Where to Stay in Nice, France - A Local’s Neighborhood Guide
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So, you’ve decided to visit Nice - great choice! France has so many beautiful corners to explore, but personally, I think Nice lands quite high on the list. So well done to you for narrowing down the choices and settling on this lovely city along southern France’s sun-drenched coastline.
I’ve traveled extensively across France, and while I love almost everywhere that I’ve been, there’s a reason I chose to make Nice my home and have stayed here for over 10 years now; it’s a lively, beautiful city with an unbeatable combination of weather, beaches, access to the nature and mountains, and vibrant urban life. Nice also has a strong heritage and distinct aesthetic, which makes it a really interesting place to both live and explore.
Here, we’re spoiled with almost year-round sunshine, beautiful seascapes, excellent food and wine, tons of cultural events, and a wild hinterland that’s right at our doorstep anytime we want to get away from it all. Honestly, what more could you want?
Ok, now that I’ve finished singing my adopted hometown’s praises, let’s start thinking about what you, as a visitor, need to consider as you try to decide what part of the city to stay in for your visit. Although not a huge city - there are only about 350,000 residents - Nice has very distinct neighborhoods and a few major geographic features (mainly the hills and the sea), which are important to know about as you think through your options.
Usually, the first thing to decide on is whether you want to be by the beach, up in the hills, or in the busy city center. After that, which neighborhood you choose will mostly come down to personal taste and the vibe that you’re looking for. Do you want to be somewhere historic and quaint? Want to mix it up with the locals? Are you looking for a calm and refined experience? Or are you after big hotels with modern conveniences and don’t especially care about the neighborhood character?
Nice has all of those things, so you’ll certainly be able to find what you’re after, and that’s what I’m here to help you with! In this article, I’ve laid out what I think are the best neighborhoods for the vast majority of visitors, largely based on my 10 years of living here and my experience helping family and friends decide where to base themselves when they come to visit (which is often, because this is a wonderful place!).
So, let’s dig in and find the perfect spot for your stay here in the sunny south of France!
Table of Contents
Nice planning cheatsheet
Plan your itinerary with expert advice
- Book a France travel consultation with a local expert
My favorite hotels in Nice
- Le Negresco - inimitable and the obvious choice for all out luxury. $1000/night
- Hotel Apollinaire - upscale and reasonable priced for the quality. $300/night
- Hotel de France - lovely boutique option a block off the beach. $300/night
- Hotel Carlton - Nice's best budget(ish) option $175/night
- easyHotel old town - basic, but comfortable and great value. $125/night
Guided tours and activities
How to get around
- Car rentals with DiscoverCars
- Train tickets from SNCF
- Bus routes via Lignes D'Azur and Zou
Overview of Nice’s layout
Despite its unofficial reputation as the ‘Capital of the French Riviera’, Nice really isn’t a large city. It’s also fairly well defined, bordered on the south by the Mediterranean Sea, by its airport and adjacent Var river/canal on the west, and steep hills that rise up on its northern and eastern boundaries.
If you take a look at a map, you’ll see that there’s also a sort of ring road (although it’s not a neat circle) that more or less encircles the city. You can basically think of everything inside the road as Nice.
The city center is relatively flat, except for the steep hill between the Old Town and the Port, while basically any of the more removed eastern and northern neighborhoods are extremely hilly. Don’t underestimate the importance of those hills as you decide where you want to stay; a long uphill walk in the beating midday Summer sun is not a pleasant thing here!
The Old Town, which lies beside the sea on the southeastern edge of the city, is the historic center of Nice. This is where the city grew out from, with the more modern parts (by which I mean mid 19th-century construction) expanding mostly north and west from here. The old town is separated from today’s city center - known as Jean-Médecin - by the Promenade du Paillon, a 12-hectare park/greenbelt that provides a useful reference point: north and west of the promenade is more modern, while south or east of it is older.
Almost all of the other neighborhoods of interest are within a short walk of the center and Old Town, so you can quickly and easily get just about anywhere you’re likely to want to visit, almost always on foot. But Nice is also blessed with an excellent and fairly cheap public transport system, which includes three tram lines, many bus routes, and a bike share scheme with both regular bikes and e-bikes.
Trams and certain major bus routes offer a late-night service on weekends, which means that you can basically stay anywhere and will still be able to get back to you accommodation at the end of the night.
Quick summary of recommended neighborhoods
1. The Old Town
Down on the southeastern edge of the city beside the water, the Old Town is the spiritual heart of Nice and it’s an area absolutely bursting with life. Filled with bars and restaurants, it’s always fun and lively, and the architecture is truly charming, with beautiful old buildings lining the narrow little streets. Staying here also puts you close to everything in the city center, including lots of major landmarks, as well as the beach.
