What to see in Nice and the surrounding area on your own. The best of Nice in one day
Walking along the Promenade des Anglais is a pleasure: fresh sea air, sprawling palm trees and the incomparable atmosphere of Nice. This wonderful city attraction is included in the itinerary. By purchasing a ticket for it, you can explore Nice in comfort for 2 days, disembarking and entering with one travel pass. Order .
Matisse Museum (Musee Matisse)
Matisse and Nice are connected by inextricable bonds: the artist has greatly contributed to the growth of the city's popularity, which inspires him to create paintings. The museum exhibits an extensive collection of works that covers all stages of Matisse's career until his death. By the way, the artist lived and worked in a building located nearby on Cimiez Boulevard. The museum will be of interest to those who are not familiar with the work of Matisse, and to his loyal fans. Get to know the important part cultural heritage France on a professional tour of permanent and temporary exhibitions. The walk is conducted in Russian and also includes the Chagall Museum and the Rothschild Villa. Book a convenient time and date.
The address: 146 Avenue des Arenes de Cimiez.
Working hours: from 10:00 to 18:00, Tuesday is a day off.
Entrance: 10 €. The ticket is valid for 24 hours for all municipal museums in Nice: MAMAC (Museum contemporary art), Galerie des Ponchettes, Espace Ferrero, Galerie de la Marine, Théâtre de la Photographie et de l’Image (Photography Theatre), Musée Matisse (Matisse Museum), Musée des Beaux-Arts (Museum fine arts), Musée d'Art Naïf (Museum of Naïve Art), Musée Masséna (Museena Massena), Palais Lascaris, Musée d'Archéologie (site de Cimiez et site de Terra Amata) (Museum of Archeology), Muséum d'Histoire Naturelle (Museum of Natural history), Prieuré du vieux logis.
Marc Chagall Museum (Musée Marc Chagall)
Don't be fooled by the small size of the museum: this small building contains the largest collection of Chagall's works, including 17 biblical epistles. It also exhibits paintings, sculptures, mosaics and tapestries created by the great artist.
The address: 36 Avenue Dr Menard.
Working hours: from 10:00 to 18:00 (from to from 10:00 to 17:00). Closed on Tuesdays.
Ticket price: 8 €.
The cathedral was built in 1902-1912 for the growing Russian diaspora in Nice. This is the biggest and most beautiful Orthodox Church outside of Russia. The gilded domes of the cathedral look a little unusual against the backdrop of the traditional landscape of Nice: and the azure sea. Looking at the church, it seems that you have been transported to St. Petersburg for a while. Learn more about the Russian history of Nice on an author's tour from local guides! Walk through this amazing French city in the wake of the great compatriots - Gogol, Chekhov, Tyutchev. The tour is, of course, in Russian. .
The address: Avenue Nicholas II.
Opening hours: daily from 9:00 to 18:00.
Free admission.
Flower market "Cours Saleya"
Nice is impossible to imagine without flowers. And the Cours Saleya market is a real decoration of the city. Lush armfuls of bright buds will surround you from all sides, and it is impossible to resist buying at least a small bouquet. Other temptations also await here: spices, fresh fruits and vegetables, fragrant, piles of warm bread and other pastries. It is at "Cours Saleya" that you can buy good ones inexpensively.
The address: Courses de Saleya.
Opening hours: Tuesday-Saturday from 6:00 to 17:30, Sundays from 6:00 to 13:30. Closed on Mondays.
The historic center of Nice has preserved the spirit of a serene French town of the 19th century, not yet chosen by aristocrats and nouveau riches. Walking along the narrow streets of the Old Town is not easy, at times they turn into a labyrinth with steep slopes. But it's worth it to get to know the real Nice. A Russian-speaking guide will be happy to take you through the most interesting streets historical center! Show the main squares, palaces, churches and houses of the old part of Nice. Hear urban legends on a guided tour and find out where to do the best photos. Book the right time.
Everywhere in the historical part, small cafes and vintage shops will be waiting for you. Relax in them while admiring the architectural sights of the Old Town over a cup of coffee or buy them as a souvenir of Nice.
