Nice Marina: Port Walk & Yacht Watching

Nice Port
Nice Marina is full of color and local character, where you can still see traditional "pointu" fishing boats from the Riviera.

A place to visit

Pointus au port de Nice Contrary to what one might expect for such a large city, Nice's marina is relatively small. Nevertheless, it is a very pretty place and well worth a visit. The facades of the surrounding houses and their reflection in the water, combined with the blue sky, create very colourful and photogenic scenes. It is a pity, however, that Nice's marina is not more geared towards fishing and that there is a little too much concrete on the docks and the path to the lighthouse. Nothing too serious, don't worry.

A word of advice: don't go too late, not after 6 p.m. in summer, as the sun disappears quickly behind the surrounding mountains.

Walk around the harbour

Notre-Dame du Port, Nice The walk around the harbour can be done on two levels, one overlooking the harbour and the other directly at the water's edge. We recommend starting at the top and walking around the harbour via the Quai de Lunel, the Quai Papacino, the Place de l'Ile de Beauté and then the Quai des Docks, before returning to your starting point via the docks. This will allow you to discover the impressive memorial attached to the rock, the many restaurants lining the harbour and the exotic-style Notre Dame du Port church. The latter is located on Place de l'Ile de Beauté, opposite the steps leading to the docks, which has many café terraces and tea rooms.

On your return to the quays, you will discover the many fishing boats and pleasure craft.

The boats in the harbour

Les pointus, bateaux de pêche The marina in Nice is also home to many boats, starting with the "pointus", the wooden fishing boats from the beginning of the century that are typical of the Mediterranean basin. Although fishing still exists, the number of professional fishermen can now be counted on one hand. You can also admire the pleasure boats and the yachts of billionaires, always perfectly maintained and truly impressive.

The Nice lighthouse

Phare de Nice Opposite the memorial, you can walk along the concrete path leading to the Nice lighthouse, which is not particularly interesting. What is more interesting is the double view of the city, with Nice and the Promenade des Anglais on one side and the port and its quays on the other. If you are pressed for time, you can easily skip this route.