Nice & the French Riviera from Stockholm: Things to Do & Where to Stay

Swapping Stockholm's cool light for the Mediterranean is one of the easiest big climate changes you can make from Sweden, and in summer you can do it without a connection. Nice sits at the heart of the French Riviera, with a sun-baked Old Town, a famous curving seafront, and a coastal railway that strings together Monaco, Antibes and Cannes. For a long weekend or a slow week of sea, art and rosé, it is a near-perfect counterpoint to a Nordic spring.

Getting there from Stockholm

The headline route is a seasonal direct flight. SAS and Norwegian both fly non-stop from Stockholm Arlanda (ARN) to Nice Côte d'Azur (NCE), with the route typically running from around June into October. The flight takes roughly three hours, putting you on the Mediterranean by lunchtime if you catch a morning departure. Because it is a summer route, frequency and exact timings vary year to year, so check SAS, Norwegian and Swedavia's Arlanda pages for the current schedule before you plan around a specific day.

Outside the summer window, there is usually no direct service, and you will fly with one connection - commonly through Copenhagen, Frankfurt, Amsterdam or Paris, depending on the airline and date. That adds a couple of hours and a layover but keeps the trip doable as a short break. Fares swing widely with season and how far ahead you book; the cheapest seats tend to be midweek and well in advance, while peak July and August command a premium. Treat any price you see as an estimate and confirm on the airline site.

Nice Côte d'Azur airport sits right on the coast at the western edge of the city, which makes the transfer genuinely quick. The simplest option is Tram Line 2, which runs from both terminals into the centre in about 20 to 30 minutes, stopping near Jean Médecin (handy for the Old Town and seafront) and continuing to the port. A single ticket covers the journey plus onward connections on the local network for a fixed time; buy it from the machines on the tram platform or the airport counters. Taxis and ride-hailing apps work too and are faster door-to-door, but cost several times the tram fare. Check Lignes d'Azur for current ticket prices and the live timetable.

The best things to do in Nice

Nice rewards walking. The compact centre packs a remarkable amount into a flat, sea-facing grid, and most of the highlights below sit within easy reach of each other.

• Promenade des Anglais. The Riviera's most famous seafront, a wide palm-lined boulevard running for kilometres along the Baie des Anges. Strolling, cycling or simply claiming one of the blue chairs to watch the sea is the quintessential Nice experience, and it is free.
• Vieux Nice (the Old Town). A warren of narrow lanes, ochre façades and shaded squares packed with bakeries, socca stalls (a thin chickpea-flour pancake, the city's signature snack), and small shops. It is the soul of the city and best explored without a fixed plan.
• Cours Saleya market. In the heart of the Old Town, this pedestrian street hosts a daily market - the famous Marché aux Fleurs (flower market) plus fruit, vegetables and produce most mornings, switching to an antiques market on Mondays. Come hungry and early.
• Colline du Château (Castle Hill). A green hilltop park where the medieval castle once stood, reached on foot, by lift or by a gentle climb. The reward is the postcard panorama over the terracotta roofs of the Old Town, the curve of the bay and the port - the view that has drawn painters for centuries.
• Place Masséna. Nice's grand central square, framed by red-ochre arcaded buildings and an elegant chequerboard pavement, with fountains and the modern light-installation statues that glow at night. It is the natural pivot between the Old Town, the seafront and the shopping streets.
• Musée Marc Chagall. A purpose-built national museum set in quiet gardens, home to the artist's monumental Biblical Message cycle along with stained glass, mosaics and works on paper. It is one of the finest single-artist collections in France and a calm, uncrowded contrast to the busy centre.
• Musée Matisse. Housed in a handsome 17th-century villa in the leafy Cimiez district, this museum traces Henri Matisse's career across paintings, drawings and his famous cut-outs. The surrounding olive groves and the nearby Roman ruins make the trip up the hill worthwhile in itself.
• Port Lympia. Nice's working harbour, lined with tall pastel houses, fishing boats and yachts. The cafés and seafood restaurants here feel a notch more local than the seafront, and the walk over from the Old Town past Castle Hill is one of the best in the city.
• Russian Orthodox Cathedral (Cathédrale Saint-Nicolas). A striking, brightly tiled cathedral with onion domes, a legacy of Nice's Belle Époque popularity with Russian aristocracy. It is an unexpected sight a short walk from the train station and well worth a look.
• The pebble beaches and a swim. Nice's beaches are famously stony rather than sandy, but the water is clear and swimmable from late spring to autumn. A mix of free public sections and paid beach clubs runs the length of the Promenade - bring or rent water shoes for comfort.

