Nice & the Côte d’Azur

Suggested Itinerary

Day 1 – Guided tour of Nice

Scheduled flight to Nice from your preferred airport – guided tour of Nice takes in the narrow streets of the old town, the famous ‘Promenade’ and the heart of the city with its rich architectural and cultural heritage – transfer with our tour manager in our private executive coach to the 4* Nice Riviera Hotel in Nice – dinner at a local restaurant.

Day 2 – Chapelle du Rosaire, Fondation Maeght, Saint-Paul-de-Vence & Musée Renoir

Chapelle du Rosaire, a masterpiece of sacred art, was built between 1947 and 1951 and then decorated by Henri Matisse in gratitude to the nuns who nursed him during his illness – built in 1964 by Paris art dealers Aimé and Marguerite Maeght, Fondation Maeght with its large collection of paintings, sculptures and drawings is one of Europe’s finest museums of modern art, with paintings by artists such as Bonnard, Braque, Kandinsky and Chagall – built on a rocky outcrop and surrounded by ramparts built on the orders of Francois I, the medieval village of Saint-Paul-de-Vence is one of the most beautiful villages in Provence, inspiring numerous famous artists, writers and poets – continue to Musée Renoir in Cagnes-sur-Mer where Renoir lived for much of the later years of his life and where he took up sculpting for the first time, assisted by Richard Guino and Louis Morel.

Day 3 – Musée des Beaux-Arts, Musée Matisse & Musée Marc Chagall

Guided tour of the Musée des Beaux- Arts located in the former home of a Ukrainian princess explores works sent to Nice by Napoleon after Italy ceded the city to France in 1860 and a fine collection of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist paintings by artists such as Renoir, Monet and Dufy – guided tour at the Musée Matisse with a wonderful collection of works left by Henri Matisse to the city of Nice where he lived from 1918 to 1954 – a guided tour of the Musée Marc Chagall reveals large paintings, sculptures, stained glass windows, mosaics and tapestries depicting various biblical scenes.

Day 4 – Villa and Gardens of Ephrussi de Rothschild, Villefranche & Chapelle St Pierre

Through the art dealers and experts she befriended, Baroness Ephrussi de Rothschild sought out artworks all over the world, transforming the Villa and Gardens of Ephrussi de Rothschild at Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat into a collector’s paradise – Chapelle St Pierre at Villefranche, created in 1295 by Charles II d’Anjou, is dedicated to the fishermen’s patron saint and decorated by Jean Cocteau.

Day 5 – Nice

Time at leisure in Nice this morning – transfer to Nice airport for our scheduled flight home. 

Tour Features

4* central Nice hotel

Welcome dinner

All excursions & guided tours included

Professional tour manager

Scheduled flights to France

Executive coach in France

One free place per 10 paying passengers

Nice - guided tour

Chapelle du Rosaire

Fondation Maeght

Saint-Paul-de-Vence

Musée Renoir

Musée des Beaux-Arts - guided tour

Musée Matisse - guided tour

Musée Marc Chagall - guided tour

Villa & Gardens of Ephrussi de Rothschild

Chapelle St Pierre, Villefranche

Hotel

Four nights at the 4* Nice Riviera Hotel in central Nice. Facilities at the hotel include a bar and indoor swimming pool and all rooms are en suite. Dinner is included in a local restaurant on the first evening and the remaining nights are on bed and breakfast basis.

