Aéroport et options de transport de Nice

There is a lot to see in the lovely city of Nice in southern France, and one of the essential things to learn if traveling there is how to get around.

Be careful on all forms of public transportation because pick-pocketing is rampant, partially because the police don’t prosecute. Be careful of men on scooters swooping by and grabbing iPhones and handbags. Don’t use airport baggage porters, as they’ve been known to steal luggage. Here’s a lowdown on the crime in Nice.

Here are the ways to get around in Nice, France:

L'aéroport Nice

The Aéroport Nice-Côte d’Azur is the Côte d'Azur‘s primary airport and the third busiest airport in France. It has global flights arriving daily, and easy access to Nice via #99 bus, taxi or Uber.

If you’re wondering how to get from the Nice Airport to Cannes or Monaco, check out the Cannes Transportation Guide et notre Monaco Transportation Guide.

Direct Flights

In the winter, you’ll need to connect, as there aren’t any direct flights. If you don’t like red-eye overnight flights, you can fly directly from New York’s airports to London on a daytime flight, then from London to Nice.

The direct-flights schedule from the Nice Aéroport Côte d'Azur:

• Delta offers direct flights between Nice and Atlanta, and flies throughout the week to New York (JFK) from the end of March to the end of October.  
• United Airlines flies daily direct to Newark Airport (for access to New York City) from May to September.
• French business-class-only airline La Compagnie is offering less frequent direct flights to Newark from April 15 to September 27.
• The Canadian city of Montreal is served by both Air Canada and Air Transat, with regular but alternating flights between May and the end of October.  
• Air France will operate three special direct flights to connect Los Angeles to Nice during the festival du film de Cannes in May, using the airline’s flagship aircraft, the Airbus A350.

Private Jets

Private jets account for 43% of landings and take-offs at the Nice airport (35,000 flights in 2021 with an average of 5 passengers on board). Nice is the #3 airport in the world in terms of private jet traffic.

Warnings

Don’t use airport baggage porters, as they’ve been known to steal luggage.

French customs officers do random checks and monitor the airport looking for items like fake handbags and other counterfeit items. Here’s a guide to the laws regarding counterfeits. It’s important to know the very-real risks that come with wearing or carrying anything with a brand name or logo on it.

Nice by Car

Car Rental

All the major car rental companies like Hertz, Sixt, Avis, and Budget are at the Nice Airport. If you decide to drive, we recommend renting a small car, like a convertible Fiat 500. Top-to-down is the way to go, and smaller cars are much easier to maneuver and park. If you’re going to go on day trips to some of the French resort towns, then you’ll need a small car to get through the tiny medieval roads.

However, unless you have a specific need for a car – for example, mobility/disability problems, renting in a remote rural location, or planning on touring the back-country – it is generally a mistake to rent a car in Nice for local travel. The French Riviera has some of the worst traffic and one of the highest traffic accident rates in France, and the toxic mix of French car driving enthusiasm with many powerful motorcycles and youths on small scooters makes holiday motoring often an unrewarding experience.

Parking

Once you’re in Nice, there are many parking lots, which you can find on Google Maps. The rates are posted, but reasonable (many lots are free for the first hour). Parking rates in garages are less than €3 per hour, with a daily maximum of about €17. Parking is free of charge for the first hour, except in the months July and August.

Parking a car anywhere in Nice is notoriously difficult, and equally so in many surrounding areas. Along the French Riviera, people park everywhere, between trees, poles and on sidewalks. They routinely bump each other in order to get in and out of tight spaces. Traffic and parking tickets are doled out like sweets.

Ride-Share Apps

BlaBlaCar is a ride-share that you can book via their website or the app. It costs approximately €3 per ride to go from Nice to Monaco.

La Klaxit app enables passengers to travel at very low cost (drivers earn a small fee, from €1.50 to €3 per passenger, depending on the distance travelled). Trips to Monaco are free (subsidized by the Monaco government).

Uber & Taxis

You can hail or schedule an Uber from anywhere in Nice. Uber works at the airport and in the main cities of the Riviera. It may be difficult to hail a ride from more remote areas though, unless you are lucky and catch a driver dropping someone off.

