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| The french word for beach is 'Plage'. So if you are looking for one of our favourite private (paying) beaches - Castel Beach, look for Castel Plage. (you can find Castel Plage at the foot of the Castle Hill - the very last beach along the Promenade des Anglais) One of my favourite public (free) beaches in Nice is the Plage Publique de Beau Rivage which I have reviewed (2004) on another page: free beaches in Nice Another of our favourite public beaches in Nice is La Reserve. I found an old-fashioned postcard of this beach - see below, drawn presumably when the beach and restaurant were in better condition. The beach is very small but very popular (it's free) with showers and a loo (very dodgy loo I'm afraid) and there is a small snack kiosk at the entrance. The daughter loves it and it's a change from the long stretch of the promenade des Anglais beaches. It's quite sheltered and there's a ladder into the sea if you can't face the pebbles from the end of a jetty. There's also a bit of seaweed about and more fish and bits and bobs swimming about so take some goggles and a snorkal. If you want a loo, you van no longer nip next door to the private Le Plongeoir beach as this beach closed in 2006 and buy a coffee or offer to pay. La Reserve is by Nice sailing school opposite Parc Vigier to the east of the Port. (map) |
| La Reserve Beach, from a postcard, in 1900 |
| over one hundred years later (August 2003) |
| practical guide >> the best beaches in Nice |
| All about Nice |
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| Nearly all the beaches in Nice stretch along the sweep of the bay between Rauba Capau and the airport at the other end of the Promenade des Anglais. At approximately equal intervals along this bay there are about 15 private beaches separated by the public beaches. You are allowed to walk along the length of the bay including the private beaches if you remain close to the sea. It takes a bit of thought to get the best from the Nice beaches both public and private. The biggest hurdle to overcome is the medium - HARD PEBBLES or 'galets'. The main benefit from the private beaches is the use of a proper sun lounger - bliss from the rocks. The private beaches charge about 15 euros a day for the lounger and about 4 euros for a parasol. They also cheekily charge for a towel which is usually pretty grotty and small - about 4 euros so it is better to take your own. I think that to pay for a private beach, everything should be included so that you don't have to lug your own stuff about. You are also not allowed to take your own food and drink onto the private beaches as they expect you to buy from their restaurants and snack bars. It can work out quite expensive for a full day on a private beach. For example, this year we paid nearly 200 euros for 4 adults and 2 children for one day on Castel beach - and that was with snacks and drinks brought to our loungers, we didn't use the restaurant. If you do eat in the restaurant however, I thoroughly recommend the hot goats' cheese salad - delicious especially with a bottle of chilled rose wine. The cheapest way to eat on Castel Plage is to order the 'special' sandwiches - like a triple club sandwich, lightly toasted - this is served at your sunbed on a little table and you can get free water to drink by asking for a 'carafe d'eau' - tap water. If you just ask for water, you will be sold a bottle of 'Bardoit' and it is quite expensive. Because you can set up a tab at the start of the day, it is very easy to rack up the bill by the end of the day as it is just too easy to order yet another bottle of wine or a coffee, another beer etc and you can get a sobering shock when it's time to settle the bill. It does feel luxurious though, perhaps as a treat if you only have a couple of days. A tip to cope with the pebbles - take shoes you can wear in the water. It is hard to look glamorous when you're inching out of the sea on all fours being buffeted by the waves. If you use the public beaches, they are free and if you buy a cup of coffee or an icecream from the snack bars of the private beaches, they will let you use their loos. The French often turn up on the public beaches with a sarong and a book. I don't know how they manage on the hard pebbles. We take padded mats, parasols, towels,coolbox etc etc...Our favourite pitch on the public beaches (apart from La Reserve) is alongside the railings at Castel Beach (which is my favourite private beach) There, I can gaze longingly through the picket fence at the lucky rich bods on the loungers... |
| La Reserve Beach, bouleverd Franck Pilatte - one of the best free beaches |
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| Scuba Babe! La Reserve Beach August 2003 |
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| Castel beach - at the foot of the Chateau - the best private beach |
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| a frugal day - the wrong side of the picket fence by Castel beach |
| private or public? |
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| Looking out over the sweep of Nice beaches from the east. The blue parasols are part of Castel Beach. This photo was taken in 2003. The Castel Plage is now completely re-furbishesdand looks completely different with beige parasols and sun-beds, no blue vista any more. |
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| The famous blue chairs of Nice - always described in french guide books as the 'legendary' blue chairs. These chairs can be found along the promenade des Anglais and in some of the gardens near to the promenade for example the jardins Albert 1er. They provide a nice vantage point for gazing out over the beaches of Nice. |
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| Castel Plage |
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| If you do decide to try a private beach, it's a good idea to telephone in advance to book the sunbeds/parasols particularly during July and August. Usually a couple of days in advance is enough notice. The phone numbers for the beaches are on the free practical guide from the tourist office (for online info, click here) or via the Nice&You website. |
| Nice Beaches |
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| Map of our favourite beaches in Nice. Please click to enlarge. Map from www.mappy.com |
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| Photographic overlay of above map, showing the Old Town on the laft and the Colline du Chateau or Castle Hill. Please click to enlarge. Map from www.mappy.com |
| Plage Publique de Beau Rivage (public) The Blue Beach (private) Le Plongeoir Beach (private) |
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| December 2005 Storms washed sand onto the beaches at Nice which was a very pleasant change from the usual hard pebbles. By February 2006, on our return to Nice, all the sand had gone. |
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