One Day in Nice Itinerary You’ll Want to Steal

Nice is one of the most popular cities on the French Riviera, for a good reason! It has everything you could possibly need for a laid-back vacation: a charming city center with cute little streets to get lost in, amazing food, great views, and beautiful beaches to relax at.

Although there are many things to do in Nice, the good news is that you can visit most of the places in a short time.

So even if you have only one day in Nice, you can easily check out the highlights. In this Nice itinerary, I will show you how!

*Disclosure: This post contains a few affiliate links, which means I may receive a small commission, at no cost to you, if you make a purchase through my link.*

Overview of Your One Day in Nice Itinerary

I put together a custom map for your one day in Nice, containing all the best spots you need to visit in the city.

How to use this map: This map is fully interactive, so you can move around, zoom in/zoom out, and click on the icons. If you want to see a larger map, click on the bracket in the upper right corner. To see more details and the different layers, click on the tab in the upper left corner. If you want to save it for later, click on the star icon next to the name of the map. Then simply open Google Maps either on your desktop or phone, go to ‘Saved’/’Maps’, and open the map whenever you need it.

How to Spend One Day in Nice

1. Climb up to Castle Hill

Start your one day in Nice by soaking up the views from Castle Hill! Castle Hill – otherwise known as Colline de Chateau – is a 92-meter-high hill overlooking the bay of Nice.

Don’t be fooled by the name, there is no castle on the hill in reality, but in exchange, you will find the best viewpoint in Nice on top of the hill.

If you’re coming in your own car (which I generally wouldn’t recommend in Nice) you can go up to the hill by car and park on the top, so you only need to climb a few steps.

Otherwise, you climb up the staircase starting from Promenade des Anglais or use the lift which is located at the foot of the staircase.

On the top, you can find an artificial waterfall, the ruins of a cathedral, and several viewpoints. The best one is located above the waterfall, from where you can get an amazing panoramic view over the Old Town and the coastline.

Although you can visit Castle Hill basically any time of the day, I recommend going there first thing in the morning to avoid the crowds and the scorching heat. If you’re planning to take the stairs, it’s even more important to go early!

2. Get lost in the Old Town

After you had enough of the views (impossible, I know!), climb down from the hill and continue your sightseeing in the Old Town of Nice. It’s pretty close to Castle Hill so you can easily walk there.

The first thing you will encounter on your way to the Old Town from Castle Hill is the Cours Saleya Market. This is the most famous street market in Nice and it’s open every day from 9 am to 1 pm, except Mondays.

If you haven’t had breakfast yet, it’s a great place to grab some local specialties!

After you visit the market, the best thing you can do is get lost in the narrow, cobblestone streets. The Old Town of Nice totally feels like a maze and you will come across many colorful houses, cute little shops, talented local artists, and amazing cafes and restaurants on your way.

3. Visit Place Garibaldi

Place Garibaldi (Garibaldi Square) is one of the most beautiful squares in Nice. It’s located at the northern end of the Old Town, it takes around 10 minutes to reach it from the Cours Saleya Market on foot.

The facade of the yellow buildings surrounding the square is absolutely beautiful and you can also find a fountain with a monument of Giuseppe Garibaldi in the middle of the square.

There are many restaurants and cafes to choose from, one of the most famous restaurants in the square is Cafe de Turin.

4. Admire the architecture at Place Massena

The next square on your one day in Nice itinerary is Place Massena. From Place Garibaldi, it takes around 12 minutes to reach the square on foot but if you feel tired, you can also take the L1 tram line.

Place Massena is the largest and most iconic square in Nice. The beautiful, Pompeian red-colored buildings with their elegant arches will surely take your breath away, not to mention the black and white tiles on the ground!

It’s a perfect place for some people watching, shopping, or grabbing a bite at one of the cafes and restaurants nestled under the archways.

5. See the iconic white-blue striped parasols at Ruhl Plage

If you’ve already seen some photo inspiration for Nice, I’m sure you’ve seen the iconic blue and white striped parasols on the beach. If you want to experience them in person, head over to Ruhl Plage!

Beaches are one of the many perks of Nice and you will find plenty of private and public beaches along the shore.

While public beaches are free to access, you will have to pay for a sun lounger at the private beaches to be able to enjoy their facilities.

If you have only one day in Nice, it wouldn’t make too much sense to pay a full day price for a sun lounger since you will not be able to enjoy it all day long (if you want to visit the other places on this Nice itinerary).

For instance, at Ruhl Plage, you need to pay €30 for a sun lounger with an umbrella which is ok if you’re spending all day there, but it’s definitely a no-go just for a few hours.

