Spring April to June
Highs climb from about 17°C (63°F) in April to 25°C (77°F) in June, with rain on six days in April and four in June.
French Riviera · France
Luxury travel in Nice
The Promenade des Anglais curving round the Baie des Anges, the old town’s markets, Chagall’s and Matisse’s museums, and a wine of the city’s own. Avelia plans private, tailor-made time in Nice, as a stay of its own, a base for the Riviera, or part of a wider journey through France.
Nice at a glance
- Recommended stay
- Three or four days, or five to seven with the coast
- Best seasons
- April to June, and September and October
- Getting there
- The airport, 15 minutes from the centre; direct TGV from Paris
- Best for
- The sea and the Promenade, Chagall and Matisse, Bellet and food
- In a wider trip
- The Riviera's towns, Provence or Paris
- World Heritage
- Nice, Winter Resort Town of the Riviera, listed in 2021
A trip with us typically includes hotels, private transfers, guided days and restaurant reservations, and always support while you travel.
01Inspiration
Experiences in Nice
Each of these is arranged privately for your dates, subject to availability.
The sea and the Promenade
A yacht along the Côte d’Azur or a sail at sunset, the helicopter over the coast, a day at one of the private beaches on the Promenade, and the city on foot from the Castle Hill.
The old town, Chagall and Matisse
Vieux-Nice and the Cours Saleya with a guide, the Chagall museum with one of its own lecturers, the Musée Matisse in Cimiez, and the 1885 opera house.
Bellet wine and the Niçois table
A tasting among Bellet’s vines on the hills above the Var, a market morning and a cooking class in the old town, olive oil at a mill in Opio, and the starred tables.
02Seasons
When to go
Summer July and August
The beach months: the warmest, driest and sunniest of the year, with highs of about 28°C (82°F), nights near 21°C (70°F), and rain on about two days.
Autumn September and October
Highs ease from about 25°C (77°F) in September to 21°C (70°F) in October, and the rain returns: five days in September, eight in October.
Winter November to March
Mild and quiet: highs of about 13–17°C (55–63°F), nights of 6–7°C (43–45°F) in midwinter, and November the wettest month.
EventsThe Carnaval de Nice, its parades and its battles of flowers on the Promenade: 9 to 28 February in 2027.
03Shape your trip
Routes and itineraries
Each route is a starting point, tailored to you.
4 days
Art, sea and sun
- Places
- Nice and Cap Ferrat
- Suits
- A first visit, between the museums and the water
7 days
Nice and the Riviera
- Places
- Nice, Èze, Monaco, Bellet, Saint-Paul-de-Vence and Villefranche
- Suits
- A week from one base, with the coast as days out
5 days
Slow days by the sea
- Places
- Nice and Menton
- Suits
- Rest first, with the sea at the centre of it
Beyond Nice
The Riviera, Provence and Paris open pages of their own. The towns along the coast we plan as days out from Nice.
Another stay
The French RivieraThe coast from Menton to Saint-Tropez: Cannes and its Croisette, Monaco, the painters' villages, and days at sea.
Another stay
ProvenceInland and to the west: hill villages and their markets, olive groves and lavender, and the rosé estates of the Côtes de Provence.
Another stay
ParisUnder six hours by direct TGV, or a short flight: the Louvre and the Musée d'Orsay, the shops and the dining rooms of the capital.
Day excursion
Villefranche and Cap Ferrat
Next door to the east: Villefranche's deep harbour and the chapel Jean Cocteau decorated, then Cap Ferrat's eight kilometres of coastal path and the Villa Ephrussi's nine gardens, with a picnic on the way.
Day excursion
Èze
The medieval village perched like an eagle's nest above the sea, its exotic garden 429 m up, reached by the Grande Corniche with a driver and a guide.
Day excursion
Monaco
Along the coast towards Italy: the Rock, with the Oceanographic Museum Prince Albert I opened on its cliff in 1910, and Monte-Carlo across the harbour.
