Site de la Lanterne is Nice's smallest and westernmost public beach. You can easily walk to this beach from Nice airport in 15 minutes. It's very local and not the easiest beach to find as it's not visible from the Promenade des Anglais. Look for the petanque court and the beach is right underneath.

There are two main features that make this beach a standout though: it's the only Nice beach where you can legally bring your dog and there is ample parking. Despite the gleeful canines racing in and out of the water, the beach is clean; there are several dispensers for plastic pooper-scoopers. Yes, the beach is noisy as it's right next to Nice Airport but, on the other hand, you're not going to hear cars whizzing by.

Safety

This is a "swim at your own risk" beach as there are no lifeguards. A tiny rivulet, La Lanterne, empties into the bay here and you are warned to beware of a possible overflow. This is not a good place in rough seas as you could get smashed against the rocky jetty. Also, the water quality here is not as consistently high as beaches to the east.

Parking

There is free parking just east and west of the beach. To find it, look for the sign "Port de Carras" on the south side of the Promenade.

Facilities

There's no WC on the beach. The nearest public toilets are about 100m west on the Promenade, next to the Municipal Police station.

Access & Map

The Carras/Promenade bus stop is across the Promenade from the beach. Buses 12 and 32 stop here. The Carras stop on tram line 2 is only a short distance away. See more on buses in Nice.

Eating

There's no beach restaurant but across the Promenade on ave de la Californie there's a Carrefour supermarket, an O' Sushi for sit-down or take-out and a few sandwich places, cafes heading east on ave de la Californie.