Top quarters of Nice: where to stay on vacation and buy property
Nice is divided into two large parts by the Paillon River, which now mostly flows underground. The left bank is the oldest part of the city with an architecture style close to Italian Turin outlook. The districts on the right bank loke more like a French city and remind the Baron Osman architecture style.
Each of the quarters of Nice has its own character. The most prestigious places to live are quiet neighbourhoods such as Mont Boron, Cimiez, Saint-Pancrace, Saint-Antoine and Fabron. The districts best suited for entertainment are the Golden Square, the Musicians Quarter, the Port and the Old Nice.
Among the most prestigious neighbourhoods of Nice, property investors most often choose Mont Boron, the Golden Square, Cimiez and Fabron.
Territories and quarters of Nice
1 | Plaine et Coteaux | Saint-Augustin, Le Moulin, Sainte-Marguerite, Arenas, Saint-Isidore, Lingostière, Les Combes, Saint-Antoine |
2 | Collines Niçoises | Estienne d'Orves, Saint-Philippe, Grosso, le Piol, Pessicart, Saint-pierre-de-Féric, Saint-Pancras |
3 | Trois Collines | Cimiez, Rimiez, Gairaut |
4 | Rives du Paillon | Ariane, La Lauvette, L'Abadie, Pasteur, Saint-Pont, Le Trident, Roquebillière, Saint-Charles, Bon Voyage |
5 | Est Littoral | Port, Riquier, Mont Boron, Diablotin-Roche, Vinaigrier, Des Corniches, Vieux-Nice |
6 | Nord Centre Nice | La Plana, Saint-Sylvestre, Cessole, Gorbella, Borriglione, Saint-Maurice, Le Ray |
7 | Cœur de Ville | Carabacel, Medzen, Gambetta, Liberation, Malaussena, Joseph Garnier |
8 | Ouest Littoral | La Madeleine, Magnan, California, Fabron, Canta-Galet, Ventabren |
The best neighbourhoods of Nice to live in
Mont Boron
Mont Boron is called the «Hollywood Hills of Nice». This is one of the most prestigious places to live on the Côte d’Azur. The main advantages are beautiful sea views, high-quality property and proximity to the airport (15 min by car).
Mont Boron is in the borderline: no longer densely populated Nice, but not yet the high hills of Villefranche, which, on the one hand, provides the developed infrastructure, and on the other — magnificent sea views as well as the opportunity to purchase not only an apartment, but a large family house or a land plot for an own building project.
There are few cafes, restaurants and shops here. The majority of residents (66%) are property owners, not tenants. One of the ecological quarters of Nice is the Parc Forestier du Mont Boron, which is located on the territory of the neighbourhood.
Most of the property in Mont Boron has a view of the Bay of Angels and the Bay of Villefranche. A square metre costs from 5,000 to 13,000 euros per square metre in apartments and from 5,000 to 16,000 euros per square metre in individual houses. This is the most expensive quarter of the city in terms of property value. Prices for one-bedroom apartments start from 400,000 euros. Many have terraces and secure parking spaces. The cost of villas can vary from 1 to 5 million euros.
3,500,000 €
Total area 171 m² 5 bedrooms
20,900,000 €
Land area: 8,600 m² 4 bedrooms
799,000 €
Total area 42 m²
995,000 €
Total area 180 m² Land area: 200 m²
9,800,000 €
Total area 550 m² Land area: 1,000 m²
4,900,000 €
Total area 300 m² Land area: 550 m²
2,200,000 €
Total area 320 m² Land area: 800 m²
Cimiez
Cimiez is a prestigious residential area with an aristocratic spirit. In the XIX century, Queen Victoria herself stayed at the local Regina Hotel.
The city centre can be reached from here in about 10 minutes. The beach is about a half-hour walk away, so it is more convenient to have your own car.
Cimiez is located on a hill with a picturesque view of the city. Among the sights are the ancient monastery of Notre Dame, the museums of Henri Matisse and Marc Chagall, the Alhambra Palace with minarets and ancient Roman ruins. Every year in July there is a jazz festival.
Cimiez is a quiet, well-to-do neighbourhood inhabited by mostly middle-aged and older people. 60% of residents are property owners, not tenants. Apartments predominate among the properties, although there are also enough villas. Many apartments in Bas Cimiez have views of the Mediterranean Sea. Luxury and spacious apartments are offered at prices similar to those in the Musicians Quarter — from 4,000 to 7,000 euros per square metre.
Saint-Pancrace
The quarter is located in the north of the city, on the hill of the same name, at an altitude of 350 metres. Sometimes it even snows here. This is a very quiet place, there are almost no cafes and shops, but the quarter is famous for its bakeries and pastry shops.
Saint-Pancrace is called the «prosperous village» (une campagne aisée) of Nice, because the average income of the population is higher than in other quarters. This place is built up mainly with villas, many of which have views of the sea and the Mercantour Mountains. Prices per square metre range from 3,000 to 7,000 euros for apartments and from 4,000 to 8,000 euros for private homes. 83% of residents are property owners, not tenants.