You do need to be aware of the drawbacks though, mainly constant noise, a lack of air-conditioning, and cramped and old buildings, most of them with no elevators (be ready to do some climbing).
2. The Port
Just to the east of the Old Town and also very centrally located, the Port is another historic area with a pretty similar vibe, albeit a little quieter and with better public transport connections. If you stay here, you may also be lucky enough to find a place with a port or sea view and a little balcony on which to grab evening drinks or morning coffee (they’re fairly common).
As with the Old Town, the main downsides are that many buildings will have neither an elevator nor air conditioning.
3. The City Center: Jean-Médecin & Musiciens (Thiers)
Broadly speaking, this is the “modern” center of Nice (meaning that it’s mostly mid 19th-century architecture) and it’s where you’ll find most of the city’s major sights, cultural institutions, and big boulevards.
Technically two neighborhoods, I’ve combined them together because they’re adjacent to each other and both offer a huge selection of good restaurants and bars, excellent shopping, great access to the city’s major sights, and the best public transit connections for getting everywhere else in the city. There are also tons of hotels here.
4. Promenade des Anglais & Gambetta
You’re sure to visit the gorgeous Promenade des Anglais (our seaside walkway) when you’re in Nice, so why not just stay there? If you want to wake up by the sea and be able to head back and forth from the beach regularly, this is the place to be.
The area is relatively modern and it’s fairly commercial, but the architecture is still quite pretty, the streets are wider than in older parts of Nice (as are the sidewalks), and there are tons of restaurants, cafes, bars, and shops - ranging from upscale to casual and inexpensive. There are also lots of hotels, many quite glamorous and right along the waterfront.
5. Libération
Set away from the sea and a bit north of the city center and Nice’s main train station, Libération is a fun, family-friendly neighborhood that’s very well-served by tram and bus, and is walkable to most places of interest. This area is famous for its excellent produce market and it has a very good selection of bars and restaurants, many of them much more local-oriented than in the Port or Old Town.
There are lots of hotels and vacation rentals here, and they come in all price ranges, providing a wealth of options to choose from.
6. Cimiez
A bit to the northeast of the city center, this is a quiet and upscale neighborhood that weaves its way through the Nice’s eastern hills. Cimiez is primarily residential, mostly home to wealthy residents, and much of what you’ll find here in the way of accommodation are villas and short-term rental apartments.
There’s not a ton here, but if you prioritize peace and quite, potentially great views, and want larger accommodation, it can be very nice. It’s also a good choice if you have a car, as you’ll actually be able to find parking.
7. Riquier & Mont Boron
Just to the north of the port and east of the city center, Riquier is a fun, predominately local neighborhood that will give you a very nice feel for real life. The area is quieter than the center and Old Town, but still has plenty of activity and lots of restaurants, bars, and shops, as well as a few very cool sights to check out. It’s also well-served by the tram and has its own train station, making it easy to get out to other parts of the Riviera from here.
The neighboring area of Mont Boron is much quieter and more residential, but can be a good choice if you’re looking for a big apartment or a villa to stay in. As with Cimiez, you’ll probably want to have a car if you stay there though.
1. The Old Town
Pros: Central, authentic, lively, tons of restaurants, great bars and nightlife
Cons: Noisy, old accommodation lacking modern conveniences, limited transportation options
A lovely view in Nice’s Old Town. Photo: Zairon, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
A typical street in Old Nice
Looking west down Rue Rossetti in the Old Town. Photo: Ermell, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped
Stalls in the Cours Saleya market in the Old Town. Photo: Zairon, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Referred to by locals as both Vieux Nice and la Vieille Ville, the Old Town is pictured on every other postcard of Nice. This is the oldest part of the city and it feels closed in and intimate in a wonderful way. It’s tightly packed and criss-crossed by narrow pedestrianized streets lined by beautiful and colorful old buildings.
Always extremely lively, its charm, history, and character make it stand out wonderfully from the more polished and chic atmosphere that much of the French Riviera is known for.
Most of Nice’s best bars and restaurants are here (no they are not tourist traps), set next to beautiful churches and other attractions like the famous flowers and produce market. It’s also right by the sea, and is walkable to the rest of the city, which expands out along the coast and inland from the Old Town.
This is a truly charming area, and it’s of course a big draw for tourists, who flock here to explore the markets, churches, pretty streets, and abundance of bars and restaurants. It’s a lovely place to just stroll aimlessly, and emerging from the narrow alleys of the Old Town across Cours Saleya and onto the beach, with the dazzling blue sea right in front of you is an incredible experience - one that you absolutely should not miss.
