Table of Contents
Nice beaches stretch like a necklace all along the Baie des Anges (bay of Angels) from Nice Airport on the western edge to the foot of Mont Boron in the east, a distance of nearly 10km. The gentle curve of the bay tantalizes with a view as far as Villefranche-sur-Mer in the east and the Esterel mountains in the west. Moving inland, the terrain rises steadily behind the city to become the foothills of the Alps, a stunning backdrop to the azure sea. See more about visiting Nice.
Even with 10km of coastline, not one single Nice beach is sandy! Nice beaches are composed of large pebbles called galets. Dealing with the galets is most difficult when you come out of the water. The beach is not level and often it's necessary to climb a little mound of galets to reach your towel. To help matters, the city has installed special ropes on four beaches: Ponchettes, Centenaire, Blue Beach and Sainte Helene. Just grab onto the rope and haul yourself out!
For centuries, three rivers have brought these stones from the mountains to the coast. The Var river, west of the airport, is the largest, followed by the Peillon at Centenaire beach and the tiny Magnan creek at Magnan beach. Each winter storms erode the beach and each spring bulldozers with new stones arrive to reclaim it from the sea. Although it would be possible to refill the beaches with sand instead of stones, the locals won't hear of it! Galets are a part of Nice's natural heritage so the galets are here to stay.
[See more on dealing with Nice's galets]
Though the galets rule out long walks on the beach, there's always the Promenade des Anglais, the beachside promenade that runs 5km along the sea. From power walks to gentle strolls, whether on skates or a bike, to experience the Prom' is to understand Nice.
In these pages, you'll discover everything you need to know about Nice beaches including the best beaches, sports beaches , safety, rules, cleanliness, water temperatures, but first a great map.
Map of Nice Beaches
Public Beaches
Click the image for all details.
Castel
Home of Castel private beach restaurant.
Ponchettes
Opera
Home of Opera private beach restaurant
Beau Rivage
Home of Beau Rivage private beach restaurant
Centenaire
Home of Le Galet private beach restaurant
Ruhl
Home of Ruhl private beach restaurant
Lido
Home of Bocca Mar beach restaurant
Sporting
Home of Le Temps d'Eté beach restaurant
Blue Beach
Home of Blue beach private beach restaurant
Neptune
Home of Bella Nissa beach restaurant
Forum
Home of Hotel Amour Plage private beach restaurant
Voilier
Home of La Vela beach restaurant
Florida
Poincare
Magnan
Lenval
Home of Cocoon private beach restaurant
Fabron
Home of Les Canailles private beach restaurant
Sainte Helene
Home of Regence private beach restaurant
Aubry LeComte
Carras
La Lanterne
Bains de la Police
Bains Militaire
La Reserve
Coco Beach
Private Beach Restaurants
Castel
Opera
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Beau Rivage
Le Galet
Ruhl
Bocca Mar beach restaurant
Blue Beach
N La Plage
Hotel Amour Plage
La Vela
Cocoon
Les Canailles
Regence
Here is a complete list of all Nice's public and private beaches:
Private Beach Prices 2024
Stay near the Prom'!
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