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The Best Time to Visit Nice

Nice gets around 300 sunny days a year, which makes the question less about whether the weather will hold and more about crowds and price. September is the local secret: the sea is at its warmest after a summer of heating, the beaches empty out, and hotel rates fall off a cliff the week the French holidays end.

See hotels in NiceLive prices for your dates
By Alice5 min readPublished
Table of contents
The Baie des Anges and the coastline curving toward Nice on the French Riviera
Photo: Txllxt TxllxT · CC BY-SA 4.0

In Brief

When is the best time to visit Nice?

September is the best time to visit Nice - the sea is at its warmest of the whole year after summer, the crowds thin sharply once French holidays end, and hotel prices drop while days still reach 25°C. May and early June are the next best, warm and sunny before the peak. July and August are hot, packed and expensive. Winter is mild at around 13°C, very cheap, and February brings the Nice Carnival.

Key takeaways

  • September is the sweet spot: warmest sea of the year, far fewer people, and noticeably lower prices.
  • July and August are peak - hot, crowded beaches and the highest hotel rates of the year.
  • The sea is too cold for most people to swim from November to May, whatever the air temperature says.
  • Nice Carnival in February fills the city for two weeks; book well ahead or avoid those dates.

Best time to go

May-June & September

Cheapest time

November-March

When to avoid

August

Nice climate at a glance

Avg daytime high (°C / °F) · rainfall · season
Peak seasonGreatShoulder / valueOff-peakmore drops = wetter
  • 13°55°F
    Jan
  • 13°55°F
    Feb
  • 15°59°F
    Mar
  • 17°63°F
    Apr
  • 21°70°F
    May
  • 25°77°F
    Jun
  • 28°82°F
    Jul
  • 28°82°F
    Aug
  • 25°77°F
    Sep
  • 21°70°F
    Oct
  • 17°63°F
    Nov
  • 14°57°F
    Dec

Find your month

Every month in Nice is rated for weather, crowds and price. Drag the slider to find your sweet spot - the greener the month, the better value the trip.

Sweet spot - best value

Cheapest window: November-March

January: $ · Low crowds · 13°C, mild, some rain

See January hotels
Flights to NiceCompare fares for your month on Trip.comHotels in NiceBook earlier for peak-season datesThings to doTours & tickets in Nice

Nice month by month

Every month rated for weather, crowds and price, so you can match the trip to the month.

Peak seasonGreatShoulder / valueOff-peak
MonthWeatherCrowdsPriceWhat it's like
Jan13°C, mild, some rainLow$Mild for Europe and very cheap, with clear bright days between showers. Good for the Old Town and museums, not the beach.
Feb13°C, mild, brightModerate$$Carnival takes over the city for two weeks with parades and flower battles - the one time winter prices spike.
Mar15°C, mild, sunnyLow$Spring starts early on the Riviera. Warm in the sun, cool in the shade, and the hills behind the city turn green.
Apr17°C, warm, sunnyModerate$$Pleasant walking weather and blossom along the coast, though the sea is still cold. Easter week is busier.
May21°C, warm, sunnyModerate$$One of the two best months - warm, dry and green, with terraces open and the coast not yet full.
Jun25°C, hot, dryHigh$$$Summer arrives with long days and the sea finally swimmable. Busy but not yet the August crush.
Jul28°C, hot, dryPeak$$$Hot and packed, with the Nice Jazz Festival mid-month. Beaches are full by mid-morning and prices are at their highest.
Aug28°C, hot, humidPeak$$$The month to avoid if you can - all of France is on holiday, the coast is at its most crowded and some restaurants close.
Sep25°C, warm, dryModerate$$The best month. The sea is at its warmest all year, crowds vanish after the first week and prices fall.
Oct21°C, mild, showersLow$$Still warm and swimmable early in the month, with autumn light and very few visitors. Rain becomes more likely.
Nov17°C, mild, wetLow$The wettest month, but mild and cheap. Good for museums, markets and day trips inland when the sun breaks through.
Dec14°C, mild, mixedLow$Christmas markets on Place Masséna and mild days by European standards. Quiet, cheap and pleasant for a city break.

When to book Nice

On the table above, Jan, Mar, Nov and Dec sit in the bottom price band and Jun, Jul and Aug in the top one. Find the row that sounds like your trip.