When it comes to staying here, know that accommodation in the neighborhood is mostly apartment rentals rather than hotels, which is either a pro or con depending on what you’re looking for. The apartments that you’ll find are overwhelmingly historic and full of character, offering an old world atmosphere that you won't find elsewhere in the city. And you’ll wake up every morning in the heart of the city, just a short walk from conveniences like bakeries, independent shops, cafés, and good bars and restaurants.
And the sea will be just a few streets away, meaning that you can dip back and forth from the beach any time you want, or go for lovely morning or evening strolls along the waterfront.
Despite all these advantages, there are a few drawbacks to the Old Town that are important to consider: firstly, since it’s where everyone meets to eat, drink, and go out, it’s very noisy. The old town is packed and overflowing with activity from morning through night all throughout the summer, so you need to be prepared for that. Even in the off-season, when tourism dies down, you might still be disturbed in the small hours of the night by people walking home after the nightclubs have closed.
Secondly, the historic nature of the Old Town means that a lot of the accommodation there lacks modern conveniences like air conditioning, an elevator, level floors, or stair-free access. And as the streets are almost all pedestrianized, you’ll need to be prepared to walk most everywhere, because cars, buses, and trams can’t pass through here. There’s tons of public transportation close by, but none of the routes pass right through this part of town, so you’ll always have to walk at least a little bit.
Ride share services won’t drive into the Old Town either, so you’ll have to get picked up or dropped off by the beach or along the tram line. You’ll also be about a 30-minute walk or a 15-minute tram ride to the main train station, which is good to know for when you arrive or if you’re planning to get out of the city to explore other towns/areas along the Côte d’Azur.
So would I recommend staying in the Old Town? Personally, despite its obvious charm and wonderful atmosphere, it’s not where I would stay if visiting, but that doesn't mean it won't be a good fit for you. If you want a great location, excellent dining options, like the idea of staying in a unique property with historical features, and you’re happy to embrace the hustle and bustle that comes with it, you'll certainly like it here.
If things like noise, no air conditioning, and older buildings without elevators are dealbreakers, then you should look somewhere else. I'd also tell families with young children and anyone with reduced mobility to stay in a different part of Nice.
Where to stay
Hôtel La Pérouse - With eye-watering prices to match the eye-watering views, this almost unbelievably refined hotel is among the most elegant on the Riviera. To call the decor delightful would be a massive understatement. Summer rates start around $800 USD, but can be found for half that in the fall.
Hotel Palais Saleya - Lying right on the border between the city center and the Old Town on a principal square, this is a lovely boutique hotel with bright, airy, and cheerful rooms that give off a pleasant but not overdone beachy vibe.
Hotel Rosetti - Just a few steps away from the Old Town’s 17th century cathedral and in the heart of the Old Town, this is a small little hotel in a nicely renovated historic building. It’s nothing glamorous, but is perfectly comfortable and represents excellent value given the location.
Aparthotel AMMI Vieux Nice - On the northern edge of the Old Town almost beside the Port, this is a great option for serviced apartments, with every room having a kitchenette and nice little sitting area, and potentially a pleasant balcony overlooking the street.
2. The Port
Pros: Beautiful neighborhood with historic architecture, very lively, great location, potentially lovely harbor views
Cons: Noisy, older buildings without modern conveniences, a little further from the beach
Looking out over the Port. Photo: Martinp1, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Place Garibaldi, on the western edge of the port. Photo: Photo: Myrabella / Wikimedia Commons
Boats in the port, with the Église Notre-Dame du Port de Nice in the background. Photo: Aeris06, Frédéric Oropallo, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Nice’s Port is another beautiful, historic, and lively part of the city, just on the other side of the Colline du Château hill from the Old Town. Set around the corner from the Promenade des Anglais (Nice’s iconic seafront boulevard), the Port is an indent of the sea into the land, with buildings stretching around it on three sides.
Extremely convenient from a transit perspective, the Port is linked directly to the airport and city center by the Line 2 tram, is well served by buses, and is a short walk from Nice Riquier train station (which has trains that will talke you all over the Riviera).
Transportation aside, this is another really fun area, with a lot of restaurants, cafes, and bars, as well as a good number of supermarkets, bakeries, and upmarket delis. I think the port offers a really nice balance between tourism and authentic local life, and being a bit less old than the Old Town and with wider and more car-friendly streets, is also generally more convenient for getting around.
And if you pick your accommodation well, you might find somewhere with a view of the sea, from where you can watch the boats coming and going from the port.
As with the Old Town, the buildings here are quite old, so if you choose to stay in an apartment, be aware that it probably won’t have an elevator and may not be air-conditioned. And the many bars and restaurants mean that this is another of the city’s noisier neighborhoods, albeit with fewer nightclubs than the Old Town, so it’s usually pretty quiet by around midnight.
