The best time to visit Nice
Sea, air and rain month by month — and why Nice's wettest month is October, not winter.
- Best
- May, June and September
- Swimming
- June–October
- Rain
- October and November, 105–135 mm
The best months for Nice are May, June and September: the air is 21–25 °C by day and the sea runs from 18 °C in May to 23 in September. Swimming is June to October, when the sea averages above 20 °C; July and August are almost rainless, and the wettest month is not a winter one but October.
Month by month
Sea: average of the last ten years. Air: average daily high.
The carnival
The carnival falls in February and runs for about three weeks: parades, flower battles and a carnival village, with more than 420,000 participants and visitors at the last edition, by the organisers' count. For the city it is the fullest stretch of winter. If you are coming for the museums and empty streets, pick January or March — the same temperatures, without the parades.
Which month for whom
- For the sea — July to September, when the water is 23–25 °C. July and August are also the driest months, with 10 to 20 mm of rain.
- For the city without the heat — May and June: 21–25 °C by day and five rainy days or fewer, with the sea already 22 °C in June.
- For autumn — September, not October. The sea is still 23 °C in September, while October brings the most rain of the year, nearly twice January's.
- For winter — January or March, at 13–15 °C by day. February is carnival.
Before you go
Short answers to what people ask most before setting out.
How warm is the sea in Nice in June?
About 22 °C on average, and only 18 in May. It is warmest in August, at 25 °C, and stays above 20 until October.
When is the Nice Carnival in 2027?
From 9 to 28 February 2027, under the theme Vive l'Amour.
What is Nice like in winter?
Mild: 13–14 °C by day, five or six rainy days a month, and sheltered from the cold mistral that blows further west, down the Rhône valley. The sea is 14–16 °C and not for swimming.
Ready for Nice?
Where to next
Nice in 2 days
→The market, the old town and Castle Hill on day one, the Cimiez museums on day two — and the two weekdays…
Provence · 199 km
→The lavender flowers for six weeks; the region works all year
How well does Nice suit you?
→Six questions: a score for this place and others like it.
Front row for the next trip
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