Nice

Budget $85-150 (hostel + socca + beach + walking + tram), mid $180-450 (4-star hotel + restaurants + Monaco + Èze + Cannes day trips + beach club), luxury $450-2,000+ (Hotel Negresco + Le Méridien Nice + Hyatt Regency 5-star + Michelin + private guide + helicopter). Nice is mid-tier French Riviera pricing — 30% cheaper than Cannes/Saint-Tropez. Restaurant $25-50, beach chair rental $20-40, tram + bus single $1.70/day pass $5.50, Monaco train RT $8. €1 ≈ $1.07 (2026). Best Riviera base for value.

3-4 days standard. Day 1: Vieux Nice (Old Town) + Promenade des Anglais + Cours Saleya flower market + Castle Hill sunset. Day 2: Monaco + Èze (medieval hilltop village, 30 min train) — visit Monte Carlo Casino + Royal Palace + Grand Prix circuit + cliff Èze. Day 3: Cannes + Antibes (La Croisette + Picasso Museum, 30 min train each). Day 4: Matisse Museum + Chagall Museum + beach. Combine with Saint-Tropez (further west, 2h drive, expensive) for 5-7 day Côte d'Azur trip. Add Paris (5h45 TGV, $80-150) or Provence (Aix-en-Provence + Marseille) for 10-day France.

May-September is best — 20-28°C / 68-82°F, beach weather, Mediterranean blue. May is ideal (warm + uncrowded + Cannes Film Festival mid-May). July-August is peak (32-34°C / 90-93°F) + cruise ships + 40% pricier hotels. Cannes Film Festival (May 14-25 typically) makes ALL French Riviera hotels triple price — book 6+ months ahead OR avoid. Carnaval de Nice (mid-February) is France's biggest Carnival — flower parades + light-up parade + 2 weeks of events. November-April mild (10-18°C / 50-64°F) + 50% cheaper hotels but limited beach. Avoid October-November (rainy + closures). Best balance: late May or late September.

Schengen visa-free 90 days for US, UK, EU, Japan, Korea, Australia, New Zealand. 6-month+ passport validity required. ETIAS authorization from 2025 (€7, online, 3-year validity). Direct flights to Nice (NCE) from major European cities (Paris 1.5h, London 2h, Frankfurt 1.5h). From US: 8-10h via Paris/London/Frankfurt connection, $600-1,500. From Korea/Japan: 14-16h via Paris (Air France direct ICN-CDG-NCE) or via Frankfurt, $900-1,800. Nice Côte d'Azur Airport (NCE) is 7km from city — bus $1.70 or tram extension $1.70.

Very safe — Mediterranean tourist city. Walk Promenade des Anglais + Vieux Nice day or night. Petty theft watch zones: beach chair theft (don't leave valuables on chair while swimming), Cours Saleya market crowded periods, Promenade des Anglais between Old Port + airport (jet-skis + bikes + pickpockets), train station + tram crowds. The 2016 Bastille Day truck attack (90 dead) led to permanent bollards along Promenade — visible safety upgrade. 112 emergency. Tap water excellent. Women solo travel completely normal.

Universal in tourism + hotels + restaurants — Nice is multilingual. Italian (Italian border 30 min east) also widely spoken. French phrases 'Bonjour' (bohn-zhoor) good morning, 'Merci' (mehr-see) thanks, 'S'il vous plaît' (please). Always greet 'Bonjour' first when entering shops — French expect this courtesy. Niçois dialect (mix of French + Italian + Provençal) heard in markets. Menus bilingual at tourist spots. Riviera taxis sometimes English-only. Hotel + restaurant staff in 4-star+ properties fluent.

Niçoise cuisine: Salade Niçoise (THE Nice salad — tuna + anchovies + green beans + tomato + egg + olives + lettuce, $15-25 — try La Storia or Acchiardo for traditional version with tuna NOT canned), Socca (chickpea pancake — Cours Saleya market street food, $3-5, Chez Pipo is iconic), Pissaladière (caramelized onion + anchovy tart $8-15), Ratatouille (Provençal vegetable stew $10-15), Bouillabaisse (Marseille fish stew, served Riviera-style, $50-70 — L'Avant Scène or Lou Galoubet), Pan bagnat (Niçoise sandwich, $7-10). Cafés: Fenocchio (Cours Saleya, lavender + violet ice cream, $4-6 — 100+ flavors). Drinks: Pastis (anise-flavored aperitif, $5-8), Provence rosé wine ($5-12/glass, $20-50/bottle). Michelin: Le Chantecler at Hotel Negresco (2 stars, $200-400), Flaveur (2 stars, $150-300), JAN Restaurant (1 star, $100-200).

Monaco is 30 minutes east by train ($8 RT TER, every 20 min) — the world's 2nd smallest country. Day trip highlights: Monte Carlo Casino (€18 entry, smart casual dress code required — no shorts/sneakers/flip-flops, gambling minimum €5; even non-gamblers visit Salons Privés for opulent Belle Époque architecture, James Bond filming spot), Royal Palace of Monaco (Grimaldi residence, daily Changing of the Guard 11:55am — free), Monaco-Ville old town on the rock, Monaco Grand Prix circuit (walk the F1 streets — Casino corner, Tabac, Tunnel, Rascasse hairpin), Larvotto Beach (artificial sand, free). Half-day enough. Combine with Èze medieval village (15 min further on train + uphill walk OR private tour, $50-80) for full day. Don't try gambling — odds are bad + you'll lose your shirt.

Cannes Film Festival: mid-May 14-25 typically, 12-day event. Yes you can visit but expect: hotels triple price (book 6+ months ahead OR stay in Nice + commute 30 min train), restaurants packed + reservations needed, traffic gridlocked, La Croisette closed to non-credentialed. Most events invite-only or industry — common tourists rarely glimpse celebrities (paparazzi cordon enforced). For festival vibe: stand outside Palais des Festivals during red carpet evenings 7-9pm (free, distant view of stars from behind ropes), visit Cannes Lions advertising festival (separate event, June, more accessible).

Different Riviera personalities. Nice: largest (340,000), most affordable, year-round (mild winters), real city with beach (rocky pebble Beach, not sand), best base for day trips. Cannes (75,000): film festival May, La Croisette luxury hotels, more glitzy, smaller beach, 30 min west of Nice. Saint-Tropez (4,000): smallest, most expensive, only July-August summer party scene, yachts + celebrities + bling, 2h drive from Nice. Most travelers stay in Nice + day trip to Cannes + Monaco + Èze. Saint-Tropez only worth it for honeymoon during shoulder season (June or September) to avoid summer party crowds. For value: 100% stay in Nice.

Stay in Vieux Nice (Old Town, atmosphere + restaurants, $80-300) — Hotel Suisse, La Villa Nice Victor Hugo. Promenade des Anglais (sea view, $150-700) — Hotel Negresco (5-star palace 1912, $300-1,000, iconic), Le Méridien Nice ($200-500), Hyatt Regency Nice Palais de la Méditerranée ($250-700). Carré d'Or (luxury shopping, $200-600). Cimiez (residential + Matisse Museum, $120-300). Nice Côte d'Azur Airport (NCE) is 7km — Tram 2 extends to airport ($1.70, 25 min, every 10 min), bus 99 ($6.50 airport bus, 30 min), taxi $30-40 flat rate (20 min). Beach culture: Nice beach is rocky pebbles (water shoes essential) — paid beach clubs ($20-40 chair, restaurants, showers) vs free public sections. For honeymoon: Hotel Negresco or Anantara Plaza Nice. Budget: Hostel Antares ($30-60).