Choosing a Nice Boat Tour: a Seat, a Shared Boat or the Whole Boat
A boat trip from Nice can mean three different purchases, sold side by side at similar prices. Decide which one you want before you compare anything else. This guide sets the boat trips in Nice out by what the fare buys, then answers the questions that usually decide it.
What does the fare buy you?
Every trip from Nice is one of three things. A seat on a scheduled boat, sailing to a timetable with up to a couple of hundred others. A place on a shared excursion boat of about twelve. Or the whole boat, for your party alone.
| A seat | A place on a shared boat | The whole boat | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who runs it | The scheduled operator | Small operators, with a guide or crew | A skipper or captain-guide |
| Aboard | Up to 200 on the Monaco boat | Up to 12 on the RIBs | Your party only |
| Length | 1 hour, or a day with you ashore | 2 to 3 hours | 1 to 4 hours |
| Swim stop | No | Yes, on nearly all | On most |
| Fee paid on board | No | No | On several: €300, or €150 + €150 |
| Price | $33 to $112 a person | $56 to $125 a person | $86 a person to $987 a group |
Prices are per person unless a group is named, and each moves with the date you pick. The rest of this guide takes the three in turn, then the questions that cut across them.
A seat on a scheduled boat
Trans Côte d'Azur runs the scheduled boats from its desk in the Port of Nice. The 1-hour cruise crosses to Villefranche bay and back with live commentary in French and English, at 11:00 and 15:00, daily except Monday. The day boats go to Monaco and Saint-Tropez and land you for the day.
You get a fixed time, a large boat and the lowest fares on the coast. You do not get a swim stop, and you share the deck with many others. For the day boats, you swap your voucher at the desk 30 minutes before sailing.
A place on a 12-seat RIB
A RIB is a fast, open inflatable boat with a rigid hull. Nissa Croisières runs its RIBs from the tram stop at Port Lympia, with 12 people at most and a guide aboard. The two-hour trip stops for 45 minutes at the Mala cave. The three-hour trip adds a swim off Paloma beach and 45 minutes ashore in Villefranche-sur-Mer.
A RIB is the most direct way into the water, and the smallest shared group. It has no shade, no toilet and nowhere to shelter from spray. The speedboat to Monaco's harbour is a RIB too, with saddle seats and no toilet.
A place on a catamaran
A catamaran is slower and steadier, with room to move about on deck. AMC Cape Grace's maxi-catamaran sails a three-hour morning trip from the pontoon below Quai Amiral Infernet, with 30 minutes at anchor for paddleboards and snorkels. Its evening trip anchors for about an hour in Villefranche bay.
A second catamaran of up to 12 sails from Cannes, not Nice, and anchors off the islands there. Its fare does not include getting to Cannes.
The whole boat
A charter puts your party alone on the boat with a skipper or captain-guide. The charters here leave from four harbours: the Port of Nice, Beaulieu-sur-Mer, the marina at Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat and Port Silva Maris below Èze. They run from one hour to four.
Read the price line twice. Some charters quote a price per group, some per person, and several add a fee you pay on board. Our guide to what private boat hire costs sets every charter's full cost side by side.
How long should your trip be?
Length is the other quick filter, and it follows from what you buy.
- One hour: the 1-hour cruise, or the solar boat's shortest option. You see the coast and do not swim.
- Two hours: the Mala cave RIB, the snorkel boat and the sunset trips. Long enough for one swim stop.
- Three hours: the morning catamaran, the RIB with a Villefranche landing and the Cannes catamaran.
- Two and a half to four hours: the charters, with time for more than one bay.
- A whole day: the scheduled boats to Monaco and Saint-Tropez, most of it spent ashore.
If you have a morning free, a two- or three-hour shared trip fits it. If you have a day, you can combine them, as our day on the water, hour by hour shows.
Where do the boats leave from?
Most leave the Port of Nice, but not from one quay. The scheduled boats use the desk on Quai Lunel, the Nissa RIBs the tram stop at Port Lympia, the catamaran the pontoon below Quai Amiral Infernet, and the speedboat its own pontoon. The charters add Beaulieu-sur-Mer, the cape and the harbour below Èze.
Check the quay on your booking before you set off, and allow time to find it. The map of the departure points marks each one.
