The Mediterranean city of Nice is increasingly becoming a favourite of US citizens in France - with a booming tourist industry appearing to be fuelling a growing expat community too.
Over the last three months especially, more US citizens appear to be interested in moving to France, and increased numbers are choosing Nice rather than Paris.
International estate agent Adrian Leeds told Le Monde: "In the last three years, the demand for Nice has exploded. Whereas before most of my clients went to Paris, now Nice accounts for a third of my business. I had to set up about a hundred Americans here in 2024.”
‘Ideal French city’
“We have found our ideal French city,” said An Scott, an American who moved to Nice last year with her husband, a retired architect, to Le Monde.
“There's the sea, good hospitals, you can get around without a car... And we spend almost half as much as we did in Florida!” Family and friends come to visit the couple all year round, she added.
Similarly, Jacob, a doctor in his 40s from Nashville (Tennessee), has moved to Nice with his family for a sabbatical year, after buying a flat near Place Masséna. The couple plans to move there permanently when their children are older.
“The city is beautiful, the food is delicious, there's an international airport…” he said. Every Friday evening, the couple meets up with around 50 other Americans living in the city for a picnic.
US political scene
The political context in America is also fuelling the trend.
“The situation in the United States is making so many people furious that many are ready to live another life, at least for the next four years,” says Mr Leeds. “Since Trump's re-election, I spend an hour every day with a client who says to me, ‘Get me out of here!’ And Nice often ticks all the boxes.”
Some US residents are treading with caution, however, and are increasingly aware of some French and European attitudes towards them.
Rachel Hagg, a guide specialising in food tours, said that in early April, one of her customers simply wore a jumper bearing the word ‘Sorry’ on it. “He had bought it especially for his trip to France,” she said.
Expats in the city are also aware of this perception, and keen to show their opposition to the polarising White House resident.
Last weekend, Americans living in Côte d'Azur and Var held a demonstration against Mr Trump’s recent trade tariff policy, with several hundred gathering in front of the city’s Statue of Liberty replica on the Quai des États-Unis (which was installed in 2014).
The march was organised by US political expat group, Democrats Abroad. Attendees carried placards with slogans including: “Hands off my vote”, “Americans Against Trump”, “Hands off our friends, Greenland, Canada, Europe”, and “Ikea has better cabinets”.
Read more: Trump win spikes interest in moving to France
Read also: Number of Americans moving to France triples
From tourists to expats
Many of the new American residents appear to be those who have come to Nice on holiday, and liked it so much that they later move to the city.
The new expat trend comes amid a boom in US tourism.
Côte d'Azur France Tourisme states that since 2022, the number of American tourists has increased by 10% since 2019, with 620,000 stays by Americans in hotels in the region in 2024.
Americans now outstrip British, German, or Dutch tourists, “and even Italians, for the first time ever in 2024”, said Claire Behar, director of Côte d'Azur France Tourisme, to Le Monde..
US tourists have been attracted largely by:
The strong dollar against the euro, and high disposable income compared to people in France
The history and art museums
The fresh food
The increase in flights between Nice and the US
More and improved hotel offers
The historical links between the Riviera and the United States
From the early 1900s, wealthy Americans regularly visited the city, attracted by its casinos, luxury hotels and nightlife. High-profile visitors included writer F. Scott Fitzgerald and his wife Zelda, and actress Grace Kelly.
Thousands of American soldiers were also stationed in Nice for several months in 1945.
Rosa Jackson, a former food journalist who now runs a Nice food tour and traditional cooking workshop, told Le Monde that the number of Americans taking her classes has jumped in the past three years.
Nice airport expansion
Improved airline links have also contributed to the boom. There are now more flights than ever between Nice and the US, after intense lobbying by local elected representatives and the airport.
In 2019, there was only one daily flight between Nice to New York. In 2022, United added another, and in 2023, American Airlines added a daily route to Atlanta, and then to Philadelphia in 2024.
This year, United Airlines is also set to launch a service to Washington, DC, four times a week.
The airport is also set to increase its passenger capacity 15 million to 18 million per year by 2030.
Read more: Hundreds stage protest against Nice airport expansion
Read also: New France-US flight route announced by Air France
Hotel offerings
Hotels in the city have also improved, said Christian Estrosi, who has been mayor since 2008.
“The hotels in Nice were very outdated, so we did everything we could to attract investment,” he said. “During my first term of office, not much happened. Then everything happened at the same time, with projects costing tens of millions of euros.”
New openings in the past two years include the Anantara, the Maison Albar - Le Victoria, the Couvent, a Sheraton, a Holiday Inn, an Okko, and a Hilton. The number of rooms in the city has increased from 9,000 to 12,500 in 15 years. Occupancy rates have also improved, especially in winter.
Increasing trend
Côte d'Azur France Tourisme is continuing to encourage the trend. It regularly takes its managers on trips to the US, so they can meet tourism agencies and operators in the country, has partnered with online travel agency Expedia, and also regularly works with popular online influencers.
Trips to Los Angeles and San Francisco are planned for 2025, and the agency is even planning to open a permanent office on the east coast.
Americans are also popular because they spend more; an average of €200 per day per person when in Nice, compared to the €75 spent by the average French visitor.
US visitors leave more tips, are more polite to staff, and are happy to pay significant sums for wine, operators report.
Franck Obadia, a wine merchant in the city centre, organises tastings, and said: “They are customers who love wine and who can afford it. The bottles here seem very cheap to them! And they want to learn.”
