What could be more enticing than spending a day at the sea relaxing on a lounge chair under the shade of a parasol while an attendant serves you frothy drinks? It’s almost the definition of summer in Nice

But how much does it cost? Can you afford it? I’ve updated the 2024 prices of all 14 private beaches in Nice and the answer is yes! If you choose carefully. It can easily cost €100 per person for a day at a central beach in Nice with lunch and beverages but there are ways to have a great experience for much less.

The cheapest beach to rent a lounge chair and parasol for the day is, once again, Opera Beach. But there and in every private beach-restaurant in Nice, you can’t bring a picnic. You have to eat in the beach restaurant. Prices on the Opera Beach menu are a little steeper than elsewhere on Nice beaches.

The best place to eat on a budget is the Hotel Amour Beach Restaurant which offers salads for as little as €15. Plus, they’re the only beach restaurant that offers a special morning price of €20 for a lounge chair and parasol from 9am to noon. For locals, the best beach time is in the morning anyway. There are several other beach-restaurants that offer a half-day price starting from 2 or 3pm.

I’ve noticed that most beach restaurants have held the line on the cost of lounge chairs and parasols which have only gone up by a couple of euros over last year. The cost of the food has risen substantially however. Many of the menus have done away with traditional Nice dishes such as Salade Niçoise or panisses. Pan bagnats are nowhere to be found, I assume because it’s hard to charge €25 for a sandwich. Instead you may find pasta or fish dressed with truffles or other deluxe product that is decidedly not local. The trend seems to be away from “eat local” and more towards “world food”.

Before deciding on an establishment I recommend that you compare prices across all the private beach restaurants in Nice and then examine the restaurant menus, most of which are now online. Now that’s an improvement.