Nice · Backpacking
ON A BUDGET
Pebble beaches, a walkable old town, and buses along the coast for the price of coffee.
Vieux Nice and Gare Thiers
Hostels sit either in the old town's lanes or behind the station ten minutes uphill; the station side is cheaper and quieter.
What a day costs
About €55–85 a day, roughly $60–95: dorm €25–40, socca, market picnics and a plat du jour €15–25, transport €5–10.
Getting around cheap
Lignes d'Azur trams and buses run on a flat fare with day passes; regional buses and TER trains reach Monaco, Menton and Antibes for a few euros.
Free by day
The Promenade des Anglais and its pebble beaches, the Colline du Château park with its waterfall, and the Cours Saleya flower market.
Where travellers meet
Free walking tours gather on Place Masséna and finish in the old town; the beach in front of the Prom takes over from sunset.