The 12 Best Attractions in Nice (2026)

Updated November 2026 · 12 picks

The best attractions in Nice in 2026 are the Promenade des Anglais, the old town of Vieux Nice, the view from Castle Hill (Colline du Château), the Cours Saleya market, and the Musée Matisse and Musée National Marc Chagall in Cimiez. Most of the city's highlights are free and walkable.

Nice is compact: the Promenade des Anglais, the old town, Castle Hill and the port are all within a 30-minute walk of each other, and the Cimiez museums are a short bus ride north. Nice's city museums (including Matisse, Masséna and Beaux-Arts) close on Tuesdays; the national Chagall museum is also closed on Tuesdays. Note that MAMAC, the modern art museum, is closed for renovation and is not expected to reopen before 2028. For day trips along the coast, Monaco, Èze and Villefranche are 10–30 minutes by train.

1. Promenade des Anglais — Seafront

The seven-kilometer seafront promenade along the Baie des Anges.

Best for First-timers · Couples · Families

The Promenade des Anglais runs along the whole bay, from the airport to Castle Hill, lined with palm trees, Belle Époque hotels and the famous blue chairs. Walking, cycling or rollerblading a stretch of it is the essential Nice experience.

The best section for a stroll is from the Negresco east to the old town, ending at the foot of Castle Hill. The pebble beaches below are public, apart from the private beach clubs.

Good to know: Rent a city bike or walk it in the early morning or at sunset, when the light is best.

Promenade des Anglais, 06000 Nice

Google Maps

2. Vieux Nice (the Old Town) — Vieux Nice

Narrow lanes, ochre facades, baroque churches and the best street food in the city.

Best for First-timers · Couples · Foodies

Vieux Nice is a tangle of narrow streets between the sea and Castle Hill, with tall ochre and pink houses, washing lines, Baroque churches such as the Cathédrale Sainte-Réparate, and small squares full of café tables.

Get lost in it, eat socca, and look into the Palais Lascaris, a 17th-century mansion that is now a museum of musical instruments.

Good to know: Come back in the evening, when the day-trippers leave and the bars fill up.

Vieux Nice, 06300 Nice

Google Maps

3. Colline du Château (Castle Hill) — Vieux Nice / Port

The best view in Nice, over the bay on one side and the port on the other.

Best for First-timers · Families · Couples

Castle Hill rises between the old town and the port. The castle itself is long gone, but the park on top has an artificial waterfall, shady paths, playgrounds and viewpoints over the Baie des Anges and Port Lympia.

The classic view is from the terrace looking west along the curve of the Promenade. It is free and a short climb up stairs, or take the lift.

Good to know: Use the lift near Tour Bellanda at the eastern end of the Promenade if you don't want the stairs.

Colline du Château, 06300 Nice

Google Maps

4. Cours Saleya Market — Vieux Nice

Nice's famous flower and produce market, with antiques on Mondays.

Best for First-timers · Foodies · Couples

Cours Saleya is the long square between the old town and the seafront. Every morning except Monday it fills with flower stalls and Provençal produce — olives, tomatoes, citrus, herbs and socca. On Mondays it becomes an antiques and flea market.

Go in the morning with an appetite; the cafés around the edges are pricey but good for watching the market.

Good to know: The best stalls are packed up by early afternoon, so go before noon.

Cours Saleya, 06300 Nice

Google Maps

5. Musée Matisse — Cimiez

Matisse's paintings, cut-outs and drawings in a red Genoese villa in Cimiez.

$ BudgetBest for Art lovers · Couples

Matisse lived in Nice for most of the last decades of his life, and the Musée Matisse holds one of the largest collections of his work, from early paintings to the late paper cut-outs, plus personal objects. The building is a 17th-century villa among olive groves on the Cimiez hill.

Combine it with the Roman ruins next door, the Cimiez monastery gardens, and the cemetery where Matisse is buried.

Good to know: Closed on Tuesdays. Take bus 5 from the center to the Arènes / Musée Matisse stop.

164 Avenue des Arènes de Cimiez, 06000 Nice

Google Maps Website

6. Musée National Marc Chagall — Cimiez (lower slopes)

A museum built for Chagall's Biblical Message paintings.

$ BudgetBest for Art lovers · Couples

The Musée National Marc Chagall was designed around Chagall's cycle of large paintings on the Biblical Message, Genesis and the Song of Songs, together with stained glass, a mosaic and a concert hall. Chagall took part in its design, and the garden of Mediterranean plants is part of the experience.

It is a focused, moving museum that takes an hour or two, and it sits on the way up to the Musée Matisse.

Good to know: Closed on Tuesdays. Walk up from the center in about 20 minutes or take the bus.

Avenue du Docteur Ménard, 06000 Nice

Google Maps Website

7. Cathédrale Saint-Nicolas — Parc Impérial

The largest Russian Orthodox cathedral in Western Europe, with onion domes.

$ BudgetBest for History · Architecture

The Russian Orthodox Cathedral of Saint Nicholas, consecrated in 1912, is a surprise in a Riviera city: colored onion domes, a richly decorated iconostasis and an interior full of icons. It was built for the Russian aristocracy who wintered in Nice.

