Ah Nice…. 6 things to do

Ah Nice…. named after the goddess Nike, city of flowers, sunshine, art and capital of the Riviera. A historically important port with a reportedly 330 days of sunshine, the largest carnival in France and a favorite holiday destination of Queen Victoria & Churchill. It only became part of France in 1860 (it was part of the Duchy of Savoy til Victor-Emanuel II traded it to Napolean III in return for the title King of Italy). Listen for the canon shot everyday at noon, a relic from a 19^th century Scottish lord who paid locals to fire it to remind his wife to come home to cook his lunch. He left, the tradition has remained since 1861.

Nice is often sold as the Riviera’s polished poster child—sun hats, spritzes, and a leisurely promenade where one is expected to do little more than look fabulous and occasionally dip a toe in the Mediterranean. But if your idea of a good day involves a bit more movement than rotating between beach chair and rosé glass, Nice has a second, slightly less coiffed personality.

Behind the postcard façade lies a city of steep climbs, serious wine, competitive locals, and the occasional dive bar where no one cares what you’re wearing. It’s still the Riviera—just with a bit more grit under the fingernails.

Here are six things to do in Nice if you want to wander a little off the postcard path.

Climb Castle Hill (Colline du Château)

Technically, there isn’t a castle anymore. It once stood on this strategic hill overlooking the city until Louis XIV’s troops blew it apart in 1706. What remains is arguably better: the finest view in Nice.

Climb the stairs from the Old Town and you’ll reach a leafy park perched high above the Baie des Anges. From here the red roofs of the old city spill toward the sea, the harbour fills with sailboats, and the Alps quietly loom behind everything like patient bodyguards. There’s even a dramatic artificial waterfall built in the 19th century when the area was landscaped into a park.

You’ll arrive slightly out of breath—and extremely pleased you made the effort.

Drink Wine in the Bellet Hills

Most visitors assume all the wine near Nice comes from Provence. In fact, the city has its own tiny appellation hiding in the hills just 20 minutes away.

The Bellet wine region produces some of the Riviera’s most distinctive bottles, often from unusual grapes like Braquet and Folle Noire. Vineyards here sit on steep terraces overlooking the Mediterranean, which makes wine tasting feel suspiciously like sightseeing.

The best part? Almost none of these wines are exported. If you want to try them, you must come to Nice. Which feels like an entirely reasonable requirement.

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Browse the Monday Brocante Market

On Mondays, the flower stalls of Cours Saleya vanish and the square transforms into a brocante—France’s gloriously chaotic version of a flea market.

Collectors and dealers unload tables of vintage watches, antique maps, silverware, military medals, and mysterious objects whose original purpose is anyone’s guess. The thrill here is the hunt. Somewhere among the dusty postcards and faded Riviera travel posters might be a small piece of history waiting for a new owner.

Even if you leave empty-handed, the browsing alone is entertaining.

Explore the Port Neighbourhood

While tourists fill the Old Town’s cocktail bars, locals drift toward the harbour.

The area around Port Lympia has a more authentic rhythm: fishermen repairing nets, scooters darting between pastel buildings, and small neighbourhood bars where the drinks arrive quickly and conversation comes easily. Wander the waterfront at sunset and hop between a few spots.

It’s less polished than the Promenade—and far more interesting

Ride Into the Alpes-Maritimes

One of the best things about Nice is how quickly the landscape changes. Within half an hour you can leave the beach behind and climb into the mountains.

The roads winding through the Alpes-Maritimes twist past olive groves, medieval villages, and cliffs that drop dramatically toward the sea. Cyclists treat these climbs like personal Tour de France stages, while drivers enjoy one of the most scenic road networks in southern Europe.

Either way, the reward at the end is usually a long lunch in a hilltop village.

Visit the Russian Cathedral

Nice has long been a winter playground for European aristocrats, and in the late 19th century the Russian elite arrived in force.

They brought their architecture with them. The result is the Saint Nicholas Russian Orthodox Cathedral, completed in 1912 and crowned with colourful onion domes that feel delightfully out of place in southern France. Inside, the walls glow with icons, gold leaf, and elaborate wood carvings.

It’s one of the most unusual buildings on the Riviera—and a reminder of the city’s glamorous past.

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