If you’d prefer to avoid the noise and crowds but want to be somewhere close to the activity, I’d suggest taking a look at the area just to the east of the Port, between Nice and the town of Villefranche-sur-Mer. It’s much more residential so you won’t face the same problem of noise from bars or crowds, and it also puts you close to a small series of rocky beaches that I really love. They feel a bit more wild than the city beaches and tend to be much quieter than the beach along the Promenade des Anglais.
So choose to stay in the Port if you want a central location, close to bars and restaurants, with good transport links and sea views. But if you book an apartment, just make sure to check what floor it’s on and to consider whether you’re happy walking up multiple flights of stairs after a long day of sightseeing.
Where to stay
Palais Ségurane Boutique Hotel: an upmarket independent four-star hotel set just behind the Port with a quirky bar
Le Saint Paul: a former seminary, this historic three-star has rooms with incredible sea views
Hotel Le G - A charming and funky little boutique hotel lying right between the port and the Old Town, just off from Place Garibaldi. The rooms are comfortable and tastefully designed, but with some fun touches that are nice to come home to after a day of exploring.
L'Abeille - Boutique Apartments - Beautifully renovated and surprisingly spacious apartments right beside Place Garibaldi. Options range from studios to 2 bedrooms, and all of them are comfortably furnished and pleasantly cheerful, with lots of pastels just like the city around you! Some have spacious terraces and the building has a very nice courtyard at ground level.
3. The City Center: Jean-Médecins & Musiciens (Thiers)
Pros: Extremely central, very lively, tons of shops and restaurants, excellent public transportation, lots of accommodation including more modern options
Cons: Can be loud, the streets closest to the train station aren’t very pleasant
Place Massena. Photo: Magali M from Nice, France, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Avenue Jean Medecin. Photo: Aeris06, Frédéric Oropallo, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
A busy evening in the city center
The Promenade du Paillon greenbelt. Photo: SarahVstk, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
For this neighborhood overview, I’ve combined what are technically two different but adjacent neighborhoods - Musiciens (also known as “Thiers”, which is what you’ll usually see on maps) and Jean-Médecin. These two areas make up the “modern” center of the city and they meld pretty seamlessly into one another, so there’s no real reason to differentiate between them. They have a similar atmosphere and offer mostly the same appeals, so it makes sense for you as a visitor to think of them as just one larger neighborhood.
The architecture in both is lovely, although more modern than in the Old Town or Port (again, it’s more of the Belle Epoque era from the late 19th and early 20th century), the streets are quite flat, and the sidewalks are relatively wide, perfect for strolling along. These areas are also accessible by car, which is a good thing when it comes to getting around, but traffic can be heavy at times, so be prepared for a bit of noise and everything else that comes with cars and buses passing through.
If I had to differentiate between them, I’d say that Musciens/Thiers, which is the western side of the center, is a little quieter and a fair deal more residential, although it still has tons of shops, restaurants, etc. It also offers up a really interesting mix of architecture, mainly Belle Epoque, Art Deco, and Art Nouveau, with densely packed apartment blocks interspersed with grand old villas and large and elegant hotels, which were mostly built here before the neighborhood was incorporated into the city and heavily urbanized.
To the east, the Jean Médecin neighborhood centers around the city’s principal avenue of the same name - Avenue Jean Médecin -, which runs south to north, linking the Old Town and Promenade des Anglais with the Libération neighborhood.
Avenue Jean Médecin is the city’s principal shopping street, home to tons of popular brands, including names like Zara, H&M, and Sephora, as well as the Nice Etoile shopping mall. Fortunately, the street is almost entirely pedestrianized, with the former car traffic having been diverted to make room for the Line 1 tram, which runs through the middle of the street (incredibly convenient for getting around the city).
Shopping aside, these two areas offer up exactly what you would expect from a busy European city center. It’s always busy, with people out and about at all times of day or night, with workers filling the offices and stores during the day, and people out for drinks, dinner, evening strolls, or some shopping later in the day.
A mixed commercial and residential area, it’s well-stocked with all the essentials for everyday life: a few larger supermarkets, little mini markets on practically every corner, pharmacies, and most any other type of store/shop that you could want. There’s also an essentially limitless number of restaurants, cafes, and bars, spanning from fast food and casual to very high-end.
If you stay anywhere in Jean-Medecin/Musiciens, you’ll be able to access most of Nice on foot via a short walk, but there are also great public transport options, with lots of tram stops, many bus lines passing through, and bike-share stations all over. You’ll also be just a short walk over to the main train station, making this a good base from which to take day trips out along the Riviera.
Should you decide to stay here, I would just recommend that you find a hotel/apartment that’s a bit removed from the train station, as that’s one of the less pleasant parts of town, especially at night. It’s not unsafe but is markedly “worse for wear” than the rest of the city, so just isn’t where you want to be. Pick a hotel or apartment a few streets south of the train station or closer to Jean Médecin and you’ll be fine though.
