Prices last checked: Oct 27, 2026
Cheapest US departure cities for Nice right now
Every route into NCE we checked in the last week, cheapest first. Each fare is for the month and sample dates shown.
| From | Round trip | Checked | |
|---|---|---|---|
| EWRNewarkCHEAPEST | $1,032 | Oct 27 | Set a free alert |
| PHLPhiladelphia | $1,078 | Oct 27 | Set a free alert |
Observed fares from Wildly's daily check, snapshot Oct 27. Round trip, economy, for the sample dates shown; not an estimate and not a bookable offer. How we check fares
Origin guides: flights from Newark, flights from Philadelphia
When to go to Nice and what it costs
The next twelve months. Weather and crowds are from our destination research; the fare is the lowest round trip we observed for that month on any US route we check.
- October 2026Best month per researchno observation yet
- Weather
- 70°F high, 56°F low, 8 rain days
- Crowds
- medium
More rain returns but it's still mild and genuinely pleasant. The light turns golden and the hills go orange — great for photography and hiking. - November 2026$755from EWR, checked Oct 21
- Weather
- 62°F high, 49°F low, 9 rain days
- Crowds
- low
Quiet, slightly grey, and underrated for budget travelers. Hotels are at their cheapest, restaurants are uncrowded, and the city has a real local atmosphere. - December 2026$1,032from EWR, checked Oct 27
- Weather
- 56°F high, 43°F low, 7 rain days
- Crowds
- low
Cool and quiet except for the excellent Christmas markets. The Promenade feels magical and uncrowded, and you'll pay half what you'd pay in summer for the same hotel. - January 2027$707from EWR, checked Oct 21
- Weather
- 55°F high, 41°F low, 7 rain days
- Crowds
- low
Mild and often sunny by Mediterranean standards — you'll see locals eating outside on warm afternoons. Pack a jacket; mornings and evenings are genuinely cold. - February 2027$707from EWR, checked Oct 21
- Weather
- 57°F high, 42°F low, 6 rain days
- Crowds
- medium
Carnival season brings color and energy. Still cool but you'll get stretches of bright clear days that make the sea look impossibly blue. - March 2027$735from EWR, checked Oct 21
- Weather
- 61°F high, 45°F low, 7 rain days
- Crowds
- low
Spring arrives early here — mimosa is already blooming in the hills. Expect a mix of warm sunny days and blustery rainy patches, but nothing severe. - April 2027$697from EWR, checked Oct 21
- Weather
- 66°F high, 50°F low, 8 rain days
- Crowds
- medium
One of the rainier months statistically, but showers are usually short. Between rain you get gorgeous light and comfortable temps for walking the old town all day. - May 2027Best month per researchno observation yet
- Weather
- 73°F high, 56°F low, 6 rain days
- Crowds
- medium
Close to perfect — warm enough to swim if you're not squeamish (sea is about 66°F), sunny most days, and the whole coast is green and blooming. - June 2027Best month per researchno observation yet
- Weather
- 80°F high, 63°F low, 4 rain days
- Crowds
- high
Peak season begins but crowds haven't fully hit yet. Beach weather is reliable, evenings are perfect for outdoor dining, and the sea reaches a comfortable 72°F. - July 2027Worst month per researchno observation yet
- Weather
- 87°F high, 69°F low, 2 rain days
- Crowds
- very high
Hot, sunny, and absolutely mobbed. The beach is pebbles so hot you'll need shoes, and every restaurant within a block of the water is overpriced and overbooked. - August 2027Worst month per researchno observation yet
- Weather
- 88°F high, 70°F low, 2 rain days
- Crowds
- very high
Same as July but somehow more crowded — all of Paris empties out to the coast in August. Sea temperature peaks around 78°F. Book everything months in advance or don't come. - September 2027Best month per researchno observation yet
- Weather
- 81°F high, 64°F low, 5 rain days
- Crowds
- high
The best month most people don't think to book. Crowds thin out dramatically after Labor Day, the sea is still warm from summer, and prices drop noticeably.
