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Voykit pocket guide · France
Nice
Nissa
Give Nice 3 nights: old town and Promenade des Anglais on foot, one coastal train day (Monaco or Menton), one hill day. Skip a car.
Nice is the Riviera's working base: a UNESCO-listed seafront, a dense old town, a tram from the airport and a coastal train that reaches Monaco in about 25 minutes. Three nights covers the city and one or two coast or hill days; the sea is warm enough to swim from June to early October, and the city stays usable in winter when the crowds leave.
- Country
- France
- Local name
- Nissa
- Best months
- May–Jun, Sep–Oct
- Avoid
- Jul–Aug (heat, crowds, peak prices); mid-Feb for Carnival if you dislike crowds
- Stay
- 3 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- EUR
- Money
- Currency is the euro (EUR, €). Contactless cards work in most shops, cafés and restaurants.
- Daily spend
- Budget €70–110 excl. bed · Mid €110–190 excl. bed · High €190+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- Orange, SFR, Bouygues Télécom and Free sell prepaid SIMs in their shops and at tabacs; ID is required to register.
- Emergency
- European emergency 112 · Ambulance (SAMU) 15 · Police 17 · Fire 18
- Plugs
- Types C, E · 230 V · 50 Hz · Round two-pin plugs; type E sockets have an earth pin sticking out, so Schuko (type F) plugs need a C/E hybrid or an adapter.
- Tipping
- Café or bar: Leave small change, €0.20–1.; Restaurant: Service is included; leave 5–10% in cash for good service.; Taxi: Round up to the next euro or two.; Hotel porter or housekeeping: €1–2 per bag or per night.; Tour guide: €5–10 per person for a half day, more for private guides.
- Water
- Tap water is safe everywhere unless signed otherwise. Restaurants must serve a free carafe of tap water on request.
- Toilets
- Paris has free automatic public toilets (sanisettes); elsewhere use cafés (buy a coffee), museums and stations, where some charge €0.50–1.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee at a bar counter | €1.50–3 |
| Socca slice at the Cours Saleya market | €3–5 |
| Salade niçoise or a plat du jour | €14–22 |
| Beer: bar / supermarket can | €6–9 / €1.50–3 |
| Tram or bus single ticket | €1.70 |
| TER train Nice → Monaco | about €5.60 |
| Vélo Bleu day pass | €3 |
| Museum entry (Matisse, Chagall, Masséna) | €10–15 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- NCE · Nice Côte d'Azur
- Tram 2 to Jean Médecin in the centre, about 25 min; free tram to Grand Arénas for the cheapest onward ticket
Typical fares
- Airport → centre, tram 2
- about €10 with l'Aéro pass, about 25 min
- Airport → centre, taxi
- fixed tariff around €35
- Nice-Ville → Monaco, TER
- about €5.60, about 25 min
- Nice-Ville → Cannes, TER
- about €9.40, about 30 min
Show 7 more sections and the pocket cardHideGet around, See and do, Sleep, Phrase card, Etiquette, safety and scams, One and two days, Sources, Pocket card
Get around
Walk the centre; the tram and Lignes d'Azur buses cover the rest, with a single ticket valid for 74 minutes of connections. The TER coastal train is the fast way to Cannes, Monaco and Menton. A car is a liability in the centre: one-way streets, scarce parking and heavy traffic.
See and do
Known for
- Promenade des Anglais
- Old town (Vieux Nice) and the Cours Saleya market
- UNESCO World Heritage listing (2021)
- Coastal train to Monaco, Èze and Menton
- Salade niçoise and socca
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Monaco | TER train from Nice-Ville, about 25 min | About 45 min |
| Menton | TER train from Nice-Ville, about 35 min | About 1 h |
| Cannes | TER train from Nice-Ville, about 30 min | About 50 min |
| Antibes | TER train from Nice-Ville, about 20 min | About 40 min |
| Èze village | Zou! bus 82 from Vauban, about 40 min, then a steep walk | About 1 h |
| Grasse | TER train to Grasse, about 1 h 10 min | About 1.5 h |
Sleep
- Vieux Nice / Old Town
- Walk to the beach, market and bars; noisy at night, few lifts in old buildings.
- Jean Médecin / city centre
- Tram 2 from the airport stops here; shops, station walkable, best all-round base.
- Promenade des Anglais seafront
- Sea views and hotel towers; 20–30 min walk to the old town.
- Nice-Ville station area
- Cheapest beds and the fastest exit for Cannes, Monaco and Italy trains; plain streets.
- Cimiez / hills
- Quiet, Roman ruins and museums; bus or a long walk down to the sea.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello / Good day | Bonjourbon-ZHOOR |
| Thank you | Mercimer-SEE |
| Please | S'il vous plaîtseel voo PLEH |
| How much is it? | C'est combien ?say kom-BYEN |
| Can I pay by card? | Je peux payer par carte ?zhuh puh pay-YAY par KART |
| Where is the tram stop? | Où est l'arrêt de tram ?oo ay la-REH duh tram |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Say 'bonjour madame/monsieur' on entering any shop, bus or office; avoid: Asking a question before saying bonjour — it is read as rude
- Cheek kisses (la bise): Follow the other person's lead; one to four kisses depending on region; avoid: Initiating la bise with strangers or in business
- Addressing people: Use 'vous' and titles until invited otherwise; avoid: First names and 'tu' with older people or staff
- Restaurants: Wait to be seated in restaurants; call the waiter 'monsieur' or 'madame'; avoid: 'Garçon', snapping fingers, asking for the bill before you are finished
- Conversation: Debate is a pleasure; food, politics and philosophy are fair game; avoid: Asking about salary or religion; loud voices on trains
- Dinner at a home: Bring flowers (not chrysanthemums), chocolates or a good bottle; arrive 10–15 minutes late; avoid: Cutting the tip off a cheese wedge or asking for ketchup
- Dress: Smart-casual in cities; covered shoulders in churches; avoid: Beachwear in town centres
Scams and watch-outs
- Pickpockets work the Promenade des Anglais, the tram and the station; keep phones and bags closed.
- Agree the taxi fare or insist on the meter before you get in; the airport run is a fixed tariff.
- Buses mostly stop around 20:00; the tram runs to after midnight and night buses cover the centre.
- Strikes and demonstrations can halt buses and trains: check Nice-Matin the day before.
- The area right around the airport is the city's red-light district; don't walk there at night.
- Swim only where lifeguards are on duty; the sea floor shelves quickly.
Nice is a normal big city: violent crime is rare, but bag-snatching and pickpocketing on the Promenade, the tram and around the station are common. Keep your phone out of sight near the beach at night and use the tram or a licensed taxi after dark.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Nice yet. Suggested stay: 3 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Promenade des Anglais
- Old town (Vieux Nice) and the Cours Saleya market
- UNESCO World Heritage listing (2021)
- Coastal train to Monaco, Èze and Menton
- Salade niçoise and socca
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Nice city council: nice.fr
- Lignes d'Azur (Nice public transport): www.lignesdazur.com/en/
- Nice Côte d'Azur Airport: en.nice.aeroport.fr/
- SNCF Connect (national rail): www.sncf-connect.com/
- Wikivoyage: Nice, revision 5330665 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5330665
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
NiceNissa
À cette adresse, s'il vous plaît
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
The US and UK have consulates in Marseille; most embassies are in Paris. Check your own country's list before you travel.
Tipping: service is included by law. Round up or leave 5–10% for good service.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/nice). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.