The Bay of Angels and the Promenade des Anglais seen from above, with turquoise sea
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Nice in 2 days

  • 2 days
  • 6.4 km on foot
  • 17 stops
  • Audio guide

Two days let you get to know both sides of Nice: the Italian-flavoured Vieux-Nice, with its ochre façades and market, and the city of winter visitors, with its villas, palaces and the painters who fell for its light. This plan suits a relaxed long weekend: walking routes in the mornings, afternoons in Cimiez and at the Russian cathedral, and a sunset on Castle Hill.

Day 1Market, painters and ghosts

Set off early with “The Best of Nice: From the Negresco to Castle Hill”, from the pink-domed hotel to the Castle Hill waterfall, passing the Cours Saleya market while it still smells of flowers. Head down for socca, then, early in the afternoon, take the bus up to Cimiez: the Chagall museum first, then an uphill stroll to the Matisse, among olive trees and Roman ruins. Back in Vieux-Nice, “Angels, Sieges and Phantoms” climbs from Sainte-Réparate to Bellanda Tower with the bay glowing below. Finish with a plate of daube.

  1. Morning

    The Best of Nice: From the Negresco to Castle Hill

    Mixed · 2.4 km · 2 h

    1. Hotel NegrescoThe pink-domed palace dreamed up by a former Romanian head waiter and saved by a woman who turned it into a museum.
    2. Promenade des AnglaisA dirt track paid for by English winter visitors that became the most famous seafront in France.
    3. Place MassénaNice's great red drawing room, with Italian-style arcades, chequerboard paving and seven figures that light up at night.
    4. Promenade du PaillonA buried river, a demolished bus station and, on top, the garden where the Niçois play in the mist.
    5. Cours SaleyaNice's most colourful market: flowers, vegetables from nearby market gardens and the smell of freshly baked socca.
    6. Castle Hill WaterfallA man-made waterfall over the ruins of the keep, with the whole Bay of Angels at your feet.

    Start the audio guide See the route

  2. Lunch

    Try Socca at Chez René Socca. 2 rue Miralhéti, Niza

  3. Afternoon

    Marc Chagall National Museum

    Chagall attended its opening in 1973. It was built for his Biblical Message: seventeen large canvases on Genesis, Exodus and the Song of Songs. There's a Mediterranean garden and an auditorium with stained glass by the painter himself. It sits halfway up the hill to Cimiez.

    Directions

    Matisse Museum

    A red 17th-century Genoese villa high up in Cimiez, beside the Roman ruins of Cemenelum and the olive grove of the arena gardens. It holds work from every stage of the painter's career, right up to the paper cut-outs. Matisse is buried close by, in the monastery cemetery.

    Directions

  4. Early evening

    Angels, Sieges and Phantoms on the Hill of Nice

    Mysteries & legends · 1.7 km · 1 h 40 min

    1. Sainte-Réparate CathedralThe cathedral of a teenage saint whose boat, legend says, was pushed by angels all the way to the beach at Nice.
    2. Catherine Ségurane ReliefA washerwoman armed with her laundry paddle against the Janissaries: the heroine of Nice who may never have existed.
    3. Castle Hill CemeteryA marble cemetery on the hilltop, where the author of The Phantom of the Opera lies near the victims of a theatre fire.
    4. Cathedral and Castle RuinsThis is where the first Nice stood: a cathedral and a fortress that Louis XIV had blown up with gunpowder in 1706.
    5. Bellanda TowerA round tower above the cliff, where Berlioz dreamed up an overture and where you understand why this is the Bay of Angels.

    Start the audio guide See the route

  5. Dinner

    Try Daube niçoise with ravioli at Chez Acchiardo. 38 rue Droite, Niza

Day 2Savoy, tsars and the Belle Époque

Spend the morning on “Before Nice Was French”: the Prefecture Palace, where Nice was formally handed over in 1860, the Palais Lascaris, Place Garibaldi and Port Lympia, ending at the Rauba Capeù memorial. Lunch on pissaladière at Lou Pilha Leva, right in Vieux-Nice. Afterwards, take the tram towards the station and walk to the Russian cathedral, its colourful domes rising among palm trees. Then head down Boulevard Gambetta to the sea, visit Villa Masséna and end the afternoon on a blue chair on the Promenade, watching the sunset.

  1. Morning

    Before Nice Was French: The City of the House of Savoy

    History · 2.3 km · 2 h

    1. Prefecture PalaceThe palace of the Dukes of Savoy and the Kings of Sardinia, where Nice stopped being Piedmontese in 1860.
    2. Cours SaleyaThe promenade of Nice's nobility under the Kings of Sardinia, squeezed between the old town and the sea.
    3. Palais LascarisThe home of a family of counts who bore the eagle of the Byzantine emperors on their coat of arms.
    4. Place GaribaldiAn arcaded square built as the gateway to the Turin road, now named after Nice's most rebellious son.
    5. Port LympiaA harbour dug out of dry land on the orders of a King of Sardinia, which took more than a century to finish.
    6. Rauba Capeù War MemorialA giant urn carved into the rock of Castle Hill, where Nice engraved the names of the sons it lost in the First World War.

    Start the audio guide See the route

  2. Lunch

    Try Pissaladière and pan bagnat at Lou Pilha Leva. 10 rue du Collet, Niza

  3. Afternoon

    St Nicholas Russian Orthodox Cathedral

    Consecrated in 1912, it recalls the Russian community that wintered in Nice and Tsarevich Nicholas, who died here in 1865. Its onion domes and iconostasis make it one of the largest Orthodox churches in Western Europe. Cover your shoulders to go in.

    Directions

    Masséna Museum

    A Belle Époque villa built for a descendant of Marshal Masséna, who was born in Nice. Today it's the city's history museum, with paintings and mementoes of its aristocratic winters. Its garden, open to the public, holds the memorial to the victims of 2016.

    Directions

The map

Nice in 2 days, on the map

Each route’s stops are numbered in order; the stars are the extra sights.

Mixed Mysteries & legends History Extra sight

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Before you go

Tips for Nice in 2 days

  • The Matisse and Chagall museums usually close on Tuesdays, and some of Nice's municipal museums on Mondays; several also close over lunch. Check opening times and, if you're visiting more than one municipal museum, ask about the multi-day pass.
  • Don't walk up to Cimiez from the beach: it's a long climb with no shade. Buses run up Boulevard de Cimiez and stop outside both museums; you can then walk downhill from the Matisse to the Chagall.
  • Nice's beaches are made of large pebbles, so bring water shoes and a mat if you want to lie down. Public beaches are free; the ones with loungers and parasols are private and charge.

Questions

Nice in 2 days: your questions

Are two days enough for Nice?

For the city itself, yes: in two days you'll see Vieux-Nice, the Promenade, the port, Castle Hill and the big museums in Cimiez. What won't fit are day trips to Monaco, Èze or Villefranche; for those you'll need a third day or to swap out one of the afternoons.

How far will I walk in two days?

The three routes add up to about 6.4 km. With the walks to the Russian cathedral, Villa Masséna and the Promenade, expect an average of 6 to 8 km a day. Cimiez is done by bus, and the only serious climb is Castle Hill.

What about MAMAC?

Nice's Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art is closed for renovation and isn't expected to reopen before 2028, which is why it isn't in this plan. In the meantime, part of its collection is on show at other venues: ask at the tourist office.

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