Restaurant terraces with tables set on the Cours Saleya in Old Nice

Restaurants · Old Nice, the port, the hills, Monaco

Out to dinner in Nice with a VTC chauffeur

Thierry drops you at the table and drives you back: nobody hunts for a parking space, nobody has to choose between the wine and the wheel.

Rather talk? 06 25 03 03 20 · English, Italiano, Français

Why take a VTC to a restaurant in Nice

In Nice, the best tables are often where you cannot park: in the pedestrian lanes of Old Nice, on a port where spaces are counted, or in a perched village in the hills.

Parking
Old Nice is largely pedestrian, and the car parks in the centre are full at mealtimes. A chauffeur drops you as close as possible and drives off.
The glass of wine
In France, the legal blood alcohol limit for driving is 0.5 g per litre of blood (0.2 g for new drivers). With a chauffeur, the question does not arise.
The roads in the hills
A table in Saint-Paul-de-Vence, Èze or Vence is reached by winding roads you would rather not drive back down at night.

Driver, Let’s Go! is no substitute for a restaurant guide: Thierry drives. But after twenty years of concierge work in Monaco’s hotels, he describes himself as a “concierge on board”, and “where shall we eat?” is one of the questions he is happiest to answer.

Lunch or dinner: what fits within Thierry’s hours

Thierry drives from 7 am to 7 pm: lunch, there and back, fits within his hours; a dinner with a return after 7 pm is booked on quote.

Outing	Usual time in France	With Driver, Let’s Go!
Lunch	12 noon to 2 pm, service often until 2.30 pm	There and back within the hours (7 am – 7 pm)
Early dinner, aperitif	6 pm to 7.30 pm	Outward ride within the hours, return on quote if after 7 pm
Dinner	From 7.30 pm, often 8 pm	On quote: give the return time when you book

Mealtimes are the usual custom in France; every restaurant has its own.

Travellers from Northern Europe or America often dine earlier than the people of Nice. That is good news: at 7 pm, many terraces still have room, and the ride home stays simple to arrange.

Planning a meal out, neighbourhood by neighbourhood

Every part of Nice and every village around it has its own cooking, its own atmosphere and its own access problem: here is what to know before booking a table — and a car.

Where	What you eat there	Access by car
Old Nice, Cours Saleya	Niçois cooking, socca, fish, terraces	Pedestrian lanes: drop-off at the edge of the quarter
Port Lympia	Fish, terraces on the quays	Traffic around the port, drop-off at the quay
Promenade des Anglais	Private beaches, hotel restaurants	Easy drop-off, little parking
The hills: Saint-Paul-de-Vence, Vence	Village restaurants, terraces with a view	Winding roads, car parks below the ramparts
Monaco	Hotel restaurants, Michelin-starred tables	Drop-off at the door, paid car parks
Èze, the corniche	Tables with a sea view	Pedestrian village, car park at the entrance

The Cours Saleya, in the heart of Old Nice, hosts the flower market in the morning and restaurant terraces in the evening. Port Lympia, east of Castle Hill, lines up its fish restaurants opposite the fishing boats. For the towns in the hills, the VTC in Vence page explains how to get there.

Port Lympia in Nice, its colourful fishing boats and the terraces lined up along the quay

What to eat in Nice, and how to spot a genuine Niçois restaurant

Niçois cooking has its own dishes, its own produce and even its own label: “Cuisine Nissarde”, created in 1998 and run since 2014 by the Nice Côte d’Azur Tourist Office, singles out restaurants that respect the traditional recipes.

Socca
A thin chickpea-flour pancake, baked in the oven, peppered, eaten hot with your fingers.
Pissaladière
A bread dough topped with slow-cooked onions, black olives and anchovies.
Pan bagnat
A round bread roll filled with the ingredients of a salade niçoise, drizzled with olive oil.
Petits farcis
Market vegetables — courgettes, tomatoes, onions — stuffed and baked until golden.

The label is awarded on application, against a set of specifications and an assessment grid; labelled restaurants receive visits from mystery diners, and the label can be withdrawn. The Tourist Office’s 2025–2026 press kit lists 27 of them, in Nice and the surrounding area. You can spot them by the plaque at the entrance.

Ask for the up-to-date list on the Tourist Office website, or ask Thierry: he will tell you which part of town the restaurant you have in mind is in, and how long the drive will take.

A plate of socca, the chickpea-flour pancake, on a terrace table in Old Nice

Asking your chauffeur for advice

Thierry spent twenty years in Monaco’s hotels as a chauffeur, luggage master and concierge: “where shall we have dinner tonight?” has long been part of his job.

The simplest way is to tell him what you like — fish, a quiet terrace, a place where children are welcome, a view — and ask him which area to look in. He will also tell you how to get there, and how long to allow.

He does so in French, English or Italian. For a stay of several days, many clients bring it up as early as the airport transfer: the drive to the hotel is the right moment to plan the first dinner.

Lunch in the hills or in Monaco

Restaurants in the perched villages and in the Principality go well with a visit: lunch in Saint-Paul-de-Vence after the Fondation Maeght, a table in Monaco after the Rock.

For these outings, hourly chauffeur hire is often simpler than two separate rides: a four-hour half day costs €320, tolls and parking included, and Thierry waits during the meal. For Monaco, the round trip can also be done as two transfers.

In Villeneuve-Loubet, the village where Auguste Escoffier was born, the Escoffier Museum of Culinary Art tells the story of the man known as the father of modern cooking: a visit that pairs naturally with lunch. See the VTC in Villeneuve-Loubet page.

The fountain on Place du Peyra in Vence, a café terrace under a plane tree

Booking the car for a meal

For a meal, book the car at the same time as the table: your restaurant booking sets the pickup time, and Thierry works out the driving time.

The table first
Book the restaurant, then give Thierry the address and the time.
The price up front
The price of the outward ride, the return or the half day is given to you before the ride.
The drop-off
As close to the entrance as possible, or at the edge of the pedestrian quarter, with directions for the way in.
The ride home
At the agreed time, or when you call if he is waiting nearby during hourly hire.

Going to a restaurant by VTC: your questions

What people ask before booking a car for lunch or dinner in Nice.

Can I be dropped off by car in Old Nice?

Old Nice is largely pedestrian. Thierry drops you at the edge of the quarter, as close to the restaurant as possible, and shows you the way on foot.

Can Thierry recommend a restaurant?

Ask him: he calls himself a “concierge on board” after twenty years in Monaco’s hotels. Tell him what you like — Niçois cooking, fish, a terrace, a child-friendly table — and booking the table remains up to you.

Is a ride home after dinner possible?

Yes, on quote: Thierry drives from 7 am to 7 pm, and a later return is requested when you book, with the expected time.

How much is a round trip from the airport for lunch in Monaco?

The airport ⇄ Monaco ride costs €115 each way. For a round trip with waiting time, a 4-hour half day at €320 is often simpler.

What is the Cuisine Nissarde label?

A label created in 1998 and run since 2014 by the Nice Côte d’Azur Tourist Office. It singles out restaurants that respect Niçois recipes and produce, checked by visits from mystery diners.