Mountain Bike Trails in Nice — 4 of Our Favourites

Discover the top Nice biking routes

The French Riviera countryside near to Nice has a real mixture of terrain and trails - something for riders of every ability, from complete beginners to the hard-core expert downhill riders.

Find loads of top tips and local insights in our Nice Mountain Biking Guide.

1. Mountain Biking in Sospel

Just 45 minutes from Nice in the beautiful Bévéra valley, Sospel is a haven for mountain bikers of all types, from the serious downhillers to the enduro buffs. You can expect dry and exposed rocky trails through shrub-covered ground and lush wooded areas.

Great resort for technical single track or to put in some winter downhill training. There’s a bike-park, a year round downhill trail and some graded XC trails making up a total of 150km of riding.

The year-round mild climate and low rainfall make great conditions for mountain biking. With loads more quality riding in the vicinity, not to mention across the border in Italy, this is a must-do trip when the weather is miserable back home.

Due to the geology and natural terrain of the area you will find that it is a mix of nice easy climbs on forest tracks and technical rocky singletrack descents. But not suitable for beginners. The network of 150km waymarked trails from green to black has been created by the FFC.

2. Mountain Biking Trails of Pays des Paillons, Peille

Open all year, this trail centre has been marked and sign posted by the FFC (French Cycling Federation), and offers not only great mountain biking but also amazing scenery.

With marked circuits and 522km of trails, this is a wonderful destination that is only 20 minuites drive from Nice. To suit all abilities the trails have been graded from very easy (green), easy (blue) to difficult (red) and for experts only (black).

3. Mountain Bike Park Haute Roya, Tende

Situated on the France/Italy border, on the edge of the Mercantour National Park, you will find this dedicated mountain bike park with paths, trails and single track that will bring you to an area with fantastic panoramic views, lush forest and woodland.

The French Cycling Federation have waymarked the trails here and they are graded for bikers from very easy, to easy, difficult and very difficult, depending one the terrain, the length and technical aspects of the circuits. They are all available to look at online or on the maps provided at the bike park.

4. EVO Bike Park, Digne-les-Bains

EVO encompasses DH trails, freeride and dirt jumps. Created by local riders and supported by some of France's pro riders, this bike park is a real treat for the mountain biking community.

From blue runs all the way through to double black trails for the experienced riders, this park is for people of all levels of riding. Conditions in this part of France allow the centre to be open almost all year round, with no closure during the normal 'low seasons'.

An uplift service is available via vehicles with trailers to transport you to the top of the trails. The trails have been compared to those of Whistler and the Coast gravity Park, with good flow, great shape and prefect berms.

All this just a two hour drive from the biggest city in Southern France, Nice.