Hello. My husband and I are planning to visit Nice and neighboring areas and staying for the holidays (December 23-January 2). What is the usual weather in Nice around that time and is it easy to drive around Provence and stay for a day or two or public transportation would be better. Thanks all for your input
Posted by
Ypsilanti, MI, USA
233 posts
The weather really varied when I was there for a week for Christmas 2008 (rained some, cold other times, warmish other times--overall, it was colder than I expected). I did not rent a car but just used public transportation/tours, but I would have gotten to see more of Provence if I had rented a car. I home-based in Avignon and took day-tours from there, then I took the train to Nice and day-tripped using public transportation. Around Nice, I found the public transportation great, but that was not the case in Provence. I'm sure others will have more and better advice. I loved that trip and hope you have a great time!
Posted by
Ohio
2161 posts
Hi Grace, trying googling one of the weather sites, like this one - weather spark - that gives you temps based on historical averages.
https://weatherspark.com/averages/32114/12/Nice-Provence-Alpes-Cote-d-Azur-France
Renting a car is probably a better bet for seeing Provence. Have a great trip!
Posted by
St Paul
153 posts
We were in Nice for a week last Christmas. Temps were nice during the day, mid 50 - 60's, but begin to get quite chilly by late afternoon. Make sure you have scarves, gloves and a decent coat. We did layering as the temps changed so much from day to evening. Christmas Day we went to the Rothschild Villa and the weather was sunny and beautiful in the 60's. We took the bus there, had the place mostly to ourselves and had a wonderful lunch in the café. It was really a special day for our family as the Villa and grounds are beautiful. We took the bus to Monaco/Monte Carlo one day and the train to Antibes another. We really enjoyed Nice as they have quite the Christmas market and other activities. I don't remember that we had any rain, maybe a few sprinkles. We were fortunate that all days were sunny except one. Enjoy your stay! We loved it!
Posted by
London, United Kingdom
4684 posts
Places in the immediate environs of Nice like Saint-Paul-de-Vence, Vence and Eze are perfectly possible to visit by public transport. Smaller places further away will probably require a car. I would check specifically to see if there are reduced services over the Christmas period, though.