Article updated on June 26, 2022
The private beaches of Nice are very numerous and it can be complicated to choose the private beach where to spend a day. How to choose it well to spend a perfect day? As a local, here is my opinion on the private beaches of Nice.
And here is a new lazy day that begins! And as so often, this "100% hanging out" day takes place on a private beach in Nice. These famous private beaches which form the backdrop of the beautiful Promenade des Anglais. Because we have to admit, the "Prom" is invaded by private beaches: Castel, Opéra Plage, Beau Rivage, Cocoon Beach, La Baieta, Amour Beach... some of the beaches are mythical in Nice.
As a Breton, I love the beach. I've always had the chance to live by the sea (with the exception of my seven-year term in Paris). The sand, the sea, the waves ... well, the beaches of Nice are a bit far from this image. In Nice, it is rather the big pebbles that hurt your feet, burning under the sun and impossible to lie down there to take a nap without breaking your back. It is also beaches crowded with tourists in summer. But I'm not going to complain: it's a luxury to have the sea in the center of Nice. So, as I'm not the type to lug all my equipment to go to the beach (I mean the mattress, the parasol, the cooler...), I systematically go to a private beach.
Because on the private beaches of Nice, we are pretty good: deckchair with the mattress and the parasol (the parasol is essential to me: having eaten up all my solar capital, I can no longer stand the sun on my skin), music lounge, restaurant, toilets (oh how handy when you spend your afternoon in rosé mode), showers to rinse off... And there, I immediately hear the comments "oh well, he has money to make private beaches!". Slowly, slowly, I don't go there every day, and not every week either. On the other hand, as the sun shines on Nice, you can go there from May to October without problem. Not to mention aperitifs in the evening, because private beaches are excellent spots for that. But indeed, I prefer to specify it right away at the start of this article: going to a private beach represents a certain budget, so you have to plan for it in your vacation budget. It takes approximately:
from €20 for a deckchair with mattress per person for a day, sometimes up to €40 a day. Without towel, which is extra (so remember to bring your own).
some beaches charge the parasol in addition (up to 6€),
around €18 for the Niçoise salad and around €20 for the club sandwich (minimum). Some beaches, not all, offer pizzas, but you have to count around 15€ (and don't expect to have a large pizza or with a lot of ingredients on it, huh...),
from around €12 a cocktail (essential around 4 p.m., yes!!).
around €7 for a coke.
Living in Nice and regularly visiting private beaches, I have tested almost all the private beaches in Nice, and of course I have my preferences. Preferences in terms of the quality of the welcome, the restaurant menu, the decor of the beach...
If you are coming to Nice for the first time and are organizing yourself to have a good stay, you can read all my other articles, my advice and my ideas for restaurants and hotels on the dedicated part of the blog, which I called Blog Nice and Côte d'Azur.
Click here to visit my Nice and Côte d'Azur blog section. My tips for going to a private beach in Nice
Before showing you my selection of private beaches in Nice, I will still give you my advice to make your day on a private beach as successful as possible (given the cost, it would be stupid to have a bad day).
Book your private beach in advance
First of all, book well in advance! Nice is full of tourists and the private beaches are taken by storm, especially those near Old Nice and the center of Nice. So, no need to show up at 11:30 a.m. in the middle of August, everything will be booked! Or, if there is space, it will be at the end of the private beach, close to the Promenade des Anglais and no view of the sea... it's a shame.
In addition, most private beaches have agreements with hotels in Nice. Some deckchairs are therefore reserved by the hotels.
If you can't book in advance, I advise you to come very early in the morning, like around 9am. The morning is the most pleasant moment because the beaches are not full. As long as you do, don't hesitate to have your breakfast there and enjoy the beach just for you, in peace. Many people book for the day, but end up only arriving for lunch on the beach. So basically they only take place on their deckchair around 1:30 p.m.
Bring your headphones!
The problem with private beaches in Nice is that the mattresses are very close to each other. Concretely there is no space between the mattresses, except for the parasol. You can thus find yourself a few centimeters from a stranger on certain beaches. So if she's calm and spends her day napping, that's great. But if you come across a group that spends its day talking, smoking, etc., it can very quickly become unbearable. Especially if you came to rest...
Bring your water bottle
Between the mattress, the parasol, the towel, the lunch, the drinks, a day on a private beach can quickly cost you more than 100€. A good budget then. Also, to try to save a little, don't hesitate to bring your bottle of water to the private beach.
Come on now, I'm going to give you an update on the private beaches of Nice.
Nice's favorite private beach: Le Galet
Le Galet private beach is a beach whose quality of service has not been denied since it opened a few years ago. A beach with a very pleasant setting and a very friendly welcome. But be careful with Le Galet private beach, this beach is very popular: reservations are compulsory, both on the beach side and on the restaurant side. No need to show up at 11:30 a.m. on a Sunday without a reservation. This beach is taken by storm, to my great despair.
Le Galet private beach is also a very good place to have an aperitif in the evening.
Website : http://galet-plage.fr/
Nice's premium private beach: Beau Rivage
I made an article dedicated to the Beau Rivage private beach that you can find below.
Afternoon rest at Beau Rivage beach in NiceThe Beau-Rivage private beach remains a safe bet in Nice, a beach that maintains a very good quality of service, like the Beau Rivage hotel located next door, in Old Nice. For me, the Beau Rivage private beach is certainly the most chic beach in Nice.
