Capital of the Côte d'Azur, known as Nice la Belle (beautiful nice), is preparing to welcome the finest worldwide rugby stars in September 2023 for the Rugby World Cup 2023. An opportunity to discover the charms of the most Italian of French cities in the off-season and explore its exceptional natural setting. From the colourful old streets of Vieux-Nice to the iconic Promenade des Anglais and the rich collections of museums, take a peak at our guide!
Select your match
Located to the west of the city and able to accommodate up to 36,000 spectators, the Nice stadium inaugurated in 2013, will host 4 matches of the 2023 Rugby World Cup:
Wales vs Winner Qualifying Tournament - Saturday 16 September at 5.45pm (Pool C) England vs Japan - Sunday 17 September at 9pm (Pool D) Italie vs Uruguay - Wednesday 20 Septembrer at 5.45pm (Pool A) Scotland vs Tonga - Sunday 24 September at 5.45pm (Pool B)
For more information, visit the online ticketing
Getting around and to the stadium stress-free
On match nights, the new tramway line provides a direct link to the stadium from the city centre. The detailed schedule for match days is available 48 hours before each match on the Lignes d'Azur website. The alternative is to reach the Saint-Isidore station, located a few minutes’ walk from the stadium, by taking the Provence railways on board the historic Train des Pignes. A 15-minute journey.
Fans wishing to take advantage of their presence in Nice and explore the city can also subscribe to the French Riviera Pass, which gives access to the Nice Côte d'Azur metropolitan area's transport system as well as visits. To limit your ecological footprint while sunbathing along the Promenade des Anglais, you can rent a bicycle with or without electric assistance, thanks to the Vélobleu service.
Getting to the Nice stadium by tramway Getting to the stadium by Train des Pignes Getting around Nice with the French Riviera Pass Getting around on two wheels with Vélobleu
Watch the game in town and celebrate the 3rd half
If you want to enjoy a Rugby World Cup 2023 match without being in the stadium, head to the city's two Irish pubs, Ma Nolan's, located on the harbour and in Old Nice. Under its high vaulted ceilings, you can enjoy a Belgian beer or a Scottish whisky (in moderation), plump burgers and dishes with multiple inspirations: Cajun chicken, bean chili and Irish sausages! All this with screens in every corner so as not to miss any penalty. Warm atmosphere guaranteed! Another suggestion close to Place Masséna is the aptly named L'Ovale restaurant, which offers a menu translated into English with many specialities from the South West. Rugby fans are welcomed with open arms.
Le Ma Nolan's Irish Pub (Port of Nice and Vieux Nice) Restaurant L'Ovale
Enjoying local products
Inspired by Italy and the treasures of the surrounding region, Nissette cuisine is one of the most renowned in the South of France. People take the time to sit down at the table to taste a Niçoise salad (tomatoes, black olives, tuna, hard-boiled eggs, anchovies and cébettes), a daube or an octopus "à la niçoise", cooked in the flavours of aromatic herbs. But the cuisine of Nice can also be discovered on the go: you can nibble on pissaladières (a savoury tart with onions and anchovies), pans bagnats (a round sandwich made of tomatoes, eggs and tuna), stuffed vegetables, courgette flower fritters, panisses (chickpea chips) or socca (chickpea pancakes), while sitting on one of the blue chairs on the Promenade des Anglais whilst contemplating the Mediterranean Sea.
Finally, for dessert, whatever the season, you cannot miss the Fenocchio ice-cream parlour on Place Rossetti, in Vieux-Nice. Run by the same family for 50 years, this Nice institution offers a hundred flavours, each more delicious than the last but the more adventurous will be tempted by a sweet chard pie.
A few gourmet addresses for tasting Nissette cuisine:
D'Aqui
Chez Davia
Find a restaurant labelled Cuisine Nissarde
Enjoy Fenocchio ice cream
Visit the city
Nice is first discovered by the iconic Promenade des Anglais, the long seafront avenue listed as a Unesco World Heritage Site since 2021, which borders the Baie des Anges for 7 km. On the "Prom", you can see couples holding hands, young people on rollerblades, forty-somethings jogging, ladies sitting on benches in blue chairs contemplating the Mediterranean Sea. Walking towards the east side, you can see the hill of the Castle: a large abrupt rock which dominates the city, at the top of which there is a park with trees where the people of Nice like to spend time with their families. You can get up there on foot or by a free lift. The view is unmissable with the pebble beach on one side and the port on the other. On the way back down, head for Old Nice. You will discover the flower market on the Cours Saleya, the liveliness of the timeless cobbled streets, the hidden terraces and the designer boutiques.
In terms of culture, Nice has three major museums: first, the Matisse Museum, which houses the largest collection of works by the Fauvist painter, the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (Mamac) and the Marc-Chagall Museum, which presents 17 large canvases inspired by the Bible and donated by the painter to the French state . Rare!
Explore the surroundings
Diving, sailing, standing paddle and boat hire. In September, the pleasures of the Mediterranean are within reach! You can also choose to escape to the neighbouring peaks, and enjoy walks in the Parc du Vinaigrier, a vast 30-hectare natural area between Nice and Villefranche-sur-Mer offering one of the most spectacular views in the whole of the French Riviera.
Further afield, the perched villages, such as Eze and its Fort de la Révère, accessible by public transport, delight amateur photographers with views over the magnificent bay of Villefranche-sur-Mer and the Cap Ferrat known for its majestic villas.
To explore the hinterland of Nice, take the Train des Merveilles (marvellous train): a journey from Nice to Tende through the valleys of the Paillon, Bévéra and Roya to the gateway to the Vallée des Merveilles and its 40,000 rock paintings in the heart of the wild Mercantour National Park. The most courageous hikers can go to the Lac d'Allos, the largest natural lake in France, perched at an altitude of 2230 metres.
Take the Train des Merveilles from Nice Explore the Valley of Wonders Stroll in Eze, on the French Riviera Stroll in the Parc du Vinaigrier
Finding an accommodation
To stay in Nice during the 2023 Rugby World Cup, you can choose a hotel near the airport to be closer to the stadium or in the city centre and the Vieux-Nice to enjoy the city's atmosphere and its tourist and cultural attractions. A historic address dating back to 1850, the Anantara Plaza Nice Hotel will reopen its doors at the end of 2022 after 18 months of intensive renovations. Its strong point? A rooftop where you can dine at the SEEN by Oliver restaurant or have a drink at the panoramic bar.
Provided by the tramway, the airport district allows the hotels to be linked to the Nice stadium in only 20 minutes. Several recent openings may encourage you to make this choice: the Radisson Hôtel Nice Airport (summer 2022) or the Okko Nice Aéroport hotel (autumn 2021). Special mention should be made of the Sheraton, which opened in early 2022 and has a roof terrace with a bar and a large swimming pool overlooking the Promenade des Anglais and the Mediterranean!
Staying at the Sheraton Nice Airport Hotel Stay at the Anantara Plaza Nice Hotel
By Caroline Revol-Maurel
Journalist passionate about wild nature, travel and rock. As happy to write about bearded vultures as Lou Reed. Often accompanied by my two best critics, my daughters.