Booking windows for Nice, by what the traveller wants
If you wantMonthsWhy
The best trip for the moneyApr, May and OctRated good above without hitting the top price band, so you are not paying peak rates for the conditions.
The lowest price, whatever the weatherJan, Mar, Nov and DecThe bottom price band. Check the weather column first, because some of these are cheap for a reason.
Peak season anywayJul and SepBusiest and dearest. This is the window where booking early changes the price, not just what is left.
To know what to skipAugRated off-peak here. The low price is the compensation, not a bargain.
Check Nice hotel pricesSee what Apr, May and Oct actually costs for your dates
  • Free cancellation on most rooms
  • No booking fee
  • Prices on Trip.com

Time it right: Nice's seasonal highlights

  • Nice Carnival

    February

    Two weeks of parades, illuminated floats and flower battles - the biggest event in the Nice calendar and the one time winter rates rise.

  • Nice Jazz Festival in Nice

    Nice Jazz Festival

    July

    Five nights of concerts in the gardens and squares of the centre, drawing big international names in the middle of peak season.

  • Warmest sea of the year in Nice

    Warmest sea of the year

    August-September

    The Mediterranean takes all summer to heat up, so September swimming is better than June - the sea holds around 23-24°C.

  • Menton Lemon Festival

    February

    A short train ride along the coast, with vast sculptures built from lemons and oranges - an easy half-day trip from Nice.

Best time to visit Nice: FAQ

The timing questions travelers ask most before booking.

September, for most people. The Mediterranean takes the whole summer to warm up, so the sea is at its best in September rather than June, and once the French holidays end in the first week the beaches and restaurants empty out while the weather still reaches around 25°C. Hotel prices drop noticeably at the same time. If September does not suit, May is the other strong pick: warm, dry and green, with terraces open and the coast not yet full.

November through March, excluding the Carnival fortnight in February. Flights and hotels are at their lowest, the city is quiet, and the weather is mild by European standards at around 13-17°C - enough for the Old Town, the markets and the museums, though not for the beach. November is the wettest month of the year. If you want cheap but still warm, late September and October give you swimmable sea at shoulder-season prices.

From roughly June to October, and best in August and September when it reaches about 23-24°C. The Mediterranean here lags the air temperature by a couple of months, which catches people out - May can feel warm on land while the sea is still bracing, and September feels cooler in the air but the water is at its peak. From November to May most people find it too cold. Note that Nice's beaches are pebble rather than sand, so water shoes help.

If you have any flexibility, yes. August is when the whole of France takes its holiday, so the Riviera is at its most crowded, hotel rates peak, beaches fill by mid-morning and some family-run restaurants close for the month. The weather is excellent, at around 28°C, but you are paying the most for the least comfortable version of the city. Shift a few weeks later into September and you get warmer sea, thinner crowds and lower prices.

Yes, for a certain kind of trip. Winter highs sit around 13-14°C with plenty of bright days, which is exceptionally mild for Europe, and prices are at their lowest. You get the Old Town, the flower market, the Matisse and Chagall museums and the Promenade des Anglais without any crowds, plus easy day trips to Monaco and the hill villages. What you do not get is beach weather. February is the exception on price, when Carnival fills the city.

Three days covers the city comfortably: the Old Town and the flower market, Castle Hill for the bay view, the Promenade des Anglais, and the Matisse and Chagall museums. Add two more and Nice becomes a base for the whole Riviera - Monaco, Èze, Antibes, Cannes and Menton are all short train rides along a spectacular coastal line, which is the real argument for staying put rather than moving hotels.

Staying in Nice? Book the area before the hotel

Picking the month is half of the decision. The other half is the area, because that is what sets how far you walk and what a room costs. We have no area guide for Nice yet, so start here:

Compare all hotels in NiceLive rates for the dates you picked
  • Free cancellation on most rooms
  • No booking fee
  • Prices on Trip.com

Continue Planning Your Trip

Photo credits (2)

Photos via Wikimedia Commons, used under their respective licences.

  • Nice Jazz Festival: Jean-Pierre Dalbéra from Paris, France - CC BY 2.0 · source
  • Warmest sea of the year: Thomas Woodtli from Zürich, Switzerland - CC BY-SA 2.0 · source