Nice
The city where most of my tours begin. It combines the energy of the port, the Promenade des Anglais, and a warm light that sets the rhythm of the entire coast. An ideal base for exploring the French Riviera.
What the sources say
Nice[a] (/niːs/ NEESS; French pronunciation: [nis]) is a French city located in the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department. The Nice agglomeration extends beyond the administrative city limits, with a population of nearly one million over an area of 744 km2 (287 sq mi). Located on the French Riviera, the southeastern coast of France on the Mediterranean Sea, at the foot of the French Alps, Nice is the second-largest French city on the Mediterranean coast and second-largest city in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region after Marseille. It is approximately 13 kilometres (8 mi) from the principality of Monaco and 30 kilometres (19 mi) from the French–Italian border. Nice's airport serves as a gateway to the region.
The city is nicknamed Nice la Belle (Nissa La Bella in Niçard), meaning ‘Nice the Beautiful', which is also the title of the unofficial anthem of Nice, written by Menica Rondelly. The Nice agglomeration contains Terra Amata, an archaeological site which displays evidence of early use of fire 380,000 years ago. Around 350 BC, Greeks of Marseille founded a permanent settlement and called it Nikaia, after Nike, the goddess of victory. The town has changed hands many times. Its strategic location and port significantly contributed to its maritime strength. From 1388, it was a dominion of Savoy, then became part of the French First Republic between 1792 and 1815, when it was returned to the Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia, the legal predecessor of the Kingdom of Italy, until its annexation by France in 1860.
The natural environment of the Nice area and its mild Mediterranean climate came to the attention of the English upper classes in the second half of the 18th century, when an increasing number of aristocratic families began spending their winters there. In 1931, following its refurbishment, the city's main promenade, the Promenade des Anglais (“Walkway of the English”), was inaugurated by Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught; it owes its name to visitors to the resort. These included Queen Victoria along with her son Edward VII who spent winters there.
The clear air and soft light have appealed to notable painters, such as Marc Chagall, Henri Matisse, Niki de Saint Phalle, and Arman. Their work is commemorated in the city's museums, including Musée Marc Chagall, Musée Matisse and Musée des Beaux-Arts. Frank Harris wrote several books, including his autobiography My Life and Loves, in Nice. Friedrich Nietzsche spent six consecutive winters in Nice, and wrote Thus Spoke Zarathustra there. Russian writer Anton Chekhov completed his play Three Sisters while living in Nice. Nice's appeal extended to the Russian upper classes. Prince Nicholas Alexandrovich, heir apparent to Imperial Russia, died in Nice and was a patron of the Russian Orthodox Cemetery, Nice where Princess Catherine Dolgorukova, morganatic wife of the Tsar Alexander II of Russia, is buried. Also buried there are General Dmitry Shcherbachev and General Nikolai Yudenich, leaders of the anti-Communist White Movement. Those interred at the Cimetière du Château include celebrated jeweler Alfred Van Cleef, Emil Jellinek-Mercedes, founder of the Mercedes car company, poet Agathe-Sophie Sasserno, Asterix comics creator René Goscinny, The Phantom of the Opera author Gaston Leroux, French prime minister Léon Gambetta, and the first president of the International Court of Justice José Gustavo Guerrero.
Because of its historical importance as a winter resort town for the European aristocracy and the resulting mix of cultures, UNESCO proclaimed Nice a World Heritage Site in 2021. The city has the second largest hotel capacity in the country, and is the second most visited metropolis in Metropolitan France, receiving four million tourists every year. It is the historical capital city of the County of Nice (French: Comté de Nice, Niçard: Countèa de Nissa). Nice will be the main venue for the 2030 Winter Olympics.
Wikipedia, „Nice” (CC BY-SA 4.0), wikipedia.org, 2025/12/30.
My view
Nice is the city where I live and where most of my days on the road begin. It offers calm, direct access to the sea, and a quick escape to the mountains—a combination that matters most on this coast. I know every district here and know where to stop for photos, where to walk up to a viewpoint, and which areas to avoid when time matters.
If you want to experience Nice with me, you can include it in a tailor-made tour. I’ve prepared a dedicated planner for this option: Tour: A Day Exclusively for You.
Nice in my tours
Most tours start here. Nice is the pickup location, the starting point, and a natural introduction to the entire coastline. Depending on the plan for the day, Nice appears as:
- the start of the route — pickup from an apartment or hotel, first views of the sea, a drive along the Promenade des Anglais,
- a scenic element — the port, surrounding hills, and the panorama of the Baie des Anges,
- an optional walk — if you want to explore the city with me, a short walking section can be added before or after the main tour.
Short tips
- The best light for photos is in the morning and before sunset.
- During the season, it’s best to avoid driving along the Promenade between about 4:00 and 6:00 PM.
- If you plan a walk in Nice, doing it at the beginning or end of the tour is usually the calmest option.
Nice gallery
Nice on map
How this place fits into my tours
This place appears in my routes when it naturally fits the day, the direction of travel, and the season. Sometimes it is one of the main points of the tour; other times it is a quiet stage along the way. It all depends on how the day is planned.
I treat ready-made tours as a starting point, not a closed script. If something needs to be shortened, extended, reordered, or combined with another place, we adjust as we go. We don’t move “from point to point”—we build a day that makes sense and feels comfortable.
You can see this place in tours such as:
If none of the ready-made routes fits perfectly, a tailor-made tour offers full flexibility. We can focus on one place, combine several stops, or build the day entirely from scratch. I take care of the route and logistics, and the plan is adjusted to you—not the other way around.
