Things to do with Kids in Nice

In France the child is king, and it is generally a wonderful place to spend time as a family. Nice is no exception, with children being welcomed with open arms in most restaurants, bars, theatres, sporting venues etc.

Many kids will want for nothing as long as they are near the water on a summer holiday, and as the Mediterranean Sea is just minutes from Apartment Emilia, you hopefully shouldn’t need to search out other activities to keep the children happy.

But for the sake of variety – and for ideas when the beach doesn’t appeal to everyone - here are our Top Five Ideas of Things to do with Kids in Nice:

1. Parc Phoenix, 405 Promenade des Anglais, 06200 Nice

A veritable oasis in the middle of the built-up French Riviera, this park is situated almost opposite Nice Cote d’Azur Airport. Here you can explore the garden, picnic on the beautiful tendered grass and watch the birdlife on the lakes before heading in the ‘hot houses’ to discover rare crocodiles, butterflies and iguanas. It never ceases to surprise you – with activities and delights at every corner – all for just 2 € for adults and free for kids.

2. Promenade du Paillon

After a few years of horrific construction, the Promenade du Paillon was inaugurated in October 2013, revealing an incredible wide span of greenery and magical water fountains in the place of ugly car parks. The Promenade has well and truly transformed the centre of Nice and is a wonderful place to come with kids. They will love the time fountains which sprout water – and we guarantee that neither they, nor their parents – will be able to resist the urge to run daringly through the park trying to dodge the water. There are also some beautiful carved wooden play structures for the children to play on.

3. Eat Ice-cream in Old Nice

Which child doesn’t like ice-cream?! Make an outing of seeking out the very best ice-creams in Nice, which we believe are found in the Fenocchio stands found in the Old Town. Produced in nearby La Gaude, the ice-creams come in a plethora of flavours including Liquorice, Basil and Tomato and Mandarin Sorbet. For the kids, there are old favourites such as Nutella, Chewing-gum and Fraise Taggada. There are three Fenocchio shops in Nice, at 2 Place Rossetti, 6 Rue de la Poissonerie and 28 Boulevard de Jean-Jaures.

4. Marineland, Antibes

A short drive or train journey away is Marineland, Europe’s largest marine park situated on the outskirts of nearby Antibes. It’s a magical wildlife wonderland for kids and adults alike, with the largest killer whale pool complex in the world, more than a dozen performing dolphins, a sea lion show and 30-metre shark tunnel. https://www.marineland.fr/en

5. Aquasplash, Antibes

Situated just next to Marineland and sharing the same car park is Aquasplash, a water park ideal for kids over 5 years old. They will go crazy for the 25 attractions and more than 2000 metres of slides, including 15 giant toboggans, a Pirates Island and Kids Pool for those between the ages of 3 and 7 years old. It’s a guaranteed day of fun and laughter! The nearest train station for both Marineland and Aquasplash is Biot, a five-miniute walk from the parks. www.marineland.fr