One Night in Nice + Monte Carlo: Is the French Riviera Overrated?

The French Riviera is one of the most desired vacation spots in the world: with Cannes being famous for its annual film festival and Monte Carlo in Monaco being known for its glitz & glam – but is this popular France vacation destination overrated?

Despite having lived in Paris for almost two years and been traveling to Europe for over 6, I had never made my way to the French Riviera – and Nice and Monte Carlo were always at the top of my list.

I took the train down to Paris, which a non-stop train from Paris to Nice is around 5 hours and 42 minutes. It’s a long ride, but worth the trip – especially if you end up staying for multiple days in a row.

First off the bat, Nice surprised me with how colorful it was. The streets are named in both French and Italian, and I even heard people speaking Italian “preggo” while I was walking the streets – and that’s because this region of France once belonged to Italy.

Nice is basically like being on the Italian Riviera (such as Cinque Terre) but being like being in France. Personally, I prefer this over the Italian Riviera – but some of that may be due to the fact I speak French and live in France.

Balcony view of Old Town Nice; June 2023

In my short time in Nice, here’s what I did and saw:

Promenade des Anglais
Old Town Nice
Place Masséna
Basilique Notre-Dame de l’Assomption
2 Hour Trip to Monte Carlo

I regret not having time to see Castle Hill or the Russian Orthodox Church, but it leaves something for next time!

Promenade Des Anglais

A 7 kilometer (about 3.5 mile) stretch from old town Nice to the airport, it’s a beautiful walk that hugs the coast. The beach is mostly made up of pebbles, but the great thing about Nice is that you can easily take a train to nearby villages such as Villefranche-sur-mer or Cap-d'ail (again, making this all very reminiscent of Cinque Terre).

Beach in Nice off of Promenade des Anglais; June 2023

Old Town Nice

If you’ve traveled around Europe, the Old Town in Nice won’t phase you too much as it won’t be anything you haven’t seen before. However, I will say – it is one of the more colorful and lively old towns in Europe that I’ve seen.

Don’t forget to get a gelato, while you’re here – as Nice has a lot of cultural elements of Italy!

Lots of sorbet options in Nice for vegans, too!

I didn’t know what to expect from Nice as many of my French friends don’t think much of it, but honestly – I was surprised by its beauty. Colorful, lively, on the water, and surrounded by hills – I think it makes for the perfect base for a French Riviera holiday.

View from Nice Riquier station; June 2023

Place Masséna

This place is probably the quintessential image you have in your head of Nice when you think of this Southern French city. It’s quite pretty and the colors reminded me of Spain, here!

Basilique Notre-Dame de l’Assomption

In retrospect, I probably should’ve headed to Castle Hill before it closed at 8PM instead of seeing this church – but I’m not mad about it, as I got to see Nice start to liven up at night.

Nice has a lot of shopping, just like Paris!

Before I did all of these things in Nice, I took a two-hour trip to Monte Carlo & Monaco!

Monte Carlo, Monaco

In my two hours in Monaco, I saw almost everything besides the Princess Grace Japanese Garden.

Porte de Fontvielle
Prince’s Palace & Old Town
Saint Nicolas Cathedral
Monte Carlo Cassino
Hotel de Paris

Right off of the bat, Monte Carlo reminded me of Luxembourg City – except more manicured and upscale.

View of Monaco walking down from Monaco train station; June 2023

Porte de Fontvielle

I arranged this walking tour so I could do everything in two hours before heading back to Nice. However, you have to be cognizant of the time and climb up all the stairs at a good speed to make it. If you stay in Nice for multiple days, you could plan a half day trip to Monaco – but more than that may have you a little bored unless you’re a millionaire willing to drop a pretty penny somewhere.

My first stop, heading down the “mountain” of Monaco – was this old port.

Porte de Fontvielle; Monte Carlo in June 2023

I was surprisingly stunned how beautiful it all was. If there’s one word for Monaco, it’s – “manicured”. I have never seen a place better well kept – and I’ve traveled to 25 countries!

View of Monte Carlo on waterfront; June 2023

View from other side of Porte de Fontvielle in Monaco; June 2023

Prince’s Palace & Old Town

Next up is the Prince’s Palace, and while I’m not a fan of castles – the VIEW heading up to Prince’s Palace is, well… priceless.

Simply stunning – a magnification view of Monte Carlo.

Similar to Nice, there’s an Old Town at the top of the hill where the palace is. It is worth a quick walk through or peek, but the Old Town is more lively in Nice – so I wouldn’t spend too much time here.

Saint Nicolas Cathedral

This was nice, but honestly – I preferred my 20 minute walk back to the heart of Monte Carlo and discovering the country/city/state more.

Every park and garden in Monaco is like a story book or fake universe – too perfect and manicured to be true.

Monte Carlo Cassino

No trip to Monte Carlo is complete without a trip to the Cassino, and yes – I did see some high-end red sports cars leaving the valet.

This is also the area where all the high end shopping is, and where the exterior shots for the Hotel de Paris were done in the Selena Gomez 2011 Movie – Monte Carlo!

View of water near Monte Carlo; June 2023

So, are Nice, Monte Carlo, and the French Riviera overrated?

I’d say it depends on what you’re looking for, but honestly – no, I don’t think the French Riviera is overrated. In fact, I think it makes for a great few days to week long getaway if you make the most of the trains and visit all of the surrounding villages.

Want to see more of Nice and Monte Carlo in action?

Watch my YouTube video below!

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