Nice holidays

How to reach Nice

• Flight time: Flights from Ireland to Nice take around 2.5 hours, with direct routes available from Dublin, Cork, and Shannon, especially during the spring and summer months.

• Transfer time: From Nice Côte d'Azur Airport, getting into the city centre is quick and easy. The tram (Line 2) takes around 20–25 minutes and drops you right in the heart of the city.

• Price: A single tram ticket from the airport costs €1.70. Taxis are also available outside the terminals, with a fixed fare of around €32 to central Nice.

Best time to visit Nice

If you're planning your Nice holiday from Ireland, consider what kind of experience you're after—buzzy and beachy, or calm and cultural.

• March to May: Spring is one of the loveliest times to visit. Expect daytime temperatures between 15°C and 25°C, around 8–10 hours of sunshine and very manageable crowds. It’s perfect for strolling the Promenade des Anglais or exploring hilltop villages nearby.

• June to August: Summer brings the heat (up to 30°C) and crowds, but also the city's liveliest atmosphere. Expect sunshine from morning to night and very little rain—ideal for sun worshippers and festivalgoers.

• September to November: Autumn is still warm, with highs between 18°C and 25°C and sea temperatures often still pleasant for a dip. It’s less busy, which makes it a great time to visit the markets, museums and coastal trails.

• December to February: Winter is mild compared to Ireland, with temperatures between 5°C and 15°C. It’s a quieter period, but the February carnival adds a splash of colour and excitement to the season.

Practical information

• Spoken languages: French is the official language, but in tourist areas, English is widely understood. You may also hear some Italian spoken, especially closer to the border.

• Local habits and customs: Tipping is not obligatory as service is included in the bill, but rounding up or leaving a small extra amount is appreciated for good service.

• Health and safety: Nice is a safe city for visitors. That said, always be mindful of pickpockets in busy areas like Vieux Nice or the tram.

• Currency: France uses the Euro (€). Credit and debit cards are widely accepted, and ATMs are easy to find across the city.

• Getting around: The tram system is excellent for getting around Nice, especially between the airport, city centre and major neighbourhoods. Single tickets cost €1.70 and are valid across buses and trams for 74 minutes. You can also purchase day passes if you're planning to do a lot of exploring.

• Electricity and plug types: France uses the standard European plug (Type C and E) and a 230V supply. Irish visitors will need a two-pin adaptor.

• Time zone: Nice operates on Central European Time (CET), which is one hour ahead of Irish time. Daylight Saving Time is observed.

Nice blends Mediterranean charm with effortless sophistication—whether you're after culture, cuisine, or coastlines, you're sure to feel right at home.

Best things to do in Nice

The capital of the Riviera and fifth-largest city in France, Nice boasts wonderful street life and excellent shopping, eating and drinking, while its museums are a treat for art lovers.

Viewpoints and panoramas

• Parc de la Colline du Chateau: For initial orientation, with brilliant sea and city views, fresh air and a cooling waterfall, head for these ancient ruins. It's a bit of a climb, but you can take an elevator part way up.

The best districts

• Old Town (Vieux Nice): From the flower market at dawn to bar-hopping in the early hours, Nice's mellow, Mediterranean heart buzzes with street life night and day.

• Promenade des Anglais: The point where the Paillon flows into the sea marks the start of the famous palm-fringed promenade, lined with some of the most fanciful architecture on the Cote d'Azur.

• Cimiez: Nice's northern suburb, Cimiez, has always been posh, punctuated by vast belle époque piles, many of them former hotels such as the gargantuan Hotel Régina, built for a visit by Queen Victoria.

Museums

• Musée Chagall: Custom-built to house Marc Chagall's Biblical Message paintings, the Musée Chagall is unmissable for fans of the artist's work.

• Musée National du Sport: Spanning the 16th century to the present, the focus is on French sport, but many of the artefacts – from Marcel Cerdan's boxing gloves and Yannick Noah's tennis racquet to the football used in the 1998 World Cup – have international resonance.

• Musée Matisse: Fine collection with work from every period, including an almost complete set of his bronze sculptures and sketches for one of the Dance murals.

Parks and gardens

• Phoenix Parc Floral de Nice: Situated near the airport, the centrepiece here is one of the largest greenhouses in Europe, with six different tropical zones.

Historical monuments

• Russian Orthodox Cathedral: Not only one of the largest Eastern Orthodox cathedrals in Western Europe, this is also the most gilded, elaborate edifice in the city.

• Negresco Hotel: One of the great surviving European palace hotels, still independently run and with an interior that is both opulent and occasionally downright odd. Want to stay here? It'll certainly cost you a pretty penny.

Day trips from Nice

• Nişois villages: Explore craggy Peillon and unspoiled Lucéram, the villages perchés of Nice's wild and underpopulated hinterland, where locals still live off the land, producing olives, goat's cheese, herbs and vegetables.

• Monaco: Experience Monaco's status as an independent principality up close by watching the changing of the guard in front of the Palais Princier; alternatively, you could try and break the bank at the world's most famous casino.

