Promenade, Beaches, and Castle Hill

The detailed analysis and photographs of the wheelchair accessibility of Nice’s Promenade Beaches and Castle Hill are from Summer 2022.

Wheelchair Accessibility of Promenade

The Promenade des Anglais is an amazing 4+ mile walkway that stretches along Nice’s coast on the Mediterranean. Although I did not test this theory, one could potentially scoot from the airport to the downtown via the Promenade.

The Promenade is exceptionally wide itself, allowing for pedestrians, rollerbladers, wheelchairs, and street performers to all have plenty of space. It also has its own bike lanes. The Promenade is an easy way to travel through Nice. We walked it to see the beaches, the entrance to Colline du Château, and lots of nice yachts at Port de Nice Lympia.

Pro tip–there is very little (read–none) shade on the Promenade. Definitely bring lots of water and wear sun protection. The breeze helps a lot, but it can get sweltering very quickly.

Wheelchair Beach Access–handiplage

The Promenade has two wheelchair accessible beach areas at Centenary and Carras beaches. We only explored Carras beach, and were amazed. I took the long, gradual ramp down from the Promenade to a concrete landing space on the beach. Once down, there are trailers that offer shade, life jackets, and people who can help with the beach wheelchair. From the landing space, there is a beach mat that leads almost all the way down to the water–it will be bumpy, but most wheelchairs or scooters could drive down to the water.

Wheelchair Access to Castle Hill (via elevator)

Castle Hill offers great views of the French Riviera, and can be accessed from the Promenade. But the handicap entrance can be a bit hidden. If you are walking east on the Promenade, you will see the Castle Hill looming in front of you (and the #LoveNICE sign to the right). There are a series of stairs up to Castle Hill. At the base of the stairs, there are a row of large red arches and a sign that says “ascenseur” (elevator). Follow the archways to the left, and you will find an archway that leads to the elevator. Unfortunately, the elevator was broken when we were there, and the attendant said it had been broken for some time–this was not a temporary problem, and there was not a known repair date.

Conclusion — I was very impressed by the wheelchair accessibility of Nice’s Promenade, Beaches, and Castle Hill. It was also just a short stroll from our hotel.