Which trips swim, and which don't?
The scheduled boats never stop to swim. The shared RIBs and catamarans nearly all do, and so do most charters. The solar boat anchors to swim only on its options of two hours or more.
- Longest swim: the snorkel boat, about 90 minutes at anchor off the cape.
- The Mala cave: the two-hour RIB, 45 minutes in the water there.
- Paddleboards: the catamarans, and one charter from the cape.
- No swim at all: the 1-hour cruise and the day boats.
Which trips go ashore?
Very few. The day boats land you in Monaco for nearly seven hours, or in Saint-Tropez for about five. The three-hour RIB gives you 45 minutes in Villefranche-sur-Mer. Everything else sails, anchors and comes back.
The speedboat to Monaco goes into Port Hercule and turns round without anyone going ashore. Charters with Monaco in the title may never reach it, so read the stops, not the title.
Who is aboard, and how many?
On a RIB or the Cannes catamaran, 12 at most, so you will likely sit beside strangers. On the scheduled Monaco boat, up to 200. On a charter, only the people you bring. The per-group fares cover up to four or five people; ask the others for their limit.
What about shade, toilets and seasickness?
The Nissa RIBs have no restroom and no shade. The speedboat and the solar boat have no toilet. Among the charters, the day-cruiser from the cape has shade, a shower and a toilet, Les Balades au Soleil has a restroom, and Happy Drive Tours carries a parasol.
If you get seasick, pick a bigger, slower boat and a calm morning. The Cannes catamaran lists itself as unsuitable for people prone to seasickness, and so does the Tiber Plaisance charter.
Which one for children?
Check the age rule first. The Nissa RIBs take nobody under 5, the speedboat nobody under 4, and the snorkel boat nobody under 12. The scheduled boats and the charters take families, and the Monaco boat is stroller accessible.
The morning catamaran describes itself as ideal for families, with paddleboards at anchor. Our post on boat trips with children goes through each age rule.
Which one for non-swimmers?
You can join most trips and stay aboard. On the Nissa RIBs, swimming is unsupervised, so non-swimmers do not go in. The snorkel boat is the exception: you must swim unaided, and it provides no life jackets. The Cannes catamaran strongly discourages non-swimmers.
If nobody in your party swims, the 1-hour cruise and the day boats lose nothing.
Which trip matches your plan?
Find the line that sounds like your day, then read that trip's card.
| If you want | Take | From |
|---|---|---|
| An hour's look, with commentary | The 1-hour cruise | $33 |
| A day in Monaco | The scheduled day boat | $61 |
| A day in Saint-Tropez | The scheduled day boat | $112 |
| The Mala cave, in the water | The two-hour RIB | $74 |
| The longest swim | The snorkel boat | $56 |
| A landing in Villefranche | The three-hour RIB | $87 |
| Paddleboards and a calm deck | The morning catamaran | $84 |
| Wine at sunset | The sunset RIB | $62 |
| The boat to yourselves | The solar boat, or a charter | $86 |
Still unsure? The French Riviera boat tours from Nice page compares the shared trips, and the private boat tours in Nice page compares the charters.
Frequently asked questions
Which boat trip is best for a first visit?
What kinds of boat tour leave from Nice?
Is a RIB a rough ride?
Which trip suits a couple?
Which boat trips include a swim stop?
Are there toilets on the boats?
Is there commentary on board?
Trips for each kind of fare
Nice: 1-Hour Sightseeing Cruise to Villefranche Bay
One hour from the desk at the port, with live commentary in French and English: the city's bay, Cap de Nice and Villefranche bay. A seat on a timetabled boat, no swim stop.
From $33 per person
Check Availability
From Nice: French Riviera Swimming and Snorkeling Cruise
Half an hour along the coast on a wooden boat, then about 90 minutes at anchor off the cape with snorkel gear. Age 12 and up, and you must swim unaided.
From $56 per person
Check Availability
Nice: Exclusive Tour - Outstanding Solar Boats - Pro Captain
The whole boat for your party, silent and solar-powered, from Beaulieu's marina with a captain-guide. One hour to four; the swim stop comes on two hours or more.
From $86 per person
Check AvailabilityNext: Know which kind of boat you want, then pick the date. Every fare sits side by side on Nice Boat Tours.