Overall, while these two neighborhoods lack the historic and quaint charm of the Old Town or Port, and have the obvious drawback of not being directly on the beach, they’re a good choice for the vast majority of visitors. They’re not perfect, but offer up everything you need in very pleasant and lively surroundings. The location is unbeatable for getting around the rest of the city and down to the sea, you’ll have tons of shops, restaurants, and bars right at your doorstep, and there’s an excellent selection of accommodation at all prices points, including both hotels and apartment rentals.
As with any city center, just be aware that parts of it can be noisy and crowded, and traffic can be heavy at times. You will also likely struggle to find parking, so if you have a car, you’ll probably want to look elsewhere or find a parking garage where you can leave the car while you’re in town. I think those are minor inconveniences considering all the positive aspects of staying here though..
Where to stay
Hotel Villa Victoria - Boutique hotel with cute decor and a lovely garden located just far enough away from the action to be close to it all while still affording peace and quiet. Rooms from around $300 USD.
Le Grimaldi - Colorful, eclectic, and pure Belle Epoque style in the heart of town. Expect to pay around $250 USD for a standard room in summer.
Hotel Nice Excelsior - Walking distance from the train station and the old town, this is a nice mid-range option with colorful rooms in a lovely historic building. Nightly rates from $200 USD.
Nice Garden Hotel - Simple, but tasteful rooms, a lovely little garden, and a location just steps from the Promenade des Anglais make this a solid budget choice. Rooms from $150 USD.
Aston La Scala and Anantara Plaza - If you’re looking to stay near the beach and want a festive atmosphere, there are two large hotels right on the Promenade du Paillon that are popular with locals for their rooftop parties. Anantara Plaza is the nicer hotel of the two.
Les Camélias and La Maïoun Guesthouse - Two solid options for anyone on a budget or who likes the idea of hostels and the communal atmosphere they foster. These are excellently located right in the city center and both offer beds in shared 3 or 4-bed forms for around 50 euros per person. Les Camélias is basic but very pleasant, while La Maïoun Guesthouse is a bit nicer.
Hotels: Hôtel la Villa Nice Victor Hugo: A three-star hotel between the beach and the train station with comfortable rooms, some with balconies
Le Riviera Collection, BW Signature: A chic 4-star hotel with Art Deco style rooms
4. Promenade des Anglais & Gambetta
Pros: Beautiful sea views, beachfront, lots of shops and restaurants, famous hotels, easy connections to the city center
Cons: Traffic noise and busy streets, potentially somewhat removed from the center
A stretch of the Promenade des Anglais. Photo: Alexander Migl, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Looking west down the Promenade des Anglais, with the Hotel Negresco in front. Photo: Taktoperz77, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Pros: Beautiful sea views, beachfront, lots of shops and restaurants, famous hotels, easy connections to the city center
Cons: Traffic noise and busy streets, potentially somewhat removed from the center
The Promenade des Anglais is Nice’s seemingly endless seafront boulevard, stretching from the west of the city (around the airport) all the way into the Old Town. It was designed and funded by English tourists in the 1800’s who wanted to be able to enjoy a stroll along the Mediterranean after lunch.
Today, it has become a very busy road with a lot of traffic, but also still has a broad pedestrianized walkway right along the sea, with plenty of space set aside for pedestrians and cyclists.
The advantages of staying anywhere along the Pomenade are pretty obvious: a gorgeous and vast view onto the beautiful blue waves, and the boardwalk and beach lying just across the street from your accommodation.
If you’re visiting Nice during the warmer times of year and plan to spend a fair deal of time at the beach, it’s pretty hard to imagine a better base than this. Early in the morning, on a clear day, you can sometimes even see the island of Corsica in the distance (technically, it’s actually a reflection of Corsica but I won’t bore you with the details).
This area is also famous for its historic luxury hotels, with many 4 and 5-star properties lining the Promenade. The most famous is the Negresco Hotel, which is almost a symbol of the city, with its iconic domed tower roof, but there are many more. If you’re looking to be by the sea and want to stay in a glamorous hotel, look no further. There are lots of more affordable hotels here as well, they’re just a bit inland, a few streets back from the waterfront.
Gambetta
In general, the Promenade itself is very glitzy, with grand hotels and apartment blocks lining it (Belle Epoque, Neoclassical, and Art Deco mostly), and it gives off a real sense of glamour. As you move inland though, into the neighborhood of Gambetta, it becomes much more normal, with mostly mid-rise buildings (about 6-floors or so) that are still lovely but a bit more modern.
It’s primarily residential, with apartments on the upper floors, and shops, restaurants, bars, and cafes on the ground floor. Lots of people live here and while it’s pleasantly busy and there’s some nightlife, it’s much more subdued than in the center or Old Town, which I quite like.