Day excursion
Saint-Paul-de-Vence
The village in the hills behind the coast, with its galleries, and the Fondation Maeght, built for its art with Josep Lluís Sert in 1964, seen with a guide.
Day excursion
Antibes
Halfway to Cannes: the Château Grimaldi, where Picasso worked in 1946 and which has been his museum since 1966, with a private guide, and lunch by the harbour.
Day excursion
Menton
The last town before Italy: a walk through a grove of Menton lemons, protected as an IGP since 2015, with the grower, and lunch among the trees.
04Planning with Avelia
How we plan your time in Nice
We help you choose where in the city to stay, balance guided visits and days out along the coast with time on the beach, and fit Nice into your wider journey through France — or shape a stay in the city itself.
Share your plans
Tell us your dates, who is travelling and the pace you like, and whether Nice is the whole stay or one part of it, with the Riviera's towns, Provence or Paris.
Shape your trip with us
Before any payment, we send a written proposal with a quoted trip price and what it includes — such as a Belle Époque hotel on the Promenade, a guide for the Chagall and Matisse museums, and a market morning with a cooking class — and refine it with you.
Travel with our support
Once you approve the proposal and complete the agreed booking requirements, we confirm your arrangements. We coordinate the details and support you while you travel.
Peace of mind
Financially protected. Your payments for a package trip are covered against our insolvency by a guarantee with AXA. Plan with peace of mind
What we can arrange
Your proposal sets out the arrangements included in your trip.
- Hotels matched to you — a Belle Époque hotel on the Promenade, a restored 19th-century building a few steps from the sea and the old town, or somewhere quieter in the hills of Cimiez or Mont Boron.
- Private transport — a driver from the airport and along the corniches, boats along the coast, and the helicopter to Monaco or Saint-Tropez.
- Private guides — for the old town, the Chagall and Matisse museums, and the villages and museums along the coast.
- Experiences — a market morning and a cooking class in the old town, a tasting at Bellet, a day at sea.
- Tables and tickets — reservations from the starred tables to the private beaches on the Promenade, and the museums and the opera booked ahead.
- Special occasions — honeymoons, anniversaries and family trips, planned around who is travelling.
05Questions
Questions we are asked
What does it cost to have a tailor-made trip designed by Avelia Travel?
Every trip is priced individually. After discussing your plans, we prepare a tailored proposal with a quoted trip price and a clear outline of what is included.
How many days should we spend in Nice?
We recommend three or four days for the city: the old town, the beach and the museums. With the towns along the coast as days out — Monaco, Antibes, Èze — five to seven work well, at an easier pace.
When is the best time to visit Nice?
April to June, and September and October, when highs run from about 17°C to 25°C (63–77°F) and the city is quieter. July and August are the beach months, at about 28°C (82°F), and the busiest; winter is mild, with the Carnaval in February.
Can I include Nice in a wider trip through France?
Yes. Nice’s airport is France’s second after Paris, with more than 120 direct destinations, and the TGV runs direct to Paris; we arrange the flights, the seats or a driver along the coast. Our France page covers the rest of the country.
Is Nice a good choice for a family trip?
Yes. The beaches and the Promenade, the gardens of the Castle Hill, the Cours Saleya’s market and the Chagall museum suit children as well as adults, and we plan the days around their pace.
Where should we stay in Nice?
It depends on what you want from the city: the Promenade des Anglais and the Carré d’Or for the seafront and the shops, Vieux-Nice for its streets and markets, or the hills of Cimiez and Mont Boron for quiet and the view.
Do you only plan full itineraries, or can you help with just a hotel?
Both. We plan complete trips, and we also arrange a stay on its own: a hotel matched to you, with transfers, a guide or a few reservations added if you wish.
Is Avelia right for me?
Avelia suits travellers who want a private, well-paced trip planned around them: the right places in the right order, hotels chosen for them, guides who know the ground, tables and tickets taken care of, and one point of contact from the first conversation until they are home.
Start planning your time in Nice
Three or four days in Nice, or five to seven with the coast: tell us your dates and who is travelling.
Usually answered within one business day.