For decades now, Paris was the only viable destination for Americans heading to France in the late fall or winter.
Its megahubs, Charles de Gaulle and Orly, were the only ones to host Transatlantic flights year-round, and as France’s two busiest airports, they monopolized the travel landscape outside summer… until now.
For the first time ever, U.S. travelers will be able to travel nonstop to Nice, the de facto capital of the French Riviera, throughout both fall and winter, a courtesy of the business-class airline La Compagnie.
Now, you’re probably wondering why you’d even bother swapping cozy, romantic Paris for an off-season beachside retreat in the South of France when you can’t even take a dip, but what they don’t tell you is that Nice is far more than a one-note, summer-only beach destination:
Nice Is One Of The Most Underrated City Breaks In Europe
Don’t Worry, We’ll Get Into The Why. Let Me Cook For A Sec.
If you’ve read my most recent Marseille write-up, you know I don’t throw this word around lightly, but as massively popular as Nice may be as a summer getaway, it remains criminally underrated as a year-round cultural escape.
Yes, many of the beach clubs close down or scale back from October through spring, and unless you have a penchant for polar plunges and you’re used to swimming in cold seas, the Mediterranean in winter probably isn’t on the cards for a pre-aperitif dip; however…
There’s an entire coastal metropolis of nearly 358,000 people beyond that postcard-perfect Promenade des Anglais, and if the first things that pop to mind when you think of Nice are its summery buzz, palm-shaded terraces, and impossibly turquoise seas, maybe you’ll be in for a bit of a surprise with what comes next.
But let’s park that aside for now.
Fly Nonstop To Nice With A 100% Business-Class Airline This Fall & Winter
Back to those flights: if you’re flying nonstop from the U.S. in summer, chances are you’ll be flying with one of several carriers, including Delta or United. If you’re dead set on experiencing Nice in winter, however, La Compagnie is your best nonstop bet.
La Compagnie is a France-based, all-business-class airline, and it is extending its Newark–Nice service through the 2026/2027 fall and winter season, allowing U.S. customers to fly nonstop to Nice effectively year-round, without the usual layover hassle.
Newark is the chosen Stateside hub, with wintertime departures taking place at 8:30 p.m. on Mondays and Fridays, arriving in Nice at 10:20 a.m. the following day.
Return flights from Nice leave on Tuesdays and Fridays at 12:00 p.m., touching down in Newark at 3:30 p.m.
Flight Frequency On The Newark (EWR) → Nice (NCE) Route In The Off-Season
- September: up to five nonstop flights weekly from Newark, currently scheduled on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays
- October: service tapers off, settling at twice weekly by the late-October timetable change
- Winter 2026–2027: two flights weekly through late March, after which frequency is expected to increase again for spring and summer 2027
As always, published timetables can shift—particularly around that late-October transition—so check your exact travel date before booking.
Now, you should know this is no average flying experience.
What To Expect Flying With La Compagnie
La Compagnie prides itself on offering a ‘100% business-class experience’, with passengers settling into fully flat, bed-style seats, complimentary and unlimited high-speed Wi-Fi powered by Viasat, a dining experience crafted by renowned guest chefs, and personalized service from departure to arrival.
That doesn’t come cheap, but then again, if you’re heading to the South of France, even if it’s only for a long weekend and culture fix in winter, you might as well do it in style.
Sale fares can dip toward $3,000 roundtrip, although La Compagnie currently advertises Nice–New York from about $4,060 roundtrip, and peak dates can climb higher.
La Compagnie’s newly year-round route adds to the ongoing transatlantic momentum at Nice Airport: the extension of its Terminal 2, inaugurated in April 2026, will help the hub accommodate up to 18 million passengers a year, and Delta launched its new seasonal Boston–Nice route in May.
Check Entry Requirements For Europe Before Flying
Before you fly to Europe this winter, though, make sure you check the latest entry requirements and regulations that apply to U.S. passport holders.
The European Union’s Entry/Exit System is now fully operational. It replaces passport stamps with a digital record and requires most American short-stay visitors to provide fingerprints and a facial image on their first EES crossing, allowing border authorities to log entry and exit dates and identify overstayers.