The area sees quite a bit of car traffic and there are a number of major streets that cross through, which are always busy with cars and accordingly noisy. Of course, that also means that there are lots of buses, as well as the L2 tram, which connects you directly with the city center and the airport, making this area very well-connected and convenient for getting around.
As you go further west along the Promenade, you’ll be moving away from the city center, and heading toward Nice Ouest (West Nice), which becomes increasingly residential and more suburban, with much less in the way of restaurants, shops, etc. It’s a nice area to live and is convenient for getting to the airport, but probably doesn’t make sense as your base for a quick visit. In general, I’d suggest staying to the east of the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Nice (our Fine Arts Museum).
All in all, I think the reasons to stay along or close to the Promenade des Anglais are pretty obvious, but I’ll summarize my thoughts here: if you want sea views, like glamorous accommodation and have a generous budget, and/or plan to hop back and forth regularly from the beach, it’s a great choice. Gambetta, meanwhile, is a very good option if your budget is more mid-range and you want to be somewhere lively enough but quieter than the center or Old Town, and are ok staying a little further inland.
Where to stay
Hotel Le Negresco - If you have the budget for it, Le Negresco is certainly one of the most iconic properties on the Riviera, and probably all of France. The rooms are each unique and opulently decorated with sumptuous furniture and chic touches. In high season, expect to pay $800 USD and up.
Palais de la Méditerranée - With modern rooms that are refined and elegant, this waterfront hotel has long been one of Nice’s most classic. Rooms start at $450 USD per night.
Hotel Danemark - A 2-star hotel offering good value for money and easy access to the tram line
5. Libération
Pros: Authentic and local, good location, good transport links, fantastic daily market
Cons: Further from the sea, possibility of traffic noise, more modern and less picturesque than other areas
Libération is a district set just to the north of the city center, behind the main train station. It’s a newer part of Nice, with buildings from what the French call the ‘Belle Epoque’, meaning the late 1800’s into the early 1900’s. If you’re trying to picture it, think Paris but with blue skies and in the south of France.
At the heart of Libération is its busy principal square, Place du Général de Gaulle. From there, if you head further inland (north), you’ll quickly notice that the buildings become much more modern, a pretty significant change from the Old Town and City Center.
Much less given over to tourism than the rest of the city, Libération has an authentic feel that’s really bolstered by its daily produce market, which takes place from Tuesday to Sunday in the mornings and fills the entire street leading up to Place du Général de Gaulle with vendors’ stalls. This is where a good part of Nice comes to shop, chat, and let their children play in the streets or neighborhood parks.
Libération has a fair share of bars and restaurants, mostly around the central market but also scattered down the side streets. It’s less hectic than the Old Town, and as amenities here are more for locals than tourists, prices are often a little cheaper than in the heart of Nice. You can easily spend a morning savoring a coffee on a terrace, enjoying the sunshine, and watching the people of Nice buy their seasonal fruits and vegetables.
And given that lots of people actually live here, you’ll find all the shops and stores that you’d expect from a busy and local residential area.
If you look at Libération on a map, you might think that it’s too far out of the city center, but trust me, it’s closer than it seems. You can walk to the beach in about 30-40 minutes, the neighborhood has tons of bus routes, and it’s linked to the city center and the beach by the Line 1 tram. It’s also just a short walk to the main train station and to the little Train des Pignes train line, which connects Nice with the small villages stretching inland all the way to the foothills of the Alps.
Accommodation in Libération is a mix of hotels and short-term apartment rentals, so you have much more choice here when compared to the Old Town and Port. Prices for accommodation are also generally a fair deal cheaper, so this is a much more budget friendly area. And since it’s a more modern part of Nice, you’re more likely to find apartments with elevators, air-conditioning, and larger terraces.
However, given that it’s a fair deal further inland, don’t expect to find a place with a great sea view. The views here are mostly of the city and surrounding hillsides, with at best a glimpse of the sea in the distance. Bear in mind also that even here you may have problems with noise levels, although it’s more likely to be from traffic than people.
All in all, I think Libération is a great base, especially for families, older travelers, people interested in a local experience, or anyone on a budget. It’s well-connected to the rest of the city, has plenty of shops and restaurants (some quite affordable), feels very local, and is less crowded and quieter than more central areas. The only real downsides are that being set inland, you won’t have coastal views and you’re further from the beach.
