What to Do in December in and around Nice – 2024
The holidays on the French Riviera are kind of magical, between the amazing lights, the old French traditions, and all kinds of activities…
Holiday Village – free – just off Place Massena under the giant Ferris Wheel. This is the spot to snap that shot in time to make custom holiday photo cards! 60 chalets with handmade gifts, hot spiced wine, Champagne/oyster bar, chestnuts roasting on an open fire…
Christmas Parade – Free – Saturday December 7, from 5-6:30pm – 200 artists/musicians throw an old fashioned Christmas Parade all along boulevard Jean Medecin, starting at the top and finishing at Place Massena. It’s not on the Carnaval scale, but come enjoy a sweet traditional Christmas Parade put on by the local merchants, with the participation of lots of local youth groups.
The Bain de Noel Polar Bear Swim – free and open to all – Sunday, December 15 Show up at Ruhl Plage at 10:30am ready for a bracing dip, with festivities happening until the moment of truth just before noon. Last year there were 300 brave souls for the chilly open water swim. After there is lots of celebrating and hot drinks and festive snacks to warm back up with.
Thrills and Chills at Luna Park December 8, 2024 to January 7, 2025 – Did you know that there is a massive indoor amusement park inside the cavernous Palais des Expositions? With 18 giant gravity-defying stomach-churning rides, you can spin and fly while staying warm and dry. The 31€ all-ride pass (good for the whole month) is a great solution for a rainy winter afternoons… Tram stop Palais des Expositions.
Another important date: December (tbd) at 10am France time is when the Nice Carnaval tickets go on sale, so order early online for best seats.
Blind Date? Here’s an out-of-the-box idea, a Blind Dinner Dec 4 or Dec 18, 2024. Blindfolded before being lead to your table, you’ll experience your meal in a way you will never forget! Tickets for the 3-course blind dinner are 60€, and you select meat, fish or veg. Starts at 8:30pm at Ornato Restaurant 54 blvd Jean Jaures, tram stop Massena.
Stand up Comedy in English – Sunday Dec. 8 and also Dec. 22, 2024, Bobar Comedy Club in Old Nice does a stand-up comedy show (Spill the Tea) in English at 5:15pm and cover charge is just 8€ or 5€ students. 27 rue Benoit Bunico, tram stop Cathedrale.
Sporty Types
The Sanremo Marathon/Semi-Marathon/10-k and Family 3k Run – December 1, 2024 Spend a day on the Italian Riviera (just an hour from Nice by train) for possibly the most beautiful (and flat) running course in Europe. There are races for every level.
The ski resorts open mid December: Isola 2000 and Auron on December 6 and Valberg on Dec 13… In just 90-minutes you can be up in the mountains, and it’s a bargain with the Snow Buses.
Here is a recent ranking of the best ski resorts and why, but know that Valberg is worth the day trip even if you don’t ski: you can still play in the snow, warm up with raclette for lunch, soak up the alpine ambiance, hike or snowshoe the Planetary Trail in the afternoon (a multimedia GPS guide is available at the tourist office), and sip hot spiced wine in a warm chalet before napping on the bus ride back.
Ice Skating: All the local Christmas Villages have miniature ice rinks for the kiddies, but Nice has a full-sized indoor ice skating rink with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the rooftops, and it’s just 7€ including skate rental. Easy access: the Patinoire Jean Bouin is right across from the Palais des Expositions tram stop.
Music Lovers
Free Sunday Orchestra Concerts – FREE – Every Sunday at 3:30pm the Nice Orchestra d’Harmonie gives a free concert in the either the Church in the Port (tram stop Port) or the Basilica Notre Dame (tram stop Jean Medecin). Click here for this week’s concert program.
Early Weekend Jazz at Shapko – Now that it’s getting dark so early, Shapko Jazz Club in Old Nice has just added an early band, from 7:30pm to 9:30pm on Thursday, Friday and Saturdays. No cover charge, great live music. 5 rue Rossetti, tramstop Cathedrale.
Afterwork Jazz Concert at ‘secret bar’ Cave Bianchi – December 11 and 12, 2024, 7pm, Part of the Nice Opera’s Afterwork series, this short 1-hour concert of dueling tenors, is held in a historic ‘secret bar’ that is rarely open to the public. The 20€ ticket covers your first drink, but honestly this surprising venue is so cool you won’t want to miss it. 7 rue Raoul Bosio, tram stop Opera or Massena.
And a couple of days latter, on Sunday December 15th, this same secret bar opens again for a Jazz Cabaret Concert (Christmas Edition) with Women On Stage, with tickets at 25€ including a glass of Champagne. Reservations +33 65 36 64 86.
Classical Concerts in Nice – There is a whole slate of at least 10 classical concerts every month by different Baroque and Classical ensembles performing in Nice’s fabulous Baroque Churches.
