The best hotels in Nice, France for a sun-drenched getaway on the French Riviera
From iconic seaside grande dames to sleek resorts with rooftop pools, these hotels in Nice, France are handy for the beaches and the Old Town alike
Nice is another world: one mixing timeless glamour, radiant works of art and the elemental power of its sun-soaked Mediterranean stretch of coast curling around the shimmering Baie des Anges. Checking into the best hotels in Nice is the ultimate way to see the city in all its glory and we've selected our favourites for you to experience.
When it comes to bucket list places to visit in France, the City of Light is up there and the best hotels in Paris will certainly help you discover the style and glamour of the country, but Nice is where you can experience the beauty of Mediterranean France and explore the flavours, sights and sounds of the south.
Towards the eastern end of the French Riviera near the border with Italy, its manifold delights have long attracted artists, and this rich creative heritage is reflected in wonderful cultural venues including museums dedicated to the works of Henri Matisse and Marc Chagall.
Yet for all its exotic allure, Nice is only two hours from the UK and hence as ideal for long weekends as for longer trips. That counts in winter, too, when the weather is mild enough for a sunny off-season break spent strolling the palm-fringed Promenades des Anglais and even branching out onto other coastal paths that take you beyond the confines of this captivating city.
Some of our favourite Nice, France hotels are also fabulous places to eat – whether it’s in a Michelin-starred venue such as Le Chantecler at the landmark Hôtel Negresco or on an intimate dining terrace serving Provençal classics that draw on the gleaming local seafood and other produce you’ll see in abundance in the city’s famed Cours Saleya market.
Here's our pick of the best hotels in Nice, France.
Hôtel La Pérouse
In a plum spot opposite the beach at the base of Castle Hill, just steps from the harbour, this fairly intimate, old-school option includes rooms and suites with sea views – a few with their own wrought-iron balcony. Also alluring are the year-round roof terrace, outdoor Jacuzzi and sauna, plus, from April to September, the heated outdoor pool.
There’s an alfresco cocktail bar and a restaurant with tables under the century-old lemon trees of its Mediterranean garden, serving authentic, unpretentious Provencal cuisine including a classic Niçoise salad and a tarte citron using home-grown produce.
Boscolo Exedra
Set back from the sea on a wide leafy avenue, this 19th-century palace also combines a sense of history with a bright modern vibe. Amid mainly all-white decor in both rooms and communal spaces, all dotted by designer furniture and striking artworks, you’ll find a soaring lobby atrium with a quirky white pool table, a rooftop pool with a terrace bar, and a subterranean spa with an indoor pool, Turkish bath, multi-sensory showers and ice fountains.
The two Italian restaurants each have a terrace for alfresco dining in the sunshine, and one has a winter fireplace for snuggling up on less clement days.
Hôtel Negresco
Opened in 1912, this grande dame among hotels in Nice sits in all its pink-domed glory at the end of the Promenade des Anglais and comes complete with a Michelin-starred restaurant presided over by Virginie Basselot.
Having attracted the likes of Salvador Dalì, Grace Kelly and Liz Taylor over the course of its glittering history, Le Negresco is unique in the way it mixes rare antiques and historic paintings with striking modern art by the likes of Niki de Saint Phalle. Rooms and suites continue the interleaving of the layers of time, representing different artistic periods from the Louis XIII era on.
The Jay Hotel
Named after the main character from The Great Gatsby (its author F Scott Fitzgerald once lived on the French Riviera), this bijou hotel makes reference to the Roaring Twenties in Art Deco-styled studios and suites with Jazz Age touches.
All have kitchenettes so you can enjoy a little flexibility, and there’s also a corner for organic coffee and tea at all hours of the day and night, and a bar with stylish velvet seating – although you’re in the heart of Nice so spoilt for choice when it comes to drinking and dining venues. The beach is a five-minute stroll away, too.
Villa Rivoli
This Belle Epoque mansion built in the 1890s is the impressive – and great value – setting for individually decorated rooms and suites with a very French feel, many with floral or other elaborate wallpapers and some with small balconies overlooking the garden.
Set in what locals call the ‘musician's quarter’, only 100 metres from the beaches and the Promenade des Anglais, the hotel will help organise all kinds of activities including city tours, motorbike hire and tennis, as well as cookery classes preceded by a market tour to source the best and freshest ingredients.
Palais Saleya
This boutique hotel with its fresh and airy contemporary suites and apartments inhabits a 18th century building located, as the name suggests, close to the pedestrianised Cours Saleya with its famous market – perfect for stocking up on fresh seasonal produce to cook up a storm in your kitchenette.
