7 Most Instagrammable Spots in Nice, the French Riviera's Original Resort Town

Nice was already a fixture on the European travel circuit before the rest of the Riviera existed as a tourist idea, its winter visitors going back to 18th-century English aristocrats who gave the seafront promenade its name. That long head start shows in how photogenic the city still is: a curved bay, pastel and ochre facades in the old town, and a hill at its centre offering a rooftop-level view over all of it. Here are seven spots worth the stop.

1. The Promenade des Anglais

Nice's famous seafront walkway curves for several kilometres along the Baie des Anges, its rows of blue chairs facing the water making it one of the most recognisable stretches of coastline in France.

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2. Colline du Château

The hill at the eastern end of the old town, once the site of a citadel demolished in the 18th century, is now a park whose terraces give the single best overview of Nice's rooftops, bay and mountains behind.

3. Cours Saleya market

Nice's long-running flower, produce and antiques market fills this pedestrian street each morning, its striped awnings and packed stalls of Riviera produce making it one of the most colourful corners of the old town.

4. Vieux Nice's narrow lanes

The old town's tangle of narrow streets, ochre and pastel facades and hanging laundry lines has a distinctly Italian feel, a legacy of the century Nice spent as part of the Kingdom of Sardinia before joining France in 1860.

5. Place Masséna

Nice's grand central square, laid out with a striking black-and-white checkerboard pavement, is framed by red Italianate buildings and Jaume Plensa's illuminated seated figures on tall columns after dark.

6. The Château waterfall

A man-made cascade near the base of Colline du Château, this waterfall is a popular framing device for photographs looking back toward the old town and port.

7. Quai des États-Unis and the port

The eastern continuation of the seafront, backed by colourful facades and looking out to Nice's working harbour, offers a quieter, less crowded stretch of the same coastline as the main promenade.

Traveller tips

• Nice Côte d'Azur Airport is well connected internationally and sits only a short tram or taxi ride from the city centre.
• The old town and Colline du Château are best explored on foot; the hill's terraces are reachable by lift, stairs or a gentle path.
• Cours Saleya's flower and food market runs mornings, Tuesday to Sunday, with a smaller antiques market on Mondays.
• France uses the euro; the promenade and old town get busiest around midday, so early morning or golden hour suit photography better.