Hiking and Canyoning in Nice

The city of Nice and the French Riviera are well known for its beautiful coast line and its associations with the rich and famous, past and present.

There is another and little known side of this city which is well worth the experience. Nice happens to be at the gates of a National park containing mountain peaks rising as high as 3000 meters! And it’s easily accessible to backpackers on bus or train to spend a day hiking or canyoning in this stunning environment. 

There are trains leaving from the main Nice Ville train station and stopping at mountain villages like Sospel or Briel sur Roya or la Brigue, which are in themselves worth visiting, but are also excellent places to hike from in the surrounding mountains.

There is another train line which is great for hikes called the Chemin de Fer de Provence, which stops at villages like Puget Theniers, Entrevaux or Annot, and these too are brilliant bases from which you can do a day hike.

The city operates a special bus service for hikers during the summer time. It’s called the rando bus and takes the adventurous to mountain villages like Saint Martin Vesubie. There are some really great trails to hike in the surrounding hills.

For those who would like to stay closer to the city, there are some great coastal hiking paths to enjoy. Check out the path around Saint Jean Cap Ferrat, the renowned chemin Nietzsche path from Eze village to Eze beach, the trail that goes around the Cap D’Antibes or the one around the edge of Roquebrune Cap Martin where you can admire excellent distant views of Monaco.

So, armed with an IGN hiking map, a little hiking experience and the right equipment, you can enjoy this little known and spectacular side of the French Riviera.

Join us on our Adventure Tours in Nice! Get the adrenalin pumping with a day canyoning down a beautiful fresh mountain river. Spend 5 hours trekking rivers, abseiling waterfalls and jumping off cliffs!