The advantage of this private beach is that it is very large, so you don't feel like you're on top of each other.
A very pleasant beach for lunch, but also for an aperitif in the evening.
The emblematic private beach of Nice: Le Castel
Le Castel private beach is a mythical beach in Nice, its name is inseparable from the Promenade des Anglais. It is certainly the most beautiful beach in terms of decoration and dining there in the evening is very pleasant. Likewise, as this beach is at the very end of the Promenade des Anglais, on the Old Nice side, you will have a complete view of the Baie des Anges. Which makes it the most beautiful view of the Bay on a private beach. Moreover, it is on this beach that I go to dinner as soon as I have a good occasion to celebrate (coming from the family on vacation, birthday, etc.) because we eat very very well there, the view is wow and the perfect service.
More "elitist" clientele than on the other beaches of course, a very LGBTQI+ clientele as well, it's one of the most expensive beaches... but hey, don't we say that the setting is paid for?
To be transparent, I only go to Le Castel private beach for catering in the evening, because, due to its location, we have a view of the entire Baie des Anges. I don't go there to spend an afternoon, because I find that the deckchairs are much too close to each other. We are literally on top of each other. Afterwards, if you don't mind, then I advise you to try this private beach because it is iconic in Nice. But personally, I'm looking for peace, I don't want to hear the discussions of my deckchair neighbours.
My favorite private beach in Nice: Amour beach
I'll say right away, it's MY beach, the one I now go to systematically to spend my day relaxing. The Amour private beach is the annex of the Amour hotel, of which you can find my article below.
The Amour private beach is undoubtedly the beach with the most marked decorative atmosphere, made of blue and pink. Very "Californian style". It is, in my opinion, one of the most interesting beaches to do if you come to Nice, whether for the catering which is excellent and at reasonable prices, to spend an afternoon on the beach or to take a aperitif in the evening.
You can find my full review of this beach (including the restaurant) below:
To test urgently !
The luxury private beach in Nice: La Plage du Negresco
La Plage du Negresco is the latest of Nice's private beaches since it opened in June 2022. And if I'm talking about a luxury beach, it's quite simply because it's the beach of the legendary Negresco hotel, the Nice's most luxurious hotel.
I spent a day on this beach and I must say that all the codes of luxury are there. It's very simple, it's the private beach that pays the best attention to the customer. We feel valued and it feels good against other beaches who see us more as numbers.
The mattresses are also of superior quality compared to the mattresses of the other beaches, which implies better comfort. On the price side, we are between 35€ and 45€ (for the 1st line) for the mattresses. On the catering part, it is more expensive than on the other private beaches but the quality is higher here, the menu being made by a Chef (don't forget that we are on the private beach of a luxury hotel).
Find my detailed article on Negresco Beach here. The private beach of Nice: La Vela
This is a beach which is certainly one of the prettiest, best decorated, with the nearby Amour beach. This is also why I decided to go to La Vela to do my first private beach of the season: lots of plants, a very nice aperitif corner, white metal deckchairs (and not plastic ) very pretty. Well I had a great day. I had lunch there at the restaurant and the fish and chips are excellent (ultra fresh fish) and the chips are very homemade. For dessert, I had a champagne and raspberry tiramisu... nice size on the plate, super tasty. A very good choice this beach restaurant. But beware, the restaurant has very high prices I think. Certainly the setting is great, the service very good, but we got away with it for more than 90€ for 2 with 1 glass of rosé each, a dish (not very substantial) and a dessert (much too substantial that we didn't have not finished).
Budget for the day: €40 mattress (without towel) for the day + €90 lunch for 2 + €42 drinks on the beach (2 Spritz + 1 coke + 1 pool of rosé).
The private beach of Nice: La Baieta
La Baieta is a new private beach, it opened on July 4, 2020, and I went there for lunch that same day. And I must admit that it was a disappointment: not only did we not have the right drinks, but we had to wait 1 hour before receiving the dishes (a club sandwich and a salmon avocado toast, nothing exceptional in the preparation time). And when the dishes arrived they had gotten one of the dishes wrong. Another 20 minute wait. As we were fed up, we asked for the bill as soon as the dishes were finished. Especially since the portions were small for our taste. No excuses or commercial gestures.
The decoration of the Catering part is very pretty, for once it is a really pleasant place. On the other hand, for a new beach, offering customers simple white plastic deckchairs... I'm sorry, but that's no longer what I expect from a private beach.
Nice private beach: Le Ruhl Plage
Another mythical beach on the Promenade des Anglais... the setting is also very beautiful, the restaurant menu nice.
Site Internet : https://ruhl-plage.com/
Nice private beach: Cocoon Beach
Cocoon Beach is a recent private beach, opened last year. This private beach offers a very pretty setting, in wood and with parasols and white mattresses. With the Azur side of the Promenade des Anglais, it's really very classy. It is for me one of the most beautiful private beaches in Nice.
Nice private beach: Opéra Plage
Come on, I'm going into bonus mode, I'm adding the Opéra Plage. Because I spent a very nice Breton evening there!!! But to be transparent, I've never spent a day there... I don't know why, it doesn't make me want to go...
Website : http://www.operaplage-nice.fr/