Massena Museum (Musee Massena)
The Muséna Museum tells the history of pre-war Nice, from the last decades of the 18th century to the Second World War. The exhibition includes interior items, art deco posters, early photographs, paintings and other details of the past century. The museum is located in the villa of Andre Massena, Marshal of the Empire of Napoleon. The estate is surrounded by a wonderful garden.
The address: 65, Rue de France.
Opening hours: Wednesday-Monday from 10:00 to 18:00.
Entrance -
Chateau Park (Parc du Château)
One of the most beautiful places in Nice and the best viewpoint. From here you have a view of the city and the Mediterranean Sea. Getting to the Chateau Park is not easy, for this you have to climb the hill along numerous paths and stairs. But if you don't want to bother going uphill, use the elevator located near the Bellanda Tower. At the top of the hill you will be met: beautiful views of the port and the Bay of Angels, the freshness of a shady park and the coolness of a sparkling waterfall.
The address: Montee Eberle.
Opening hours: from 8:00 to 20:00 in , until 18:00 - in .
Free admission.
Archaeological Museum (Musée d'Archéologie)
Even before conquering the English and Russian aristocrats, Nice attracted the ancient Romans. Get to know their legacy at Archaeological Museum located near the ruins of Roman baths and the arena. The exposition consists of various collections of antiquities: coins, tools, pottery.
The address: 160 Avenue des Arenes de Cimiez.
Price: 10 €. The ticket is valid for 24 hours for all municipal museums in Nice.
Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (Musée d "Art Moderne et d" Art Contemporain, MAMAC)
Art is loved and appreciated in Nice, hence a large number of free museums and galleries. At the heart of MAMAC is a fine collection of works by European and American avant-garde artists - 400 works illustrating the development of art from the 1960s to the present day. Here you will see paintings by local artists such as Yves Klein and Niki de Saint Phalle and iconic celebrities such as Warhol and Lichtenstein.
The address: Place Yves Klein.
Opening hours: daily from 11:00 to 18:00. Closed on Mondays.
Entrance: 10 €. The ticket is valid for 24 hours for all municipal museums in Nice.
Port of Nice (Le Port de Nice)
Port of Nice - busy and incredible beautiful area cities. It is a kind of exhibition of exclusive yachts, boats and expensive cars. Ferries depart from here.
The port is located near the Old City, next to the United States waterfront.
Theater of photography (Théâtre de la Photographie et de l'Image)
The museum-theater hosts popular permanent and temporary exhibitions. The most eminent photographers organize exhibitions of their works here. The museum is also famous for its gallery of famous people who once visited Nice and a huge library with 4,000 books on the art of photography.
Don't forget to download our Nice app, it has a map for you with all the sights.
The address: 1, Place Pierre Gautier.
Opening hours: from 10:00 to 18:00. Closed on Monday.
Free admission.
Nice sightseeing map
Have a nice holiday on the Cote d'Azur!
And, paradoxically, there are not so few of them here, so as not to be surprised by something new even during the tenth visit to Nice - main city and the unspoken capital of the French Riviera, located in the Bay of Angels. You can see everything during leisurely walks at your leisure, for this you just need to know how to combine routes.
For your convenience, I have divided the sights of Nice into groups, and a walk through the Old Town can smoothly flow into a walk along the port, and from there to the Museum of Modern Art, Place Massena and then back to the embankment, and so on.
In fact, this article isguide to the main interesting places Nice:
Old town, Chateau hill and port of Lympia -
Old town of Nice, Chateau hill, port of Lympia
Nice Old Town (Vieille Ville)- this is perhaps the most important place in Nice, where you should go, even if you have only two hours left. If there is much more time to get to know him, you will often be here, because this favorite place for many local residents and tourists, where many bars, restaurants, cafes and nightclubs are concentrated, a huge number of bakeries, pastry shops and private wine shops, souvenir and antique shops.