Near Saint-Pancrace there is a similar quarter of Gairaut: this is also a quiet, green neighbourhood on a hill allowing many houses to have great sea views. In the area devoted to private mansions, there are almost no cafes, restaurants nor shops.
Saint-Antoine
Saint-Antoine is a quiet and green residential area popular among locals. It is convenient to get to both the airport and the Promenade des Anglais from the area.
It is mostly inhabited by high-income individuals. Property prices in Saint-Antoine reach 7,000 euros per square metre.
Fabron
Fabron is a prestigious quarter located on the seashore. This area has a good location: from here it is easy to get to the beach, to the city centre, and to the airport. The Promenade des Anglais can be reached by car in about 5 minutes. The centre is 10 minutes away.
Like Mont Boron and Cimiez, Fabron is located on a hill, and like the other two quarters, it is distinguished by safety, cleanliness and beautiful views.
Fabron offers a wide range of sports activities, including tennis, swimming, squash, horse riding and golf. For lovers of cultural events, the Anatole Jakovsky Museum of Naive Art is offering its exposition and entertaining programme.
According to Kelquartier, 28% of the properties in Fabron are vacation houses. It is dominated by villas and apartment residences with gardens, parking lots and swimming pools. Property prices range from 5,000 to 12,000 euros per square metre. Two-bedroom apartments start from 400,000 euros, villas — from 1 million euros.
From 405,000 €
Completion in: 2026.I Total of 44 apartments
Price on request
Total area 76 m² 1 bedroom
From 309,000 €
Completion in: 2023.IV Total of 36 apartments
1,050,000 €
Total area 93 m² 3 bedrooms
520,000 €
Total area 61 m² 2 bedrooms
From 313,000 €
Completion in: 2023.IV Total of 11 apartments
From 403,000 €
Built in 2023 Total of 1 apartment
The best neighbourhoods in Nice for rental investment and entertainment
The Promenade des Anglais
The Promenade des Anglais — one of the most famous coastal streets in the world. It was built in the XIX century by the efforts of the British, hence the name. Many celebrities, including John D. Rockefeller Jr. and Elton John, love to have a rest here. The Promenade des Anglais, planted with palm trees, stretches for 7 km along the Bay of Angels. There are many elegant hotels here, the most famous of which is Negresco.
The main attraction of this place is that, being on the coast, you are very close to the city centre. Apartments here are like in Paris — up to 10,000 euros per square metre.
Next to the Promenade des Anglais is the prestigious Gambetta quarter, a lively place with many cafes and shops. Property prices here reach 7,000-8,000 euros per square metre.
The Golden Square (Carré d’Or)
The «Rue de France» quarter is often called the «Golden Square» («Carré d’Or»). It is located between Boulevard Victor Hugo, a pedestrian zone and Place Masséna. All apartments located in the Carré d’Or are no further than 5-10 minutes walk from the beach.
Massena Street is a completely pedestrian street, along which there are lively cafes, restaurants of different cuisines of the world and luxury designer boutiques. Apartments with a view of this street have the greatest demand among tenants.
Rue de France, which starts next to the pedestrian zone and runs for 2 km along the Promenade des Anglais, is also popular among tourists, property buyers and investors. Other popular streets of the «Golden Square» are Liberty Street (Rue de la Liberté), Meyerbeer (rue Meyerbeer) and Buffa (rue de la Buffa). In the north of the district there is Victor Hugo Boulevard and two quiet parks — the garden of Alsace Lorraine (Jardin Alsace Lorraine) and the garden of Jean Moreno (Jardin Moreno Jean).
The cost per square metre reaches 12 thousand euros. Minimum prices for studios in the «Golden Square» start from 350,000 euros. A two-bedroom apartment costs about twice as much. More spacious apartments are sold for at least 600,000 euros.
The Musicians’ Quarter or Thiers (le quartier des Musiciens ou Thiers)
The quarter is located in the centre of Nice, not far from the coast — between Avenue Jean-Madsen, Boulevard Gambetta and Boulevard Victor Hugo. It got its name due to the fact that many streets are named after musicians (Berlioz, Verdi, Mozart, Offenbach and others). There are many buildings in the style of Belle Epoque and Art Deco.
The Musicians’ quarter resembles the «Golden Square» in its appearance, but property here is cheaper. Here you can find apartments with French windows, high ceilings and original parquet. Art Deco houses often have spacious terraces and modern design.
Property in the Musicians’ quarter is in demand both among the French themselves and from foreigners. A square metre costs about 3,700 to 8,500 euros.
The Port (Le Port)
The quarter is located to the east of Castle Hill, near the historical centre. Here is the port of Lympia (le port Lympia), where private yachts are moored. The quarter also includes the Garibaldi Square (la place Garibaldi) and Catherine Segurane Street with its antique shops. It is a tourist destination with many Michelin-starred restaurants. The Rauba Capeu Embankment (Quai Rauba Capeu), whose name translates from the local dialect as «the place where the wind tore off the hat», separates the port from the Promenade des Anglais.