Observed fares from Wildly's daily check, snapshot Oct 27. Round trip, economy, for the sample dates shown; not an estimate and not a bookable offer. How we check fares
Weather, crowds and best months: Wildly destination research.
Routes we watch into NCE
Each route page has the daily fare, a fare-by-month calendar and price history where we have it.
US departure cities for Nice
Origin guides for the cities with a tracked route to NCE. Each lists the cheapest live fares from that airport.
Estimate: modelled from route distance and region, not an observed fare. Observed fares, where we have them, are in the sections above.
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Estimated prices from all US cities (estimate)
Estimate: modelled from route distance and region, not an observed fare. Observed fares, where we have them, are in the sections above.
| From | Airport | Est. Price | Flight Time | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
LOWEST EST.Boston | BOS | $319 | ~9h | View → |
New York | LGA | $335 | ~9h | View → |
New York | JFK | $335 | ~9h | View → |
Newark | EWR | $336 | ~9h | View → |
Philadelphia | PHL | $342 | ~9h | View → |
Baltimore | BWI | $350 | ~9h | View → |
Washington D.C. | DCA | $353 | ~9h | View → |
Detroit | DTW | $364 | ~10h | View → |
Charlotte | CLT | $380 | ~10h | View → |
San Juan | SJU | $380 | ~10h | View → |
Chicago | ORD | $381 | ~10h | View → |
Minneapolis | MSP | $388 | ~10h | View → |
Atlanta | ATL | $398 | ~10h | View → |
Nashville | BNA | $398 | ~10h | View → |
St. Louis | STL | $401 | ~11h | View → |
Orlando | MCO | $405 | ~11h | View → |
Fort Lauderdale | FLL | $410 | ~11h | View → |
Miami | MIA | $411 | ~11h | View → |
Tampa | TPA | $412 | ~11h | View → |
Denver | DEN | $444 | ~12h | View → |
Dallas | DFW | $447 | ~12h | View → |
Houston | IAH | $453 | ~12h | View → |
Seattle | SEA | $456 | ~12h | View → |
Austin | AUS | $460 | ~12h | View → |
Salt Lake City | SLC | $461 | ~12h | View → |
Portland | PDX | $466 | ~12h | View → |
Las Vegas | LAS | $491 | ~13h | View → |
Phoenix | PHX | $494 | ~13h | View → |
San Francisco | SFO | $504 | ~13h | View → |
Los Angeles | LAX | $511 | ~13h | View → |
San Diego | SAN | $513 | ~13h | View → |
About Nice
Nice is the capital of the French Riviera and the place that made the Mediterranean coast famous in the first place — before Cannes got flashy and Monaco got obscene. It sits between the Alps and the sea, which means you can swim in the morning and hike in the hills by afternoon. The old town, Vieux-Nice, is genuinely one of the best-preserved Baroque districts in Europe, painted in those famous ochre and terracotta tones that photographers abuse on Instagram. The Promenade des Anglais stretches 7 km along the waterfront and is as beautiful in January, nearly empty, as it is in August when it's wall-to-wall tourists.
For Americans, Nice punches above its weight as a base. The airport is the third-busiest in France and surprisingly well-connected to US hubs. You can day-trip to Monaco (20 minutes by train, $4), Antibes (25 minutes, $6), or even Cinque Terre in Italy (2.5 hours). The train station sits in the center of town and serves the entire Côte d'Azur. This is a legitimately livable city, not just a resort, which means you'll find local markets, neighborhood bakeries, and restaurants where the menu isn't translated into seven languages.
Food is the underrated reason to come here. Nice has its own distinct cuisine — socca (chickpea flatbread from a wood-fired oven), pissaladière (onion tart with anchovies), salade niçoise made properly with tuna, olives, and hard-boiled eggs, not the sloppy version you get everywhere else. The Cours Saleya market runs every morning except Monday and sells produce that tastes like produce is supposed to taste. Eat at the stalls, not the sit-down restaurants that flank the market — you'll spend a quarter of the price.
