HYROX World Championship

Nice Airport is served by easyJet, British Airways, Air France, Ryanair, and most European carriers with excellent connections from the UK, Germany, and Benelux. The airport is 8km from the city centre and the Acropolis Convention Centre. Take the Tram Ligne 2 (EUR 1.70) or a taxi (EUR 30) into the city.

💡 The tram Ligne 2 stops at Acropolis (a 5-minute ride from the city centre tram stops) — useful if your hotel is on the tram line.

Check in to your hotel — ideally within 15 minutes' walking distance of the Acropolis venue. Lay out your HYROX race kit: shorts, top, belt and bib, ruck sack or vest if using, and your pre-race snack plan. Check the HYROX app for your official heat time and confirm venue entry procedures.

💡 Hotels on Rue de la Buffa, Avenue Félix Faure, and near the train station are all within a 10-minute walk of the Acropolis.

Bib collection at the HYROX expo is mandatory before race day — you cannot collect on the morning of your heat. Visit the Acropolis in the afternoon, collect your bib and timing chip, and walk through the expo. HYROX expos feature equipment brands (Concept2, Assault Fitness, Technogym), nutrition sponsors, and merchandise. Check the floor layout and confirm the station sequence.

💡 Download the HYROX app before you arrive at the expo — live leaderboards, heat times, and course maps are all inside. Your heat time will be confirmed here if not already received by email.

Walk the Promenade des Anglais west from the city centre — this is your recovery zone for Day 3. The Mediterranean beach pebbles are ideal for barefoot walking and passive foot recovery. The late afternoon light on the Bay of Angels is extraordinary. Stop for a pastis or citron pressé at any beachfront café.

💡 The Promenade is 7km long — a gentle 30-minute walk in either direction from the city centre gives you the full experience without fatiguing your legs before race day.

The alleyways of Vieux-Nice are lined with restaurants serving Niçois and Italian-inflected cuisine. Start with socca (chickpea flour pancake, the signature street food of Nice — only cooked at Chez René Socca in the mornings and early evenings) and follow with pasta, pissaladière (onion tart), or grilled fish. The Cours Saleya square is pedestrianised and perfect for evening dining.

💡 Eat your full carb-load dinner tonight. Tomorrow is race day — a moderate dinner is better than a heavy one the night before.

Arrive at the Acropolis Convention Centre 60 minutes before your heat time. Complete a 10-minute dynamic warm-up outside the venue: leg swings, hip circles, air squats, inchworms, and a 3-minute easy jog. The HYROX app shows real-time leaderboards and will confirm any last-minute heat changes. Pin your bib, attach your timing chip, and do a final kit check.

💡 Do not eat within 90 minutes of your heat start. A banana or energy gel 20 minutes before the start is sufficient — you will be moving for 1.5–2.5 hours.

The HYROX format: Run 1km → SkiErg 1,000m → Run 1km → Sled Push 50m → Run 1km → Sled Pull 50m → Run 1km → Burpee Broad Jumps 80m → Run 1km → Rowing 1,000m → Run 1km → Farmers Carry 200m → Run 1km → Sandbag Lunges 100m → Run 1km → Wall Balls 100 reps. Total: 8km running + 8 functional stations. Heats run continuously from 08:00 to 18:00.

💡 Pace the SkiErg conservatively on Station 1 — going out too hard on the erg sets up a spiral of fatigue that compounds through every station that follows. Aim for 70% of max effort on Station 1.

After finishing, collect your finisher medal and t-shirt at the finish gantry. Check your split times on the HYROX app immediately — station-by-station splits reveal exactly where time was lost or gained. Refuel at the athlete zone (protein shake, banana, water), then spend 20 minutes stretching and foam rolling near the expo.

💡 The Sled Push and Sandbag Lunges generate the most post-race muscle soreness — prioritise quad and hip flexor stretching in your post-race cool-down.

A 20-minute float in the Bay of Angels is one of the best recoveries available. The cool salt water reduces muscle inflammation and the mental decompression of floating in the Mediterranean after a HYROX race is incomparable. Pebble beach — bring flip-flops.

💡 Even a brief cold water immersion of 5–10 minutes measurably reduces delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) in the 24–48 hours after high-intensity functional training.

Tonight you eat whatever you want. Nice's restaurant scene delivers: grilled sea bass with ratatouille, bouillabaisse, or a Niçois tasting menu. The Promenade brasseries are lively in June evenings. Alternatively, return to Vieux-Nice for a more intimate experience in the old town alleyways. A glass of Côtes de Provence rosé is now entirely appropriate.

💡 Prioritise protein at dinner — chicken, fish, or steak with vegetables — your muscles need amino acids more than carbs in the 24 hours after a HYROX race.

The Cours Saleya flower and produce market runs every morning except Monday from early morning until approximately 1pm. Stalls of Provençal herbs, lavender, fresh flowers, olives, local cheeses, and artisan produce fill the entire Cours Saleya square. Buy a bag of Niçois snacks for the journey home and spend an unhurried hour absorbing the colour and aroma of the finest outdoor market in southern France.

💡 Buy a jar of tapenade (black olive paste) or herbes de Provence to take home — both are uniquely authentic from this market and far superior to supermarket versions.

The legendary Chez René Socca in Vieux-Nice has been cooking socca (the thin, crispy chickpea flour pancake unique to Nice and Liguria) since 1943. Queue at the window, receive a paper plate of freshly cut socca sprinkled with black pepper, and eat standing on the alley. A uniquely Niçois experience that cannot be replicated elsewhere.

💡 Socca is cooked in batches — arrive shortly after a fresh batch comes out of the wood oven for the crispiest result.

A slow, unhurried walk along the full length of the Promenade — 7km of Mediterranean seafront, blue painted chairs (les chaises bleues), and the Bay of Angels. This is Nice at its most iconic. Post-HYROX legs will appreciate the flat surface and gentle pace. Stop at any beachfront café for a citron pressé or café.

💡 The iconic blue Promenade chairs are free to sit in and are a classic Nice photo opportunity — sit, rest, and watch the Mediterranean.

If departing this afternoon, allow 3 hours for taxi to NCE and check-in. If staying a further night, the Cimiez quarter above the city contains the Matisse Museum, the Chagall Museum, and Roman ruins — all within easy walking distance in a quiet residential neighbourhood far from the tourist crowds.

💡 The Chagall Museum in Cimiez houses the world's largest collection of Marc Chagall's work and is often overlooked by visitors focused on the Promenade. Admission EUR 10.

Nice Airport is 20–25 minutes by taxi from the city centre. Evening flights to most European destinations are plentiful. The airport has acceptable food options in both terminals. Allow 2.5 hours for international departures to account for taxi traffic on the Promenade coastal road.

💡 Book your taxi in advance for the airport — ride-hailing apps (Bolt, Uber) work well in Nice and are cheaper than street taxis for the airport run.