Unlike buildings in Old Nice, houses near the port often have elevators and balconies with French windows. At the same time, the charm and special atmosphere inherent in the historical centre are preserved here.
Many apartments in this quarter have views of the port, yachts and the Mediterranean Sea. In view of this, the prices here are only slightly lower than on the Promenade des Anglais.
The cost per square metre reaches 8,000 euros. Housing on the prestigious Boulevard Franck Pilatte is especially expensive, mainly because of the sea view.
2,700,000 €
Total area 315 m² Land area: 800 m²
239,000 €
Total area 45 m² 1 bedroom
The Old Nice (Vieux-Nice)
The historical centre of the city is the Old Nice, more precisely, the Castle Hill, where until the XVIII century there was a castle destroyed by Louis XIV. From this hill there is a wonderful view of the city centre.
There are many old houses in Old Nice, some of which were built in the XVI century. The streets here are narrow and winding. There are many traditional shops selling Provence products. The variety of bars and restaurants is amazing: there are both French brasseries (bars) and Irish pubs, as well as Indian restaurants. This is a very busy quarter: for every 100 square metres on average, there are 11.8 cafes, bars or restaurants and 25 retail outlets. However, it is too noisy for permanent residence here.
This quarter is a popular place for walking. Here are the Cathedral of Saint-Reparata, the Government Palace, as well as Cours Saleya, the main market square of the city.
According to the Kelquartier website, the majority (66%) of residents of Old Nice are tenants. This is not surprising, because of the tourist attractiveness of the quarter, apartments are often bought here for rent. Prices range from 6,000 to 15,000 euros per square metre. Housing is rented at a price from 800 euros per month in winter to 1,000 euros per week in summer.
The property offer is very different, however, almost all houses without elevators and terraces, and apartments most often require repairs. The price per square metre starts from about 5,000 euros. It is rare to find houses with a height of less than four floors, because the Payon River prevented the expansion of the area, and the population always arrived. This distinguishes Old Nice from other quarters.
The most prestigious part of Old Nice is the neighbourhood of Ponchettes beach, next to the Promenade des Anglais. Apartments in this area cost from 8,000 to 12,000 euros per square metre and often have a sea view.
Other neighbourhoods of Nice
The other quarters are not so interesting for investors. For example, Ariane is a quarter on the northeastern outskirts of the city, where there are many social housing facilities, many immigrants, and crime is higher than in other places in Nice. Another poor quarter is Saint-Augustin, located in the southwest of the city.
Some quarters, although uninteresting for foreign buyers, still have their own sightseeings. So, in the Saint-Isidore quarter there is the largest stadium in the city and the Zygofolis amusement park. The other quarter, Arenas, is the most important business centre of Nice, a significant part of which is occupied by the Nice Côte d’Azur Airport.
Property prices in Nice neighbourhoods in September 2023
| Quarter | Price, euro per sq.m | Quarter | Price, euro per sq.m | ||
Min | Max | Min | Max | ||
Arenas | 3,600 € | 5,000 € | Pessicart | 5,200 € | 9,000 € |
Ariane | 4,500 € | 6,500 € | Port | 5,600 € | 11,500 € |
Baumettes | 5,000 € | 10,400 € | Riquier | 5,000 € | 9,000 € |
Ventabrun | 4,900 € | 8,000 € | Rimiez | 5,600 € | 9,000 € |
Vernier | 5,000 € | 8,700 € | Roquebillière | 3,300 € | 7,400 € |
Vinaigrier | 5,500 € | 10,400 € | Saint-Antoine | 5,500 € | 9,000 € |
Gambetta | 5,500 € | 10,800 € | Saint-Isidore | 5,300 € | 9,600 € |
Gairaut | 5,500 € | 10,600 € | Sainte-Marguerite | 5,600 € | 9,100 € |
Carabacel | 5,500 € | 10,000 € | Saint-Maurice | 5,200 € | 10,700 € |
Caucade | 5,400 € | 10,000 € | Saint-Augustin | 3,700 € | 7,300 € |
Crémat-Saint-Roman | 5,600 € | 11,700 € | Saint-pierre-de-Féric | 5,500 € | 8,700 € |
le Piol | 5,000 € | 9,000 € | Saint-Roch | 5,000 € | 9,000 € |
Le Ray | 4,700 € | 9,000 € | Saint-Sylvestre | 5,000 $ | 7,700 € |
Liberation | 5,500 € | 9,000 € | Saint-Philippe | 5,500 € | 9,800 € |
La Madeleine | 5,000 € | 9,200 € | Cimiez | 5,700 € | 10,500 € |
Mantega | 5,000 € | 9,000 € | Vieux-Nice | 6,000 € | 15,000 € |
Médecin | 5,700 € | 13,000 € | Thiers | 5,600 € | 10,000 € |
Mont Boron | 7 600 € | 15 600 € | Rue de France | 5 500 € | 12 000 € |
Pasteur | 4 600 € | 8 000 € | Fabron | 5 500 € | 10 000 € |
Sourse: Meilleursagents
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