What to Do in January in and around Nice – 2025
New Year’s Day Free Symphony Concert, 11am at the Nice Opera – free A fantastic way to kick off the new year, with a free concert with the Nice Philharmonic Orchestra. Free tickets available from the Opera ticket office starting at 9:30am …
Galette des Roi – Pick one up from any bakery in town during the first week of January; it’s a tradition to share this delicious almond paste filled cake with friends, and whomever finds (ie.; chips a tooth on!) the little ceramic figurine (from the Christmas nativity scene, called a santon) is the ‘king’ and wears the crown.
Prom Classic 10k Run The first Sunday after New Years, January 5, 2025. One of the world’s most picturesque 10ks, held along the seaside on the gorgeous Promenade des Anglais.
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.
Attention Bargain Hunters! The massive Annual French Winter Sales kick off January 8 until February 11, 2025.
Flea Markets: vintage deals can be found at the Neighborhood Flea Market/Vide Grenier on the Nice Port – Sunday, 2025 dates TBD. One person’s trash is another one’s treasure, and believe me, treasures abound at these local ‘vide greniers‘ which means empty your attic, with all kinds of oddball stuff trading hands at bargain basement prices. Tram stop Port
MIDEM Music Convention in Cannes – January 29, 30, 31, 2025 – It’s the Cannes Film Festival for the music industry, and whereas the Film Festival is very complicated to get in, the music festival has concerts/events/parties/screenings all over town and makes it easy with individual tickets, or get an all-access 3-day pass for 100€. And while you’re there, here are some ideas for what to do in Cannes between concerts
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. Tramstop Center Universitaire Méditerranéen (CUM) on line 2.
Stand up Comedy in English – Sunday, 2025 dates TBD – The new Bobar Comedy Club in Old Nice does monthly stand-up comedy shows in English ‘Spill the Tea’, at 5:30pm and cover charge is just 8€ or 5€ students. 27 rue Benoit Bunico, tram stop Cathedrale.
Blind Date? Here’s an out-of-the-box idea, a Blind Dinner 2025 dates TBD. 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.
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.
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.
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.
The Nice Opera has all kinds of events going on every week: Here is this month’s schedule
- 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 …and for students and under-30s tickets are just 5€!
Go to the Snow: Take the bargain snow-bus for just 14€ round trip and in just 90-minutes, you can be up in the mountains for an easy day-trip with the feel of a mini-vacation. 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.
How to get there on the Ski Buses: Besides the Valberg ski bus, there are three other Ski Express Buses to three different ski resorts, Isola 2000, La Colmiane and Auron… so really you can shuss in a different ski resort every weekend of the month and your transpo costs are only 7€ each way!
Ice Skating: 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. And since Nice will be hosting the ice skating events for the 2030 Winter Olympics, this might be just the time to go ice skating in Nice!
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!
- What to do on Sundays in Nice
- Nice by Nite – concerts, jazz clubs, salsa and tango venues, pub quiz nights, English-language theater and movie venues…
- Weather in Nice by Month
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