In the large pedestrian area of the Old Town - Cours Saleya 7 days a week in the morning open fruit and flower market. After lunch, vendors roll up their merchandise and make room for tables in restaurants and cafes. Every Monday at Cours Saleya in Nice, the Antique Market is open until noon, where you can buy anything - from cheap old postcards with posters and used jewelry to rare expensive items, the price of which reaches tens of thousands of euros. A kind of symbiosis of a "flea market" and an antique dealer's shop. People who put up old things for sale have been in this business for a long time, and if you need to get something very old and rare, if they don’t provide it to you, then they will definitely find someone who has it.
The old town of Nice is in some places a rather confusing maze of streets and alleys, with a chaotic medieval building, but at the same time with several spacious squares. There are many architectural monuments of different periods, most of which were created in the Italian Baroque style in the 17th-18th centuries.
The main Catholic churches of old Nice, which you should pay attention to and definitely look inside - Cathedral of Saint Reparata(Cathedrale Sainte-Reparate), very graceful Mercy Chapel(Chapelle de la Misericorde) on the Cours Saleya, as well as hiding between tall buildings Church of St. James-le-Major "Jesus"(Eglise Saint-Jaques-le-Majeurdite de Jesus (Gesu).
Saint Reparata Cathedral is one of the oldest churches in Nice. In the 16th century, this church was built in the shape of a Latin cross on the site of a Benedictine abbey. The magnificent dome of the Cathedral of St. Reparata, towering over the Old Town of Nice, and its interior decoration resemble the most important Catholic church in the world - St. Peter's Cathedral in Rome.
Cathedral of Saint Reparata
Church of St. James
Mercy Chapel
Palace of Justice, Prefecture Palace, Laskari Palace, Nice Opera House, labor exchange building- that's far from full list buildings included in the number of protected architectural monuments of the Old City. Along the "edge" of the Old Town in the area of Cours Saleya and the embankment is Gallery de Ponchette(Les Ponchettes) - smooth rows of bright picturesque buildings converted by the city into galleries.
From the Old Town through one of the arches of the Galleries de Ponchette you will get to the famous Nice English Promenade(Promenade des Anglais) - a wide promenade that stretches along the sea and the Bay of Angels (Baie des Anges) for seven kilometers. Although, to be precise, in this place the Promenade already has a different name - the United States Embankment, but this does not change the essence.
To your left you will see Hill Chateau(Сolline du Chateau), or Castle Hill. Even at the time of the Greek presence in Nicaea (Nice), on this high hill, from which an excellent overview of the surroundings opened, there was a sentry garrison. By the way, at exactly noon, a cannon shot is heard from the side of the hill. Don't be afraid - this is a tribute to an old tradition. According to legend, a certain Scottish citizen in the middle of the 19th century bought a cannon at his own expense and installed it on Chateau Hill. Either he was a big fan of army rituals ("noon shot from a cannon"), or just an eccentric, but they say that this was how he let his wife know that it was time to cook dinner for him. Since 1875, the authorities of Nice have officially established that at 12 noon it is imperative to shoot from a cannon.
Unfortunately, there are practically no ancient and medieval ruins here (except perhaps a little, in the center of the hill), but today it is one of the main attractions - a picturesque park area with breathtaking views of Nice, the port, the promenade and the sea. You can climb Chateau Hill both on foot (tiring way) and free of charge by elevator (of course, the elevator does not work around the clock, on holidays, etc. it may be closed).
Beland Watchtower, in which the composer Hector Berlioz once lived, a beautiful artificial waterfall, an ancient cemetery on a hill and mosaic compositions depicting scenes from ancient Greek life - what you need to see on Chateau Hill.
Going down the Chateau hill and rounding it, you get to Port of Nice Lympia(Lympia) and the prestigious port quarter built up majestic buildings XVIII century in the Genoese style. The main harbor of Nice is capable of receiving the largest cruise ships and mega-yachts, huge ferries depart regularly from here to the island of Corsica. As you turn off the waterfront towards the port, on your left you will see the imposing Monument aux morts, commemorating the people of Nice who were killed during the First World War.
There are good restaurants in the port area, popular both with tourists (in the part located directly under the Chateau Hill), and with sailors and port workers - for this you need to go around the port and go deeper into the part that is located in the distance.