You’re also surrounded by tempting restaurants and bars, and less than a five-minute walk from Opéra and Ponchettes beaches. The largest options sleep eight in three bedrooms, making the Palais Saleya a brilliant option for multigenerational getaways or for breaks with other family or friends.
Hôtel Suisse
A charming hotel with ironwork balconies overlooking the Promenade des Anglais from the foot of Château Hill, this boutique hotel in its handsome Italian-style building has just 38 rooms, most with sea views.
Simple and uncluttered, with mainly white decor that makes the most of the Mediterranean light, they include a splendid suite with a panoramic vista. There’s also a welcoming bar and breakfast room. In the summer, you can take advantage of the private beach just a few steps away, with loungers, parasols and cabins.
Hôtel Le Petit Palais
Tucked away up in the hills of Cimiez with glorious views down over the rest of the city, close to the Matisse and Chagall museums and to the remnants of the ancient Roman city of Cemenelum, this 25-room retreat combines an away-from-it-all feel with easy access to all the sights and attractions.
Rooms in natural hues have a low-key elegance; some have private balconies. There’s also an alluring shaded garden terrace where breakfast can be taken in the warmer months, a new heated outdoor resistance pool and a treatment room in a gazebo.
Westminster Hotel & Spa
This Riviera classic dating back more than 130 years has an exceptional Promenade des Anglais location. Its stately neo-classical facade conceals a recently restored interior that pays homage to its rich history (think frescoes and moulded ceilings) while anchoring it firmly in the 21st century.
Le Duc restaurant with its local specialities including pissaladière anchovy tart opens onto lovely sea-view terraces, as does the cosy W Bar, and there’s a spa with thalassotherapy treatments (available in a couples’ booth with a sensory shower), a sauna, a steam room, a counter-current pool with aquabikes and a chill-out space with a salt wall.
Le Méridien Nice
Where the Promenade des Anglais meets the Old Town, this large, polished resort stands out for its heated rooftop swimming pool and restaurant with panoramic sea views, serving signature cocktails and dishes like Pattedoie oysters with shallot dressing and rye bread, and Cannes Bay sea bass with lemongrass and Asian vegetables. There’s also an all-day tapas bar with live music.
Many of the contemporary rooms and suites have balconies or terraces, some with sea views; they include roomy family options with a king and two twin beds in separate areas for privacy, plus their own terrace.
Anantara Plaza
Behind this stunning Belle Epoque façade created in 1848 lies a stunning contemporary hotel with interiors by a collective including award-winning studio David Collins. All rooms and suites at the Anantara Plaza maximise the space and sparkling Mediterranean light; those on higher floors have private terraces with Baie des Anges views.
Other great spaces include a panoramic roof terrace, SEEN restaurant with its sea views and Les Colonnades with its caviar bar and gourmet local snacks. The Anantara group is famous for its wellness offerings, and the spa here doesn’t disappoint; nor does the private stretch of beach.
Hyatt Regency Nice Palais de la Méditerranée
Also on the Promenade des Anglais and opposite the beach, this is another palatial property with light-drenched interiors: polished rooms and suites in neutral hues, some with terraces, and an indoor pool, sauna and hammam.
In summer, guests at the Hyatt Regency can also enjoy a refreshing dip in the outdoor pool surrounded by loungers. As well as lunch and dinner, the Mediterranean restaurant with its sea-view terrace offers a tapas menu, kids’ dishes and popular Sunday brunches.
Residence Lamartine
This luxurious apart-hotel 10 minutes’ stroll from the Promenade des Anglais and just five from the train station offers serene self-catering studios and suites with kitchenettes or full kitchens. With a simple uncluttered decor of mainly whites but also original features such as a stunning wrought-iron central staircase, Residence Lamartine appeals to those who like to combine practicality with style.
Guests can also make use of a lounge area, a lovely little garden illuminated by lanterns at night, a fitness room and laundry facilities.
Hotel Le Grimaldi by HappyCulture
Every room is different at Le Grimaldi, a charming little hotel in the heart of the action, but each has a retro feel in elements such as wrought-iron bedsteads and patterned wallpaper, and one even has a terrace.
There are both buffet and grab-and-go breakfasts, an all-day Bon Gourmet corner of French dishes and desserts, which you can also enjoy on room service, and day-long tea and coffee in the warmly decorated lounge with its old stone fireplace.
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