Cheap flights to Nice

Quick summary

A short history

French since 1860, Italian at heart

For centuries Nice belonged to the House of Savoy and, later, the Kingdom of Sardinia — not to France. That changed with the Treaty of Turin, signed in March 1860, under which Sardinia ceded the County of Nice (and Savoy) to France in exchange for French military support during the Second Italian War of Independence. A regional plebiscite followed the next month: of roughly 30,700 eligible voters, more than 25,000 cast a ballot in favor of joining France and only 260 against. Nice-born Giuseppe Garibaldi, among others, later argued the vote had been steered — ballots were printed in French rather than the local Niçard dialect, and there was no printed "no" option — but the annexation stood, and the city has been French ever since.

That Italian past is still legible today in the ochre and red facades, the narrow lanes of the old town, and dishes shared with neighboring Liguria. Since 2021, Nice has also carried UNESCO World Heritage status under the title "Nice, Winter Resort Town of the Riviera," recognizing its rise as an international holiday destination from the 19th century onward.

The postcard view

The Promenade des Anglais and the Baie des Anges

Stretching for several kilometers along the Baie des Anges, this is one of Europe's most famous seafront walks. Its name comes from the wealthy English winter visitors who financed the original path in the 1820s. Walk it, cycle it, or settle into one of the iconic blue chairs and take in an unbroken view of the Mediterranean — best enjoyed early morning or late afternoon, when the light turns the facades gold. One local quirk worth knowing before you pack your swimsuit: Nice's beaches are mostly pebble, not sand.

Old Nice

Vieux Nice and the Cours Saleya market

Vieux Nice is a tight grid of pedestrian lanes lined with ochre, yellow and terracotta buildings — quiet in the morning, busy with shoppers by midday, and full of terraces after dark. Don't miss Place Rossetti, the Baroque Cathédrale Sainte-Réparate, and the small artisan shops tucked into the side streets.

Cours Saleya's flower and produce market

Running daily except Mondays, this market is one of the defining scenes of the city — stalls of flowers, fruit, vegetables and Mediterranean specialties surrounded by cafés and restaurants. It's a natural first stop for a day of exploring, and a good spot to try socca fresh off the griddle.

The best panorama

Colline du Château

The medieval château that once stood here is long gone — demolished in the early 18th century — but the hill it occupied remains the single best viewpoint in the city. From up top, the Baie des Anges, the Promenade des Anglais, Vieux Nice, the port and the surrounding hills line up in one sweep, particularly striking around sunrise or sunset. It's a climb worth building into any first visit.

Museums and Cimiez

A city that shaped modern art

The exceptional light of the Côte d'Azur drew painters for generations, and two of them are honored with dedicated museums in Nice. The Musée Matisse, set in a 17th-century Genoese villa in the hillside district of Cimiez, traces Henri Matisse's career with paintings, drawings, sculptures and books — the artist lived in Nice from 1917 until his death in 1954 and is buried in the cemetery just above the museum. Nearby, the Musée national Marc Chagall holds one of the largest public collections of his work. The Musée des Beaux-Arts and the Musée Masséna, closer to the Promenade des Anglais, round out the city's museum scene.

One note if contemporary art is on your list: the Musée d'Art Moderne et d'Art Contemporain (MAMAC) is closed for renovation until 2028, so check its status before planning a visit around it.

Cimiez itself predates modern Nice by centuries — Roman arena ruins, the remains of the ancient town of Cemenelum and a monastery make it a quieter, history-focused counterpoint to the seafront.

Local food

What to eat in Nice

Niçoise cuisine blends Provençal and Ligurian traditions — olive oil, vegetables, herbs and seafood define most of it.

Dish	What it is
Salade niçoise	The city's best-known export — tomatoes, olives, anchovies or tuna, and hard-boiled egg, with plenty of regional variations.
Socca	A thin, savory chickpea pancake cooked on a griddle and served hot — a Vieux Nice staple with roots across the border in Liguria.
Pissaladière	Bread dough topped with slow-cooked caramelized onions, anchovies and black olives.
Pan bagnat	A round bread sandwich packed with the same ingredients as a salade niçoise, dressed in olive oil.
Petits farcis niçois	Stuffed vegetables — usually zucchini, tomatoes and peppers — filled with a herbed meat mixture.

When to go

Nice's Mediterranean climate, season by season

Day trips

Nice as a base for the French Riviera

Nice sits at the center of a region packed with easy excursions, with the Italian border itself only a short ride away.

Monaco, about 20 minutes away

Reachable by train or car in roughly twenty minutes, the principality is easy to cover in half a day. The Belle Époque façade of the Monte-Carlo Casino remains its most photographed symbol, while the Rocher — the historic quarter above Port Hercule — holds the Prince's Palace (with its daily changing of the guard), the cathedral and the oceanographic museum. Once a year, the harbor and its yachts share the spotlight with Formula 1 as the Monaco Grand Prix circuit runs straight through the city streets.

Cannes, about 30 minutes away

Best known for its May film festival, Cannes is worth a visit any time of year. La Croisette, its palm-lined promenade backed by grand hotels like the Carlton and the Majestic, runs along a genuine sandy beach — unlike Nice's pebble shoreline. The Forville market in Le Suquet, the old hilltop town, shows a more local side of Cannes, and small boats leave the port for the Lérins Islands, roughly 15–20 minutes away.

Menton and the coastal villages

Villefranche-sur-Mer offers a deep, sheltered bay and a pleasant old center just outside Nice; Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, on the neighboring peninsula, is known for its villas and coastal footpaths. Right at the Italian border, Menton is famous for its gardens and lemon trees — a fitting last stop before crossing into Liguria.

Cost of a trip

Roughly what a day in Nice costs

Costs vary by season and travel style, but as a rule of thumb: budget travelers get by on roughly €50–90 a day (hostel or budget hotel, markets and casual meals, mostly walking), while a comfortable mid-range trip — a 3-star hotel, restaurant meals, some local transport — tends to land around €150–200 a day. Prices climb fast for a room on or near the Promenade des Anglais itself.

Nice airport

France's busiest airport outside Paris

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FAQ

Frequently asked questions about flights to Nice