Nice, the most glittering city on the French Riviera, has long held a close connection with British, American and other international homebuyers. See why we keep coming to this sundrenched corner of France, to buy a property in Nice.

From F Scott Fitzgerald to W Somerset Maugham, from Elton John to Bono, the cultural jetset have lived in Nice and the hills that surround it, gazing down on the sparkling Mediterranean.

Glamorous, sophisticated and beautiful, Nice is one of those cities that many of us would love to live in. Queen Victoria was one of those. She loved the city and credited her long winter visits with making her feel at her best. Some international celebrities never left, including American dancer Isadora Duncan.

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Nice is a city of around 350,000 people, capital of the Alpes-Maritimes department, within the region of Occitaine. Roughly 50,000 of the resident population is from overseas,

Nice is a seaside city with a long season. Even in late October you can be swimming in the sea (which really is more azure than most seas!). Winter time can be as interesting and vibrant as the summer, Indeed, February is one of the busiest months in Nice, with the annual carnival taking place.

It oozes culture, with art galleries devoted to former residents Matisse and Chagal. And even if your French is a little rusty, that won’t be a problem in NIce’s museums, shops and art galleries.

It is also a well connected city, with ferries to Corsica, Monaco a short cycle ride down the road and Italy only a little further. Its airport is the third busiest in France, and air traffic from the USA increased by 44% between 2023 and 2024, with direct flights from several US airports.

If you are looking for a French “home from home” where you can easily fit in and be embraced by an international community, as well as a French one, Nice may just be for you.

The Promenade des Anglais

Whatever people may say about the French attitude to Brits, you can tell that there is at least some mutual affection from Nice’s best known landmark. Nice’s main promenade was renovated in 1820 by the Reverend Way, an English barrister and churchman. Reverend Way was taken with the beauty and elegance of Nice and donated money for the construction of the promenade.

Promenade des Anglais in Nice, your Mediterranean home from home

A stroll along the promenade, with the sea on one side and grand hotels and fine architecture on the other, beautiful people all around you, spilling out of sumptuous restaurants and beach bars… life doesn’t get much better!

The Old Town

Away from the boulevards and grand squares, Nice’s Old Town (Vieux Nice) offers a lovely mix of alleyways and cobbled streets. Stop for a coffee and enjoy people watching. You will hear plenty of British and American accents, but people tend to behave impecccably in this grand and sophisticated city. Browse the quirky little shops and incredible flower market, eat a socca on the way. It’s a traditional Nicoise street food, but a bit like pizza.

Colourful houses in Nice’s old town

Indeed there is a certain Italian feel to the architecture too. After all, we are only 20 miles from Italy, and the city has only been French since 1860. Until then it had been Italian. Nice Cathedral is in the Old Town. It is a marvellous testament to baroque design, with its ornate chapels, paintings and sculptures. The Cours Saleya market is also here, selling fresh foods and flowers daily.

Owning a property in Nice means you can just pop down for your fresh flowers.

Nice’s expat community

Nice is one of the most popular places in France for British and indeed other expats to live, with some 15% of the population from overseas. There are plenty of organisations aimed at expats. One such is “Meet Up” Nice / Cannes/Antibes/Monaco- Expat, New In Town or Local? | Meetup which arranges social occasions and events for its members.

There are several smaller outfits in the surrounding villages and towns however which cater for helping new arrivals integrate. Enquire at your local mairie for details.

Read about one of Your Overseas Home’s readers and her experience of buying and living in NIce.

Don’t forget to grab some socca to munch as you peruse the market (Jeff Whyte / Shutterstock.com)

The climate in Nice

Nice has hot summers and mild winters. The spring and autumn are maybe when the city is at its most beautiful. The climate attracts people of all ages to the whole area, particularly retired folk seeking more benign weather than what is usually on offer in the UK or North America.

But go just a few miles inland and you’re skiing in winter. Indeed Nice’s nearby ski area has just been awarded the 2030 Winter Olympics. This is very much a city where you can ski in the morning and swim in the afternoon. Even in winter sea temperatures are around 14C, which isn’t far off the English Channel’s temperature in high summer.

Buying property in Nice

Nice is one of the pricier regions of France to buy a home – but then again you may have Bono as a neighbour. The arrival of the Amderican market in particular has sent prices of property in Nice higher in recent years, by as much as 15%, to an average of over €5,000 per square metre.

However, a property in Nice will be slightly cheaper than other towns in the French Riviera such as Cannes or St. Tropez, and is much cheaper than Monaco.

Although prices of property in Nice are high in areas like Mont Boron and the Promenade des Anglais, you can still find houses and flats at a reasonable cost. An increasingly popular but still affordable area by the sea is Fabron, closer to the airport. Also try looking a little further inland. A budget of around €350,000 will find you a two- to three-bedroom apartment. Prices hold their own here and there is an excellent rental market too, making this a great investment.

Queen Victoria loved the city and credited it with making her feel at her best whenever she visited.

Check out some of our properties for sale in Nice, here, with prices from just over €200,000. We also have some outstanding new-build homes from exciting designers, from just €325,000.

There are also villages in the hinterland that benefit from easy travel connections via Nice airport.

A property in Nice, especially in the Old Town, undoubtedly offers the chance to make money from short-term rental.

Cultural and natural attractions

Nice is a stimulating city with a huge amount on offer for all tastes. It has an abundance of museums, art galleries, theatres and cinemas. And of course Cannes, just 20 miles down the road, has its film festival in May.

Nature and sports lovers are well catered for here (at a price). There are several yacht clubs, including just around the headland in Villefranche-sur-Mer. Watersports clubs have become very popular in recent years. There are numerous hiking and biking trails when the ski season ends. France is seriously switched on to making its ski resorts as attractive in the other three seasons as they are in summer.

Getting to Nice

Nice is well served in terms of public transport and there is little need of a car. There is an excellent tramway in the city, part of the Lignes d’Azur network, and a very good bus service. There is also the ubiquitous bike and scooter rental service. You can in fact hop on a bus to Monaco or even Italy.

Nice is a popular tourist destination. This has its pluses and minuses for anyone buying property in Nice, but means the city is run superbly. The infrastructure is first class and although it is a fairly big city, it feels quite intimate. There is a great internatonal atmosphere here as well as a sense of community.

Nice manages to present as oh-so-French but also very cosmopolitan. Coupled with its perfect location on the Mediterranean coast, makes it a most desirable place to call “home”.