If you didn’t know, Americans can only stay in France, and the wider Schengen Area—a passport-free travel zone comprising 29 European countries—for 90 days out of any rolling 180-day period.
Use the Entry Requirement Checker to see what applies to you and find out all the finer details before you travel.
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Vieux-Nice: A UNESCO World Heritage Site
Nice is simply one of France’s oldest, most historically charged, culturally layered cities, with an entire UNESCO-listed Old Town to its name, and a Belle Époque architectural legacy that rivals Paris in beauty.
You’d come to Nice in summer for a cheeky beachside Aperol Spritz and sunbathing. In the off-season, it’s all about leisurely outdoor sightseeing in weather you can actually survive, museum-hopping, and crowd-free landmarks.
By the way, if you’re wondering how safe France is right now, and whether there are any travel alerts in place—our cheese-eating surrender-monkey friends do love a little political upheaval and the odd protest—the country currently scores 85 out of 100 on Travel Off Path’s Traveler Safety Index.
That’s based exclusively on first-person reports from recent visitors and on-the-ground locals, including moi. Hello, I live here??
One official caveat: the U.S. Department of State currently keeps France at Level 2, advising visitors to exercise increased caution due to terrorism and unrest.
Could the score be higher? Well, yes, but it’s not the absolute lawless, riot-stricken disaster zone that scaremongers on X will have you believe, either.
Pickpocketing and phone theft are genuine concerns, and you’d be wise to keep your wits about you and maintain a high level of situational awareness, especially if you’re strolling around Vieux-Nice or along the Promenade des Anglais.
Violent incidents involving visitors remain the exception rather than the rule, and the thinner off-season crowds make it easier to keep your belongings in sight.
Back to what truly matters.
Winding Alleys & Delicious Food
I go to Nice every year myself, in different seasons, and regardless of when I visit, Vieux-Nice is arguably one of the prettiest Old Town areas I’ve seen on this side of the pond—and I’ve been to over 40 European countries at this point.
If you’re used to Paris’ stately Haussmann edifices and broad, leafy boulevards, forget it:
Here it’s all about narrow cobblestone lanes, pastel-hued buildings with colorful shutters that look straight out of Italy, daily markets spilling onto pedestrianized streets, and hidden, hole-in-the-wall bistros tucked at the quieter end of unassuming lanes.
I also love how you don’t need to splurge on a white-tablecloth restaurant and three-figure tasting menu to have an absolute belter of a dining experience in Nice: just book a table at Chez Acchiardo, a family-run Niçois institution where mains generally run between $20 and $30.
Go for the daube-filled ravioli or petits farcis, budget roughly $35–$50 for a proper meal before drinks, and live your best French Riviera, wintry life.
I’ll also say I’d pick a sun-drenched, 60°F winter day any day for climbing Castle Hill, taking in those iconic views over the crescent-shaped Baie des Anges Nice sits on and that glittering, cobalt-blue sea, and still getting there in one piece, without breaking a sweat…
Rather than fighting for dear life with every step in July, only to share the sunset with a bunch of day-trippers and Instagrammers in flying dresses staging a full-fledged photoshoot, who’ll cast you ugly looks simply for… ahem, being there and ruining their shot.
In sum:
- Nice in summer: great for beaches, rooftop drinks, and late-night buzz
- Nice in fall: early fall can still be decent enough for beaches, except for the occasional October downpour
- Nice in winter: perfect weather for sightseeing, museum-hopping, and enjoying the city at a relaxed pace
January is the coldest month in Nice, and unlike the freezing north of France, average temperatures sit around 42°F at night and 55°F in the afternoon, with the sun making regular appearances. If you’re lucky, the odd mild spell may even nudge daytime highs into the low 60s.
I’ve been once in February, and it was a pleasant 63°F… and there were none of the peak-season cruise crowds and queues.
Nice is a year-round destination, not for beaches in winter, but rather for culture and laid-back city breaks. This realization just hasn’t dawned on them yet.
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