I’ve been a regular visitor to Nice for around 20 years. Landing at the airport only gets more exciting each time I do it. Banking down towards the Med, watching pristine villa walls glisten as brightly as the tips of the waves, brings me peace. I’m far from alone: over 10 million people fly in and out of that airport every year.
For the last few years Nice has felt a little flat. People land there and head straight out to more fashionable resorts: Monaco, Cannes, Cap Ferrat. They’re missing out. A raft of recent improvements and new openings have restored relevance and lustre to the city. Holidays to the Côte d’Azur should include a couple of days here to ease in gently, not just a quick view of passport control and the taxi rank.
Spend a few days in Nice
The Jardin Albert 1er (one of Nice’s oldest public gardens) runs through the heart of the city centre, acting like a border between the old town and belle epoque quarters. The Anantara Plaza Nice takes up a massive block on its northern side. This makes the hotel ideal for exploring either of the city’s main two identities: glamorous muse to art and high fashion, or quaint and ancient port town. Located on the rooftop, in-house restaurant SEEN by Olivier gives spectacular views across the Baie des Anges of the setting sun to accompany your dinner (fresh-grilled catch of the day is the order) or your breakfast.
While here, you could visit classic attractions like the Chagall Museum and the park on Castle Hill, but better to just float around the streets discovering how the city lives. Grab a luxurious dinner at Boccaccio just behind the hotel, or a wine tasting at La Pêche à la Vigne behind the port. Grab some vintage sunglasses at Harrison Opticien (even in winter, you’ll need them) or pause at the most relaxing coffee shop I’ve ever encountered: RU.A in the old town.
From Nice, head into the hills. It’s easy to hop on a train and float along the coast, but it’s better to rent a car and wind into the mountains. The air becomes fresher, the atmosphere distinctly more calm. The villages here seem impossible, all steep incline and polished cobbles. Most are medieval, some are famous. All are beautiful. Pick one and use it as a base from which to strike out and explore the rest. I chose the celebrated art haven of Saint-Paul-de-Vence.
Saint-Paul-de-Vence: an art lover’s dream
In the foothills below the town centre, Domaine du Mas de Pierre is discreetly hidden behind traditional stone walls. Once through the gate the estate tumbles open in front of you, with gloriously-scented herb gardens intertwining with traditional farm buildings (now converted to luxury residences) and a gargantuan spa and fitness centre. Three pools, one with a purpose-built sandy beach, offer respite from the midday heat. Doves coo gently in an aviary. Willow, the resident rescue cat, patrols the grounds. Days are easy to fill exploring Saint-Paul-de-Vence’s huge array of art galleries, or you can head further afield to find quieter, but equally picturesque, little villages.
Haut-de-Cagnes lies about 20 minutes’ drive south. The main square is host to a clutch of restaurants – my favourite was Le Village – and there are tours offered of the castle. Farther to the west is Grasse, famous as the home of perfume and filled with colourful old buildings. Any of the roads to the north and west will snake through so many little hamlets (Tourrettes-sur-Loup; Roquefort-les-Pin; Fayence; Montauroux – all gorgeous) it may not even be necessary to make a plan. Just pick a direction and drive.
After a couple of days exploring the mountains I wanted to return to the sea. I instructed my sat-nav to avoid tolls on the way to Saint-Tropez and set off. My reward was discovering even more sleepy little villages, pine-lined roads with views down to the ocean, and hidden vineyards. Eventually, but somehow also too soon, I found myself cruising along the seafront into the Riviera’s most famous party town.
A quieter side to Saint-Tropez
The competition is fierce in Saint-Tropez, but AREV St. Tropez has got ahead of much of it already, despite only opening in late 2024 as part of the Leading Hotels of the World family. An enormous pool is the beating heart of the complex, surrounded by loungers and serviced by its own bar. Interiors emulate the superyachts found in the harbour just a short walk away. The ethos of Saint-Tropez is informal elegance, and that’s exactly what is found at AREV: there’s no reception or concierge desk, but there’s a WhatsApp number which will be answered in seconds for your every whim. The hotel is open year-round, so off-season visitors can get to know the ‘real’ town, away from the insanity of high summer. This makes it an ideal place to escape autumn blues for a weekend.
Saint-Tropez itself is beautiful any time of year. Watching the locals play pétanque in the Place des Lices is an extremely mellow way to begin an evening. In the daytime, wander along the front to discover many of the tiny beaches serving the town, or get in the car for the short hop over the hills to La Croix-Valmer. Or stop somewhere else entirely – there’s just as much to discover on the peninsula as in the mountains which overlook it.
Nick Hendry was a guest of Anantara Plaza Nice; Domaine du Mas de Pierre; and AREV St. Tropez
The mild climate of the Côte d’Azur makes it ideal for shoulder season