Nice has plenty of reasonably-priced places to stay as well as a sprinkling of luxury palaces. Hotels in Nice.run the gamut from hostels to five-star. The most expensive places are closest to the beach (what did you expect?) and the cheapest are around the train station. The busiest season is, of course, July and August but Easter can fill up too as university students head down for a winter break. Carnival week in February is another time when you might have some difficulty finding a hotel. See more about when to go to the French Riviera.
The cheapest place to stay in Nice is in one of the well-maintained hostels. Many offer private rooms with en suite facilities. The vast majority of hostels are located around the train station with a smattering on either side of avenue Jean Médecin.
An increasingly popular alternative is to stay in private accommodation. Many local residents have bought and renovated apartments to be used as vacation rentals. Some take off for the mountains in the summer and rent out their own apartments. Renting a flat instead of a hotel room can offer substantial savings.
Those on a super-strict budget will probably find themselves staying around the Nice train station where most of the budget hotels are located. With the opening of the new Nice tramway, it's a breeze to get down to the beach as the tramway runs in a straight line down to the Place Massena near the beach.
If you plan to partake of Nice nightlife, you want to stay as close to the Old Town (Vieux Nice) as possible. There is an enormous selection of private accommodation available in the Old Town but very few hotels and no hostels.
The hotels lining the Promenade des Anglais include the old classics such as the Hotel Negresco, Palais de la Mediteranée, Hotel Royal, West End, Westminister. Imbued with history and graced with high ceilings, here is where you can experience Nice's Golden Age while enjoying a panoramic view of the sea.
Only steps from ave Jean Médecin and on streets full of boutiques and shops, this area is a prime choice for shopaholics. From here it's an easy walk to almost anywhere you want to go from the train station to the Old Town to the Promenade.
Filled with stately neo-classic architecture and tree-lined streets, this neighborhood is considered an extremely desirable place to live and it also makes for a great place to spend a holiday. There are some fine hotels here, both old and new and it's an easy walk to avenue Jean Médecin and the train station.
Need to get away from the hurley-burley of central Nice? Head to West Nice for a quieter scene. Hotel prices become decidedly more reasonable the further west you go and the beaches are less crowded. The disadvantage is that dining options are more limited and it can be a long walk back home at night. Remember that Nice buses stop their regular service around 9pm.
Staying near Nice Airport has obvious advantages if you have an early flight. It can be a moneysaver as well when you consider that a taxi to the airport from central Nice can run up to €30. Dining options are few and the neighborhood is short of the kind of charm that makes you want to explore.
