Nearly all the beaches in Nice stretch along the long stretch of Bay between Rauba Capau and the airport at the other end of the Promenade des Anglais.

There are 15 private beaches separated by the public beaches. You’ll find that there is no sand along this 3 mile stretch instead its smooth pebbles and rocks called gellets. A useful tip is to bring a padded mat if going to the public beaches.

There are very limited facilities on the public areas, a few open showers and portaloos. There are however about three public beaches in Nice that have good facilities for a small fee, for example the Plage Publique de Beau Rivage. For a few euros, there are nice toilets, showers, changing rooms and security lockers, makes life far more pleasant on the public beach.

The private beaches are expensive but the main benefits are the proper sun-lounger, parasol and table. Also, there is waiter service so you can have drinks and food brought to your side. You are not allowed to bring your own picnic on the private beaches but you can of course leave the beach and have lunch somewhere else and return to your lounger later on.

You can however walk along the length of the bay including the private beaches if you remain close to the sea.