Where to stay
Hotels: Monsigny Nice: A 3-star hotel in the heart of Libération with a roof terrace with views across the whole city
Hôtel Villa Rose: A 3-star hotel on a quiet street with a beautiful garden and well-equipped rooms
6. Cimiez
Pros: Full of character, quieter, bigger accommodation, close to museums, great if you have a car
Cons: Further out of the city center, hilly, poor transport links, no hotels (only apartments/villas)
Villas in Cimiez. Photo: trolvag, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The gardewns of the Cimiez Monastery. Photo: Édouard Hue (User:EdouardHue), CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Le Regina hotel/residence in Cimiez. Photo: Al*from*Lig, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Boulevard du Cimiez, the neighborhood’s principal street. Photo: Patrice Semeria, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped
Cimiez is another Belle Époque neighborhood of Nice, but a much more residential one than Libération. It’s also noticeably hillier than most of the rest of the city, as many of the houses here were intentionally built along hillsides in order to give the fashionable residents and wealthy tourists of the era great views and an escape from the heat.
As Cimiez is very residential and not super densely populated, staying here offers a very different experience from most other neighborhoods of Nice. It’s definitely quieter and more refined, with sweeping views and apartments with larger, airier rooms. The Arènes de Cimiez park is a good spot for families, with space for children to run around in the shade of the olive trees.
If you’ll have a rental car during your time here, this is a great choice, as you’re far more likely to find an apartment with private or on-street parking here than in other neighborhoods.
Despite being a bit removed from the rest of the city, the neighborhood is actually home to several notable historic monuments, including a Roman amphitheater and a monastery that partially dates back to 1010. And then there’s what is unquestionably the most iconic building of the area: the Regina, a huge luxury hotel commissioned by Queen Victoria and once home to Henri Matisse. It’s now been turned into apartments, a small number of which are available to rent as holiday lets.
Cimiez has several notable museums as well: the Matisse Museum, the Chagall Museum, and the Archaeological Museum. It’ll take you two days to explore just those three, so if you’re interested in art and culture, this is a pretty fantastic base.
While you’ll find a good number of monuments and museums here, meaning it can be quite convenient for some sightseeing, you should be aware that there is much less in the way of restaurants, cafes, bars, shopping, and nightlife. You’ll find very few of any of those in this area.
There are plenty of supermarkets and corner shops (because the area is a mix of residential and vacation apartments), so it’s pretty good if you’re staying in an apartment and plan to cook a lot of your meals, but you’ll definitely find it lacking if you want to be able to walk to restaurants and cafes.
Depending on where you are in Cimiez, walking to the Old Town will take you a minimum of 20 minutes, and more likely 30-45 minutes, so you really can’t just pop over any time you want to grab a bite to eat or something to drink.
I should also point out that Cimiez is less well-served by public transport than the rest of the city. There’s no tram line and although there are buses, they usually stop running after 21:00, or maybe even earlier. This means that if you don’t have a car and want to enjoy a night in the city center, you need to coordinate your plans with the bus timetable, walk home uphill, or find a taxi. There are plenty of taxis in Nice but they can be pricey and it will quickly add a lot of cost to your trip if you use them regularly.
If you want a quieter holiday in Nice, are mostly interested in museums and culture, and/or will have a car with you while here, Cimiez is a great choice. It might even suit families without a car, as long as you’re happy to walk or use buses to get to/from the city center and the beach.
However, if you want to stay in a hotel, are looking for a lively area, or just don’t want to constantly walk up and down the hills, I would suggest that you look elsewhere.
Where to stay
7. Riquier & Mont Boron
Pros: Very local (especially Riquier), close to the city center, charming neighborhood feel, very good bars and restaurants
Cons: If you go further out into Mont Boron, you may be staying on a fairly steep hillside with limited public transport
A stretch of Boulevard Risso in Riquier. Photo: Tiia Monto, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Pretty pastl-hued apartment blocks in Riquier. Photo: Patrice Semeria, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Riquier and Mont Boron are two adjacent neighborhoods that lie to the east of Nice’s city center, and in Riquier’s case, just north of the Port and Old Town, slightly inland. These neighborhoods are a little more residential (especially Mont Boron), and much more local feeling, but still give easy access to both the city center and coastline.
Because they’re fairly different from each other, I’ve given separate descriptions of each below:
Riquier
Riquier is the neighborhood closer to the center and port, and it’s a charming, mostly local area that provides a really nice look at authentic everyday life here in Nice. It’s not part of the original settlement of the city, so the architecture and layout is a bit more modern than the older neighborhoods, but it still has very typical Niçoise architecture, with manny classic pastel-hued 5 and 6-floor buildings. It’s not quite as pretty as other areas, but it’s very pleasant in its own way and feels more relaxed and down to Earth.
Riquier is a fair deal quieter than the center, Port, and Old Town, but still has plenty of nice options for dining, drinking, and shopping. There’s a big shopping mall here and a Decathlon department store, in addition to pharmacies, grocery stores, corner shops, and everything else you could want or need. And when you’re walking around, you’ll find that it’s mostly locals going about their daily lives (with some tourists, of course), so most everything is refreshingly geared more toward local life than tourism.
