Nice Nice Travel Guide: Best Hotels, Restaurants & Experiences

The pink dome rising above the Promenade des Anglais shelters 6,000 artworks spanning five centuries, from 17th-century paintings to Niki de Saint-Phalle's Yellow Nana in the Salon Royal. Each of the 128 rooms mixes Louis XIII furniture with modern art against Mediterranean silk hangings. Meilleur Ouvrier de France Virginie Basselot leads Le Chantecler, where theatrical tableside flambéing unfolds beneath 1751 woodwork, while the 700-square-meter spa features an indoor pool playing underwater melodies and a 100-square-meter private suite for duo treatments.

Anantara's European debut occupies an 1848 Belle Époque landmark facing Place Masséna and the Promenade des Anglais, renovated by David Collins Studio with minimalist interiors in earthy tones. The rooftop SEEN by Olivier serves Mediterranean cuisine inflected with Brazilian and Thai notes, while suites with sea-view terraces and a private beach club channel French Riviera glamour. The 300m² spa features a signature hot stone massage with mimosa-ginger oil crafted by local Mouans artisans, alongside hammam and sauna.

Maison Albar – Le Victoria occupies a historic Belle Époque building between the Promenade des Anglais and Place Masséna, reimagined by architect Jean-Paul Gomis with Art Deco interiors in light blue and white. The rooftop Taulissa restaurant, helmed by three-Michelin-starred chef Glenn Viel, delivers Provençal sharing plates alongside 360° views from the Mediterranean to the Mercantour mountains. Below, the 7,000-square-foot Oria spa offers signature 24-karat gold facials, a marble indoor pool, hammam, and mosaic-lined Jacuzzi, while top-floor suites open to sea-view terraces nearly as large as the rooms themselves.

Carved into the cliffside beneath the Colline du Château, La Pérouse conceals a heritage-listed pool hewn from limestone rock and a rooftop terrace with jacuzzi at Tour Bellanda height. Studio Friedmann & Versace dressed the 53 rooms in marine motifs—Sicilian coral lighting, aquatic tapestries—while chef Damien Andrews serves Niçois cuisine beneath century-old lemon trees at Le Patio, its bar encrusted with seashells by artist Caroline Perrin.

The 1913 Belle Époque façade conceals thoroughly renovated interiors where contemporary minimalism meets occasional rococo flourishes—note the white Louis-XIV armchair in the lift. Deep Nature spa, Nice's only facility of its kind, delivers aquatic therapy via jet pool, hammam, sauna and ice fountain. Marble-clad rooms in ivory and cream open onto the Bclub Rooftop, where Mediterranean plates complement the plunge pool. Direct tram access to the airport suits short-stay sophisticates.

Brothers Gaël and Mickaël Tourteaux earned their second Michelin star in 2018 for cuisine that balances audacity with precision. Both trained under Alain Llorca at the Negresco, and their modern cooking pairs Niçois ingredients with global spices—scorpion fish meets vadouvan-infused broth. The boldness pays off consistently, delivering fine, masterful plates suited to serious gastronomic occasions in Nice.

Mickaël Gracieux, whose career spans the kitchens of Louis XV, Le Bristol, and Plaza Athénée, runs this one-starred venue near Place Masséna with precision and ambition. His modern repertoire draws on Mediterranean waters—San Remo prawns, local green crab, trumpet courgettes—arranged with technical elegance inside a glazed dining room dressed in granite, untreated wood, and a monochrome palette of black, white, and gold.

Inside Le Negresco's storied walls, Chef Virginie Basselot—'MOF' 2015—crafts a Michelin-starred Mediterranean repertoire rooted in local artisan partnerships. Her pared-back approach surfaces ingredient purity: monkfish bathed in lemon balm and Var lemon butter, red mullet paired with combava cabbage purée and a liver-derived jus. The Promenade des Anglais setting and polished service frame a gastronomic occasion for serious eaters seeking regional excellence.

Samuel Victori, once second chef at Passage 53, runs this smart rue Bonaparte bistro with a disruptor's sensibility—playfully titled dishes like "What the sea gave us" deliver technical precision and textural intrigue, the signature poached seabass layered with kochihikari rice, raw turnip, seaweed, and dashi-spiked beurre blanc showcasing his Michelin-starred command of modern French technique. The vibe skews lively and buzzy, with Victori himself often narrating the nuances of his local-supplier repertoire to an engaged dining room.

Deep in the Mercantour National Park, chef Louis-Philippe Riel runs a kitchen of radical self-sufficiency—curing his own meats, rolling pasta, baking bread, churning ice cream. His daily carte blanche menu showcases vegetables from the garden in creative, produce-driven compositions. Summer diners face a panorama of alpine peaks from the terrace; winter brings fireside meals under timber rafters. The natural wine list rewards exploration.