3 Day Itinerary in Nice, France: A Family Friendly Itinerary for the French Riviera

Nice, France or Côte d’Azur on the French Riviera is a place that doesn’t come to mind when you think of places to take a family vacation. This was our first stop before making our way to Italy and unpopular opinion, I liked the South of France more than Italy! This place was a beautiful little town, easy to walk around, and had a great transportation system. Here is a 3-day itinerary on how to spend your time in Nice, France and surrounding areas.

Where to Stay

Since Nice was our first and last destination before heading back to the States, we stayed in two different hotels. One thing to note about hotels in Europe, in general, is the elevators are very small and can only hold one person at a time. With our stroller and our bags, we had to take a few trips to get to the room and this is because of how old the buildings are. If you’re debating about staying in the other towns, I recommend staying Nice because of the easy acess to the airport.

Palm Hotel Nice was one of the best locations to stay in. It was walking distance from the beach and there were tons of restaurants about a 2-minute walking distance. My main priority was having a room that had an air-conditioner and this did but the weather was so beautiful in October so we had the windows open during the day when we were in the room.

Hotel Le Grimaldi was the other hotel we stayed in and it was a good location near restaurants and closer to the tram station but Nice is fairly small so any location you stay in will be a good one as long as it’s near a main attraction or a beach.

Transportation

The easiest way to get around Nice and the South of France in general is through their tram and train system. Inside Nice, we rode the tram from the airport to our hotel and from there walked around everywhere because all the restaurants were near the hotel. We purchased a 3-day tram card with unlimited uses and it was the best thing I recommend purchasing because you don’t have to worry about refilling the card or having an insufficient balance. I’m not going to lie, they didn’t check and it’s more of an honor system thing to scan your card once you get on the tram so proceed at your own risk BUT they did check our tickets for the train. If you end up going outside of Nice, the train ticket system at the station is extremely confusing so I recommend purchasing all your tickets via Trainline app and I had no problems using it. You can show them your receipt on the app and you’ll be good to go and don’t have to worry about a paper ticket. For the best apps to have in Europe, check out my post here for more information.

Things to do in Nice, France

Promenade du Paillon playground
This is a public playground that offers a play area for younger kids and older kids. This park is quite huge and separated by a street so one side has all the play items (slides, swings, mini trampolines, etc.) and the other side has splash pads and areas to sit and have a nice picnic.

Beach across Palm Hotel
If you’re staying at the Palm Hotel, there is a beach two-minute walking distance across from the hotel where you can rent a bed and lounge out all day. Keep in mind, though beaches in France are rocky and not sandy so if you don’t want to rent a bed, bring your own chairs or beach blankets. This area overall is nice because there are a lot of food options around from pizza, brunch, ice cream, and pasta.

Old Nice and Place Masséna
This is a must when visiting Nice as you can see the culture and history. It’s vibrant at night with live music and people walking around having a good time. You’ll walk through small alleys and roads with loads of options for food and drink but keep in mind most places are closed between 2:30/3-7pm.

Promenade des Anglais and I love Nice
This is the most beautiful and longest street in Nice that you can see a beautiful view of the sea as you walk around for photos or spend some time enjoying the view. This is one of the most populated areas in Nice and where you can find the famous I love Nice sign. It’s always crowded in front of this sign so be prepared to wait a bit for a photo opp but while you wait, enjoy the coast views and after you’ve explored, spend some time at the beach OR if you walk a bit of way down, you can see a beautiful lighthouse.

Phare de Nice (Lighthouse) 
I am obsessed with lighthouses and my goal is to see as many of them in my lifetime on my travels as I can. This lighthouse was no exception and one that is not only beautiful but also one you can walk up to and take a photo in front of. Phare de Nice is located along the Promenade and sits perfectly across from one of the most unique restaurants, Le Plongeoir which you can read more about along with other food recommendations here.

Other places to see

• Bellanda viewpoint- this place is not stroller-friendly since there are stairs you have to climb even after going up in the elevator. There is no place to stow away the stroller on the side so if you have toddlers or infants, maybe skip this.
• Colline du Château
• Cathedrale Saint-Nicolas de Nice

Other Places to Visit
Since you’re visiting Nice, the best thing to experience the beauty of the French Riviera is to visit the surrounding towns. These can be quick day trips via train and you can even see 2 towns in one day since all are quite small and easy to walk around and explore. Some of the towns include:

• Eze
• Villefranche-de sur
• Monaco
• Cannes
• Menton