Lying between Riquier and the Port (to the south), you’ll find Place Garibaldi and rue Bonaparte, which are two of the livelier parts of the neighborhood, both holding a dense collections shops, bars, and restaurants. Bonaparte was Nice’s gay district and although it’s less camp than it used to be, some of the bars have stayed loyal to Nice’s queer community. It’s a fun atmosphere.
Riquier is also well connected to the rest of the city, with access to both lines 1 and 2 of the tram, along with plenty of buses, and even its own small train station, Nice Riquier. Nice Riquier is on the coast’s main train line, so nearly all trains arriving into or departing out of Nice will stop here, except for the occasional large intercity train. This means that Riquier is a great place to choose if you’re planning to use Nice as your base for an extended period and want to take day trips out to other parts of the Riviera like Cannes, Antibes, or Monaco.
Overall, I quite like this area and I think it offers a really nice balance between touristic convenience and local life, and a nice but not over the top amount of liveliness. If you want to live like a local well in Nice (and pay less for your accommodation), this is a great choice.
Mont Boron
Mont Boron is a large, much less dense area that expands out east, northeast, and southeast of Riquier, basically forming the eastern edge of Nice. It’s much, much more upmarket and residential than Riquier, and is more suburban, being fairly spread out and with very little in the way of commercial options (shops, dining, etc.). The residents here are mostly wealthy, and the area exudes peace and tranquility. It’s filled with gorgeous mansions and villas, and the architecture is truly lovely. Even if you don’t stay here, taking a drive through to gawk at the houses is a lot of fun.
Regarding accommodation, you’ll mostly find short-term rental apartments or villas here, and a fair number of them are in gated compounds with pools and incredible views over the coast and the city. While there are some restaurants and shops, and many of the restaurants are exclusive and of very high quality, they won’t often be walkable to your accommodation, so be aware that this is not somewhere you can just pop out from your apartment/villa and take a quick stroll over to shops and restaurants.
The area is hilly and pretty dispersed, so you’ll certainly want a car if you stay there, and since it’s well to the east of the city center, it’ll take a little bit of time to get in and out of town. This isn’t somewhere that you can just quickly hop back and forth between your hotel, the beach, and city center. The closer to Villefranche-sur-Mer you get (to the east), the more uphill you are, so I want to underline the possibility that if you choose a place in Mont Boron, you will likely have a steep walk to get home if traveling on foot.
Mont Boron does have some bus routes, but they’re limited, so it’s not especially well connected to the center. but isn’t quite as well linked to the city center as Riquier. For the most part, the people who live here choose to do so mainly for the peace and quiet of the streets and the larger apartments and houses (many of them quite grand) - just ask Elton John, who has a house here!
Honestly, as long as you know what you want and why you’ve chosen to stay in either of these neighborhoods, there aren’t really any downsides. But because they each have specific pros and cons, it’s important that you know those before deciding to book your accommodation in them.
In short, choose Riquier for the local atmosphere, relative affordability, and good access to the city center, beach, and train station. Choose Mont Boron if you want to get away from the city, are prioritizing great sea views, or want space and the option to stay in an upmarket villa or apartment rental.
Where to stay
EasyHotel Centre des Congrès - This is an “apart-hotel” where rooms all have little kitchens which is quite nice if you want to save on meals. Even in the summer you can often snag a room for close to $100 USD.
Hotels: Mama Shelter Nice: a 4-star hotel in Riquier with a small rooftop pool
Aparthotel Adagio Nice Center: a 3-star aparthotel chain with units with well-equipped kitchenettes and access to shared amenities like a 24-hour gym
Other “neighborhoods” to consider
Saint-Laurent-du-Var or Cagnes-sur-Mer
These technically aren’t neighborhoods of Nice, but if you’re struggling to find accommodation in Nice and are willing to look further afield, I’d say to try Saint-Laurent-du-Var or Cagnes-sur-Mer. Both are small towns on the coast with a friendly atmosphere as well as a decent amount of bars, restaurants and supermarkets.
They’re on the main train line, so if your priority is to be close to the water and to explore the Côte d’Azur with less focus on getting to know Nice itself, check them out.
Villefranche-sur-Mer
Villefranche-sur-Mer, to the east of Nice, is a stunningly beautiful village with its own beach and bay. It could be another good place for you to consider, but bear in mind that part of the village is pedestrianized and slopes steeply down to the water, making it harder to get around if you or anyone in your party has reduced mobility. If that’s not a concern, the largely car-free streets are an absolute delight!
More French Riviera travel info
For more advice on planning a trip to the French Riviera, check out some of our other guides and itineraries!
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