How to Spend 3 Amazing Days on the French Riviera
There’s something so magical about the South of France. The distinctive light, the flavourful food, the slow lunches that turn into longer afternoons, the way every little coastal town feels like a postcard.
Recently, a client reached out seeking advice on how to experience the best of the French Riviera within a limited travel window. The more I built it out, the more I was reminded of one of my favourite pieces of travel advice.
If you’re heading to the French Riviera, make Nice your base. You’ll discover the local pace and way of life of the Niçoise, and venture outside of the city on day trips to explore neighbouring towns and villages.
Here’s exactly how I would spend 3 amazing days in Nice, with the day trips I love most, and how to make every day count.
Why Nice Makes the Perfect Base
Many travellers planning their first Riviera trip want to see it all. That usually translates into three nights here, two nights there, dragging suitcases between train stations and losing half a day every time you change hotels. By the end, they’re exhausted and they’ve barely had time to actually enjoy any of it.
Nice solves this. While it sits on the northern end of the Côte d’Azur, it has direct trains running east toward Monaco and west toward Cannes. From a single base in Nice, you can reach almost every iconic Riviera destination in under an hour.
Why this strategy works:
- You unpack once. No suitcase logistics, no wasted half-days
- Nice is incredibly walkable for exploring the iconic Promenade des Anglais, and the Old Town
- Trains and buses along the coast are frequent, affordable, and scenic
- You start to feel like you actually live there, which is the best feeling a traveler can have
Where to Stay
Pick your accommodation with location in mind. The closer you are to the Promenade des Anglais and Vieux Nice (the Old Town), the more walkable your whole trip becomes.
Here are three of my favourite hotels in Nice, ranging from a chic boutique stay to the most iconic hotel on the Riviera.
Hôtel La Villa Nice Victor Hugo (3-star boutique)
If you want a stylish, central base without the luxury price tag, this is the one. Housed in a Belle Époque building on Boulevard Victor Hugo, this boutique hotel is themed around the famed French writer, with literary touches woven throughout.
What makes it special:
- Just a 6-minute walk to the Promenade des Anglais and Place Masséna
- A quieter side-street location, but still steps from all the action
- A bar and 24-hour room service
- Part of the family-run La Villa Hotels Collection, which leans into personalized hospitality
Le Méridien Nice (4-star modern)
This is the one for travelers who want sea views, a rooftop pool, and that unmistakable French Riviera glamour. Located at No. 1 Promenade des Anglais (yes, literally where the Promenade begins), Le Méridien recently reimagined its interiors to evoke 1960s Côte d’Azur style, all marine colors, light-filled spaces, and modern design.
What makes it special:
- A panoramic rooftop pool and sun terrace with 360-degree views over the Bay of Angels
- The rooftop also houses Elaïo restaurant and Latitude Bar, perfect for sunset drinks
- Many rooms have private balconies and sea views
- Private beach access at Plage Ruhl just across the Promenade
Le Negresco (5-star, the icon)
If this is a bucket-list visit to Nice, you might as well consider staying at the most iconic hotel on the entire French Riviera. Built in 1913, with its instantly recognizable pink dome, Le Negresco sits proudly on the Promenade des Anglais and has welcomed everyone from the Beatles to Brigitte Bardot to Salvador Dalí. It’s been a National Historic Monument since 1975.
What makes it special:
- A museum-worthy art collection spanning five centuries, from Louis XIII to modern works by Dalí and Niki de Saint-Phalle
- The Royal Lounge features a Baccarat chandelier of more than 16,000 crystals, originally commissioned by Czar Nicholas II
- Le Chantecler, the on-site Michelin-starred restaurant
- Le Versailles champagne bar with a sun-drenched terrace
- A private beach directly across the Promenade
- Every one of the 128 rooms and 26 suites is individually decorated. You’re not just sleeping in a room. You’re sleeping in a piece of French history
Pro Tip!
As a Nexion Travel Advisor, I have access to exceptional perks at preferred properties around the world, including in Nice. Some of the benefits of booking with me:
- Room category upgrades
- Complimentary breakfast
- Early check-in / late check-out
- Hotel credits at restaurants and/or spa facilities
- Welcome amenity (bubbly and chocolates anyone?)
Ask me how I can help you add exceptional value to your next hotel booking.
Day 1: Explore Old Nice
Before you start chasing day trips, give Nice your full attention for a day. This city deserves more than a flyby, and Vieux Nice (the Old Town) is the kind of neighbourhood you fall in love with slowly.
Wander the cobbled streets in the morning when the Cours Saleya flower market is in full swing, with stalls of fresh flowers, produce, herbs, and Provençal soaps. Pop into the small wine bars and cafés that spill out into the squares. Eat socca (the local chickpea pancake) from a street vendor. Browse the artisan shops tucked into side alleys. Pause for break with a refreshing local rosé and local olives with a side of people-watching.
After lunch, head down to the marina to see Nice from a different angle, with its colourful sailboats and yachts bobbing in the harbour. Then climb up to Castle Hill (Colline du Château) for the panoramic view that ends up on every postcard. From the top, you can see the whole curve of the Bay of Angels, the terracotta rooftops of the Old Town, and the marina all at once. It’s the kind of view that makes you understand why people fall so hard for this city.
And if you want a relaxed way to get oriented, I love booking clients on a Nice walking tour with tastings of wine and local specialties through the city. You can let the local guide take the reins in showing you the best of Nice, and it’s one of the best ways to cover Nice’s mix of seafront, old town, and hilltop viewpoints in a couple of hours without wearing yourself out on day one.