Nice’s taxi service has a truly terrible reputation. It is worth noting that the official taxi service’s fares are not fixed and may vary according to traffic. For example, it’s routine to pay more than double what the official taxi operator predicts the cost to be. The official taxis also charge (mostly illegal) supplements for a range of different ‘extras’, such as Sundays and bank holidays, waiting, luggage, pets, having four people in the car, and even for bad weather. We strongly advise you to avoid taxis and use Uber or a rideshare app instead.

If you do find yourself stuck taking a taxi, here are a few tips:

• When approaching a taxi in France, it’s important to start the conversation with a polite greeting such as “Bonjour Monsieur.” This small gesture holds significant importance, as failing to do so may make the driver feel disrespected right from the start, and the rest of the journey may not go smoothly.
• To ensure a fair and transparent experience, there are a few key things to keep in mind. First, it’s a good idea to ask the driver for an approximate cost by saying, “Combien ça coûte d’aller à _?” This will give you an idea of what to expect. Additionally, let the driver know that you will need a receipt by saying, “J’ai besoin d’un reçu, s’il vous plaît.” Lastly, it’s essential to check that the meter is set correctly for the time of day: day (jour), night (nuit), or holiday (feriés).
• If the driver fails to turn on the meter, you can politely request them to do so by saying, “Je préfère que vous utilisiez le taximètre, s’il vous plaît.” This helps ensure that you are charged accurately based on the meter reading.
• In some cases, the driver may try to obscure the meter near the end of the trip in an attempt to overcharge you. If you suspect this is happening, you can assertively ask to see the meter by saying, “Je peux voir le taximètre, s’il vous plaît?” This lets the driver know that you are aware of the proper procedure and won’t tolerate any attempts to overcharge you.
• Locals don’t tip, but if you want to, you can tip less than 5% without seeming weird.
• Most taxis prefer cash payments despite being required to accept credit cards. Unfortunately, it seems that around 90% of drivers have perpetually broken card machines, which remains a mystery. To avoid any issues, make sure to check the payment options before getting into the taxi. Otherwise, you may find yourself in a situation where the meter keeps running while the driver takes a detour to find a cash machine.

Here is approximate pricing:

Nice by Bus

The city of Nice in France has a public bus transportation system. Lignes d’Azur operates the buses and trams for the public transport system in Nice. Some lines go to nearby towns like Monaco et Cannes. Located in about 2 km from the city center is the main bus station: Gare Routiere (which is sometimes called ‘Gare Vauban’ or ‘Gare St. Jean d’Angely’).

• #12 Bus runs along the Promenade des Anglais seafront stopping at Airport (promenade in the main road in front of the airport).
• #23 Bus connects central Nice to Terminal 1 of the airport.
• #99 Bus (“Airport Express”) goes to downtown Nice and the central station coming straight from the airport.
• #98 Bus travels along the Promenade des Anglais on the seaside going to the central bus station.
• #200 Bus goes from Terminal 1 (airport) to Antibes et Cannes and leaves every half an hour

Tourist Busses

There are also open-air tourist buses that tour around the city. They provide audio commentary and guides in 8 languages. These hop-on, hop-off buses stop at many tourist attractions and are a fun way to see the city.

Nice by Tram

Nice has above-ground trams that run through the city and also connect the Nice Airport to many parts of the city. It takes only 26 minutes to get from the Nice Airport to Port Lympia (at the other side of Nice) via tram, with 20 stops on the way.

• Tram line 1 connects Gare de Nice-Ville, Place Garibaldi, the bus station Gare Vauban, and the area around the Vieux Port.
• Tram line 2 connects Vieux Port to Nice’s airport, with stops in Jean Medicin district, and Place Garibaldi in the center.

The tramway main stations are as follows:

• Nice Airport (both terminals)
• Gare Thiers (train station)
• Place Massena (main city square)
• Opera Vieille Ville (Old City)
• Cathedrale-Vieille Ville (bus station)
• Cruise Port / Modern Art Museum (Place Garibaldi)
• Port Lympia

Ticket vending machines are at every stop. You need to validate tickets inside the trams before boarding.