The port area is also home to another so-called "flea market" of Nice and several stylish art galleries where you can buy contemporary works by artists and sculptors.
From the port to Garibaldi squares- one of the most beautiful and cozy squares in Nice. In the center of it stands a monument to the famous native of Nice - Giuseppe Garibaldi, and carefully restored buildings in the Sardinian style are especially reminiscent of the "Italian trace" in the history of this French city.
It is difficult to imagine a tourist who has been to France and not visited Nice. This is a glorious city with a long history, combining ancient quiet streets with a modern, business center.
Nice is rightly considered the second capital of France: there is a lot to see and do, great restaurants and French hospitality will make your stay unforgettable.
Thanks to the mild, Mediterranean climate, it is almost never cold here: in winter, the daytime air temperature is rarely below 12 degrees.
And an unusual flower procession will not leave indifferent any vacationer: platforms decorated with fresh flowers move around the city.
Each mosaic of flowers is a real masterpiece, created by the imagination and skill of florists. As you can see, in winter there is something to do here, and long evenings can be spent walking along the Promenade des Anglais, enjoying a magnificent view of the sea and the old part of the city.
Summer in Nice is hot, with little rainfall. From April to November you can enjoy endless beaches (they are pebbly in this place), gentle mediterranean sea and all kinds of entertainment: diving, surfing, spearfishing.
Evening Nice
Nice is considered expensive resort, but every year there are many opportunities for economical living: hostels and inexpensive hotels open. This makes recreation possible for all categories of the population.
Arriving on vacation in Nice, be sure to visit the local attractions. In addition, Nice is rich in museums and galleries.
Russian people will be interested in visiting the Orthodox Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker - the largest cathedral in Western Europe. It is very similar to St. Basil's Cathedral in Moscow.
Architecture in Nice
In the architecture of Nice, various styles and eras are closely intertwined. The Middle Ages are represented by buildings near the Old Bridge: here residential buildings and shop facades have stone partitions and lancet arches.
The form of the Laskari Palace will tell about the Italian Baroque: a four-story building with unusual balconies is one of beautiful buildings Nice. You will climb the marble stairs to luxurious apartments that have preserved the furniture of the 18th century, see the mighty Atlanteans supporting the walls, admire the ceilings painted with frescoes on mythological themes.
The main attraction of the city is the Chapel of Mercy, built in the 18th century.
The Chapel of Mercy was built in the Baroque style. It was built at the end of the 18th century and today looks the same as it did then.
The neoclassical era in Nice is represented by the Palace of Justice. Against its background, tourists love to be photographed.
From the inside, the building does not look as majestic and graceful as from the outside, but still it is a unique masterpiece. The inactive South Station was once built in the style of Rationalism.
At the end of the 19th century, the facades of buildings began to be decorated with all sorts of unusual elements, since then light colors have prevailed in the colors of the facades. It was at this moment that Nice began to attract the English and Russian nobility: luxurious mansions and magnificent palaces became a symbol of the Belle Epoque.
Modern architectural solutions will also not leave tourists indifferent: they are genuinely amazed by the building of L. Nyuser's library. It is presented in the form of a "square head".
A huge building, about 30 meters high, is one of the sights of Nice. From a distance, the head seems to be a single monolith, only close up you can see the windows on its facade.
In the Old part of the city, classic and renaissance are successfully intertwined. Facades of buildings with half-closed shutters, old markets with bustling merchants, narrow streets immerse vacationers in the Middle Ages. There are cozy restaurants everywhere.
You can also get into the atmosphere of medieval Nice on the Castle Hill. This is a park with unusual alleys, a waterfall and observation deck: from here the whole city is visible at a glance.
When in Nice, be sure to visit Rue Massena. Here, most of the buildings were built in the Genoese style: tourists will certainly be interested in the unusual design and unique decoration of buildings. Knowledgeable people claim that you will not see anything like it in any other city or country.
Museums in Nice
In the program of your stay in Nice, be sure to include a visit to local museums. You will plunge into the incredible atmosphere of ancient art, visit local history, art, modern museums.
Entrance to most of them is free, the only exceptions are the Museum of the National Collection of M. Chagall and wonderful world anomalies and oddities.
