Itinerary Nice France: The Complete Guide for 1 to 4 Days (2026)

However long you’ve got in Nice, you can build a really good trip around it. I spent time in Nice myself and used it as my base to explore more of the French Riviera, including day trips to Monaco and Menton.

This Nice France itinerary is designed to help you choose what makes sense depending on whether you have 1, 2, 3 or 4 days. I’ll show you how I’d use each extra day, when I’d stay in Nice itself, and when I’d start exploring the rest of the Riviera.

If you already know exactly how long you’re staying, jump straight to that section. And if you’re still deciding, read through the options and see which itinerary works best for your trip.

Itinerary Nice France: Quick Overview

1 day: Stay in Nice and focus on the Old Town, Castle Hill, the Promenade des Anglais and the beach.

2 days: Spend your first day in Nice, then use day two for a French Riviera day trip. My favorite option is Monaco and Menton, either independently by train or with a guided tour.

3 days: Follow the first two days, then add Èze and Villefranche-sur-Mer.

4 days: Keep the same first three days, then use your final day for Antibes and Cannes, a food tour in Nice, or a full-day trip to the Verdon Gorge.

Planning Your Nice Itinerary

Arriving in Nice

Nice has its own international airport, which makes it an easy place to start a French Riviera trip. From Nice Côte d’Azur Airport, you can take the tram into the city center, grab a taxi, or book a private transfer if you want everything sorted before you arrive.

If you’re following this itinerary for several days, getting into Nice itself is the easy part. Once you’re based there, you can use the train and bus network for most of the day trips later in this guide.

→ Book a private Nice airport transfer here

Where to stay in Nice

If you’re using Nice as your base for this itinerary, I’d stay somewhere central. You want to be close enough to walk into the Old Town, but also within easy reach of Nice-Ville station for the days you’re heading out to Monaco, Menton and the other Riviera towns.

Here are 4 great accommodations for Nice depending on your budget:

Backpacker: SLO Hostel Nice
Budget: Best Western Alba
Mid-Range: Best Western Plus Hotel Brice Garden Nice
Luxury: Hotel Le Negresco

→ Check hotels in Nice here

Staying Connected While Exploring the Riviera

Having data working while you’re moving between Nice and the surrounding towns makes everything easier. I used Nice as my base and relied on public transport for my day trips, so having access to maps, train times and tickets was something I wanted sorted before leaving each morning.

If your trip also includes Monaco or other countries in Europe, I’d choose a Europe eSIM rather than one that only covers France.

→ Get a Yesim eSIM for France here

Travel Insurance for a Multi-Day Riviera Trip

This itinerary involves quite a bit of moving around — trains, buses, day trips and potentially crossing into Monaco — so travel insurance is something I’d sort before the trip rather than think about once I’m already there.

I never travel without it now, especially on trips where I’m moving between several places and relying on transport every day.

→ Check SafetyWing travel insurance here

1 Day in Nice

If you only have one day in Nice, stay in the city and focus on the main sights instead of trying to squeeze in a Riviera day trip.

Spend the morning in the Old Town and around Cours Saleya, then head up to Castle Hill for the views. After lunch, walk along the Promenade des Anglais, stop at Place Masséna and spend some time by the beach if the weather is good.

For the evening, either keep it simple with sunset and dinner in the Old Town or book one of the sunset experiences around Nice.

→ Find Nice Sunset Tours here

I have a full 1-day Nice itinerary with the complete route, more detail and everything I’d fit into those 24 hours:

→ 1 Day in Nice: The Perfect Itinerary

2 Day Nice Itinerary

Two days gives you enough time to see Nice properly and still get out into the French Riviera.

Day 1: Follow the one-day Nice plan above and spend the day exploring the Old Town, Castle Hill, the promenade and the waterfront.

Day 2: Leave Nice and use the day for the Riviera. My favorite option is Monaco in the morning and Menton in the afternoon, which you can do independently by train. If you’d rather not deal with transport and timings, a guided Riviera tour is the easier option and usually lets you fit more places into one day.

I have a full 2-day Nice itinerary with the complete Day 2 route, transport details and both the independent and guided-tour options:

→ 2 Day Nice Itinerary: Nice Plus a French Riviera Day Trip

3 Days in Nice Itinerary

If you ask me, 3 days in Nice is the ideal amount of time because that’s exactly how long I stayed. It gave me enough time to explore Nice itself, take a day trip to Monaco and Menton, and still have another full day to see more of the French Riviera.

For your first two days, follow the itineraries above. On day three, I’d use the entire day to explore Èze and Villefranche-sur-Mer.

