{"id":1168,"date":"2026-06-26T15:54:03","date_gmt":"2026-06-26T15:54:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/frenchrivieratraveller.com\/blog\/?p=1168"},"modified":"2026-06-26T15:54:05","modified_gmt":"2026-06-26T15:54:05","slug":"beat-the-heat-in-nice","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/frenchrivieratraveller.com\/blog\/beat-the-heat-in-nice\/","title":{"rendered":"Beat the Heat in Nice"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>As most of the world knows, France is suffering through a historic heat wave with temperatures reaching 40\u00b0C (104\u00b0F) in Paris. Fortunately Nice has been spared this extreme heat but it&#8217;s still very hot. We&#8217;re hovering around daytime highs of 32\u00b0-34\u00b0 (89\u00b0-93\u00b0F) with some respite at night. If the past is any guide, these temperatures are likely to continue throughout the summer.<\/p>\n<p>So, what can you do to enjoy your holiday without retreating to your air-conditioned accommodation?<\/p>\n<p>Here are some tips:<\/p>\n<h2>Hydrate<\/h2>\n<p>But you knew that staying hydrated is essential in the heat. Maybe you didn&#8217;t know that Nice has a lot of<strong> free water fountains<\/strong>. Every beach has showers and a tap for refilling your water bottle (or just splashing water on your face). There are also fountains in the underground tram stations at Alsace-Lorraine, Jean M\u00e9decin, Durandy and Garibaldi-Chateau. There are also five public fountains dispensing flat or sparkling water located on Castle hill; the Paillon promenade; at\u00a0 Cimiez Arenas; at Carras; at\u00a0 Port Lympia.<\/p>\n<h2>Air Conditioning<\/h2>\n<p>First of all, know that <strong>all <a href=\"https:\/\/www.frenchrivieratraveller.com\/Transport\/Transport.html\">public transport in Nice and the region<\/a> is air-conditioned.\u00a0<\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.frenchrivieratraveller.com\/Nice\/Transport\/gettingaround.html\">Trams and local buses in Nice<\/a> plus regional buses have highly reliable air-conditioning. Regional trains are also air-conditioned but there are occasional problems with the older trains.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.frenchrivieratraveller.com\/Nice\/Sights\/Museums.html\"><strong>Museums<\/strong><\/a> are air-conditioned. Why not check out the Chagall or Matisse museums in<a href=\"https:\/\/www.frenchrivieratraveller.com\/Nice\/Sights\/Cimiez.html\"> Cimiez<\/a>?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Shopping centers<\/strong> and many stores are well air-conditioned. Duck into Nice Etoile on avenue Jean M\u00e9decin or any of the other stores on Nice&#8217;s main shopping street for refreshing air.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Cinemas<\/strong> are also air-conditioned but, alas, not Nice Opera.<\/p>\n<p>Nice <strong>restaurants<\/strong> are not systematically air-conditioned. The <a href=\"https:\/\/frenchrivieratraveller.com\/Nice\/Restaurants.htm\">best restaurants in Nice<\/a> are air-conditioned as well as the restaurants I&#8217;ve listed that offer <a href=\"https:\/\/frenchrivieratraveller.com\/Nice\/great-lunch-deals.html\">great lunch deals.<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/guide.michelin.com\/fr\/fr\/provence-alpes-cote-dazur\/nice\/restaurants\">Michelin-noted restaurants<\/a> are also air-conditioned. When in doubt, call.<\/p>\n<h2>Beach in the Morning<\/h2>\n<p>Do as the locals do and get down to the beach early. By 10.30am the sun starts to hit hard and, as a visitor, you probably don&#8217;t have a beach umbrella. For a lengthier beach day splurge on a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.riviera-beaches.com\/Nice\/Private.html\">private beach club<\/a> which will equip you with a lounger, umbrella and frothy drinks if you wish (from \u20ac30).<\/p>\n<h2>Adjust Your Itinerary<\/h2>\n<p>The charming medieval village of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.frenchrivieratraveller.com\/Nice_to_Monaco\/Eze.html\"><strong>Eze<\/strong> <\/a>is perched on a steep hill. Most reasonably-fit adults have little difficulty with the climb in mild weather. But in summer it can be brutal as the walkway to the entrance is not shady. The west-facing Exotic Gardens of Eze are also highly exposed to the sun and there are a lot of stairs. I recommend getting there no later than 10.30am. If you can&#8217;t make it by then, skip it.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.frenchrivieratraveller.com\/Nice\/Sights\/Vieux.html\">Exploring Nice&#8217;s old town<\/a> is best done in morning but the narrow streets are shaded by buildings and thus protected from the ravages of the midday sun. Besides, there&#8217;s always an old stone church where you can rest in a relatively cool interior.<\/p>\n<p>There&#8217;s an elevator up to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.frenchrivieratraveller.com\/Nice\/Sights\/colline-du-chateau.html\">Castle Hill<\/a> but lines can be long. The stairs to the top are shady in the morning but uncomfortably exposed to the afternoon sun. But once on top, there&#8217;s shady parkland and the refreshing <strong>Cascade<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<h2>Natural Cool Spots<\/h2>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-1170\" src=\"https:\/\/frenchrivieratraveller.