Hotels near Place Masséna

Place Masséna is the central square of Nice and the natural pivot between Vieux Nice, the Carré d'Or shopping district, and the seafront. Its ochre-red Italianate buildings surround a black-and-white chequered marble pavement, a 7-metre Apollo fountain, and the surreal Conversation in Nice installation by Jaume Plensa - seven illuminated kneeling figures perched on tall poles.

The square is the hub of the Lignes d'Azur tram network (Line 1 stops here) and the staging point for the Carnaval de Nice each February. From Place Masséna you can walk west along the Promenade des Anglais, north up Avenue Jean Médecin for shopping, or east into the flower market at Cours Saleya in under three minutes.

Pro Tip: Come back after dark when the Plensa figures change colour every few minutes and the Apollo fountain is uplit. The square is at its most photogenic between 9 and 11 p.m. in summer.