Hotel Excelsior Nice

Rooms and decor

Hotel Excelsior Nice is a 42-room 3-star in a building from 1900 — the same era as the Negresco (1913) and the West End (1842), but at a fraction of the price. Rooms keep the Belle Epoque bones: 3 m ceilings, tall windows, original parquet, cream-and-gold tones and heavy curtains. Standard rooms run 14-18 sq m and feel compact; Superior rooms are 22-26 sq m, roughly 6 sq m larger. Some bathrooms have been redone, but not all — and Tripadvisor reviewers are blunt that asking for a renovated room matters, because the un-renovated ones still feel genuinely old. Free Wi-Fi, decent air-con, a Smart TV and Provence-made toiletries round things out.

Food and amenities

What sets Excelsior apart at this price is the garden terrace inside the hotel — outdoor tables under big trees, a real place to wind down in the evening. From May to September breakfast is served out there, and the setting outruns the price. Staff speak English and French, and reviews keep coming back to the same note: it feels warm, like staying with a friend, with solid tips on restaurants and getting around. Breakfast is an extra $11 per person — a small buffet, but far cheaper than the roughly $24 the 4-star chains charge. There is no gym or spa.

Location and getting there

Avenue Durante 19 sits 150 m from Gare de Nice-Ville, a 2-minute walk straight across from the station — the closest stay on this list. Tram L1 at Gare Thiers is 2 minutes away and reaches Old Town and Place Masséna in about 8 minutes. For the airport, Tram L2 from Gare Thiers takes around 25 minutes for about $1.60. Coastal trains run to Monaco in 20 minutes and Cannes in 30, which makes this an easy base for day trips along the Côte d'Azur. On foot, Place Masséna is 12 minutes and the Promenade des Anglais is 15.

Things to know before booking

The big one: request a renovated room at the time of booking, because the older un-renovated rooms still feel dated and reviewers flag it repeatedly. There is no gym or spa — this is a small 3-star, not a resort. The lift is small, as you'd expect in a building this age. And breakfast is not included, so factor in the $11 per person or walk five minutes to a café on Avenue Jean Médecin.

Our take

For backpackers, TGV travelers using Nice as a Côte d'Azur base, and solo travelers watching the budget, Excelsior is the best-value pick here — next to the station, full of old-building character, from $80 a night. If you want every room freshly renovated or a gym on site, look at Best Western Plus Nice Cosy or Mercure Notre Dame instead.