5 days In Nice

My favourite restaurant there was Lu Fran Calin. It's right beside a church in the old section. Best lasagna I've ever had.

We didn't really do anything but wander in Nice, but loved it. Easy train ride up and down the coast to a new place everyday. One day we took the train to Menton for lunch then stopped in every town including Monaco on the way back.

Chagall Museum.

Day trip to St. Paul de Vence and visit to Fondation Maeght
Roman ruins
Day trip to Eze (upper village)
St. Jean Cap Ferrat and Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild
Stroll along Cours Saleya

Hi Gwen, I’ll attach a link to my trip report from 2019. Nice is about halfway down the report.. I loved my time in that area and have Nice as Plan B if my Italy plans don’t work this Fall.

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/our-combined-solo-couple-vacation-in-france-2019

Lovely area with lots of easy day-trips by train or bus--both quite inexpensive. I found the tourist office outside the trains station (as of 2017) very helpful with maps and brochure for surrounding areas as well as for the city itself.

In addition to the places already mentioned I enjoyed the Asian Art Museum and the Naive Art Museum in Nice. I ran out of time before getting to the Matisse Museum.

Antibes was a very nice side-trip, especially if you appreciate Picasso's work, because there's a museum there.

Menton has a couple of interesting hillside gardens.

Be careful to guard your purse and other valuables on the train. There are pickpockets at work there.

We ended our RS Loire to the South of France Tour in Nice. We enjoyed staying at the Mercure Hotel Nice Marche Aux Fleurs. It’s situated on the Promenade de Anglais boardwalk overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. We stayed an extra night to visit the Chagall Museum & Musee Matisse. We also took the train to Monaco for a DIY walking tour & lunch.
Plenty to do to keep you busy for 5 nights.

There are two things to do in Nice:
1. You want to stroll the Promenade des Anglais that’s a four-mile stretch.
2. Visit the Chagall Museum.
I would also try to stay in the old city called Vieux Nice. The Russian Cathedral is unique too.
A nearby day trip is to take a direct train from Nice Ville to Villefranche-sur-Mer (15-minutes). Other day trip options by direct train are: Monaco and Antibes (30-minutes to each place from Nice).

The last several times I’ve stayed in Nice, usually solo, have all been at one of the 2 apartments owned by an American musician who married a French singer, and never left Nice. If you want his direct e-mail address, send me a private message they this forum.

The Chagall and Matisse museums mentioned above, in town, and as also mentioned, take the short train ride down the coast to Antibes, and the spectacular Picasso museum. There are the Roman ruins out back of the small, but very nice Archaeological Museum of Cimiez, close to the Matisse Museum. And just east of those is the outstanding garden I discovered at the monastery, Le Jardin du Monastère de Cimiez. I would expect the flowers to still be wonderful in September.

My very favorite restaurant in Nice is Alto Resto.

Lots of great tips already, but the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (MAMAC) is really worth it if the exhibit they have while you're there is of interest to you.
The Matisse museum is a pretty location, but left me a hair disappointed (I remember a fairly small collection without major works). Still worth a detour given that it is close to the Chagall museum and next to Roman ruins.

I spent 5 nights in Nice in mid-March 2-3 years ago. I stayed at a hotel near the train station - the area was fine for me, near the tram if I was too tired to walk back from the seashore, easy for day trips to other towns. My favorite was Villefranche. I used the self-guided walking tours in the RS guide for several places, including Nice and Villefranche. I loved the Chagall Museum in Nice! I thought the Picasso Museum in Antibes was quite good.

If you're budget-concious, PM me in a couple weeks and I can give you the hotel details. I'm away from home until then.

One thing to do, not mentioned, is to take the free elevator (near Hotel Suisse) or walk to the top of Le Chateau (aka Castle Hill) for the best view of the city.

Besides the other things mentioned, here are some secondary places:
Train des Merveilles -- it is currently FREE through the end of September with a special pass that celebrates the re-opening of the line (closed due to storm Alex in late 2019). To Tende/Sospel, the hill towns at the border, near the Mercantour National Park.
Ferry from Cannes to St Honorat -- an island with a monastery.

Beyond St. Paul de Vence is Vence. A charming old town and a few blocks outside, the Matisse Chapel.

A daily car rental can reach some harder to reach places like Gourdon/Tourettes sur Loup, Acquadolce, Mougins, St Tropez etc but is not necessary for your first time

If a famous artist has stayed some time on the Cote d'Azur, some town or city has a museum or room in a museum dedicated to him/her (e.g., Bonnard in Le Cannet).

Generally, the best locations to stay are in the Old Town (be wary, certain locations can be noisy) or the Carre d'Or (Promenade to Blvd Gambetta, Blvd Victor Hugo to the Promenade du Paillon), plus the few blocks around Place Massena. The Port is an alternative, but is a tram or a schlep to major transport links (except the bus 100 to Monaco -- more scenic than the train, btw, but longer).

If you need specific food recommendations, I can add some more, depending on where you chose to stay, budget and what you like.