Pricing is where Nice surprises people. It's significantly cheaper than Paris for hotels and food, and for a coastal European city of this caliber, it's a relative bargain compared to the Amalfi Coast or Santorini. That said, July and August are brutal — crowds, heat, inflated prices, and a beach packed so tight with sun loungers you can barely see the pebbles. The sweet spot is May, June, or September, when the weather is perfect, the water is warm, and you can actually book a table at a good restaurant without reservations made three weeks in advance.
Best Time to Fly to Nice
Click any month for the destination guide's weather, crowd, and festival notes.
Airport to City: How to Get There
The cheapest and easiest option is Bus 98 (Lignes d'Azur), which runs directly from both terminals to Nice-Ville train station and the city center in about 30 minutes for €1.70 — buy your ticket from the machine at the stop. Tram Line 2 connects the airport (both terminals) to the city center and runs until around midnight, taking about 20 minutes to Jean-Médecin/Garibaldi for €1.70. Taxis are metered with fixed zone rates: €32 to most city-center hotels (daytime), €38 at night or on weekends — insist on the meter if a driver quotes you a higher flat rate.
Neighborhoods & Where to Stay
The baroque heart of the city with narrow pedestrian lanes, the Cours Saleya market, and the best concentration of authentic restaurants. Stay here if you want to walk to everything and be woken up by market vendors setting up at 6am — it's worth it. Hotels are mid-range to boutique; look at Hotel La Pérouse for splurge or the smaller B&Bs on Rue Rossetti for value.
The seafront strip is where the big hotels live — the Negresco, the Hyatt Regency, the Anantara. You're paying a serious premium for sea views and the ability to walk out your door and onto the beach. The Negresco is genuinely worth a drink at the bar even if you're not staying there.
The residential hilltop neighborhood above the city where Matisse lived and painted, now home to the Matisse Museum (free first Sunday of the month). Quieter and cooler in summer with great views and almost no tourists. Good for apartment rentals via Airbnb for longer stays; you'll need the bus or a 20-minute walk down to the waterfront.
The real local Nice, north of the train station, where you'll find the Marché du Cours Saleya overflow and streets full of halal butchers, Vietnamese restaurants, and zero tourist menus. Best budget hotels in the city are here — Hotel Durante has a garden and costs half what you'd pay near the beach.
The upscale residential headland east of the port with the best panoramic views of Nice and the bay from its hilltop park. Almost exclusively private villas and high-end vacation rentals — if you want a villa with a pool overlooking the Mediterranean without Monaco prices, this is your answer.
Daily Budget: What to Expect
$25 hostel dorm at Villa Saint-Exupéry Beach, $20 food (socca at Chez Pipo for $5, baguette sandwich for $6, cheap pasta dinner near the station for $12), $5 transit on tram and bus, $15 one paid activity or beach chair, $15 miscellaneous
$100 mid-range hotel in Vieux-Nice or Libération, $60 food (market breakfast $8, casual lunch $18, sit-down dinner with wine $35), $10 transport, $30 museum entry or day-trip train ticket to Monaco or Antibes
$300 sea-view room at Anantara or Hotel Negresco, $150 food (café breakfast, lunch at Le Chantecler or comparable, dinner with wine pairing at a gastronomic restaurant), $30 private transfers, $70 activities including boat excursion or guided tour
What to Eat in Nice
Socca at Chez Pipo (13 Rue Bavastro, open since 1923) — a thick, smoky chickpea crepe cooked in a wood-burning oven and served in wedges with black pepper. Arrive before 12:30 or after 2pm to avoid the line. Cost: about €3-4 for a generous portion.
Pan Bagnat from the Cours Saleya market stalls — Nice's version of a pressed sandwich, the original salade niçoise in bread form with tuna, olives, anchovies, hard-boiled egg, and olive oil. This is the correct lunch and it costs about €5.
Pissaladière from any of the bakeries in Vieux-Nice (try Maison Barale on Rue Sainte-Réparate) — a thin dough topped with caramelized onions, olives, and anchovies, served by the square. It's savory, slightly sweet, and completely unlike anything you've had. About €2 a slice.
