In this guide
💡 The Short Version: Nice’s beaches are pebbles. The public stretches along the Promenade des Anglais are free; the City also counts 14 private clubs that charge for a sunbed. La Plage de l’Opéra asks €30 a person with a parasol, €35 in the front row and €80 for a double bed, and you reserve on the spot. Public beaches are tobacco-free. Carras and Centenaire are adapted beaches with a free summer service. The sea averages about 24 to 26 °C from July to September. The City samples the water weekly from 1 June to 30 September. Prices are in euros. Or book a tour: the swimming and snorkelling cruisead is from €52 and the Mala Caves snorkelling boat tourad from €75 (GetYourGuide).
Public beaches and private clubs
The beaches run along the Promenade des Anglais. Anyone can use the public stretches without paying. The City lists the 14 private plots by the names below, and several clubs share their name with a public beach beside them. The list is the City’s, from its beaches page.
A private beach club below the Promenade des Anglais. Photo: GFreihalter, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
| Kind | Beaches |
|---|---|
| Public | Plage de la Réserve, Bains militaires, Ponchettes, Centenaire, Lido, Sporting, Neptune, Forum, Voilier, Florida, Poincaré, Magnan, Lenval, Fabron, Sainte-Hélène, Aubry Lecomte, Carras, Lanterne, and a public part beside several clubs |
| Private (14 plots) | Régence, Les Canailles, Cocoon Beach, La Véla, Hôtel Amour, N la Plage (Negresco), Blue Beach, Le Temps d’un Été, Bocca Mar, Ruhl, Le Galet, Beau Rivage, Opéra, Castel |
| Water sports | Riviera Nautic Sport and Nikaïa Watersports |
- What a club sells: a sunbed and parasol for the day, usually with a restaurant or bar.
- Opéra Plage’s prices: La Plage de l’Opéra, at 91 quai des États-Unis, charges €30 a person with a parasol, €35 in the front row and €80 for a double bed for two, with a towel at €7. It is open every day, the beach from 9:30 and the restaurant from 12:00 to 15:00. You reserve on the spot, and the club advises arriving in the morning for the front row. This is one club’s list, not the going rate; other clubs set their own.
- Pebbles: the beaches are galets, so beach shoes help at the water’s edge.
A public stretch of pebble beach, with Castle Hill in the distance. Photo: Zairon, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Tours worth paying for
Two boat trips combine a swim with the coast. Prices are GetYourGuide’s lowest “from” prices, per person.
French Riviera swimming and snorkelling cruise
From €52 · 2 hours · 4.6 stars from 696 reviews
From Nice: French Riviera Swimming and Snorkeling Cruisead is sold by Le Poseidon.
Mala Caves and Villefranche snorkelling boat tour
From €75 · 3 hours · 4.9 stars from 939 reviews
Nice: Mala Caves, Villefranche & Snorkeling Boat Tourad is sold by Nissa Croisières.
For a sightseeing cruise without a swim, Trans Côte d’Azur sells its own one-hour coastal cruise at €23.50 to 1 November 2026; GetYourGuide sells it from €30. The hop-on hop-off page compares the boats.
What to know
- Tobacco. All the City’s public beaches have been tobacco-free since summer 2024.
- Adapted beaches. Carras (285 Promenade des Anglais) and Centenaire (1 Promenade des Anglais) carry the Handiplage label. In summer, a municipal service with trained staff, amphibious chairs, floats and life jackets takes anyone with reduced mobility, free, with no booking and no proof.
- Dogs. Lenval beach is open to dogs, according to the tourist office.
- Water quality. From 1 June to 30 September the City takes weekly samples at 26 bathing sites and posts the results at every lifeguard post and the town hall.
- Coast paths. The City lists the Sentier du littoral, the Cap de Nice path and the Vinaigrier path as ways to see the coast.
The sea temperature
These are monthly averages of sea-surface temperature for the grid cell about 10 km off Cap Ferrat, computed from NOAA satellite data for 2016 to 2025. They are an offshore average, not a beach reading.
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| °C | 14.4 | 13.9 | 14.0 | 15.4 | 18.0 | 22.3 | 25.3 | 26.1 | 23.9 | 20.8 | 18.3 | 15.9 |
The order that works: swim in the morning from July to September, before the clubs fill. What to skip: a club’s sunbed if you only want to sit; the public stretches cost nothing.
Pebbles at the water line on a Nice beach. Photo: Thomas Woodtli, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0.
Practical information
- Getting there: the beaches are along the Promenade des Anglais; the little train and the tourist office are at the Centenaire monument. The Promenade page walks it from the airport to Castle Hill.
- Eating: most clubs have a restaurant. Where to eat in Nice lists the restaurants.
- The one thing that ruins a day: expecting sand, or expecting a club’s sunbed to be free.
Nice with kids covers the beaches for children, best time to visit Nice gives the weather by month, and free things to do in Nice lists what costs nothing. What to book in Nice has the closed days for every sight, and things to do in Nice lists the rest. For a bed by the sea, see where to stay in Nice and hotels near the Promenade des Anglais. 3 days in Nice puts a beach afternoon in the plan. For the beach against seven other cities, see beach city breaks.
Common questions
Are the beaches in Nice sand or pebbles?
Pebbles. La Plage de l'Opéra describes its beach as installed on Nice's famous pebbles. Shoes make walking into the water easier.
Are the beaches in Nice free?
The public beaches along the Promenade des Anglais are free. The City also counts 14 private beach plots, run by clubs that charge for sunbeds and parasols.
How much is a sunbed on a Nice beach?
At La Plage de l'Opéra, €30 a person with a parasol, €35 in the front row, €80 for a double bed for two, and €7 to rent a towel. It is open every day from 9:30, and you reserve on the spot; arrive in the morning for the front row. Other clubs set their own prices.
Are there adapted beaches in Nice?
Yes: Carras at 285 Promenade des Anglais and Centenaire at 1 Promenade des Anglais. A free municipal service in summer, with trained staff and amphibious chairs, needs no booking and no proof.
Can I smoke on the beaches in Nice?
No. The City's public beaches have been tobacco-free since summer 2024.
Are dogs allowed on Nice beaches?
Lenval beach is open to dogs, according to the tourist office.
How warm is the sea in Nice?
About 24 to 26 °C from July to September in recent years, and about 14 °C in February, as an offshore average from NOAA satellite data.