Based on this I would say that if you want to take a quick dip in the sea, go for one of the public beaches.

However, if you want to experience this amazing place and maybe took some photos for Instagram, there’s a solution for that too! Since you can find a restaurant at Ruhl Plage as well, you can just simply pop in for an afternoon coffee, a cocktail, or a light lunch.

As you can expect almost anywhere on the French Riviera, foods and drinks are quite pricy at Ruhl Plage as well. But on the bright side, they are absolutely delicious!

During my time in Nice, I’ve been there twice, once for breakfast and once for lunch and I enjoyed it a lot both times.

6. Walk along the Promenade des Anglais

The Promenade des Anglais is one of the most iconic places in Nice, therefore, you simply can’t miss it! It’s a 7 km long promenade stretching all the way from the airport to Castle Hill.

It’s really popular among locals and tourists alike, so you will find many people on the promenade every day, especially on the weekends.

Promenade des Anglais provides a magnificent view of the azure blue sea and strolling along the huge palm trees is definitely one of the best things to do in Nice. You will find many luxurious hotels, fancy restaurants, and cafes along the promenade as well.

If you want to follow this one day in Nice itinerary, I recommend starting from Ruhl Plage and walking along the promenade until you reach Boulevard Gambetta on your right, then continue on that road to reach the next attraction on this itinerary, the St. Nicholas Cathedral.

7. Visit the beautiful St. Nicholas Russian Orthodox Cathedral

The St. Nicolas Cathedral is often referred to as one of the most important orthodox buildings outside of the Russian Federation.

Arriving at the church immediately makes you wonder whether you are still in Nice or you just stepped into Moscow or St. Petersburg!

It’s located in the suburbs of Nice, therefore, it’s quite a long walk to get there – it takes around 25-30 minutes to reach it from Ruhl Plage on foot. But believe me, it’s so worth it! Alternatively, you can take a taxi or an Uber to save some time.

The church is open from 10 am to 6 pm every day and you can even go inside to look around. Since it’s a religious site, you need to cover both your knees and shoulders to be able to enter.

Sadly you are not allowed to take pictures inside but make sure to snap some amazing photos from the outside!

8. Head back to Old Town for dinner and nightlife

To end your one day in Nice, I recommend heading back to the Old Town to grab some dinner and enjoy the famous nightlife. The vibe of the city is completely different at night and even if you’re not a party person, it’s worth taking a stroll in the cute little streets again.

Wayne’s Bar is one of the most famous places in the Old Town where you can find live music almost every night, but you can also opt for a fun bar crawl as well. Whatever you choose, just make sure to sit back and relax a bit, you totally deserve it after the busy day you just had!

Useful Info for Spending One Day in Nice

Where to stay in Nice

You can find every type of accommodation in Nice, starting from budget hostels, apartments, and mid-range hotels to luxury stays. Since you’re going to be staying in the heart of the French Riviera, be prepared for inflated hotel prices, especially in the summer.

If you have only one day in Nice, I recommend staying close to the city center to save some time on commuting. Below you can check my recommendations for different budgets.

• Luxury: Hotel Le Negresco
• Mid-range: NH Nice
• Budget: easyHotel Nice Palais des Congrès – Old Town

Best time to visit Nice

Located on the French Riviera, Nice enjoys a mild Mediterranean climate all year round which makes it a perfect destination for each season.

The city has over 300 sunny days a year and winters on the Cote d’Azur are usually sunny and crisp, with little to no crowds. In case you are looking for some warm winter destinations in Europe, you can’t go wrong with Nice!

The shoulder season (from mid-April to mid-May and September-October) is definitely the best time to visit Nice when you can already enjoy the warm temperature without the crowds.

If you’re looking to save some money on your trip, shoulder season is a good choice for you as well, since the price of the hotels is usually lower.

If you’re a beach type of person and you can bear the crowds, summer can also be a good choice for you. The sea is the warmest in August when the sea temperature is around 24°C (75°F), so it’s the perfect time for swimming or relaxing at the beach.

How to get around Nice

The highlights of the city are pretty close to each other so you can easily complete your one day in Nice itinerary on foot.

If you want to save some time or you don’t feel like walking, you can use one of the tram or bus lines in the city as well. The main attractions are well connected by public transportation, a one-way ticket costs €1.70 and you can buy your ticket from the ticket booth at the bus/tram stops.

Ride-hailing services like Uber and taxis are also available everywhere in the city. Uber is generally cheaper, so it’s more popular among tourists.

Even if you arrive in your own car, I recommend leaving it in a secure parking lot while exploring Nice. The traffic is quite heavy during the day and it’s almost impossible to find any parking spots.

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