Activities for families in Nice

Nice holidays can be enjoyed by all the family, with activities ranging from beaches and parks to zoos and fantastically scenic train rides.

• Aquariums and zoos: Phoenix Parc Floral de Nice is a cross between a botanical garden, bird-and-insect zoo and theme park, with everything from Mediterranean and acid-tolerant plants to caimans, wallabies and free-flying exotic birds, all grouped around a lake with fountains.

• Train rides: The Chemins de Fer de Provence runs one of France's most scenic and fun railway routes, the line running up the Var Valley into the hinterland of Nice to Digne-les-Bains, climbing through spectacular scenery as it goes.

• Beaches: Those with kids should hit Nice's beaches, which are plentiful: a lesser-known favourite is La Réserve tucked away to the east of Nice town in the port area, while Ruhl Plage along the Promenade des Anglais is a great choice for families, and also has lifeguards.

Free things to do in Nice

Nice may be one of the most expensive destinations in southern France but that doesn't mean that there isn't plenty of free entertainment to be had.

• Walk Old Nice: The real magnet of Vieux Nice is the cours Saleya, and on summer nights, cafés and restaurant tables fill the cours to create the Riviera's most animated free show.

• Visit the markets: Cours Saleya is the site of the city's main market, where there are gorgeous displays of fruit, vegetables, cheeses and sausages – along with cut and potted flowers and scented plants.

• Beaches: Nothing shouts a freebie like a beach and Nice has plenty: the main beach stretches west of Le Chateau along the shores of the Baie des Anges and is backed by the promenade des Anglais.

• Festivals: Of Nice's many festivals, several are free, including the celebrated Mardi Gras Carnival and associated flower processions in February, and the Ironman France Nice in June, when competitors from all around the world swim 3.8km in the Baie des Anges, cycle 180km in the hills behind the city and run 42km, ending up along the promenade des Anglais.

Nature and outdoor activities

The coast is your obvious adventure playground but head inland and there are marvellous pursuits to be enjoyed, not least hiking, but perhaps more surprisingly, skiing.

• Water sports: The sea here is warm and placid and there are plenty of places where you can rent equipment, be it for scuba diving, snorkelling, kayaking or stand-up paddleboarding. The western suburb of Saint-Laurent-du-Var is where kitesurfers gather.

• Hiking: Inland, and north of Nice, the Parc National du Mercantour is a true hiking mecca, the park crossed by numerous paths, equipped with refuge huts that provide basic food and bedding for trekkers. Closer to the city, the Parc du Mont-Boron trail is one of the area's most beautiful and well-appointed, spanning almost 57 hectares of natural woods and signposted walkways.

• Cycling: Nice's on-street bicycle rental scheme, Vélo Bleu, has 175 rental stations scattered throughout the city, extending into Cagnes-sur-Mer and St Laurent-du-Var.

• Fishing: As you'd expect, the waters here are rich in all kinds of fish species, so why not have a go at a catch yourself; plenty of local fishermen offer their services, with all equipment provided.

Local dishes in Nice

Holidays to Nice are quite likely to revolve around food. From socca to salade nişoise, the city has a culinary heritage all its own and you can eat as well here as any city in France. Moreover, Nice is as good a place as any in Europe to find cheap, simple but delicious street food.

Some typical dishes

• Salade Nişoise: Ubiquitous salad comprising tomatoes, hard-boiled eggs, Nişoise olives, anchovies and tuna, all perfectly dressed in olive oil.

• Ravioles: Ravioli is a classic Nişois dish, often stuffed with blette – Swiss chard – and daube, served with a splash of meaty daube sauce.

• Pissaladière: A sort of Provenşal variation on pizza, this flat tart was developed in Nice and consists of bread dough topped with caramelised onions, sometimes with olives and anchovies too.

Meat dishes

• Daube de boeuf: Provence's winter warmer is a beef stew enriched with red wine and seasoned with juniper, orange peel and chopped bacon.

Fish and seafood dishes

• Bouillabaisse: This fishermen's stew from Marseille is the most famous of all Provenşal seafood dishes – at its best it's utterly delicious.

• Loup de Mer: Sea bass, simply grilled and served with fresh herbs and lemon.

Street food

• Socca: Best eaten hot and fresh from the pan, this Nişois chickpea pancake is perfect street food – simple, wholesome and tasty.

• Pain fougasse: A finger-shaped bread that may contain olives, anchovies, sausage, cheese or bacon.

• Pan bagnat: This sandwich of choice is a delicious mix of tuna, hard-boiled egg and bitter mesclun salad leaves drizzled with oil.

Sweets and desserts

Calissons are lozenge-shaped sweets made from almonds and candied lemon and are perfect with a strong espresso; while a tarte tropézienne is a cream-filled brioche that originated in nearby Saint-Tropez.

Local drinks

• Pastis: Provence is the homeland of pastis, an aniseed-flavoured spirit traditionally served with a bowl of olives before meals.

• Bandol Rosé: Rosé is the characteristic wine of the coast, perfect on a warm summer's night with seafood and a seat on the terrace.