Activity Reviews in Nice

The Train des Merveilles takes you from the coastline of Nice into the rugged mountains of the Vallée des Merveilles and the Mercantour National Park.

Easy to fit into a quiet afternoon when you want to escape the hustle and bustle of Nice town.

A challenging ride up a steep mountain pass to a summit of 963m, the Col de Vence is a classic cycling route of the Cote d’Azur. Starting from Nice along the Promenade des Anglais, follow the cycle path past the airport to Cagnes-Sur-Mer; you’ll know you’ve reached Cagnes-Sur-Mer when you come to a long stretch of seafront and a dangling rhinoceros (you’ll understand when you see it), turn right up Avenue General Leclerc - it’s the second road after the church.

This half-day ride takes you on a panoramic tour via four of the region’s famous sixteen “perched villages” - ancient towns built high amongst the mountains of the Alpes-Maritime. There is a fair bit of climbing involved in this ride, 1500m over just under 60km, but there are also plenty of long flowing descents where you can drink in the magnificent views of mountains in one direction and sea in the other. The biggest climb is the first one up to Aspremont, so once you’ve nailed that you can relax and take the rest nice and easy.

When Lance Armstrong describes a training route as “mythical” you know it’s not going to be easy…

This rugged coastal footpath runs from Villefranche-Sur-Mer all the way to Nice, providing excellent views of the harbour and lots of opportunities for secluded swimming and sunbathing along the way.

Each year under clear blue winter skies, a carpet of gold creeps across the rolling hills and quiet stone villages of the French Riviera. As spring approaches, the mimosa trees come into spectacular bloom in the South of France, the sprays of soft yellow flowers vivid against the sparkling Mediterranean Sea.

This half day scenic hike circles around the north side of Mont Vial, traversing a deep bowl in the Var Valley.

There are a fair few marathons along the Riviera, many of them flat cruises along the ports and harbours of the waterfront. The AS Trail de Gorbio is another kettle of fish altogether… the same 42km distance but comprising a cheeky 2895m of elevation - ooh la la.

On a sunny Tuesday morning in April I found myself getting quite lost in the maze of narrow streets and lanes in the stunning, and slightly quirky, hilltop town of Biot.

We sampled a tour of Nice on a pair of Segway's and loved it, the perfect whistle-stop way to see the city sights and have fun on your feet.

La Grande Corniche is one of the classic cycle routes of the Riviera and this ride takes you from the heart of Nice all the way to Menton on the Italian border and back.

Nice’s flagship urban park covers 12 hectares in the heart of the city, just a few minutes walk from Promenade des Anglais. Promenade du Paillon used to be a very congested and rather ugly thoroughfare where the old bus station and multi storey car park were situated. It was demolished in 2011 and a 3 year development project took place to turn it into the oasis of green open space, safe play areas and impressive water features that we enjoy today.