Bus & Tram Ticket Cost

As of July 1, 2023 there will be a sliding scale from 12 to 50 journeys on the Lignes d’Azur bus and tram lines, costing:

• 12 rides @€1.50 = €18
• 25 rides @€1.30 = €32,50
• 50 rides @€1 = €50

The above tickets can be used by several people together – just validate it accordingly. 3 people = 3 validations. Single tickets will cost €1.70 per trip. All tickets allow you to transfer free of charge within 74 minutes of validating it; just re-validate it when entering your connection.

Nice by Train

Train is the best, fastest, and easiest way to travel along the French Riviera. With stops in every seaside town, and lovely views along the way, it’s the area’s preferred mode of transportation. All of the trains in France (and Monaco) are operated by SNCF, and you can book all the trains through the one SNCF website. And in case you want to learn more, here’s a very detailed guide to using the trains in Nice.

Le train local

La Train Express Régional, ou TER, relie la plupart des villes, dont Grasse, Cannes, Nice, Monaco, à Vintimille, San Remo et Turin en Italie. Dans l'autre sens, vous pouvez prendre ce train vers Aix-en-Provence, Avignon, Lyon et d'autres destinations en France. Voici un carte des destinations.

Trains run about every 30 minutes and most of the stations sit within walking distance of the town center, or offer a bus service from the station. Tickets are cheap and you can purchase them from machines at each station, just be sure to stamp your ticket in one of the validation machines before hopping on board.

L'aéroport n'est pas desservi par une gare spécifique, mais la Nice Gare de St Augustin is only a 10-minute walk away and has frequent, trains that go to other towns on the French Riviera every 30 minutes. Access is not available late at night and in the very early morning, so check the schedule online if you’re a night owl. Tickets are cheap and you can buy them online, at the console in the station, or (usually) on the train.

TGV

La TGV Le train relie Marseille à Paris en seulement 3 heures pour seulement 50 € (mais le prix moyen du billet est de 84 €) par trajet. Prendre le train local jusqu'à Gare Saint-Charles à Marseille , où vous pouvez transférer au TVG et l'emmener à Paris.

Train Touristique

D'avril à novembre, le voyage guidé sur le "Train des Merveilles" / Trains des merveilles(29 € aller-retour, départ de Nice à 8h30) va de Nice à Tende dans la Vallée des Merveilles, avec des haltes dans des villages perchés comme Peille . Le train grimpe à près de 3 280 pieds de haut lors du voyage de deux heures à travers le luxuriant parc national du Mercantour . Tout au long du parcours, vous bénéficierez des commentaires d'un guide conférencier qui vous expliquera les sites touristiques, le riche patrimoine artistique et culturel de l'arrière-pays Nice (en français et en anglais). Tu peux lire les avis ici.

Le conseil d'un lecteur : « Une bonne excursion d'une journée peut se faire en empruntant le Train des Merveilles jusqu'au point de retour : Tende. Ensuite, attendez à Tende (et visitez leur "musée des merveilles") pour le train italien jusqu'à Cuneo, et prendre ce train jusqu'à Vintimille et enfin revenir à Nice le long de la côte. Mais (a) vérifiez soigneusement les horaires car le service est clairsemé et la suspension des trains est courante ; et (b) prenez votre passeport car les gardes-frontières français à la recherche d’immigrés illégaux peuvent être très officieux.

Nice by Sea

By its location on the coast, Nice is very accessible in the sea with private yachts or ferries. Leisure and luxury crafts, cruise ships, and ferries dock at Port of Nice (Port Lympia) at the east of Colline du Château.

The ferry terminal is Gare Maritime de Nice in Quai Amiral Infernet , Port de Commerce, où une réservation est toujours recommandée.

Navette Maritime

Programmé bientôt opérationnel: La Navette Maritime circule entre Nice et Cap d'Ail / Monaco, reliant Port Lympia à Nice au port de Cap d'Ail , on the border of Monaco (Fontvieille). At peak times, there is a shuttle every half hour. It transports up to 1,200 people every hour with 34 rotations each day. Covering a distance of around 15 km, on a sunny day in good conditions, the journey only takes 35 minutes. In Nice, the shuttle is connected to tramline number 2, as well as the park and ride service in Port Lympia.

If you’re planning on going to other destinations, be sure to read the guide to transportation for that town/city (click on the town in our navigation menu and you’ll see the guide listed). Enjoy your trip to Nice!