Nice, France: A Perfect (relaxing) Day

Jul 12

A lot of my favorite finds in Nice, I had just stumbled across. There are so many beautiful gardens, parks, & outdoor seating. I spent a lot of time just coming across them, sitting at & either journaling or reading. I highly recommend incorporating some down time to just enjoy the nature and beautiful scenery here.

How to spend a relaxing, not completely touristy day in Nice, France.

There are plenty of restaurants in town and along the promenade so take your pick. Otherwise, I went to Oakberry each morning for the best acai in town. They have build your own bowls/smoothies so it is very customizable for your personal preferences. The employees are super nice and the atmosphere is simply enjoyable. There are seats inside & outside, so feel free to eat here or take your bowl on the go. My personal favorite was bringing it down to the water since there are many seats set up by the promenade.

If you are more of a bakery person for breakfast, I suggest Boulangerie Jeannot. They had what was probably the best chocolate croissant I’ve had. Another different day I got a baguette that was also delicious.

Take a walk down the promenade. My best advice is to continue walking past the Port. I visited during the first week of April and some of the main beaches were pretty crowded so I can’t imagine during peak summer months. I believe the further you walk, the less crowded it should be.

I picked up some pizza to-go from La Tartane (they have vegan cheese!) and continued down the water. I walked past the famous Le Plongeoir - the restaurant on the rocks. If I weren’t by myself I probably would have at least tried to get a drink here. But even without, it’s still cool to walk by & see.

Just a bit further, I got to Plage Coco Beach. Which is definitely not a typical beach. It’s more of big rocks by the water but there are a lot of flat surfaces and stairs on the rocks so it’s pretty easy to navigate and find somewhere to sit. I would definitely recommend bringing a towel or blanket to sit on. I set up my stuff and ate my pizza. I don’t think I could name a better place for lunch. This was probably the prettiest view I saw in Nice. I ended up staying here for, I want to say, two hours. Journaling, reading & just laying in the sun. There were some people that were swimming but personally I think it was too cold. Probably a very fun swim during the summer, though. This was probably the most relaxing and peaceful two hours of my trip.

When you finally get tired of sitting on a rock, start your trek, I mean walk, back towards town (it is actually a pretty significant walk so plan ahead). Time to go to one of the beach clubs that Nice is famous for. You can’t really go wrong with any of them - I picked the one that was the least crowded (Blue Beach). Rent a lounger and relax here for the rest of the day - it wasn’t as expensive as I thought it might be. I do recommend coming to a beach club instead of a public beach since the beaches here are all pebbles / rocks, they are not super comfortable to sit on directly. Plus the beach clubs have access to bathrooms & a restaurant. You can order food straight from your sun lounger. A lot of these beach clubs turn into more of a night out when it gets later with music and drinks so if that is your thing, stay for the night!

Since I was alone, I went back to my hotel after dinner but there is a prominent night life with plenty of options to fit the vibe you are looking for.

Where to stay:

I stayed in the Hotel de France and thought it was everything I needed. I thought the location was ideal. Although, if being in walking distance to everything is a main priority, this is probably the furthest east I would recommend staying. All of the employees were very nice and helpful. They even reach out to you ahead of your stay to give you personalized instructions on how to get to the hotel depending on your mode of transportation. The room I stayed in was on the smaller side but was perfect for just me. And, there was a beautiful outdoor patio rooftop.

If you have more time, check out:

Monaco, a separate country just a short bus ride over. Sit on the right side of the bus for stunning views that make the trip worth it
Check out other French towns: Éze, Menton, Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat that are pretty close by and accessible by bus
Book a boat tour! I went during off season so there weren’t many options but would have done this if I could

Looking for photo inspiration for your upcoming trip? | Instagram

Plage Coco Beach | Bathing Suit | Around Nice | Beach

More of a visual learner? Here are some short form videos of my trip to Nice | Tik Tok