Nice — Capital of the Côte d'Azur 🌴
The Riviera's grand old lady: a palm-fringed promenade curving round the Baie des Anges, a maze of pastel Old Town lanes, and a light that's drawn artists here for over a century. Hand-picked stays and must-book experiences — every link takes you straight to Trip.com to check live prices and book.
🏨 Where to Stay
- Hôtel Le Negresco ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ — Nice's pink-domed icon on the Promenade des Anglais, built in 1913 and transformed by legendary owner Jeanne Augier into a living museum with a 6,000-piece art collection spanning five centuries. The Michelin-starred Le Chantecler, a private beach and unmistakable Riviera glamour.
- Hyatt Regency Nice Palais de la Méditerranée ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ — a 1929 Art Deco landmark, once a glitzy casino-hotel hosting the Fitzgeralds and Josephine Baker, rebuilt behind its original listed façade. Right on the Promenade, with the only year-round heated indoor-outdoor pool in Nice and an on-site casino.
- Le Windsor, Jungle Art Hotel ⭐⭐⭐⭐ — smart pick — a wonderfully eccentric 19th-century townhouse where more than 30 rooms have been individually decorated by contemporary artists, wrapped around a lush tropical courtyard garden and pool. Five minutes from the beach, close to Old Town, and unlike anywhere else on the coast.
- Hôtel La Pérouse ⭐⭐⭐⭐ — hidden gem — a boutique carved directly into the rock of Castle Hill since 1936, with a citrus-tree pool garden, sea views from nearly every room and a discreet address between the Old Town and the port — genuinely feels like a hidden treasure.
✈️ Flights
- Flights to Nice (NCE) — around 2 hours direct from Manchester into Nice Côte d'Azur, the Riviera's main gateway airport, just 15–20 minutes from the city centre.
🎟️ Experiences
- Castle Hill (Colline du Château) — the hilltop park at Nice's heart, 92m above the bay, where a medieval fortress once stood before Louis XIV destroyed it in 1706. Climb the steps or take the free lift for the best panorama in the city, over Vieux Nice, the port and the Baie des Anges.
- Cours Saleya Market — the beating heart of Old Nice: flowers, fruit and Niçoise specialities like socca every day but Monday, when it turns into a lively antiques market. Go early for the best produce, then linger over lunch on one of the surrounding terraces.
- Matisse Museum — a renovated Genoese villa in the olive groves of Cimiez, tracing Matisse's work from his arrival in Nice in 1917 to his death in 1954. Combine with the adjacent Roman ruins and gardens for a quieter, cultural side of the city.
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