Nice, France

Nice makes the perfect family friendly place to visit any time of the year.

When most people think of the French Riviera they envision wealthy celebrities walking the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival, or Formula One cars zooming around the streets of Monte Carlo during the Monaco Grand Prix. The South of France however, is also a great destination for families with small children. The beaches are stunning, the food is delicious and suitable for all palettes (even picky toddlers), and the amazing parks, and beautiful views truly can not be beat.

I suggest making Nice your home base. You can easily visit much of the Cote d’Azur from Nice using public transport. The trains are amazing and you can be at any number of charming cities on the coast in less than an hour. Our 3 boys LOVE trains, so anytime we can use that as our transportation method, that’s a treat in itself. We took the train from Paris. The fastest option is the direct high-speed TGV, which departs Paris Gare de Lyon and arrives at Nice Ville station in just 5 1/2 hours. The countryside is just breathtaking, and we all enjoyed the relaxing journey.

We arrived around 7pm, so we dropped off our bags at our Airbnb in Old Town and grabbed some dinner at Mama Mia Saleya. It was the most delicious Italian food and one of our favorite meals! Our kids always love pizza and pasta. We ended up eating here more than once.

We all went to bed an early to get some good sleep before our first full day there. Our first day was a Monday morning so the Cours Saleya was turned into an antique market. The kids loved browsing for treasures and getting some fresh squeezed orange juice before we went to Castle Hill.

Nice, France

Old Town Nice, Fr

This is the one area where we always try to find our accommodations. It’s easily walkable and it is a great central location to explore from. There are numerous parks, playgrounds, and food options at your doorstep, and it’s close proximity to the Old port and train station. I could spend the whole day just wandering the streets of the Old Town, the vibe and energy is fantastic and there are a lot of things for the kids to explore. From cute little leather shops to amazing restaurants, outdoor cafes, the flower and food markets, countless chocolate shops and bakeries, and other local shops….this place has everything for you and for kids.

The centerpiece is the Cours Saleya: a massive market square that’s permanently thronging in summer. The food market is perfect for fresh produce and yummy foodie souvenirs, while the flower market is definitely worth visiting just for the colors and fragrances. We bought bars of fresh lavender soap from Provence and some beautiful little hand painted bowls for olives.

Promenade des Anglais

If want you want a more active morning than strolling the markets or laying on the beautiful, pebbled beach staring at the blue Gatorade water, you can rent children’s scooters, bikes, skateboards, or even roller skates at the Roller Station. Riding up and down the promenade, you can spend the whole day treating your eyes with the stunning vistas of the Mediterranean Sea. Pro Tip: Even though you might find a number of rest stops available at the Promenade, don’t forget you have to pay at most of the public toilets to use them, usually one euro.

Menton

Our other favorite day was our day trip down to Menton. The most colorful seaside town close to the Italian border offers plenty to do for everyone. Take the train going to Ventimiglia (Ventimille) and get off at the Menton stop. Tickets cost ~6€ one way. We shopped for lemon everything, which is the town’s specialty….Lemon-infused Olive oil, lemon soaps, limoncello, etc. Lemon growing is a huge part of Menton’s culture and economy. It is one of the warmest places on the coastline (and has over 300 days of sunshine a year) which makes it perfect for growing gorgeous lemon trees that you will see everywhere! Pro Tip: If you visit towards the end of February, stop by the legendary lemon festival held there every year. (Fête du Citron) We spent the rest of the day just wandering the narrow colorful streets and enjoying lunch and playing at the beach. The view of the town from the beach is even more beautiful in person. The kids were in heaven and still talk about how much fun they had that day.