What to do on Sundays and Mondays in Nice

Nice has many Sunday-only events, some weekly, some monthly…

Free Sunday Afternoon Concerts:   Every Sunday at 3:30pm the city of Nice sponsors a free concert with the Orchestre d’Harmonie de Nice.   During the winter, they’re held in different churches around Nice, but come springtime the concerts go open-air in the gazebo across from the seaside or in the Cimiez gardens.  Check my monthly calendar pages to find out where to find them or just pop into the tourist office (tram stop Jean Medecin)

All museums in Nice are open on Sundays, including the FREE Museum of Asiatic Art (located in the Parc Phoenix complex) which the only major museum in Nice that is always free.

First Sundays are FREE at:

• The Chagall Museum
• The Museum of the Mer on Ste-Marguerite Island off Cannes (but only from Nov-March)
• and the first full weekend of each month is free at Parc Phoenix arboretum and animal park, but this applies only to locals (and you need to bring proof of residency.)

Sunday Masses:  Experience an authentic Catholic Mass in one of Nice’s opulent baroque churches.  There are 8 churches just in the Old Town alone, so you have lots to choose from!  Check out the current schedule of upcoming masses in Nice from MessesInfo and then read a little background and some of the wild stories behind some of the churches.

Cours Saleya Market is at its best on Sundays, with the vendors out in full force, complimented by the weekend artists and street musicians.   It’s the perfect day to experience the market, pick up a little something for lunch, and then picnic on the beach or at the top of the Chateau (free elevator across from the beach for those disinclined to climb the stairs).

Take a FREE Old Nice Walking Tour (in English!) It starts at 11am at the Apollo statue at Place Massena, lasts 2 hours, there is no fee but you can tip your guide at the end if you enjoyed it (and you will).  This tour happens every day at 11am, including on Sundays and Mondays.

Beach Bars:  In the winter most beach bars and restaurants are closed, but a few open up only on the weekends.  Sunday is the perfect moment to head to the sea to sip a glass of rosé, soak in the winter sun, and listen to the sound of the waves.  Not to mention the super jealousy-inducing selfie photo-ops.

Sunday Shopping without the crowds: Downtown is usually kind of a ghost town on Sundays, but now all the retail giants Galeries Lafayette, H&M, and Nice Etoile Shopping Center are open for Sunday shopping.  Until recently, Sunday closing was mandated by law, so consequently the French are accustomed to staying home on this day, which makes Sunday the best day to shop without the crowds…

Vintage Bargains: Sunday is the day for neighborhood flea-markets/Vide Greniers (’empty your attic’) are usually held. Check this current list:  Just scroll down for ‘Dimanche’ (Sunday) combined with the words vide grenier.  Brocantes are fun too, but they are open-air antique markets with professional dealers and prices to match, whereas vide greniers are more like neighborhood garage sales with killer deals and far more unpredictable!

Sunday Nightlife

Where to Eat:  Most restaurants are closed on Sundays and Mondays, making it difficult to find a good place to eat. Here’s a list of recommended spots where you can be assured of a good meal:  Where to Eat on Sunday and Monday in Nice

The new Bobar Comedy Club in Old Nice does weekly stand-up comedy shows in English every other Sunday – just check the Sunday schedule and look for ‘Spill the Tea’, usually at 5:30pm in winter and 7:30pm in summer, and cover charge is just 8€ or 5€ students.  Recommended!  27 rue Benoit Bunico, tram stop Cathedrale.

Dave’s Pub Quiz Nights in Nice are legendary, and the second Sunday of each month he holds forth at Brasserie d’Aqui starting at 8:30pm.  Dave formulates his 30 questions (in both French and English) using a wide compass of interests and appealing to all age groups.  The teams of 4 compete for the pot, into which everyone ponies up a euro at the start of the soiree. 13 rue Cassini, tram stop Garibaldi or Port Lympia.

Live music 7/7 at Bistrot Rossetti (early) and Shapko (late) in the old town.  No cover charge, and Sunday night is always dedicated to Jazz (…and often Monday is as well… )

Free nighttime walking tour of Old Nice in English Despite their company name, this is not a bar crawl tour but a real history/stories/hidden places walking tour.  It starts at 6pm at the Apollo Statue at Place Massena, lasts 2 hours, and there is no fee but you can tip your guide at the end if you enjoyed it (and you will).   It happens every night, but also Sunday and Monday nights.  Reservations a must via their site.

 

Mondays

Don’t miss the giant Brocante open-air antique market at Cours Saleya, which now even spills over into the Place Palais de Justice. It starts at the crack of dawn and goes on all day.

The Museums open on Mondays are:

• Matisse, Chagall and also the Archaeology (Roman Ruins) which are all on Cimiez and accessible with bus #5
• Palais Lascaris in Old Nice
• Musee Massena, next door to the Hotel Negresco
• Terra Amata (Caveman museum) above the Port
• Museum of Naïve Art
• and the free Asian Art Museum adjacent to Parc Phoenix botanic gardens and exotic animal habitat (which is also open), near the airport

Monday is the day when two different 90-minute walking tours are offered in English:

• On Mondays at 9:30am (10am Oct-March) they give a tour in English called When Nice Invented the Riviera which leaves from the UNESCO World History office at 75 quai des Etats-Unis (just through the archway at the bottom of Cours Saleya.)
• If you’re an opera buff, on Mondays at 2:30pm the Nice Opera offers a bilingual tour of the opera house with a wealth of stories and fascinating history.  Visits are by reservation only via the Centre de Patrimoine or by calling +33 4 92 00 41 90, and cost 8€ or free for under 18 years old.

Both can be booked at official History Headquarters of Old Nice (Centre de Patrimoine) can be found at the top of Cours Saleya, 14 rue Jules-Gilly. Both cost  just 8€ or free for under 18-years old.  Reservations are a must, either in person or online. The site is only in French but if you scroll down past all the different French tours you’ll come to these two tours that are described in English, and that is where you can reserve your ticket.

Monday you can take advantage of weekday-only lunch deals at Bistrot Gourmand and Bistro du Port, and a weeknight-only dinner deal at Les Sens.

Monday is cheap movie night, with discount tickets at most cinemas in Nice, many showing films in English.

Live music 7/7 at Bistrot Rossetti (early) and Shapko (late) in the old town.  No cover charge.

And again, this is the best night to take a Free nighttime walking tour of Old Nice in English

Photo credits:  Orchestra d’Harmonie courtesy Ville de Nice.

• Back up to main Calendar page