End the day with a long, slow dinner somewhere in Vieux Nice. Order fresh local fish and seafood, the pissaladière (a thin onion tart with anchovies), and the petits farçis (stuffed vegetables). Pair it with a well-balanced glass of wine, and you’ve nailed it.
Eat Here!
Located directly along the flower market on Cours Saleya, Le Safari is a great spot for typical Nicoise dishes in a casual atmosphere and excellent people-watching throughout the day. For a more elevated and unique experience, Le Panier is a hidden gem tucked along a narrow alley in the heard of Old Town Nice. It features a "blind menu" created daily by Chef Aurélien Martin with seasonal, local ingredients and international techniques.
Day 2: Day Trip to Monaco and Èze
These two pair beautifully because they’re so close to each other and so different in character. I usually book my clients on a small group half-day tour that hits both, with pickup right from your accommodation in Nice and a guide who handles all the logistics. You’re back in Nice by lunch with the rest of the day free.
Monaco highlights:
- Wander Monaco-Ville, the old town perched on the rock
- Catch the changing of the guard at the Prince’s Palace at 11:55 a.m.
- Step inside the Casino de Monte-Carlo (even if you’re not gambling, the architecture alone is something else)
- Pop into the Oceanographic Museum if you’ve got kids in tow
Èze highlights:
- Climb up to the Jardin Exotique at the very top of the village
- Take in the panoramic views down the entire coast (on a clear day, you can see all the way to Corsica)
- Wander the medieval streets that wind around the cliff
- Make your own perfume at the famous Fragonard perfumery, one of my favourite stops in Èze. You’ll learn about the history of perfume-making on the Côte d’Azur and walk away with a custom scent that you blended yourself. It’s a really special memory to take home.
Pro Tip!
If you'd rather do this independently, take the train rather than driving. Parking in Monaco is a nightmare and the train station drops you right where you need to be. The ride from Nice takes about 20 minutes and the views along the way are stunning.
Day 3: Day Trip to Cap Ferrat
This is the day trip my clients consistently tell me was the favourite of their entire trip. Three towns sit just minutes apart from Nice, and together they capture everything people fall in love with about the Riviera.
How to do it:
- Hop on Bus #15 from the Port Lympia / Arson stop in Nice, direction Port de Saint-Jean. Get off at Kérylos (about 25 minutes, with stunning coastal views the whole way)
- Start with a coffee in Beaulieu-sur-Mer, whose name literally means “beautiful place by the sea”
- Walk into Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat and pick a hike: a 1.5 to 2 hour Loop, the full 3 to 3.5 hour Tour, or the eastern Coastal Path. This AllTrails page gives you all the options.
- Don’t miss the Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild, built in the early 1900s for the pleasure of Baroness Béatrice Rothschild. It features nine cascading gardens with fountains that work to classical music. I’ve been many times and still find it one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever visited
- End the day in Villefranche-sur-Mer, where the harbor curves into one of the prettiest natural amphitheaters on the coast. Have dinner on the water and watch the sun go down
Pro Tip!
If you do the Loop or the Tour, end at Plage de Passable, a private beach club on the western side of the peninsula. Rent a lounger, order afternoon cocktails, and look out over the bay of Villefranche-sur-Mer. It's the kind of finish that turns a hike into a vacation memory.
Day 4: Day Trip to Cannes, Antibes & Saint-Paul-de-Vence
If you have a fourth day (or you’re swapping one of the others), this is the day trip I recommend. It takes you west along the coast and hits three completely different sides of the Riviera in a single, well-paced day. It’s also the most efficient way to see Cannes, Antibes, and Saint-Paul-de-Vence without spending half your time figuring out trains and buses.
The full-day small group tour I send my clients on includes hotel pickup and an English-speaking guide who really knows the region. A good tour should include:
Cannes: Walk La Croisette, the famous palm-lined boulevard where the celebrities, designer boutiques, and luxury hotels live. Step onto the red carpet of the Palais des Festivals (yes, the actual one from the Cannes Film Festival) and feel like a movie star for a minute.
Antibes: A glamorous seaside town with a beautiful old port, sandy beaches (rare on a coast that’s mostly pebbles), and one of the best Picasso museums in the world, housed in the Château Grimaldi where Picasso actually worked for a few months in 1946.
Saint-Paul-de-Vence: A medieval hilltop village turned artist colony, with cobbled streets, listed monuments, and that magical Provençal light that drew Matisse, Picasso, and Chagall (who is buried here). It’s the kind of place where you want to wander slowly and stop for a glass of rosé at a little terrace café. with any of them, and if you’ve got the time, do two on separate days.
That’s a Wrap!
The reason I love sending clients to Nice as a base isn’t just logistics. It’s that staying in one place lets you stop being a tourist and start being a person who happens to be in Nice for a week. Make sure to leave time for roaming and exploring freely. My clients always tell me those unscheduled hours are the ones they remember most.
If you have more time, I also build more complex itineraries that include Provence. Aix-en-Provence makes a wonderful second base, with day trips into the Luberon villages like Gordes, Roussillon, and Lourmarin (think ochre cliffs, lavender fields, and that golden Provençal light). And if you’re traveling in June or July, you’ll hit peak lavender season, which is a truly unforgettable experience.
If you’re dreaming of the South of France, I’d love to help you build a week (or two) where every detail is taken care of. Reach out anytime, and let’s get started.
Bon voyage!
