Renting Out Your Apartment in Winter on the French Riviera
Off-season holiday rental in Nice and on the French Riviera: winter guests, prices, long stays, the 90-day rule and the bail mobilité. A 2026-2027 owner's guide.
Yes, renting out your apartment in winter on the French Riviera pays, provided you change your approach. From November to March, the guests are no longer summer families but business travellers, winter residents from northern Europe, remote workers and the crowds of the Nice Carnival and the Menton Lemon Festival. For a well-managed one-bedroom flat in Nice, the off-season can bring in, as a rough guide, €6,000 to €11,000 in gross revenue — a meaningful share of the year. Here is how to capture it, and the rules to follow.
Why rent out in winter on the French Riviera?
Because the Riviera never truly has a dead season. The mild climate draws a steady winter crowd escaping grey skies, often for several weeks. Nice hosts congresses and business events all year, Monaco runs major events from January, and February brings two of the region's biggest festivals: the Nice Carnival "Vive l'Amour" (9-28 February 2027) and the Menton Lemon Festival (13-28 February 2027).
Closing your calendar from October to April means giving up several months of income while still paying service charges, property tax and utilities. A property that keeps working in winter, on the other hand, holds its ranking in the Airbnb and Booking algorithms, collects reviews and starts the spring in a stronger position. Our guide to Airbnb rental income in Nice shows that the best Nice properties reach 72-78% smoothed annual occupancy — a figure that simply does not happen without a busy winter.
Who rents holiday apartments on the Riviera in winter?
Four groups share the off-season, each with its own expectations:
- Business and congress travellers: short midweek stays around Nice trade fairs and major Cannes events such as MIPIM (15-19 March 2027). They want reliable Wi-Fi, a proper workspace and easy access from the airport or station.
- Winter residents ("snowbirds"): often retirees from Scandinavia, the UK, Germany or Canada, staying from three weeks to three months. They look for a warm, bright, well-equipped home (washing machine, full kitchen) close to shops.
- Remote workers and digital nomads: stays of one to two months, with a sharp eye on internet speed, a real desk and a monthly discount.
- Event visitors: Carnival, Lemon Festival, the Christmas and New Year holidays. Short stays, but at prices close to high season.
The good news: these guests care less about the beach and more about the quality of the home. A renovated, well-heated, well-located apartment in Nice or Menton has a clear head start.
How much can a winter rental earn in Nice?
Here are realistic targets from November to March for our reference property: a one-bedroom apartment (French "T2") of around 40 m² sleeping 4, renovated, in a central Nice neighbourhood.
| Period | Main guests | Indicative nightly rate | Indicative occupancy |
|---|---|---|---|
| November – mid-December | Business, congresses, short cultural breaks | €80 – €100 | 45 – 60% |
| Christmas and New Year | European couples and families | €120 – €160 | 70 – 85% |
| January | Winter residents, remote workers | €75 – €95 (or ≈ €1,800 – €2,400 per month) | 50 – 70% |
| February (Carnival, Lemon Festival) | Event visitors | €130 – €220 | 80 – 95% |
| March | Business (MIPIM), first spring days | €95 – €120 | 60 – 75% |
Indicative figures for the reference property (T2 ≈ 40 m², sleeps 4, renovated, central location) in Nice — local market observations and BMG portfolio, November 2026. Gross amounts before management fees, charges and tax; they vary with location, view and listing quality.
Across the whole period, that adds up to roughly €6,000 to €11,000 in gross revenue: less than a summer, of course, but often enough to cover a large part of the property's annual running costs. The gap between the bottom and the top of the range comes almost entirely down to strategy: daily pricing, an events calendar planned in advance and openness to longer stays.
Short stays or long stays: which works best in winter?
The best approach is usually a mix: one- to three-month stays in January to lock in a base income with few turnovers, and short, high-rate stays over the holidays and in February. A long stay means fewer cleans, fewer check-ins and less wear; a Carnival weekend earns far more per night. The whole skill lies in not blocking February with a long stay agreed back in November.
Two settings make a real difference on the platforms: weekly and monthly discounts, offered by both Airbnb and Booking, and a minimum stay adjusted by period (two to three nights outside events, longer during the Carnival). In your listing, highlight what matters in winter: heating, insulation, a desk, internet speed, a washing machine, sunshine. Our guide to optimising your Airbnb listing explains the method.
For winter guests who return year after year, direct booking is a powerful lever: no platform fees, a relationship built on trust and a calendar filled by the autumn.
What rules apply to winter rentals: 90 days, 120 days, bail mobilité?
Winter raises legal questions that summer does not, because stays are longer. Three rules matter.
One guest, 90 consecutive days at most. A French meublé de tourisme (furnished tourist rental) is let by the day, week or month to short-stay guests, and the same guest may not stay more than 90 consecutive days per calendar year, as service-public.fr points out. A winter resident staying from early January to the end of March is therefore within the rules; beyond that, a different contract is needed.