For the holidays, the Nice Opera is featuring a modern, edgy ballet of Cinderella, from December 17-29, 2024 – tickets run from 10€ to 47€
- Insider Tip: The Nice Opera ticket office has a last-minute ticket line, where one hour before the performance, unsold tickets drop to half-price!
The Nice Opera has all kinds of events going on all month long: Here is this month’s schedule
Jazz/Blues/Rock Concerts in Nice Besides nightly concerts at local jazz clubs and rock bars, there is also a robust monthly concert schedule with Nice Music Live; the concerts at Theatre de Verdure, Black Box, and Stockfish, all have easy tramway access.
Candlelight Concerts Ranging from classic, to themed, to classical interpretations of rock legends, these eclectic concerts are lit by a sea of candles and held at the Center Universitaire Méditerranéen which has great sightlines and is super easy to get to. Tickets start at 35€. Tramstop Center Universitaire Méditerranéen (CUM) on line 2.
The Opera de Monte-Carlo is presenting a Tribute to Sinatra sung by Vittorio Grigolo, one of today’s foremost Italian tenors, on December 2, 2024. Tickets are expensive, but if you’re a fan, what an experience!
Jazz/Blues/Rock Concerts in Nice Besides nightly concerts at local jazz clubs and rock bars, there is also a robust monthly concert schedule with Nice Music Live; the concerts at Theatre de Verdure, Black Box, and Stockfish, all have easy tramway access.
Bargain Hunters
Here’s the Best of Nice Holiday Gift Guide for some of the best and most original stocking stuffers and more to pick up in Nice or order online.
Monaco’s annual winter Kermesse is a giant charity raffle/flea market/gift bazar held under the big top tent in Monaco’s Fontvieille district. Saturday, December 7, 2024 from 10am-6pm; grand raffle drawing starts at 5pm.
Flea Market on the Nice Port – Saturday 14 December, and Sunday 22 December, 2024 – Vide Grenier means ’empty your attic’ and empty it they do, with all kinds of oddball stuff trading hands at bargain basement prices. Tram stop Port
Free Parc Phoenix Weekend for local residents – Free – The first full weekend of each month Parc Phoenix nature park/arboretum is free to local residents (but you need to bring proof: a recent phone or electric bill, or tax notice). Right after lunch is the busiest time with a line to get in so mornings or late afternoons are best. Tram stop Parc Phoenix
Holiday Magic in Nice
Visit The Christmas Village – Free – Opening date TBD – Chat with the artisans, shop for handmade gifts in the 45 chalets, sip hot spiced wine, much roasted chestnuts right off the fire, and get a bird’s eye view from the top of the giant Winter Ferris Wheel … plus demonstrations, music and other festivities. Tram stop Massena
Take a day trip to the charming village of Luceram, where you will discover the 400 nativity scenes (creches) hidden in every nook and cranny in the village. It’s just 1 hour away by bus #615/616 (which leaves from the bus station just behind the Vauban tramstop), and goes all of December until mid-January. Don’t miss it.
For a pretty impressive nativity scene closer to home, check out the almost hidden rose-hued Eglise Sainte Rita in Old Nice, which features a fascinatingly vast creche inside, with hand-made santons representing every profession in the village. The deceptively discrete church entrance can be found at 1 rue de la Poissonnerie, just off Cours Saleya, and during the holidays is exceptionally open in the evenings.
The kitschiest nativity scene can be found during Christmas week right in the middle of Place Rossetti in Old Nice directly in front of the Cathedrale, featuring life-sized moving automaton farm animals.
The spectacular baroque Church du Gesu in the Old Town is open every night until midnight during this period. Then head to the Promenade des Anglais which is lined with 500 illuminated palm trees.
Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve is held at the Cathedral Saint Reparate in Old Nice. It actually starts at 11pm, and you’ll want to come early for a good seat so your view won’t be blocked by the marble pillars… Tram stop Cathedrale
New Years in Nice
Whatever you do for New Years Eve dinner, it’s a tradition to head to the Promenade des Anglais at midnight, Champagne bottle in hand, and pop that cork!
On New Years Day, the Nice Philharmonic gives a fantastic free New Year’s Day concert at 11am at the Nice Opera. You can get your free tickets at the Opera on the day-of starting at 10am…
See Related Pages:
- Weekly Open-Air Markets – don’t miss the famous Monday Antique Market at Cours Saleya, and great shopping for Italian wares at the sprawling Friday Market in Ventimiglia, even in Winter!
- Nice by Nite – concerts, jazz clubs, salsa and tango venues, pub quiz nights, English-language theater and movie venues…
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Photo credits: Christmas in Nice, Winter in Nice, Opera, and Sainte-Rita by Best of Nice Blog. Ski Lift courtesy of Nice-Properties apartments in Nice.