Cost per day · France
Nice on $50, $150 or $450 a day
How much does Nice cost per day? Budget travellers get by on about $50 a day, mid-range trips run around $150, and luxury starts near $450 — accommodation, food, transport and activities included.
That makes Nice the 28th most expensive of 100 cities for a mid-range trip — see all 100 ranked.
The capital of the Riviera curves round the Baie des Anges behind the Promenade des Anglais. Its old town is more Italian than French — it was Savoyard until 1860 — with ochre lanes, a flower market and socca from a wood oven, and Monaco, Èze and Antibes are all a cheap train ride along the coast.
Nice is the affordable base for the Riviera. The beaches and Promenade are free, the city's municipal museums cost little, and a train to Monaco or Antibes is a few euros where a hotel there would be ten times the price.
✈️ How to Get There
🗺️ What to Do
Vieux Nice and Castle Hill with a guide, through Baroque churches and the Palais Lascaris
Get tickets on Tiqets →The coast road to Villefranche-sur-Mer's bay on an electric bike
Get tickets on Tiqets →Half a day on the Corniches: the perched village of Èze and the casino square
Get tickets on Tiqets →🏨 Where to Stay
Small hostel two minutes from the Promenade
Sea-front hostel in a former convent, with a bar and private rooms
Quirky family-run hotel in a nineteenth-century building near Place Masséna
Sample 3-Day Itinerary
Day 1: Old town and Castle Hill ~$45
Day 2: Villefranche and the coast path ~$40
Day 3: Monaco on the cheap ~$45
One cheap pass covers the city's municipal museums, the Matisse among them; the Chagall museum is national and charges separately. The trams and buses use one low fare, and the airport tram replaces the taxi. Socca and pan bagnat in the old town are lunch for a few euros.
Mid-range buys a sea-view room near the Promenade, the Matisse and Chagall museums, a day along the coast to Èze and Monaco and dinners in the old town and the port.
✈️ How to Get There
🗺️ What to Do
The coast road to Villefranche-sur-Mer's bay on an electric bike
Get tickets on Tiqets →Half a day on the Corniches: the perched village of Èze and the casino square
Get tickets on Tiqets →🏨 Where to Stay
Rooms painted by contemporary artists around a tropical garden
Belle-époque townhouse a few streets back from the sea
Built into the rock below Castle Hill, with the best view of the bay
Sample 3-Day Itinerary
Day 1: Matisse and the old town ~$160
Day 2: Èze and Monaco ~$180
Day 3: Beach club day ~$170
Book a room with a balcony facing the Baie des Anges — it is the point of Nice. Go to Èze village early before the coaches. Lunch at a private beach club is worth one day's splurge.
Luxury Nice is the Negresco or a suite at the Anantara Plaza, a private driver for the Corniches, lunch at the Château Eza and a yacht to Saint-Tropez.
✈️ How to Get There
🗺️ What to Do
Cannes, Antibes, Saint-Paul-de-Vence, Èze and Monaco in one guided day
Get tickets on Tiqets →Europe's Grand Canyon and the Valensole plateau in bloom (June–July)
Get tickets on Tiqets →A day along the coast to Saint-Tropez's port and the "little Venice" of Port Grimaud
Get tickets on Tiqets →🏨 Where to Stay
Restored palace on Place Masséna with a rooftop terrace
Art-deco façade on the Promenade with a heated outdoor pool
The pink-domed 1913 landmark on the Promenade des Anglais, full of art
Sample 3-Day Itinerary
Day 1: Riviera in a day ~$900
Day 2: Saint-Tropez by sea ~$1500
Day 3: Cap Ferrat ~$1000
The Negresco is the Promenade's monument; the Hyatt Regency Palais de la Méditerranée has the pool. Château Eza's terrace is the lunch of the trip. A private boat to the Îles de Lérins or Saint-Tropez beats any road.
