk the Boulevard de la Croisette and the old Suquet district. Antibes is closer, 18-22 minutes for €5.10, and holds the Musée Picasso inside the Château Grimaldi (€8) alongside the daily Marché Provençal. Either fills a full day on its own.
Day four, if you have it
Villefranche-sur-Mer, 8 minutes out for €2.30, adds a sheltered beach and the Cocteau-decorated Chapelle Saint-Pierre (€4); or take Bus 82 to Èze village (35 minutes, €1.70) for the Jardin Exotique, €8-10, rather than the sea-level train station, which leaves a steep hour-and-a-half climb instead of a bus ride.
Food to build the days around
Socca (a wood-fired chickpea pancake), pan bagnat and a proper salade niçoise, which never contains boiled potatoes or green beans, are the three dishes worth planning a lunch stop around; bouillabaisse belongs to Marseille, not Nice.
Transit and passes
A single Lignes d’Azur trip costs €1.70, a day pass €7, a 7-day pass €20; tickets load onto the rechargeable “La Carte” (€2 deposit) or the Lignes d’Azur app before boarding. The French Riviera Pass, covering Chagall Museum, the tourist train and coastal boat trips, runs €30 for 24 hours, €45 for 48, and €65 for 72; current pricing is posted at frenchrivierapass.com . Ticket types and fares for the trams and buses are at lignesdazur.com . Multi-day tours combining Monaco and the corniches are listed on GetYourGuide , and Booking.com covers hotels centrally in Vieux Nice or near Jean Médecin .
The verdict
Four days lets the coast breathe; three works if the city day and one excursion are enough. For the single best day trip on its own, see the Nice day trips guide .
Before you go
Buy the multi-day Lignes d’Azur pass, not single tickets, the moment a third excursion is on the plan; three single fares already cost more than the day pass.