If you have an extra day, the coastal railway turns Nice into a base for some of the Riviera's most famous spots. Monaco is around 20 to 30 minutes by train, with its casino, palace and harbour. The cliff-top village of Èze, with its medieval lanes and exotic garden, is reached by bus from the Vauban bus station rather than by train. Antibes (about 25 minutes by train) offers a walled old town and the Picasso Museum, while Cannes (roughly 40 minutes) brings the film-festival seafront and a charming old quarter. All are doable as half-day or full-day trips without a car.

Where to stay

Nice is walkable enough that any central neighbourhood works, but each has a different character.

• Vieux Nice (Old Town). The most atmospheric base, steps from the markets, restaurants and the seafront. Expect narrow streets, lively evenings and some noise - ideal if you want to be in the thick of it and do not mind buzz late into the night.
• Carré d'Or and the seafront. The smart blocks just back from the Promenade des Anglais, around Rue de France and Avenue Jean Médecin's southern end. This is the polished, central choice with easy beach access, good for first-timers who want everything close and do not mind paying a little more.
• Le Port (Port Lympia). A more local, slightly quieter district around the harbour, with characterful buildings and good seafood. It suits travellers who want a neighbourhood feel and a short walk over Castle Hill into the Old Town.
• Near Gare de Nice-Ville (Libération / Jean Médecin). The area around the main train station is practical and generally better value, with quick tram links and easy day-trip departures. It is less scenic but convenient if you plan to ride the coast often.

For actual hotels and current prices, use the booking search on this page rather than fixed recommendations - availability and rates on the Riviera move sharply with the season.

When to go

Timing matters more here than in many city breaks, partly because the direct flight is seasonal. Late spring (May to June) and early autumn (September to October) are the sweet spots: warm days, sea warm enough to swim, lighter crowds than midsummer, and good odds of the non-stop Arlanda route operating. July and August are hot, busy and expensive, with the beaches and day-trip spots at their fullest - lovely if you want guaranteed sun and a buzzing scene, less so if you dislike crowds.

Winter in Nice is mild by Nordic standards and pleasantly quiet, with bright days and empty promenades, but the sea is cold, some seasonal businesses close, and you will almost certainly be flying with a connection. One date worth flagging is the Carnaval de Nice, the city's big winter festival of parades and flower battles, usually held over a couple of weeks in February - a reason to visit off-season if the timing suits. Check the Nice tourist office for current event dates.

Budget & practical tips

Nice uses the euro, so card and contactless payment are accepted almost everywhere; carry a little cash for markets and small cafés. Overall it sits a notch below Stockholm on price for everyday spending - a sit-down meal, a coffee or a glass of wine generally costs less than the Swedish equivalent, though prime seafront restaurants and beach clubs can erase that gap quickly. Accommodation is the variable that swings hardest with season.

Getting around is easy and cheap. The tram and bus network (Lignes d'Azur) covers the city and the airport on a single low fare, and the centre is flat and very walkable. For day trips, the regional TER trains along the coast are inexpensive and frequent, and far less stressful than driving the narrow Corniche roads. You rarely need a car unless you are heading into the hills.

A travel money card such as Wise or Revolut is worth setting up before you fly: spending in euros on a Swedish krona card often carries a poor exchange rate and foreign-transaction fees, whereas a multi-currency card converts close to the real rate and lets you hold euros directly. Pair it with basic travel insurance - SafetyWing and similar plans cover short Schengen trips - so a missed connection or a clinic visit on the Riviera does not derail the budget.

Good to know

Plan around the flight first: if you want the easy non-stop from Arlanda, aim for the late-spring-to-early-autumn window and book ahead. Three to four days is plenty - two for Nice itself, one or two for the coast - and you can comfortably stay car-free the whole time, leaning on the tram in the city and the coastal train for Monaco, Antibes and Cannes. Pack water shoes for the pebble beaches, bring layers for cooler evenings, and confirm flight times, ticket prices and any opening hours on the official airline, airport and tourist-office sites before you go, since these change with the season. Then do as the locals do: grab a square of socca, find a blue chair on the Promenade, and let the Mediterranean do the rest.