About Nice
Mediterranean and unusually mild: warm, dry summers (27–29°C), soft winters (13°C by day) with lots of sun. Autumn storms bring most of the rain.
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Compact and walkable, with two tram lines — one runs from the airport along the Promenade to the port. The coastal TER trains reach Monaco, Villefranche, Antibes and Cannes cheaply. No metro.
A travel eSIM gets you online the moment you land in France — data plans start at $4 — no roaming bill, no queue for a local SIM, and nothing to swap in and out of your phone. Install it before you fly.
The ochre maze between Castle Hill and the Cours Saleya: churches, socca counters and bars. Atmospheric, central and loud on summer nights.
Best for midrangeThe blocks behind the Promenade des Anglais, with the palace hotels, designer shops and the best sea views.
Best for luxuryThe port quarter east of Castle Hill, with yachts, fishmongers and some of the best restaurants, a little calmer than the old town.
Best for midrangeAround the main avenue and Nice-Ville station: budget hotels and hostels, ten minutes' walk from the sea and close to the trains along the coast.
Best for budgetThe residential hill with the Matisse museum, the Roman ruins and the Franciscan monastery gardens. Quiet and green, a bus ride from the sea.
Best for luxuryNorth of the centre around its daily market: the Nice where locals live, with cheaper rooms and the tram into town.
Best for budget- ✓Say "bonjour" every time you enter a shop, bar or bus
- ✓Order socca hot and eat it with pepper and your fingers
- ✓Bring beach shoes — the beaches are pebbles, not sand
- ✓Use the airport tram, not a taxi
- ✓Book dinner in summer; the good places are small
- ✓Carry cash for the old-town counters and La Merenda
- ✗Walk through town in swimwear or shirtless
- ✗Put cream in a salade niçoise, or cooked vegetables
- ✗Leave bags on the beach while you swim
- ✗Expect lunch after 2pm outside the tourist strip
- ✗Drive to Monaco in summer; the train is faster
- ✗Assume English first — open in French, even badly
Travel Insurance for Nice
Travel insurance is strongly recommended for any trip to Nice. Safety is rated Safe, with pickpockets on the Promenade, in the old town and on the trains to Monaco. Do not leave bags on the pebbles while swimming. — even in safe destinations, unexpected medical emergencies or trip cancellations can be costly. Make sure your policy covers emergency medical treatment, hospitalisation, trip cancellation, and emergency evacuation.
Visa note: Schengen area — visa-free for 90 days for UK, US, Canadian and Australian passports; ETIAS pre-authorisation applies from its rollout.. Some countries require proof of travel insurance as part of the visa application.
Get travel insurance for Nice →FAQ: Nice Travel Questions
Is Nice safe to visit? ▾
Safe, with pickpockets on the Promenade, in the old town and on the trains to Monaco. Do not leave bags on the pebbles while swimming.
When is the best time to visit Nice? ▾
May–June and September for warm sea and fewer crowds. February brings the Carnival and the lemon festival in Menton. Mediterranean and unusually mild: warm, dry summers (27–29°C), soft winters (13°C by day) with lots of sun. Autumn storms bring most of the rain.
How much does a trip to Nice cost per day? ▾
- budget: $50–$85/day
- midrange: $150–$260/day
- luxury: $450–$900/day
Do I need a visa to visit France? ▾
Schengen area — visa-free for 90 days for UK, US, Canadian and Australian passports; ETIAS pre-authorisation applies from its rollout.
How do I get around Nice? ▾
Compact and walkable, with two tram lines — one runs from the airport along the Promenade to the port. The coastal TER trains reach Monaco, Villefranche, Antibes and Cannes cheaply. No metro. Taxi base fare ~$5. Day pass ~$6.
Is tipping expected in Nice? ▾
Service is included (service compris). Leave small change or a few euros for good service; 5–10% is generous.
What currency is used in France? ▾
The local currency is EUR, and the official language is French.