Nice’s Airport & Transportation Options

C'è molto da vedere nella bella città di Nice nel sud della Francia, e una delle cose essenziali da imparare se si viaggia lì è come spostarsi.

Fai attenzione a tutti i mezzi di trasporto pubblico perché i borseggi sono dilaganti, in parte perché la polizia non persegue. 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:

The Nice Airport

The Aéroport Nice-Côte d’Azur is the Riviera franceseè il principale aeroporto e il terzo aeroporto più trafficato della Francia. Ha voli globali che arrivano ogni giorno e un facile accesso Nice tramite l'autobus n. 99, taxi o Uber.

If you’re wondering how to get from the Nice Airport to Cannes or Monaco, check out the Guida ai trasporti di Cannes e la nostra Guida ai trasporti di Monaco.

Voli diretti

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.

L'orario dei voli diretti da Nice Côte d’Azur Airport:

• 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.
• Compagnia aerea francese solo di classe business La Compagnia offre voli diretti meno frequenti per Newark dal 15 aprile al 27 settembre.
• La città canadese di Montreal è servita sia da Air Canada che da Air Transat, con voli regolari ma alternati tra maggio e fine ottobre.
• Air France will operate three special direct flights to connect Los Angeles to Nice during the Festival di Cannes a maggio, utilizzando l'aereo di punta della compagnia aerea, l'Airbus A350.

Jet privati

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.

I doganieri francesi effettuano controlli casuali e monitorano l'aeroporto alla ricerca di oggetti come borse false e altri articoli contraffatti. Ecco un guida alla normativa in materia di contraffazione. È importante conoscere i rischi reali che derivano dall'indossare o trasportare qualsiasi cosa con un marchio o un logo sopra.

Nice by Car

Autonoleggio

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.

Parcheggio

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.

App Ride-Share

BlaBlaCar è un viaggio condiviso that you can book via their website or the app. It costs approximately €3 per ride to go from Nice to Monaco.

Il Klaxitapp consente ai passeggeri di viaggiare a costi molto bassi (gli autisti guadagnano una piccola tariffa, da 1,50 a 3 euro a passeggero, a seconda della distanza percorsa). I viaggi a Monaco sono gratuiti (sovvenzionati dal governo monegasco).

Uber e taxi

Puoi chiama o prenota un 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.

Ecco i prezzi approssimativi:

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 e Cannes. A circa 2 km dal centro della città si trova la principale stazione degli autobus: Gare Routiere (a volte chiamata "Gare Vauban" o "Gare St. Jean d'Angely").

• Autobus n. 12 percorre il lungomare Promenade des Anglais fermandosi all'Aeroporto (passeggiata sulla strada principale di fronte all'aeroporto).
• Autobus n. 23 connects central Nice to Terminal 1 of the airport.
• #99 Autobus (“Airport Express”) goes to downtown Nice and the central station coming straight from the airport.
• #98 Autobus percorre la Promenade des Anglais sul lungomare dirigendosi alla stazione centrale degli autobus.
• Autobus n. 200 va dal Terminal 1 (aeroporto) a Antibes e Cannes e parte ogni mezz'ora

Autobus turistici

Ci sono anche all'aperto autobus turistici quel giro per la città. Forniscono commenti audio e guide in 8 lingue. Questi autobus sali e scendi fermano in molte attrazioni turistiche e rappresentano un modo divertente per vedere la città.

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.

Le principali stazioni della tramvia sono le seguenti:

• Nice Airport (both terminals)
• Gare Thiers (stazione ferroviaria)
• Place Massena (piazza principale della città)
• Opera Vieille Ville (Città Vecchia)
• Cathedrale-Vieille Ville (stazione degli autobus)
• Cruise Port / Modern Art Museum (Place Garibaldi)
• Porto Limpia

I distributori automatici di biglietti sono ad ogni fermata. È necessario convalidare i biglietti all'interno dei tram prima di salire.

Costo del biglietto dell'autobus e del tram

A partire dal 1° luglio 2023 ci sarà una scala progressiva da 12 a 50 viaggi sulla Linee Azzurre linee di autobus e tram, costo:

• 12 corse @€1,50 = €18
• 25 corse @€1,30 = €32,50
• 50 corse @€1 = €50

I biglietti di cui sopra possono essere utilizzati da più persone insieme: basta convalidarli di conseguenza. 3 persone = 3 convalide. I biglietti singoli costeranno € 1,70 a viaggio. Tutti i biglietti consentono il trasferimento gratuito entro 74 minuti dalla convalida; basta riconvalidarlo quando si accede alla connessione.

Nice by Train

Il treno è il modo migliore, più veloce e più semplice per viaggiare lungo la Costa Azzurra. Con fermate in ogni città di mare e panorami incantevoli lungo il percorso, è il mezzo di trasporto preferito della zona. Tutti i treni in Francia (e Monaco) sono gestiti da SNCF e puoi farlo prenota tutti i treni attraverso l'unico sito SNCF. E nel caso volessi saperne di più, ecco un guida molto dettagliata all'utilizzo dei treni in Nice.

Il treno locale

Il Treno Regionale Espresso, o TER, connects most towns, including Grasse, Cannes, Nice, Monaco, to Ventimiglia, San Remo and Turin in Italy. In the other direction, you can take this train to Aix-en-Provence, Avignon, Lyon, and other destinations in France. Here’s a mappa delle destinazioni.

I treni partono ogni 30 minuti circa e la maggior parte delle stazioni si trova a pochi passi dal centro città o offre un servizio di autobus dalla stazione. I biglietti sono economici e puoi acquistarli dalle macchinette in ogni stazione, assicurati solo di timbrare il biglietto in una delle macchinette di convalida prima di salire a bordo.

The airport is not served by a specific train station, but the Nice St Augustin Train Station 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.

High-speed TGV Train

Il high-speed TGV Il treno collega Marsiglia a Parigi in sole 3 ore per soli 50 € (ma il prezzo medio del biglietto è 84 €) a tratta. Prendi il treno locale per St. Charles station in Marseille , where you can transfer to the TVG and take it to Paris.

Treno turistico

Da aprile a novembre il viaggio guidato sul “Treno delle Meraviglie” / I treni delle meraviglie (€29 round-trip, leaving Nice at 8:30am) runs from Nice to Tende nella Valle delle Meraviglie, con soste in borghi arroccati come Peille . Il treno sale a quasi 3.280 piedi di altezza durante il viaggio di due ore attraverso il lussureggiante Parco Nazionale del Mercantour . Throughout the journey, you will benefit from the comments of a tour guide who will explain the sights and the rich artistic heritage and culture of the Nice hinterland (in both French and English). You can leggi le recensioni qui.

Il consiglio di un lettore: “Si può fare una bella gita di un giorno intero prendendo il Treno delle Meraviglie fino al punto in cui ritorna: Tende. Quindi, aspetta a Tenda (e visita il loro 'museo delle meraviglie') for the Italian train to Cuneo, and take that train to Ventimiglia and finally back to Nice along the coast. But (a) check times carefully as the service is sparse, and suspension of the trains is common; and (b) take your passport as French border guards on the look-out for illegal immigrants can be very officious.”

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, dove è sempre consigliata la prenotazione.

Navetta marittima

Programmato presto operativo: The Maritime Shuttle goes between Nice and Cap d’Ail / Monaco, linking Port Lympia in Nice al porto di 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!