Museum of M. Chagall- here is a huge collection of paintings by this artist. The basis of the exposition is plots from the Old Testament, they were written in the 50-60s of the last century.
I would especially like to highlight Matisse museum. Here are collected the works of the master from the first to last day his creations. Incredible color schemes will amaze you with their unusualness, and the artist’s personal belongings stored in the museum will introduce you to his work closer.
Incredible interest in children and adults will cause a visit Museum of human paleontology "Terra Amata". Once, as a result of archaeological excavations, a prehistoric camp was discovered here. Ancient people who lived here for a very long time hunted elephants and bison.
The most unique piece of the museum- trace ancient man. Also here you can see an ancient hut of the Neolithic era, models that show the life of prehistoric people.
Modern Art Museum- presented in the form of 4 towers, interconnected by glass passages. AT
The permanent collection of the museum presents works in the Avant-garde style. Temporary exhibitions are on the first floor.
Natural History Museum- was founded 200 years ago and is a kind of natural monument of the Mediterranean. You will see all kinds of plants and animals, birds and insects. A truly mesmerizing sight, worthy of your attention.
These are not all the museums that tourists from all over the world like to visit. There are many others who will tell you about history and art, introduce you to the amazing Nice - charming and unusual.
Parks in Nice
Nice is not only historical place with rich history and architectural monuments. It is also unusual vegetable world, which immerses tourists in an atmosphere of peace and tranquility.
There are many park areas in Nice, each of which has its own individual charm.
Cape Nice
Cape Nice is a park located in a residential area. In the shade of centuries-old trees, you will walk to the sea, admire the local beauties and take great photos for memory.
Park them. K. Romanian - children here will be interested in wooden play structures, adults will be happy to kick the ball on the lawn and admire the magnificent play of fountains.
Chambrin Park
Chambrin Park - located in the northern part of Nice. This is amazing place especially for lovers. Here the atmosphere itself is conducive to romantic communication. The main attraction of the park is a musical pavilion, which is called the "Temple of Love". This is perfect place for a declaration of love!
Big Cornice Natural Park
Nature Park Big cornice - its territory occupies more than 600 hectares of land. It offers a magnificent view of the sea, eyewitnesses say that if you look closely at the horizon, you can see Corsica.
There are about 500 species of plants in this park; here you can see rare species of raptors and birds.
With children, be sure to visit the Castell de de Roi park. Children will enjoy its many attractions, while adults will enjoy beautiful view exotic trees.
Park Valrose
Valrose Park - located in the former estate of aristocrats. You will walk in the shade of rare tree species, you will see a chic castle that strikes the eye with its luxury.
Here, your eyes will be presented with a wooden Russian hut - a kind of reminder of the stay of Russians on the Riviera.
There are also beautiful gardens in Nice, striking with an abundance of unusual plants and a riot of their colors. All this will give you a good mood and wonderful memories of the trip, which you will be happy to share with your loved ones.
What to see in Nice in 1 day
Not all tourists have the opportunity to stay in Nice for a long time. Therefore, they have a fair question: what can be seen in Nice in 1 day, what to look for?
Be sure to try local pancakes and drink a cup of fragrant French coffee in the coastal cafe. There is enough space for children to roller-skate or cycle.
You will also enjoy the Cours Saleya flower market. Fresh flowers are always available here, striking with their beauty and incredible aroma. Be sure to buy memorable gifts in souvenir shops. And be sure to walk around the Old Town.
Avenue Medici, considered one of the main streets of Nice
Surely you will have some time to visit the Museum "Theatre of Photography". The six halls of the museum will tell you about all areas of photography: you will look at pictures, both ancient and modern.
So, Nice is a truly fabulous place that can satisfy the needs of people of different financial capabilities. This city is not only a gentle sea, it is also an ancient architectural monument, which has something to see.
Numerous museums, chic gardens, cozy parks are welcome dear guests both winter and summer. Having been here, you will plunge into the incredible atmosphere of a fabulous holiday that will give you unforgettable experience and sweet memories. You will definitely want to come back here again!
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