The South of France is famous for its beautiful coastline and scenic views. When we initially started planning our trip we were overwhelmed with the amount of different places to see. We ended up choosing to stay in Nice and travel primarily east towards Monaco for our day trips. Regardless of where you base yourself the public buses and trains are really easy to navigate to other parts of the area. Here is our photography guide to Nice including the best photo spots, in our opinion, that you won’t want to miss!
View of Nice from Castle Hill
The view from Castle Hill of Nice beach, the Promenade des Anglais, and Vieille Ville (Old Town), is one of the classic photographs of Nice. If you are facing the beach look immediately to your left. The hill you are staring at is Castle Hill. If you walk along the Promenade you will eventually come to the side of the hill where you will see a staircase. A short 10 minute walk up will take you to the top of Castle Hill. There you will find the lookout point as well as a park and some other amenities.
Travel Truth: There is an elevator going up if you’re unable to take the stairs. Beware when there are big groups at the view point too it can get crowded.
Mala Beach and Mala Beach Coastal Path
Mala beach is a small beach located in Cap-d’Ail just east of Nice. It is framed by a cliff on one side and access to the famous Mala Beach Coastal Path on the other. It makes for some great photographs, and the coastal path itself is a must see. One of my favorite views of Mala Beach actually comes before you even get there. We chose to walk and took the photograph below from the sidewalk along the main road before you walk into Mala and down to the beach.
- The Mala Beach Coastal Path is a 2.5 km pathway that follows the coastline of Cap d’Ail from Mala Beach to Plage Marquet just before the Monaco border. It is a well paved pathway that gives you an opportunity to see the cliffs, beautiful waters and views of nearby Cap d’Ail and Monaco.
The Village of Eze
Eze Village is a medieval village that sits the a hill just east of Nice. It is absolutely stunning to walk around the stone pathways. Eventually make your way up to the Jardin Exotique, a botanical garden at the top of the hill. For a small entrance fee you can visit the very top which has the best, unobstructed views of the surrounding area. You will look down to Eze Beach and see the nearby Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat peninsula in the distance.
Travel Truth: It is a beautiful bus ride up to Eze Village so grab a seat by the window for some stunning views as you drive up. We recommend going early in the day to get shots of the walkways in Eze without other people.
Here is our guide to a day trip in Eze and Mala Beach if you are curious how to hit both in the same day!
Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat Coastal Path
In addition to the Mala Beach Coastal Path that we mentioned above, the Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat coastal path is another can’t miss photography location. This path runs around the Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat peninsula. You can start it at Plage de Passable walking east to end at Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat Village or start on the east side of the peninsula walking west. We walked from West to East and spent the entire afternoon in direct sunlight which made for some amazing photographs.
- We ended at Paloma Beach which is a very picturesque beach on the east side of the peninsula close to Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat Village.
Monaco
Monaco is known for its fancy cars, casinos, and yachts. It is also home to the famous Monte Carlo Casino and Monaco Grand Prix. There are numerous locations around this (small) country that are worth visiting and provide some pretty unique photo opportunities.
- You can get photographs of some of the most expensive cars in the world in front of the Monte Carlo Casino.
- Walk by the harbor and photograph the rows and rows of impressive yachts. You can photograph the harbor from different perspectives to get different shots. Walk behind the casino and get a shot looking down at the harbor and the surrounding area then walk down and get a closer shot level with the boats.