A visit takes about 30 minutes. It is an active church, so dress modestly.

Good to know: Shoulders and knees should be covered; check opening times on its site, as services take priority.

Avenue Nicolas II, 06000 Nice

Google Maps Website

8. Promenade du Paillon — City center

A green park through the center with a fountain children can run through.

Best for Families · Free

The Promenade du Paillon is a long park laid over the covered Paillon river, linking Place Masséna to the old town and beyond. Its centerpiece is the Miroir d'Eau, a shallow water mirror with jets that children (and adults) play in on hot days.

It is free, shaded and a good breather between the old town and the shops of avenue Jean-Médecin.

Good to know: Bring a change of clothes for small children in summer; they will get wet.

Promenade du Paillon, 06000 Nice

Google Maps

9. Port Lympia — Port

Nice's colorful harbor, with the best socca and a more local feel.

Best for Couples · Foodies

The port, on the far side of Castle Hill, is ringed by red and yellow Italianate facades, fishing boats and yachts. The streets behind it, especially rue Bonaparte and rue Bavastro, are full of wine bars and restaurants used by locals.

Walk over the hill from the old town, eat socca at Chez Pipo, and continue along the coast path towards Coco Beach and Villefranche.

Good to know: The coast walk east from the port is especially good at sunset.

Quai Lunel, 06300 Nice

Google Maps

10. Musée Masséna — Promenade des Anglais

A Belle Époque villa on the Promenade telling the story of Nice.

$ BudgetBest for History · Rainy days

The Villa Masséna is an 1890s mansion on the Promenade des Anglais, next to the Negresco, now a museum of the history of Nice and the Riviera: paintings, posters, furniture and objects from the city's age as a winter resort.

The gardens facing the sea are free and a pleasant shady stop. The museum itself is a good rainy-day visit.

Good to know: Closed on Tuesdays, like the other city museums.

65 Rue de France, 06000 Nice

Google Maps

11. Musée des Beaux-Arts Jules Chéret — Les Baumettes

Fine arts in a 19th-century villa, quieter than the Cimiez museums.

$ BudgetBest for Art lovers · Rainy days

Nice's fine-arts museum occupies a 19th-century villa built for a Ukrainian princess, in the Baumettes district west of the center. The collection runs from the 17th century to the early 20th, with works by Jules Chéret, Raoul Dufy and others.

It is seldom crowded and makes a calm visit away from the beach.

Good to know: Closed on Tuesdays; it is uphill from the Promenade, so take the bus in summer heat.

33 Avenue des Baumettes, 06000 Nice

Google Maps Website

12. Monastère de Cimiez — Cimiez

A Franciscan monastery with a rose garden and views over the city.

Best for Couples · Free · Gardens

The Franciscan monastery of Cimiez has a church with Renaissance altarpieces by Louis Bréa and a terraced Italian-style garden with roses and lemon trees looking over Nice to the sea. The cemetery next to it holds the graves of Henri Matisse and Raoul Dufy.

The garden is free and makes a peaceful end to a morning at the Matisse museum.

Good to know: Pair it with the Musée Matisse; they are a five-minute walk apart.

Place Jean-Paul II, 06000 Nice

Google Maps

Frequently asked questions

What is Nice best known for?

The Promenade des Anglais along the Baie des Anges, the pastel old town of Vieux Nice, the Cours Saleya flower market, Castle Hill's view, socca, and the Matisse and Chagall museums.

How many days do you need in Nice?

Two days covers Nice itself — the Promenade, Vieux Nice, Castle Hill, the port and the Cimiez museums. Add one or two more for day trips to Monaco, Èze, Villefranche-sur-Mer or Antibes.

Are museums in Nice closed on Tuesdays?

Yes, Nice's municipal museums (Musée Matisse, Musée Masséna, Musée des Beaux-Arts and others) close on Tuesdays, and so does the Musée National Marc Chagall. Plan the Promenade, the old town and the beach for that day.

Is Castle Hill in Nice free?

Yes. The park on Colline du Château is free, with a lift from the seafront end of Quai Rauba Capeu for those who don't want the stairs. Go in the early evening for the light over the bay.

When is the Cours Saleya market open?

The flower and produce market runs every morning except Monday; on Mondays the square holds an antiques and flea market instead.

Is MAMAC open in Nice?

No. The Musée d'Art Moderne et d'Art Contemporain closed in January 2024 for renovation linked to the Promenade du Paillon works, and tourism listings give 2028 for its reopening.

1. Promenade des Anglais — Seafront

2. Vieux Nice (the Old Town) — Vieux Nice

3. Colline du Château (Castle Hill) — Vieux Nice / Port

4. Cours Saleya Market — Vieux Nice

5. Musée Matisse — Cimiez

6. Musée National Marc Chagall — Cimiez (lower slopes)

7. Cathédrale Saint-Nicolas — Parc Impérial

8. Promenade du Paillon — City center

9. Port Lympia — Port

10. Musée Masséna — Promenade des Anglais

11. Musée des Beaux-Arts Jules Chéret — Les Baumettes

12. Monastère de Cimiez — Cimiez

Frequently asked questions

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