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/cascade.jpg\" alt=\"Cascade on Castle Hill\" width=\"600\" height=\"797\" srcset=\"https:\/\/frenchrivieratraveller.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/cascade.jpg 600w, https:\/\/frenchrivieratraveller.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/cascade-226x300.jpg 226w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Speaking of the <strong>Cascade<\/strong> on Castle Hill, it&#8217;s the coolest place in Nice! The constant spray of cold water is a lifeline in the summer.<\/p>\n<p>The <strong>fountains of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.frenchrivieratraveller.com\/Nice\/Sights\/Kids.html\">Coul\u00e9e Verte<\/a><\/strong> are perfectly refreshing even for adults. It&#8217;s easy to find a spot in the shade along this greenway which remains a few degrees cooler than central Nice even on a hot day.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-1171\" src=\"https:\/\/frenchrivieratraveller.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/fountains.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"750\" srcset=\"https:\/\/frenchrivieratraveller.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/fountains.jpg 600w, https:\/\/frenchrivieratraveller.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/fountains-240x300.jpg 240w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Why not visit one of Nice&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.frenchrivieratraveller.com\/Nice\/Vineyards.html\"><strong>vineyards<\/strong> <\/a>and tour the wine cellars? Chateau Cremat does regular cellar tours plus it&#8217;s high over Nice with reflecting pools and surrounded by greenery.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-1172\" src=\"https:\/\/frenchrivieratraveller.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/cremat-pond.jpg\" alt=\"Chateau Cremat pond\" width=\"600\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https:\/\/frenchrivieratraveller.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/cremat-pond.jpg 600w, https:\/\/frenchrivieratraveller.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/cremat-pond-300x225.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/p>\n<h2>Take a Boat Trip<\/h2>\n<p>There are a wealth of boat tours up and down the Riviera whether you&#8217;re starting point is Nice or Cannes or any other coastal town. My personal favorite is the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.getyourguide.com\/nice-l314\/from-nice-ferry-to-sainte-marguerite-island-t65358\/?partner_id=4246D&amp;utm_medium=online_publisher\">boat trip to Ile Sainte Marguerite<\/a> on the Iles de Lerins. It&#8217;s a pleasant, breezy ride out there and then the island itself has small swimming coves and tree-shaded lanes.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Check out more<a href=\"https:\/\/www.frenchrivieratraveller.com\/Itineraries\/Boat-Trips.html\"> boat trips on the French Riviera<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n<div data-gyg-href=\"https:\/\/widget.getyourguide.com\/default\/activities.frame\" data-gyg-locale-code=\"en-US\" data-gyg-widget=\"activities\" data-gyg-number-of-items=\"1\" data-gyg-partner-id=\"4246D\" data-gyg-tour-ids=\"65358\"><\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As most of the world knows, France is suffering through a historic heat wave with temperatures reaching 40\u00b0C (104\u00b0F) in Paris. Fortunately Nice has been spared this extreme heat but it&#8217;s still very hot. We&#8217;re hovering around daytime highs of 32\u00b0-34\u00b0 (89\u00b0-93\u00b0F) with some respite at night. If the past <span class=\"excerpt-dots\">&hellip;<\/span> <a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/frenchrivieratraveller.com\/blog\/beat-the-heat-in-nice\/\"><span class=\"more-msg\">Continue reading &rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1171,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1168","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-french-riviera-travel-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/frenchrivieratraveller.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1168","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/frenchrivieratraveller.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/frenchrivieratraveller.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/frenchrivieratraveller.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/frenchrivieratraveller.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1168"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/frenchrivieratraveller.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1168\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1173,"href":"https:\/\/frenchrivieratraveller.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1168\/revisions\/1173"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/frenchrivieratraveller.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1171"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/frenchrivieratraveller.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1168"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/frenchrivieratraveller.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1168"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/frenchrivieratraveller.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1168"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}