Nice’s Transportation Options

There is a lot to see in the lovely city of Bon 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. 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 Côte d'Azur‘s primary airport and the third busiest airport in France. It has global flights arriving daily, and easy access to Bon 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 Aéroport Nice Côte d'Azur:

• Delta offers direct flights between Nice and Atlanta, and will continue flying throughout the week to New York JFK from the end of March to the end of October.  
• United Airlines will be flying daily 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.

Warning

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.

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 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.

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.

The Local Train

La Regional Express Train, or 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 map of the 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 Gare de Nice St Augustin est à seulement 10 minutes à pied et dispose de trains fréquents qui desservent d'autres villes de la Côte d'Azur toutes les 30 minutes. L'accès n'est pas disponible tard le soir et très tôt le matin, alors vérifiez l'horaire en ligne si vous êtes un couche-tard. Les billets sont bon marché et vous pouvez les acheter en ligne, à la console de la gare ou (généralement) dans le 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€ A/R, départ de Nice à 8h30) circule 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 curiosités et la richesse du patrimoine artistique et culturel de l'arrière-pays niçois (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 attentivement 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'immigrants illégaux peuvent être très officieux.

Nice by Sea

De par sa situation sur le littoral, Nice est très accessible en mer avec des yachts privés ou des ferries. Les embarcations de plaisance et de luxe, les paquebots de croisière et les ferries accostent au Port de Nice (Port Lympia) à l'est de la Colline du Château.

La gare maritime est la Gare Maritime de Nice au Quai Amiral Infernet , Port de Commerce, où une réservation est toujours recommandée.

Navette Maritime

Programmé bientôt opérationnel: La Navette Maritime fait la navette entre Nice et Cap d'Ail / Monaco, reliant le Port Lympia à Nice au port de Cap d'Ail , à la frontière de Monaco (Fontvieille). Aux heures de pointe, il y a une navette toutes les demi-heures. Il transporte jusqu'à 1 200 personnes par heure avec 34 rotations par jour. D'une distance d'environ 15 km, par une journée ensoleillée dans de bonnes conditions, le trajet ne prend que 35 minutes. A Nice, la navette est reliée à la ligne 2 du tramway, ainsi qu'au parking relais de Port Lympia.

Si vous prévoyez d'aller vers d'autres destinations, assurez-vous de lire le guide des transports pour cette ville (cliquez sur la ville dans notre menu de navigation et vous verrez le guide répertorié). Bon voyage à Nice !