Tailor-make this tour

Your tailor made tour

Here are some more suggested places of interest:

  • Franciscan Monastery and Gardens - located in the fashionable Cimiez District on the hills overlooking Nice, its museum exhibits range from pictorial and sculptural artworks to manuscripts and prayer books, evoking the simplicity of the life of the monks
  • Villa Kerylos - built between 1902 and 1908 for archaeologist Theodore Reinach in imitation of an ancient Greek residence, Villa Kerylos at Beaulieu sur Mer contains lovingly reproduced mosaics, frescoes and furniture
  • Musée International d’Art Naif - the former residence of perfume creator François Coty provides a unique overview of the history of naïve painting from the 18th century to the present day
  • Musée Picasso at Antibes - a former residence of Monaco’s ruling family, in 1946 Picasso used part of the castle as a studio and in gratitude donated all 150 works completed during his stay

Tour Reviews

Reviews for Nice & the Côte d’Azur

Date of tour: September 2022

We had an excellent tour to Nice; everyone seemed to enjoy it not least because the weather was fantastic. Our tour manager managed the group well. The itinerary worked really well. Having Villa Kerylos and the Villa and Gardens of Ephrussi de Rothschild on the same day was excellent as it involved less time on the bus. The Musee Picasso and Antibes on the last morning worked well too. An absolute highlight was our guide Cecelia. She was a very knowledgeable art historian who gave us fantastic information. That's all to report. We had a really good trip so thank you for organising it.

Sue W Woking

Date of tour: October 2017

The trip to Nice went really well. The weather was perfect the whole time in Nice. The hotel was ideally situated and facilities OK. The staff were extremely helpful. Terence, our guide, was excellent, very informative, amusing and accommodating. The itinerary worked well. It was wonderful to end at the Villa Ephrussi rather than the Musee des Beaux Arts on the original plan. A fantastic place to visit. Finally, I’d like to take this opportunity to thank you and the rest of the team for all your support over the past few years. I have now resigned from the committee, so it was great to finish on such a wonderful trip and with so much positive feedback from members.

ALC, Carnforth

Date of tour: October 2017

We have just returned from a very interesting and well-organised visit to the Cote d’Azur. We had an excellent tour manager. As well as being very knowledgeable about art, he speaks excellent French and is very familiar with the area. He also recommended restaurants, bars and local dishes for our free time that all helped to make the holiday even more enjoyable. He has humour, charm and patience. The hotel reception staff were helpful, the bed comfortable with towels changed every day and plenty of hot water at all times. The main feature and the most important was its brilliant location – close to the promenade, Place Messena shops and lots of bars and restaurants. Thank you again Tailored Travel.

JC, Lancaster

Date of tour: October 2016

We had a most enjoyable holiday to Monte Carlo, Nice and the Italian Riviera with a varied itinerary. The hotel was excellent with the food for both breakfast and dinner getting 10/10 rating.

CK, Bristol

Date of tour: April 2016

Many thanks to Tailored Travel for making all the arrangements for us and a huge thank you to Sandy who was, as always, approachable, flexible and patient. It was a great trip with fullsome praise for the itinerary, Terence's management and local knowledge, an excellent hotel, delicious group supper and fabulous weather. Terence did us proud throughout. He is very professional and knowledgeable, but also flexible, friendly and good fun. The hotel was a very good choice. Everyone appreciated its location close to the promenade/sea and the old town. The manager and staff were friendly and helpful and the breakfast was good. Special requirements were met. The restaurant was also a very good choice as the meal was delicious and the service excellent. The itinerary was superb with a variety of interesting visits and plenty of free time which was much appreciated. The two local guides were good and the audio system worked well. The group was larger than previously but that worked well because there was plenty of free time and because when it was necessary we were divided into 2 groups. The trip attracted some first timers and I would expect that we'll get a good response for our next trip too.

Quotes "wonderful holiday. Well done", "great trip - itinerary was spot on", "great trip", "a very good holiday".

JY, Exeter

Call us on
020 7064 4970
to tailor this tour
for your group

Tailor make your group tour

Remember this itinerary is just our suggestion. Tailor make this tour exclusively for your group to suit your members’ budget or preferences. You could:

  • travel by Eurostar
  • stay at a 3* hotel
  • on half board basis throughout
  • for more (or fewer) days
  • include different excursions - see ‘Tailor-make this tour’ tab for suggestions
  • include UK airport coach transfers
  • bring a specialist lecturer
  • include all entrance fees & gratuities

Call us on
020 7064 4970
to tailor make the perfect tour
for your group