Nice 7-day itinerary

Walk the Promenade des Anglais along the turquoise Baie des Anges. Turn into Vieux Nice and explore the Cours Saleya market (Tue–Sun until 1pm) — flowers, olives, lavender sachets, and socca vendors. Grab a pan bagnat (€5–7) for breakfast. Browse the baroque churches of Vieux Nice — Cathédrale Sainte-Réparate and the Chapel of Mercy are stunning inside.

Free elevator or stair climb to Colline du Château — panoramic views over old town, port, and the curving coastline. Shaded paths, waterfall, and castle ruins. Descend to Port Lympia — pastel buildings reflected in yacht-filled waters. Walk Quai des Deux Emmanuels and swim at Plage du Castel below the hill — less crowded than the main Promenade beaches.

Dinner at Chez Pipo on Rue Bavastro — legendary wood-fired socca since 1923, served with local rosé by the carafe. Then explore the narrow lanes — bars along Rue de la Préfecture buzz until late. Try Wayne's Bar for a rowdy international crowd, or Cave Wilson on Rue de l'Abbaye for natural wines and a more local clientele.

Bus 15/22 to Cimiez. Musée Matisse (free) in a 17th-century villa surrounded by olive groves — paintings, sculptures, and paper cut-outs spanning his full career. The adjacent Monastery of Cimiez has a serene garden with panoramic views and Roman ruins of the ancient Cemenelum thermal baths dating back to the 3rd century.

Head to the beach. Nice's pebble beaches are iconic — public sections are free between the private beach clubs. Rent a sunbed (€15–20/day) or bring a towel. Crystal-clear water with remarkable visibility. For lunch, grab a pizza slice from a Vieux Nice takeaway or splurge on Castel Plage right on the water below Castle Hill (mains €20–30).

Explore the Libération quarter around the Gare du Sud — gentrifying fast with wine bars, craft cocktails, and local restaurants. Dinner at La Merenda on Rue Raoul Bosio — no phone, no website, just extraordinary Niçois cooking by a former Michelin-starred chef. Seven tables, walk-in only, mains €14–22. It's the kind of place that makes Nice magical.

Bus 82 to Èze Village (30 min, €1.50) — a medieval hilltop village perched 427m above the Mediterranean. The Jardin Exotique (€7) at the summit has cactus gardens with staggering coastal views down to Cap Ferrat. Walk down the Nietzsche Path through pine forests to Èze-sur-Mer by the sea — a 45-minute descent on the trail the philosopher walked daily.

Train from Èze-sur-Mer to Monaco (10 min, €4.10). Walk past superyachts in Port Hercules, see the Casino Monte-Carlo exterior (lobby free, gaming rooms €17), and explore the Prince's Palace area. The Oceanographic Museum (€18) built into the cliff face is worth the entry. Grab a cheap panini from a side-street deli — Monaco restaurants are extremely expensive.

Train back one stop to Villefranche-sur-Mer — a pastel fishing village with one of the few sandy beaches on the Côte d'Azur. Swim in the sheltered bay, then explore the 14th-century Citadelle and the Chapel of Saint-Pierre decorated by Jean Cocteau. Dinner at a harbourfront restaurant watching fishing boats return. Train back to Nice in 6 minutes.

Visit the Musée National Marc Chagall (€8) — the world's largest collection of Chagall's biblical paintings, with luminous stained glass and a mosaic reflected in a pool. The museum garden is peaceful. Walk to the nearby Russian Orthodox Cathedral — its onion domes and blue-and-gold interior are a surprising pocket of St. Petersburg in the South of France.

Walk to MAMAC — the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (free) on Place Yves Klein — with works by Yves Klein, Niki de Saint Phalle, and the Nice School. The rooftop terrace has excellent city views. Continue to Place Garibaldi — Nice's most elegant Italian-style square with terracotta facades. Lunch at the café terraces here — Caffé Garibaldi does good pasta and salads (€10–14).

Dinner at Le Comptoir du Marché on Rue du Marché — a beloved bistro using market produce with a short, perfectly curated menu (mains €16–24). Reservations essential. After dinner, explore the bars of Vieux Nice — L'Akatraz on Rue Saint-Joseph for cocktails, or Les Distilleries Idéales on Rue de la Préfecture for an old-school brasserie atmosphere with good-value wine pitchers.

Train to Antibes (25 min, €5.40). Walk through the Provençal market on Cours Masséna (daily until 1pm) — the best outdoor market on the Côte d'Azur with cheese, tapenade, and lavender honey. Visit the Musée Picasso (€8) in the Château Grimaldi — Picasso lived and worked here in 1946 and left many works. The Mediterranean views from the terrace are frames for the art.

Walk the Sentier du Littoral (Tirepoil) around Cap d'Antibes — a stunning coastal path hugging the rocky shoreline with hidden coves, pine-scented air, and views of the Îles de Lérins. The full loop takes 2–3 hours. Stop at Plage de la Garoupe — a beautiful sandy beach on the cap. The Villa Eilenroc gardens (free, Wed & Sat) are worth a detour for their seaside rose gardens.

Walk the ramparts of Antibes at sunset — the Bastion Saint-André and Promenade Amiral de Grasse offer views across the bay to Nice. Dinner at Le Broc en Bouche on Rue des Palmiers — a cozy Provençal restaurant with market-fresh menus (mains €16–22). Catch the train back to Nice and end with a late-night gelato walk along the Promenade.

Bus 400 to Saint-Paul-de-Vence (45 min, €1.50) — a medieval hilltop village that attracted artists from Chagall to Matisse. Wander the car-free cobblestone streets lined with galleries. Visit the Fondation Maeght (€19) — one of Europe's finest modern art museums set in pine gardens with Giacometti sculptures, Miró ceramics, and a Calder stabile. The building itself by Josep Lluís Sert is a masterpiece.

Lunch at La Colombe d'Or in Saint-Paul (splurge, €30–40 mains) — a legendary artist's inn where Picasso, Matisse, and Calder paid with artwork now hanging on the walls. Or budget option at a crêperie in the village (€8–12). If you have time, bus to nearby Tourrettes-sur-Loup — the "village of violets" — a quieter medieval village with artisan workshops and violet-flavoured everything.

Back in Nice, head to the old port area for dinner. The restaurants along Quai Lunel at Port Lympia serve fresh-off-the-boat seafood at more honest prices than Vieux Nice tourist strips. Try La Réserve de Nice for bouillabaisse (€25–35) or the more casual Le Plongeoir perched dramatically on rocks above the sea. End with a moonlit walk along the Promenade.

Final morning swim at the Promenade beaches — the water is at its calmest before 10am. Walk through the Cours Saleya market one last time for souvenirs — Provençal lavender sachets (€3), olive oil from local producers, herbes de Provence, and Niçois socca spice mixes. Pick up a bag of calissons (Provençal almond sweets) from a confiserie.

Walk the Promenade du Paillon — Nice's green corridor running from the seafront to the Musée d'Art Moderne. The Miroir d'Eau fountain (free) shoots jets that kids (and adults) run through on hot days. Browse the boutiques on Rue de France and Rue Paradis. Stop at Fenocchio on Place Rossetti for ice cream — over 100 flavours including lavender, thyme, and olive.

Final sunset from the Promenade des Anglais — bring a bottle of rosé (€5 from any supermarket) and sit on the blue chairs watching the sky turn pink over the Baie des Anges. Farewell dinner at Lou Pilha Leva on Rue du Collet — a legendary street-food counter serving socca, pissaladière, and farcis to standing locals for €3–6 a plate. The perfect Nice goodbye.