Day 3 in Nice

For this third day in Nice in this itinerary Nice, France, here’s what you can do.

Option 1: Take a day trip to 2 new villages independently

Morning: Èze

If you haven’t heard of Èze you are about to discover a fairytale village that you can’t leave the French Riviera without visiting.

Now there is a train that takes you to Èze, but not really. Èze is on top of a hill, so technically you can take the train but from there you will have to take a bus which is a bit of a hassle. The easiest option here is to take the direct bus from Nice to Èze instead. The buses you are looking for are number 82 and 112, both direct routes and with a 30 minute journey to this dream village.

Èze is a small medieval village built into the hillside, and it’s genuinely worth the extra effort to get there — the main draw is the Jardin Exotique at the top, a botanical garden with one of the best panoramic views on the whole coast, plus narrow stone streets and small artisan shops.

Option 2: Take a guided tour to Èze

If taking a bus and figuring out logistics aren’t what you are looking for on your vacation, no worries because once again you have several guided tour options that will take you to Èze hassle free.

→ Find tours to Èze here

Afternoon: Villefranche-sur-Mer

Since this is your last day I didn’t really want to pack it with too much to do as I know jumping from village to village and always seeing new places can get tiring quickly.

So after exploring Èze you can return to Nice, have a calm lunch, have a few hours to just walk around. By the end of the afternoon, take a quick 7 minutes train ride to Villefranche-sur-Mer, a really cute coastal town that is so close to Nice you can’t leave without seeing it.

→ Book your train to Villefranche-sur-Mer here

4 days Itinerary in Nice France

Now lets say you are really lucky and for this Nice, France Itinerary you actually have 4 days to visit. What else is there to do?

Option 1: Antibes and Cannes

Both are easy day trip options from Nice, roughly 20-40 minutes away by train depending which you go to first.

Antibes has an Old Town with ramparts, a Picasso Museum and a covered market worth wandering through.

Cannes is known for La Croisette, the famous seafront promenade, plus the Old Town area of Le Suquet if you want something quieter than the main strip. You can do this by train yourself or book a guided tour covering both.

→ Check trains for Antibes & Cannes

Option 2: Stay in Nice and do a food tour

If you are feeling like spending your last day in Nice, why not take a local food tour or try some french wine?

→ Find food tours in Nice here

Option 3: Verdon Gorge

Sometimes called Europe’s answer to the Grand Canyon, this is inland rather than along the coast, so it’s not really doable independently unless you’re renting a car. A guided day tour is the easiest way to see it — turquoise water, dramatic cliffs, and a completely different landscape from the rest of your trip.

→ Find Verdon Gorge tours here

Best Day Trips from Nice

Beyond what’s already covered in this itinerary, Nice is genuinely one of the best bases in France for day trips. Some of the highlights:

Monaco
Menton
Èze
Villefranche-sur-Mer
Antibes
Cannes
Verdon Gorge
Saint-Paul-de-Vence

I’ve put together a full list with more detail on each one if you want to plan further ahead:

→ Day Trips from Nice: 10 Amazing Places You Can Easily Visit

FAQs

How many days do I need for this Itinerary Nice, France?

It depends what you want out of the trip. One day covers Nice itself, but if you want a fuller itinerary Nice France style with real Riviera day trips, I’d aim for at least 3 days, and 4 if you can manage it.

Is Nice a good base for day trips?

Yes. It’s well connected by train to Monaco, Menton, Èze, Villefranche-sur-Mer, Antibes and Cannes, and there are guided tours available if you’d rather not handle the logistics yourself.

Do I need a car for an Itinerary Nice, France?

No, not for most of this. Everything covered here is reachable by train or through a guided tour, apart from the Verdon Gorge, which is easier with a car or a tour.

Should I do day trips independently from Nice or book a tour?

If you like planning your own timing and don’t mind figuring out train schedules, do it yourself — it’s cheaper and genuinely easy in this part of France. If you’d rather not deal with logistics, a guided tour takes all of that off your hands.

Final Thoughts: Itinerary Nice, France

However many days you’ve got, Nice gives you a solid trip either way. This itinerary Nice France breakdown covers the classics for one day, and every extra day after that opens up more of the Riviera — Monaco and Menton, then Èze and Villefranche-sur-Mer, then Antibes, Cannes or the Verdon Gorge if you keep going.

If you’re still deciding how long to stay, I’d genuinely push for more days over fewer. Nice itself is great, but the real reason to come to this part of France is everything sitting just a short train ride away from it.