Things to do when you visit Nice, France

Last updated on 13 December 2024

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When we were on our Contiki, one of the things we got to do was visit Nice, France. In fact, we had two nights, one full day, and while it was incredibly hot and I sweated far too much (tmi sorry), it was such an enjoyable stop along the way on our European Adventurer trip.

We had one full day in Nice, and my friend, who had done research, had a few things she wanted to check out. So we said goodbye to the Contiki group in the morning and headed off into the town for a (hot) day of walking, taking photos, a bit of shopping, and of course, gelato.

In this blog post, I’m going to share some of the things we did during the day, but also give you a few other ideas of other things that you could do that we didn’t have time for.

Some things to do when you visit Nice, France

Check out the museums

France does its museums wonderfully. We so enjoyed wandering around the Louvre and also Musée d’Orsay when we were in Paris, so I suspect taking a wander around Musée d’Art Moderne et d’Art Contemporain (the Modern and Contemporary Art Museum – or MAMAC) would be time incredibly well spent. Especially if they have air-con and it’s a thousand degrees outside.

There’s also Musée de Préhistoire de Terra Amata, which is a museum that showcases prehistoric things. Complete opposite of the Musée d’Art Moderne et d’Art Contemporain. And if you’re an art fan, then Musée Matisse, or the Matisse Museum would also be a wonderful way to spend a few hours.

Promenade des Anglais. Image from Canva.

Stroll along the Promenade des Anglais

On our first night in Nice, we actually headed out of France to go to Monaco for the evening (as one does? 🤷🏻‍♀️), and to get there, we drove down the Promenade des Anglais, or ‘the Prom’ as it’s known to locals apparently. But this is a stunning 7km stretch of road along the coast, lined with palm trees.

We didn’t actually go and spend any time on the Promenade during our day in Nice (some of the others in the group did, though), but even that evening drive along the coast was stunning. The beautiful blue waters of the Mediterranean sea, the greenery, the beach … the ✨ the vibe ✨ . Stunning.

There are also some spots to see along the way, including the very fun Hotel Negresco, which is a historical hotel, over 100 years old. And it’s pink.

Take a bike tour

Don’t want to walk around? Take a bike tour instead. This was one of the things that was offered as part of Contiki activities. My friend and I opted not to do the tour, but there are plenty of companies in Nice that will offer bike tours so you can see some of the city.

Walk up to Colline du Château

“It’s just a short walk, mostly flat it looks like” – my friend. It was not mostly flat. It was mostly uphill. And it was about 35°C that day. There was a lot of metaphorical dying along the way and a lot of sweat happening, but the views from the top were 100% worth the struggle.

It’s called Colline du Château, or Castle Hill, not because there’s still a castle up there, unfortunately, but because there used to be a castle up there, but Louis XIV destroyed it in the early years of 1700s.

There’s a stunning HUGE waterfall at the top (above), which was a brilliant surprise (and did we walk a little bit too close to get some of that waterfall spray? You betcha), as well as a cafe (they were just opening up when we got there), and an outdoor shop selling all the usual things like cold drinks and ice cream.

We grabbed a cold snack and sat looking over the Promenade des Anglais below before wandering around the top of the hill a bit more. You can see over the port from the other side, too.

Wander the streets of Old Town

After walking back down from Castle Hill into the streets of Nice, we meandered our way through Old Town, popping into shops here and there (I actually bought a bag in Nice because my suitcase during Contiki was not cutting it for all the souvenirs I was picking up), and eventually finding gelato.

Old Town in Nice was actually recognised as a UNESCO spot in 2021, and dates back to the third century BC. Obviously thingsare a lot different now than back then, but coming from New Zealand where our history only dates back a couple of hundred years … anything older than that absolutely blows my mind.

Eat, drink and be merry

Like any spot you visit around Europe, food and drink are around literally every corner. Enjoy the delights of French cuisine at all the cafes and restaurants around Nice, or head to somewhere like Beer District if that’s more your thing or one of the speakeasies in the city. Cave de la Tour is one of the oldest wine bars in Nice, founded in 1947, and also looks like a great place to stop in.

So what do you think? If you’re planning to visit Nice, France, are any of these things on your to-do list? I would definitely love to go back to Nice and spend a few more days there. I know we only got a glimpse of this beautiful coastal city, so having some more time to explore would be excellent.

I’d love to know if you’ve been to Nice! Drop a comment below and let me know what you did while you were there.