Where to Stay in Nice: Vieux-Nice, Carré d'Or, Cimiez & Le Port Compared

Possessing the second largest hotel capacity in France after Paris, Nice owes much of its architectural character to two centuries of winter resort hospitality inscribed by UNESCO on 27 July 2021. Because the Lignes d'Azur tramway links the airport, main train station, old town, and port in minutes, choosing a base comes down to whether you prefer historic pedestrian lanes, seafront grandeur, central shopping avenues, or a quieter harbour neighbourhood.

1. Promenade des Anglais and the Carré d'Or (Seafront & Central)

Stretching west from the Jardin Albert Ier and Place Masséna along the Promenade des Anglais, the seafront and the adjacent Carré d'Or (around Rue de France, Rue Masséna, and Boulevard Victor-Hugo) place you directly opposite the pebble beaches and beach clubs of the Baie des Anges, with underground Tram Line 2 stops linking straight to the airport.

The district's signature landmark is the Hotel Negresco, opened in 1912 by Bucharest-trained hotelier Henri Negresco (1868 to 1920) and designed by architect Édouard-Jean Niermans. Crowned by its famous pink dome, the palace features a listed glass-roofed Royal Lounge hung with a 16,309-crystal Baccarat chandelier originally commissioned by Tsar Nicholas II; converted into a hospital in 1914 during the First World War, the hotel was acquired in 1957 by the Augier family and transformed by Jeanne Augier into a showcase of French art, alongside its Michelin-starred Regency-style restaurant Le Chantecler. Nearby along the Promenade stands the preserved white stone Art Deco facade of the Palais de la Méditerranée.

2. Vieux-Nice (Old Town)

Framed by the 93-metre Colline du Château to the east, the Quai des États-Unis to the south, the covered Paillon to the west, and Place Garibaldi to the north, Vieux-Nice is ideal for visitors who want to step straight into the morning flower stalls of Cours Saleya, Baroque churches on Place Rossetti, and wood-fired socca bakeries. Keep in mind that the narrow streets are pedestrianised, many seventeenth- and eighteenth-century buildings lack lifts, and evening bar life is lively around Cours Saleya and Rue de la Préfecture.

3. Jean-Médecin and the Musicians' Quarter (Quartier des Musiciens)

North of Place Masséna along Avenue Jean-Médecin and the grid of streets named after composers (such as Rue Rossini, Rue Verdi, and Boulevard Victor-Hugo) stretching toward Gare de Nice-Ville, nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century apartment blocks house practical mid-range hotels. Staying here puts you within a ten-minute walk of the main railway station for morning TER trains to Monaco, Èze, and Villefranche-sur-Mer, as well as the St Nicholas Russian Orthodox Cathedral.

4. Port Lympia (Quartier du Port)

East of Castle Hill around the 1750 harbour basin, Place Île-de-Beauté, and Rue Bonaparte, the port quarter combines red-ochre 1840s arcades and antique shops with the eastern terminus of Tram Line 2 and coastal trails toward Mont Boron.

5. Hilltop Cimiez

Connected to the centre by the Boulevard de Cimiez (opened in 1892 at the initiative of Henri Germain), this leafy residential hill above the Roman ruins of Cemenelum and the Matisse and Chagall museums preserves grand Belle Époque winter palaces such as the former Excelsior Régina Palace, where Queen Victoria stayed during her Riviera winters.