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Best experiences:

World-class art in Nice

Nice, Cote d'Azur, France

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Bucket List Experience
Abstract painting inside a gallery

Home to many world-renowned 20th century artists, then later to big spenders founding museums, Nice finds itself home to the best art collections outside of Paris. A veritable feast for art lovers.

Best for ages 18+

Nice Carnival

Nice, Cote d'Azur, France

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Bucket List Experience
Brightly-illuminated carnival float surrounded by crowds

Parades, costumes, flower ‘battles’, lights, and sun: Nice holds one of the world’s best carnivals – second only to Rio.

Best for ages 8+

Duration: 2 weeks

When: February to March

Frequency: annually

Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild

Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, Cote d'Azur, France

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Bucket List Experience
Stunning pink villa with lavish gardens including an ornamental pond in front

A remarkable fantasy villa, complete with exquisite exotic gardens, built in 1912 by the flamboyant art collector Baroness Beatrice Ephrussi de Rothschild to house her fabulous collection of 18th-century art and furniture.

Adult price: £13

Best for ages 18+

Drive the Grande Corniche

Eze, Cote d'Azur, France

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Bucket List Experience
White convertible driving on a cliff-side highway looking down over Monaco

Take one of Europe’s most scenic, exhilarating drives, with eagle-eye views of the sparkling French coastline.

Best for ages 18+

Duration: 2-4 hours

Nice’s best food & drink

Nice, Cote d'Azur, France

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Bucket List Experience
Fresh ingredients of italian food, mediterranean diet, background

Nice expert Dana Facaros summarises the typical foods, ingredients and flavours, cooking styles and dining scene in Nice – and its best foodie experiences.

Best for ages 18+

Duration: Any

Cours Saleya Food and Flower Market

Nice, Cote d'Azur, France

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Bucket List Experience
View looking down from above to the busy market of Cours Saleya in the centre of Nice City

Nice’s food and flower market, held along the pedestrianised Cours Saleya esplanade, is packed with all the vibrant, sensuous colours, flavours and scents of the south: lavender, marzipan, sugared almonds, spices, herbal teas, takeaway socca and pissaladiere snacks. Held Tuesday to Sunday, around 6.30am to 1.30pm.

Best for ages 18+

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Maeght Foundation

Nice, Cote d'Azur, France

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Bucket List Experience
Modernist building with a courtyard in front flanked by trees

An architectural jewel, this museum between Nice and Antibes is filled with world-class modern and contemporary art, inside and out.

Adult price: £14

Best for ages 18+

Marc Chagall National Museum

Nice, Cote d'Azur, France

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Bucket List Experience
Exterior of modern museum with bushes and grass lawn in front

This modern museum showcases Chagall’s joyful series of artworks inspired by the Bible – an explosion of colour and light. It’s the biggest public collection of works by one of the greatest 20th-century artists.

Adult price: £8

Best for ages 18+

Train des Pignes narrow-gauge railway

Nice, Cote d'Azur, France

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Bucket List Experience
Small railway platform in a valley with a red train

A spectacular train ride on a narrow-gauge railway through scenic French countryside, that you can ride from Nice on the Cote d’Azur to Annot in Haute Provence.

Adult price: £22

Best for ages 4+

Duration: 1 day

Matisse Museum

Nice, Cote d'Azur, France

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Bucket List Experience
Exterior of grand, red-brick museum on a sunny day

A beautiful 17th-century Genoese mansion that now houses a museum dedicated to the art of Nice’s longtime resident, Henri Matisse.

Adult price: £8

Best for ages 18+

Massena Museum of Art & History

Nice, Cote d'Azur, France

Close up of the exterior of museum with French flag flying

One of France’s most splendid Belle Epoque villas, donated to the city of Nice by the aristocratic Massena family, is now home to a compelling collection of art, furniture and artifacts that track Nice’s rich history.

Adult price: £12

Best for ages 18+

Saint Paul de Vence

Nice, Cote d'Azur, France

View down a pretty narrow street filled with boutique shops

This character-filled, medieval village is one of the oldest in the South of France, and arguably the loveliest of all the ‘perched’ villages. It’s long been a haven for famous actors, film stars, and artists (including Picasso, Matisse and Chagall). The Maeght Foundation and several other top-notch modern and contemporary art museums are located here.

Best for ages 18+

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Lascaris Palace

Nice, Cote d'Azur, France

Ornate palace interior with four-poster bed

An opulent Baroque palace from the 17th century, containing lavish interiors, 17th and 18th-century decorative and fine arts collections, and a collection of 500 musical instruments.

Adult price: £9

Best for ages 18+

Nice Museum of Fine Arts

Nice, Cote d'Azur, France

External facade of the beautiful ornate orange and cream vill building

This magnificent former private mansion – built by a Russian princess – contains a fine collection of paintings and sculptures from the 16th to 20th century, by artists who lived in the Cote D’Azur.

Adult price: £8

Best for ages 18+

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Walk around Cap Ferrat

Nice, Cote d'Azur, France

Saint Jean Cap Ferrat lighthouse sitting on cliffs above the path

A 4.8km circular coastal walk around the glittering coast of the Riviera’s most exclusive ‘cap’ – a favourite of jet-setting billionaires.

Best for ages 18+

Duration: 2-3 hours

Villa Kerylos

Nice, Cote d'Azur, France

Large white villa built on a pinnacle stretching out into the sea

Built in 1908 in an ancient-Greek-style, this villa in a ravishing seaside garden setting features replica 2nd-century AD interiors typical of the island of Delos. The project of two scholars obsessed with the period.

Adult price: £8

Best for ages 18+

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Nery’s Fromagerie du Carre d’Or

Nice, Cote d'Azur, France

Nery’s Fromagerie du Carre d’Or

Located in the city’s posh ‘Golden Square’ shopping district, cheesemonger Nery’s is a legend in Nice. Go for the finest fresh and perfectly ripened cheeses from across France, along with specialities made on the Cote d’Azur.

Best for ages 18+

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Marinieres Beach

Villefranche-sur-Mer , Cote d'Azur, France

White sand beach with blue waters at Villefranche-sur-Mer

Tucked between chi-chi St-Jean-Cap-Ferrat and Nice, the charming Medieval village of Villefranche-sur-Mer is the relaxed, boho antidote to the moneybags Riviera. A kilometre of coarse, gently shelving golden sand and crystalline waters, it’s all free and open to the public.

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Paloma Beach

Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, Cote d'Azur, France

View of a pretty curve of beach with a beach club, surrounded by cliffs with trees and villas

Sheltered from the wind, this shingle beach in a beautiful, wooded cove is a laid-back favourite of both locals and celebrities. Views across to the Alps are sublime. It’s part public, but best to splurge on a lounger at the delightful Paloma Beach Club – a local institution with an excellent restaurant.

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La Part des Anges

Nice, Cote d'Azur, France

inside of a wine shop with shelves full of wine bottles

Chosen as the best wine cellar in France in 2020,  the ‘Angels’ Share’ specialises in natural wines and organic beers,  with great snacks at the wine bar; the bistro offers ten different wines daily by the glass to go with lunch.

Best for ages 18+

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Fenocchio

Nice, Cote d'Azur, France

Aerial view looking down onto a counter full of colourful home-made gelato

Since 1966, the Fenocchio family has produced Nice’s favourite ice cream and sorbets and sold them from their shop in the historic centre. The only downside is trying to decide which of the 94 flavours to try.

Best for ages 4+

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