Beyond 90 days: bail mobilité or a furnished lease. The bail mobilité runs from 1 to 10 months with no security deposit, but only certain tenants qualify: people in vocational training, students, apprentices, interns, civic-service volunteers, and employees on a transfer or a temporary assignment. A retiree wintering on the coast does not qualify, so a standard furnished rental contract is the route to consider — have it checked by a professional. Note that a bail mobilité counts as residential housing rather than tourist accommodation: no tourist tax applies, and it follows a different regime from holiday nights.
Main residence: winter nights count towards the 120 days. If you rent out your main residence, every tourist night in the year counts towards the 120-day cap, which Nice has applied again since 1 September 2026. If you plan to let the whole summer, keep some headroom. For a second home in Nice, it is the change-of-use authorisation that applies, with no cap on days. Full details in our guide to Airbnb rules in Nice, and to combine a student in winter with holidaymakers in summer, see the mixed student and holiday rental scheme.
In every case, the registration number and the tourist tax remain due for each tourist night, winter or summer. Rules change regularly: check your situation with the town hall before going live.
Winter: the right time to prepare for the season
The off-season is not just a period to fill: it is also the ideal window for everything that is impossible in July. Small works and a decor refresh, new linen and tableware, servicing the reversible air conditioning, new photos, and considering an official furnished tourist accommodation rating, which has become a major tax lever since the Le Meur law. It is also the time to open your calendar for the big spring events: our article on French Riviera events 2026-2027 lists the dates to plan for.
In practice, it is better to block one or two quiet weeks in November or early January for these jobs than to cut into high season.
Should you hand over off-season management?
Winter is exactly when the difference between passive and active management shows most. In summer almost every property lets; in winter, only those with daily pricing, a calendar built around the Carnival and a listing that speaks to winter residents stay well booked. Add long-stay management, the right contracts and direct bookings, and this is real short-term rental management work.
At Be My Guest, we are short-term rental investors ourselves, for more than 7 years, and we manage around 50 properties on the French Riviera with the same standards all year round. Want to know what your apartment could earn this winter? Request a free, no-obligation estimate.
Official sources
- Service-public.fr — rules for holiday lets between individuals (definition of a meublé de tourisme, 90-consecutive-day limit for the same guest; in French)
- Service-public.fr — bail mobilité rules (1 to 10 months, eligible tenants, no security deposit; in French)
- Métropole Nice Côte d'Azur — furnished tourist accommodation (main residence, change of use, mixed rental scheme in Nice; in French)
- Métropole NCA tourist tax portal (declaring nights and rates)
- Nice Côte d'Azur Tourist Office — Nice Carnival 2027 (official dates, 9-28 February 2027)
Frequently asked questions
Is it worth renting out my apartment in Nice in winter?
Yes, if it is actively managed. For a renovated 40 m² one-bedroom flat in a central neighbourhood, November to March can bring in, as a rough guide, €6,000 to €11,000 in gross revenue. The Christmas holidays and February, with the Nice Carnival (9-28 February 2027), let at close to high-season prices, while January suits longer stays. A closed calendar, by contrast, earns nothing and costs you ranking on the platforms.
Who rents holiday homes on the French Riviera in winter?
Mainly four groups: business and congress travellers, winter residents from northern Europe or Canada staying several weeks, remote workers staying one to two months, and visitors to major events such as the Nice Carnival or the Menton Lemon Festival. They favour a warm, well-equipped home with a good internet connection, close to shops.
Can I let a holiday rental to the same guest for the whole winter?
Up to 90 consecutive days per calendar year for the same guest: this is one of the conditions in the French definition of a meublé de tourisme, as set out on service-public.fr. A stay from January to the end of March is therefore possible. Beyond that, you need a different contract: a bail mobilité of 1 to 10 months if the tenant qualifies (temporary assignment, transfer, training, studies), or a standard furnished rental contract.
Do winter lets count towards the 120-day main residence limit?
Yes. For a main residence, every night let as tourist accommodation during the year counts towards the 120-day cap, applied in Nice since 1 September 2026. Renting in winter therefore reduces the nights available in summer. A bail mobilité, which counts as residential housing rather than tourist accommodation, follows different rules: have your situation checked before signing.
What nightly rate should I charge for a winter rental in Nice?
As a rough guide, for a well-kept central one-bedroom flat: around €80 to €100 a night in November, €120 to €160 over the holidays, €75 to €95 in January or €1,800 to €2,400 a month for a long stay, and €130 to €220 during the Carnival. The key is to adjust prices daily to demand and to offer weekly and monthly discounts.
Is tourist tax due on winter rentals?
Yes, for every night in a meublé de tourisme, whatever the season. In the Métropole Nice Côte d'Azur area, it is declared on the metropolitan portal, even when the platform collects it for you. A bail mobilité or a residential furnished lease is not affected, as it is not tourist accommodation.
