Nice & the French Riviera Travel Guide
Where to Stay in Nice & on the Riviera
Nice, Monaco, Cannes, Antibes or a perched village? How to choose a base on the Côte d'Azur, which Nice neighbourhood suits you, and the hotels that make each choice work.
On the French Riviera, your choice of base shapes the whole trip. The coast is compact and well served by trains and buses, so you can see almost everything from one place, but each town has its own personality, price level and seasonal rhythm. For most first-time visitors the answer is simple: stay in Nice, and day-trip. Here is how to decide, and where to stay within each option.
Why Nice is the best base. Nice sits in the middle of the coast, with the airport on its doorstep and the main railway station serving every town from Cannes to Menton in under forty minutes. It has the widest range of hotels at every price, the most restaurants, year-round life (it is a real city, not a seasonal resort), and enough sights of its own to fill two or three days. If you stay only in one place, make it Nice.
Nice: the Promenade and seafront. For the classic Riviera experience, stay on or near the Promenade des Anglais. Sea-view rooms let you watch the bay from your balcony, and you are on the tram line to the airport. The grand old hotels are here, led by the Negresco, the pink-domed icon of the seafront, with its art collection, Michelin-starred Chantecler and historic bar. A block or two inland, rates drop and streets get quieter: the Hôtel Windsor, with its artist-designed rooms and tropical garden pool, is the best mid-range character choice in this zone.
Nice: the old town and Cours Saleya. Staying in Vieux Nice puts you in the most atmospheric part of the city, among the lanes, markets and bars. The trade-offs are noise (the old town is the main going-out district), small rooms in historic buildings, and stairs — many buildings have no lift, and cars cannot reach most streets. It suits couples and night owls, less so families or light sleepers. Apartment rentals are common here.
Nice: around Place Masséna and the centre. The modern centre between Place Masséna, the pedestrian streets and Nice-Ville station is the most practical zone: central for walking, close to trams and trains, and full of mid-range and budget hotels. The Villa Saint Exupéry Beach hostel, a few minutes from Place Masséna and the sea, is the city's best-known budget base, with dorms, private rooms and a social bar. The streets right around the station are less attractive at night; aim a few blocks closer to the sea.
Nice: the port and Cimiez. The port district, east of Castle Hill, is increasingly popular, with cafés, antique shops and easy access to the old town and the Monaco road; it is quieter and good value. Cimiez, the leafy hill to the north, has grand Belle Époque residences, the Matisse and Chagall museums and a calm, residential feel, but you will rely on buses to reach the sea.
Monaco and Monte-Carlo. Monaco is a splurge base, ideal for one or two nights at the end of a trip or for an event. The Hôtel de Paris Monte-Carlo, on the Casino square since 1864, is the legendary choice, with the three-Michelin-starred Le Louis XV, a rock-cut wine cellar and spa access. Hotels in Monaco are among the most expensive in Europe and soar during the Grand Prix in May; in winter, rates soften. Many visitors stay in Nice or Menton and day-trip to Monaco instead.
Eze and the perched villages. For pure romance, spend a night or two in a perched village after the day-trippers leave. Château Eza, a tiny five-star made of medieval houses on the cliff edge of Eze, with a Michelin-starred terrace restaurant, is one of the most romantic hotels on the coast; note that it is seasonal, closing in November and reopening in February. Village stays suit couples, not families with strollers or travellers who need step-free access.
Cannes. Cannes makes a good base for the western Riviera — Antibes, the Lérins Islands, Grasse and the Esterel — and it has sandy beaches, which Nice lacks. The Hôtel Martinez, the Art Deco giant of the Croisette, gained official Palace status in June 2026 and offers a private beach, garden pool and spa. Avoid Cannes during the Film Festival in May unless you are attending, as prices and crowds explode.
Antibes and Cap d'Antibes. Antibes is the best-balanced town on the coast: an old town with a market and the Picasso Museum, a huge yacht harbour, sandy beaches and the coastal path of the Cap. It is calmer than Nice and closer to Cannes. The Royal Antibes, on the seafront by the Plage de la Salis with a private beach in season and a spa, is a smart contemporary base. The legendary Hôtel du Cap-Eden-Roc on the tip of the Cap is a summer-only palace, open roughly from late April to mid-October.
Seasonal realities. The Riviera is a two-speed coast. From late spring to early autumn everything is open, prices peak and the best rooms sell out; book early for July, August, the Cannes Film Festival and the Monaco Grand Prix. From November to March, many beach hotels and some village hotels close, beach clubs shut, and the rest drop their rates; Nice, Monaco, Cannes and Antibes remain lively year-round. February festivals (Nice Carnival and the Menton Lemon Festival) fill hotels again for a few weeks.
The short version. First visit: Nice, near the Promenade or Place Masséna. Romantic splurge: a night in Eze or Monte-Carlo. Beach-focused: Antibes or Cannes. Budget: a central Nice hostel or simple hotel and the train. Whatever you choose, stay close to a station or tram stop, and the whole coast is yours.