Nice is one of the most popular places on the French Riviera. It is a city rich in history and culture, with pleasant Mediterranean weather almost year-round.
The city is a great place for enjoying all that Southern France is known for, and it has more holiday eye candy than you can fit into one weekend. However, if a weekend is all you have, here’s the best way to enjoy Nice without feeling like you left something on the table.
As your flight descends into Nice Airport, you will start to see what’s in store for you, with incredible views of the Mediterranean Sea inviting you to fall in love Cote d'Azur. If you don’t usually reserve a window seat, this is one trip to make an exception.
You should rent a modern or vintage convertible to get around the city. That lets you take in the views and enjoy the fresh Mediterranean breeze better than any other option. Some of the streets are narrow and can get busy during the day, so be careful as you drive around town.
Day One: Belle Époque Grandeur and the Mediterranean
There are a handful of great luxury hotels in Nice, with some recent additions making a strong case to earn your business. However, in our experience, two stand out. Le Negresco on Promenade des Anglais and Anantara Plaza Nice, which is close to Place Massena and Jardin Albert 1er.
For pure Riviera theater, it's hard to look beyond Le Negresco. The pink-domed hotel has towered over the Promenade des Anglais since 1913. Its interiors are filled with period furnishings and decorative art, with each floor having a different theme. A walk through the property is like a private museum visit. There is an unmistakable pleasure in wandering around one of Nice’s architectural icons and stepping directly onto the seafront.
Anantara Plaza Nice Hotel offers a more contemporary expression of Côte d’Azur. Its restored Belle Époque façade overlooks Jardin Albert 1er, while the interiors have a touch of understated elegance. Its position near Place Masséna makes it especially appealing for those who want to explore Vieux Nice and the shopping streets around the city's most popular square.
Start the morning with a walk along the Promenade des Anglais to the Musée Masséna, housed in one of the city’s most famous Belle Époque villas. The museum traces the history of Nice and the Riviera within its ornate rooms and gardens, offering context for the transformation of this Mediterranean city into one of Europe’s great resorts.
From here, continue toward Place Masséna, where Nice becomes more animated. Beneath the arcades and around the adjoining avenues, the city’s shopping district begins. Galeries Lafayette Nice Masséna is the essential stop for French and international fashion, beauty, and accessories, all within its distinctive ochre-colored landmark building. Try not to get carried away as you encounter potential great additions to your wardrobe.
After shopping, head over to Port Lympia to board a private yacht bound for Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat. As you cruise past Mont Boron, the dense nature of Nice recedes, and the Riviera reveals the landscape that made it legendary: villas hidden behind umbrella pines, beautiful coves, and the alluring azure waters around the Cap-Ferrat peninsula.
The bay of Villefranche-sur-Mer is a great place to drop anchor and have lunch. A private chef-prepared Mediterranean meal with local favorites like Daube de poulpe and Raviolis Niçois. A few hours spent moving slowly along this coast, with the peninsula unfolding ahead, captures the French Riviera in a way you won’t soon forget. Enjoy the sunset at sea before returning to Nice for dinner.
Le Negresco’s signature restaurant, Le Chantecler is one of Nice’s top dining rooms. The one Michelin-starred restaurant draws on the Mediterranean while maintaining the sense of occasion expected of one of the Riviera’s most opulent dining rooms. Even if you’re staying elsewhere, you shouldn't skip this eatery. Dinner here offers fine dining that exemplifies the Riviera at its most glamorous.
Day Two: Stepping Through Centuries Before Sunset
Start your day in Cimiez, an upscale neighborhood with gardens, villas, and ancient Roman ruins. Here, the Musée Matisse occupies a striking Genoese villa surrounded by olive trees. Henri Matisse spent much of his later life in Nice, and the museum offers a way to discover his artistic evolution. Paintings, drawings, and sculptures reveal a career transformed by experiments with color, form, and light.
The next artistic stop should be at Musée National Marc Chagall. The museum was conceived around Marc Chagall's monumental Biblical Message cycle and remains one of the city's most distinctive cultural institutions. Paintings are accompanied by stained glass, mosaics, sculpture, and ceramics, giving the museum a quality that feels very different from the collections at Musée Matisse.
On a day like this, Le Reserve de Nice is the place to have lunch. It may not have a Michelin star, but the food is delicious, and the Baie des Anges views from the restaurant's rooftop are unrivaled. It is the perfect place to take a break and enjoy the beauty of the Mediterranean Sea.
After lunch, continue your art tour at Musée d’Art Moderne et d’Art Contemporain (MAMAC). The museum's contemporary art offers a great way to conclude your exploration. Approach the museum from Place Garibaldi (Garibaldi Square) to enjoy the dramatic path offered as you drive past the statue of Giuseppe Garibaldi.
Its main building is currently undergoing a multi-year renovation, but the collection continues to surface around the city through the museum’s Hors les Murs exhibitions and cultural projects. Check the schedule for opportunities to see works from the collection elsewhere in the city. If you don’t like what you see, that’s your opportunity to see more of Nice.
Wander through the narrow streets of Vieux Nice, enjoy fresh flower fragrances at Marché Aux Fleurs - Cours Saleya, stop at the waterfalls of Castle Hill Park, and then return to the hotel for a spa treatment.
The weekend reaches its culinary finale at Flaveur. The two-Michelin-starred restaurant is operated by brothers Gaël and Mickaël Tourteaux, who trained under Alain Llorca while the celebrated chef was at Le Negresco. Despite this link, Flaveur offers a very different experience. Le Chantecler draws much of its charm from the grandeur and history of Le Negresco, while Flaveur has a younger, more inventive identity.
Its tasting menus move between the produce and flavors of the Mediterranean. You're treated to cuisine that feels outward-looking without losing its connection to the Riviera. With a small number of guests in the dining room, the experience has an intimacy that suits your final evening in Nice. The perfect conclusion to a week you'll be talking about long after it's over.
Nice can be monumental and intimate, historic and contemporary, urban and unmistakably Mediterranean. A weekend in the city checks off every Riviera dream you have: glamorous views of the Mediterranean Sea, world-class art, delectable cuisine, and grand hotels.
