Nice is a beautiful town and it has a bit of everything: beaches, hills, a harbour, lots of culture, fancy seafood restaurants, music, and so much more. There is a lot to do and see in here: from viewpoints to museums, colourful houses to a spectacular Russian Orthodox church, here is a list of the top things to see in Nice.

As I mentioned in my blog post about the Top Places to Visit in Côte d’Azur, Nice is a very family-friendly city and the main centre when visiting the French Riviera. Here is where most people will be based, and if you’re not planning to travel around the Riviera but just want a nice time in Nice, there’s plenty to see, so you will surely be able to fill your days with some exploring.

The English Promenade is one of the highlights of Nice, and there are many good reasons for that. What other city do you know with a promenade that extends from the airport to the city? That’s right, Nice’s promenade is 7km long and it extends from Nice’s airport until Castle Hill, another highlight of this city.

This is a place for everyone: cyclists, scooter riders, skate boarders, roller skaters, joggers, tourists, locals. The promenade is wide enough and has a separation for pedestrians and bikes, so everyone can appreciate the famous Promenade des Anglais.

At the end of the promenade, you can find the popular “I LOVE NICE“, where many people will be queuing to take the famous holiday picture to show to their friends and family.

If you’re feeling adventurous upon arrival, you can skip the buses and go on a walk for 1h30 along the coast. A perfect way to start your trip, as long as you’re not carrying heavy suitcases, you are fit enough to walk for that long and it’s not extremely hot.

This is the place to visit if you’re looking for that popular panoramic view over the bay (Bay of Angels – Baie des Anges), the whole town and the mountains – yes, that beautiful view you see when you look for Nice on Google, also shown on the first image of this post. It is also a perfect spot for sunset watching! On the other side, you will have a beautiful view to the old port, as well as some lovely ruins. In Castle Hill you will also find an artificial waterfall (Cascade du Château) and a cemetery.

You can reach the hill by foot (passing Bellanda Tower, from where you can have nice views), by elevator or mini-train tour, departing from the Promenade (in front of the Jardin Albert 1er monument).

And in case you’re asking yourself “so where is the castle?”, I am sorry to break it to you, but there is no castle. Not anymore at least. Castle Hill was once a military fortress (11th to 18th century) built on the hill and only a few ruins remain today.

Vieux Nice is a lively part of the town, where you can find many restaurants, bars, ice cream shops, boutiques, galleries, local markets, churches, squares and colourful houses nicely aligned along narrow streets. It’s a lovely place for walks and exploring, and from there, you can go up to Castle Hill.

Place Masséna was one of my favourite places in Nice, not only because of its vibrant colours and lovely architecture, but also its atmosphere. It’s the main square of the city, and a perfect place for people watching. It is also a great place to appreciate the occasional concert or other public events such as Nice Carnaval.

When visiting it, you can’t miss the beautiful pavement tiles, the seven statues set on high poles and the Fountain of the Sun (Fontaine du Soleil).

On each side of Place Masséna you will find two different green spaces: Promenade du Paillon on the east, with its beautiful Water Mirror and Albert I Garden (Jardin Albert 1er) on the west.

Sadly, you won’t find this cathedral in many lists of “top things to see in Nice“, despite being a beautiful building, and one you should definitely not miss when in the city. It is a bit further away from all other main locations, but is worth the detour.

This is the largest Eastern Orthodox cathedral in Western Europe and is recognised as a national monument in France, but under the property of Russia.

Photography is not allowed inside of the cathedral.

Let’s admit it, not everyone is into museums – but if you are, Nice will not disappoint. There are over 15 museums, so here is a list of the top ones to see in this beautiful town:

MAMAC is a quite unique building with very interesting exhibitions, dedicated to modern and contemporary art. If you visit, make sure you don’t miss the rooftop for some panoramic views.

Cimiez used to be an ancient Roman city, and its ruins can be visited at Cimiez Arena Park (Parc des Arènes de Cimiez), where you will find both Cimiez Archaeological Museum (Cimiez Musee D’Archeologie) and Musée Matisse. You can admire the arenas (les arènes de Cimiez) at the entrance of the park, and the remaining ruins (including a thermal bath complex and some villas) at the Cimiez Archaeological Museum.

If you like art, you can find Henri Matisse and Pablo Picasso paintings in Musée Matisse. You can pay for the entry fee or buy a 7-day Museum card, which provides entry to all 14 municipal museums for a week, including both museums in Cimiez, but does not include Marc Chagall Museum as previously mentioned.

While in Cimiez, don’t miss the Cimiez Monastery (Monastère Notre-Dame-de-Cimiez) and its gardens (jardins du monastère de Cimiez) for a panoramic view over Nice town and bay.

If you’re short on time, you might skip this location as it is considerably away from the centre of Nice.

Located in the former private mansion of the Ukrainian Princess Elisabeth Vassilievna Kotschoubey, this fine arts museum displays paintings and sculptures produced by local artists. While its interiors will certainly attract art lovers, its exteriors will please almost anyone due to its beautiful architecture and gardens.

As mentioned above, these are only the top museums since there are many more that you could explore.

There are other things to see in Nice that are certainly less popular. I will include three of these on this list:

Nice’s old port might not be on the list of top things to see in Nice, but if you like ports like me, have plenty of time to kill and don’t mind walking a little bit further east, you might want to pass by and admire the colourful boats by the port.

La Reserve is a quite interesting restaurant sitting on a rock, with great views to the port, the bay and the ocean blues.

When I read that I could visit a 7-hectare zoo and botanical garden, with one of the largest greenhouses in Europe and some animals for only €5 (2018 price), Parc Phoenix got my attention. I’ve always loved visiting greenhouses and zoos. I saw pictures of the garden, with beautiful palm trees and the greenhouse, and I was sold!

However, despite the amount of good reviews I saw (and still see) on Google, this is not a place I would recommend.

Even though we did enjoy the place to a certain extent, and the gardens with the greenhouse look stunning (as you can see in the photo above), Parc Phoenix did not have much to offer, and it felt overpriced. I have never seen a greenhouse that looked so abandoned and lacked maintenance like this one. Many of the animal enclosures were empty and overall, we felt like everything was quite basic, poorly maintained and there wasn’t much to see.

This was our experience when we visited in August 2018, and I am rarely picky with green spaces and zoos.

Also, be aware that even though this is very close to Nice airport, there is no luggage storage, and you will be denied entry if you carry luggage with you, so unfortunately, visiting on your way to the airport or upon arrival is simply not possible.

This list does not include things to see near Nice nor any day trips from Nice, which you should definitely consider if you’re planning to explore this side of France. Hope this helps you decide where to go on your next journey to Nice!

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