Bouillabaisse at La Mère Germaine in the nearby port area or Les Pêcheurs at Cap d'Antibes — proper Provençal fish stew with rouille and croutons, not the watery tourist imitation. Budget €40-55 per person for the full experience with wine; it's a ritual, not a quick meal.
Daube Niçoise (beef braised in red wine with olives and herbs) at La Rossettisserie on Place Rossetti in the old town — they serve it with fresh pasta and it costs about €22. The place smells like the south of France should smell, and the square outside is one of the best people-watching spots in the city.
Flying from the US to Nice
Airlines & Routes
- →Delta nonstop from JFK (seasonal, summer only, ~10 hours)
- →United via Newark connecting through Paris CDG or Frankfurt
- →American Airlines via Philadelphia or JFK connecting through London Heathrow or Paris CDG
- →Air France via Paris CDG (codeshare from most major US cities, 1-stop)
- →Lufthansa via Frankfurt or Munich (1-stop from multiple US cities)
- →British Airways via London Heathrow (1-stop)
- →Iberia via Madrid (1-stop, often the cheapest routing from the East Coast)
- →TAP Air Portugal via Lisbon (1-stop, competitive pricing from East Coast)
- →Norse Atlantic via Paris CDG or London Gatwick (budget transatlantic option)
Flight Duration
Safety Tips
Nice is safe by European standards but pickpocketing is a real issue on the Promenade des Anglais, in the train station, and on the tram. Keep your phone in a front pocket and don't leave bags on chair backs in restaurants. The area around the train station (particularly north of it) gets sketchy at night — stick to the lit main streets if you're heading back late. The beach is pebbles, not sand, so bring water shoes or rent them for €3 at any beach stand. July 14th (Bastille Day) on the Promenade draws enormous crowds — be aware of your surroundings and stay with your group. Driving in Vieux-Nice is pointless; almost all of it is pedestrianized and you'll just pay for parking you don't need.
Buy a 10-trip tram/bus carnet at any Lignes d'Azur office or vending machine for €15 — each trip works out to €1.50 vs €1.70 single, and it covers both tram lines and all city buses. More importantly: the regional train from Nice-Ville to Monaco runs every 30 minutes, takes 20 minutes, and costs €4.30 each way. The equivalent bus journey takes 45 minutes and costs the same. Skip the overpriced organized day-trip tours to Monaco entirely — just hop the train, walk up to the palace, eat a Monégasque lunch, and be back in Nice for dinner. You'll save €50 and have a better day.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which US city has the cheapest flights to Nice right now?
Newark (EWR): $1,032 round trip for December on Air Canada / Brussels Airlines, checked Oct 27. That was the lowest of 2 US routes into NCE in our daily check.
What is the cheapest month to fly to Nice?
April 2027 had the lowest observed fare: $697 round trip from EWR, checked 2026-10-21. Months without an observation are marked as such in the grid above; we do not estimate them.
What is the best time to visit Nice?
May, June, September, October per Wildly destination research, based on weather and crowd levels rather than airfare. The months it rates worst are July, August.
Do US citizens need a visa to visit Nice?
Americans get 90 days visa-free in France and the Schengen Zone on a valid US passport — no tourist visa required. Starting in 2026, ETIAS (European Travel Information and Authorization System) is required before arrival; apply online for €7, takes minutes to complete, and is valid for 3 years. Your passport must be valid for at least 3 months beyond your planned departure from Europe. There are no entry requirements beyond a valid passport and ETIAS authorization for leisure trips under 90 days. Source: Wildly destination research; verify with the destination's official immigration authority before booking.
How long is the flight from the US to Nice?
East Coast: 10 hours nonstop (JFK-NCE, Delta summer seasonal) / 12-15 hours with one connection via Paris, London, or Frankfurt. Midwest: 13-16 hours with one connection via major European hub from Chicago O'Hare or Chicago Midway. West Coast: 16-19 hours with one connection via European hub from LAX or SFO; plan an overnight in Paris if the connection is tight. Source: Wildly destination research.
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