Weather in Nice France
When is the best time to visitNice?
With a mild Mediterranean climate and over 300 sunny days a year (see climate chart below) the absolute best time to come to Nice is in the springtime and the autumn, and even winter is surprisingly pleasant.
Really, the only months to avoid are July and August, ironically Nice’s busiest season, when temperatures are at their hottest… and getting hotter every year! All of Europe goes on a big month-long vacation in August, so the roads are gridlocked, beaches are packed, lodging prices spike, lines form for everything from restaurants to ice cream stands, it’s standing-room only on public transport, tempers flare …and then the pickpockets and jellyfish arrive!
Do yourself a favor and come to Nice on any other month…!
Did you know that atthe turn of the century Nice was only a winter resort? The French Riviera was an escape from the bleak winters elsewhere in Europe, and only the nouvelle riche who didn’t know any better would come to Nice in the heat of the summer… kind of like now!
In fact the best airfare deals of the year are in November, when you can fly to Nice for the cost of a local flight.
Winter on the Cote d’Azur is sunny and crisp, with no crowds, lower prices, better service, and a real village feel. The coldest it gets is in the 40’s (5-7c) and on most winter days it gets up to the mid 50’s (13-15c). Expect 6-7 days of rain a month during the winter, and maybe a dusting of snow only once every couple of years (although you can drive 90 minutes and be schussing at an alpine ski resort!) And holiday time in Nice is magic… just check out my What to do in Nice in December page.
But springtime (April, May, June)and autumn (September and October) are the real vacation sweet-spots, with lovely weather, the best food, and lots of interesting cultural events… the best of everything.
Nice Weather Forecasts
Click here forthe currentNice 10-day forecast.
Because of Nice’s seaside situation with a mountain range close behind, it can be difficult to predict the weather, but my personal rule-of-thumb is that if the forecast is for sun, it will be sunny, and if the forecast is for anything else, there is a 50% chance that it will be… sunny! In fact, Nice has around 300 days of sun a year.
Check it out for yourself with thisup-to-the-hourwebcam view of Nice!There are 8 webcams at various points along the seaside, so just click on the one closest to you and check out how crowded the beach is before you go!
Average Temperatures in Nice by month, with average rain and snow days
Celsius J F M A M J J A S O N D
Hi Temp 13 13 15 17 21 24 27 28 25 21 17 14
Low 5 6 8 10 14 18 20 21 17 14 10 6
Fahrenheit F M A M J J A S O N D
Hi Temp 55 56 59 63 69 76 81 82 76 70 62 57
Low 42 43 46 50 57 63 68 69 63 57 49 43
Rain days 6 3 4 6 5 3 2 3 5 5 7 4
Snow days0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
See Related pages:
Back up to mainPracticalities – Miscellaneous Page
Photo credits: Nice travel posterand L’hiver a Nice posteravailable from Zazzle.com. Weather chart data from Wikipedia.fr
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