| All international flights to Nice arrive at Terminal 1except for easyJet which arrives and departs from Terminal 2. From Terminal 1 at the airport there are several ways of getting to the centre of Nice: As you come into the arrival hall, walk straight ahead and out of the airport building. The taxi rank is in front of you on the road. It will cost between 25-35 euros (although see tips below), more at night rates (from 7pm - 7am) It's a good idea to agree a fare before the journey. There is a trolley park to your right where you can retrieve your euro. Click taxi information for more details. |
| Taxi |
| Have a 1euro coin for a trolley at the airport. (there are change-machines by the luggage carousels, accepting 5, 10 and 20 euro notes) (T1) Collect information about Nice from information desks to your left in the arrival hall. (T1) There are cash/change machines in the arrival hall. (T1 and T2) There is usually a big queue for the loo at the baggage collection. (T1) In the arrival hall there is a (usually quiet) loo- turn left towards the bus terminal and it is in the arrival hall on your left opposite a small coffee bar/tabac (T1) The loos at T2 are located on the left just before passport control (these ones are often closed) and on the far side of the luggage carousels. If you take the express bus (98 or 99), hang onto your ticket; you can use it for any bus journeys in Nice for the rest of the day, using the lignedazur network. Return express buses stop at Terminal 2 first (get off for easyJet ), so wait for the next stop at the airport for non-easyJet international departures from Terminal 1. Whatever you hear about taxi fares, we have never spent less than 30 euros from the airport to the apartment, at any time of the day or night. Now that easyJet use terminal 2, the shopping in the airport is very limited. There are a couple of boutiques and a somewhat inadequate 'duty-free' shop. Once you are through passport control, until recently there were no facilities at all. Now, there is a small cafe the 'Cafe du Monde' where a small bottle of mineral water costs 3,20 euros! Try and take your own bottle of water. You may also be interested to read the following forum comments about this cafe. (T2 only) Be aware that although easy jet have only a 30 minute check in, you must get through passport control to area 'B' in Terminal 2 to board easyJet flights. The queues can build up here and we have nearly missed our flights as the passport checks have been painstakingly slow at the moment. Have a look at this forum discussion and see what you think. Conman at Nice Airport? There has been lengthy correspondence on the forum at Anglo-info.com regarding a conman at Nice airport I have never been approached by him but it is worth knowing this scam so you can be prepared. T1 = Terminal 1 T2 = Terminal 2 |
| General tips |
| Express Buses, 98 and 99 |
| Express buses offer a quick service between the Airport (Terminals 1 and 2) and Nice city centre. The 98 terminates at the Bus Station or 'Gare Routiere' and the 99 terminates at Nice Train Station except for during the summer when either the 98 or 99 is sometimes extended to terminate at the Port The cost is 4 euros each way and this includes all local buses in the Nice for the day as well as one trip to or from the airport You pay the driver although if you don't have the correct change or near, it is better to buy the ticket in advance at the airport. All details on the new website www.lignedazur.com As you come into the arrival hall turn left and go out of the building. This is the bus terminal. There is a small office on your immediate left where you can buy a weekly bus pass. If you are not sure if you want a bus pass, do not bother going into the ticket office; you can pay for a single journey 1 euro (or buy a day pass for 4 euros) directly from the bus driver. If you are planning a day in Nice using several buses then you may wish to buy a 4-euro day-pass for all lignedazur buses, ie the local Nice bus numbers 1 - 99. Either buy the day pass from the driver or from a number of outlets throughout Nice - click on the area where you are near for a list of outlets, often the local newsagent or Tabac. |
| There are six bus stands/platforms (quais) at the airport (T1). Quai 1 is where you can take an express bus to Nice city centre, terminating at the train station or terminating at the Bus Station or Gare Routiere (Bus 98 Center Ville) One journey costs 4 euros and the buses come every 20 minutes Monday to Saturday and about every 30 minutes Sundays and fetes. The journey to the train or bus station takes about 30 minutes. The buses stop at most of the major hotels along the Promenade des Anglais. This 4-euro ticket then acts as a one-day bus pass for the local Nice bus network, no need to purchase further bus tickets.In the evenings, only the 98 operates but will make a detour to the train station if you ask the bus driver. More info here. Local Bus 23 At Quai 6, Terminal 1 only, you can catch the ordinary no 23 local lignedazur bus to the city centre, terminating at the train station -Gare SNCF. It takes longer than the express as it stops at all the stops but it is cheaper, only 1 euro 30. It can get crowded and there are no luggage racks (unlike the express bus) so this is a good option if you have hand luggage only and are not in too much of a hurry. If you arrive in Terminal 2, you can get to Terminal 1 using the free shuttle or 'navette' bus. |
| If you are renting an apartment in my block at Port Nicea, you can take the Express bus number 98 and get off at the Gare Routiere - bus station - this is very easy as it is the end terminus. The new tram line means that you could also take the 99 to Nice Ville train station, then a very short walk to the Tram stop Thiers and get off at Garibaldi - even closer than the Gare Routiere. Use the same 4 euro ticket - it's an all-day bus/tram ticket for lignedazue and remember to validate the ticket - pop it into the machine when you get on the tram. Or, a cheaper way is to take the local bus 23 from quai 6 (T1), and change to a 9 or 10, which will take you to Nice Port, less than 5 minutes walk to Port Nicea.. Or, take the 10 from the airport - the stop is ten minutes from the airport, but again, you are dropped practically outside Port Nicea. See ligne d'azur notes on the left. Or, in a similar way to the 99 plus tram above, take 23 to Nice Ville train station then a Tram from Thiers to Garibaldi, all for 1 euro. There are many options open. I tend to take the 98 or 99 + tram whichever comes first. Or, the free navette to T1, then the 23 and a tram. Train from the airport |
| To get to Port Nicea - my apartment residence |
| Note: a standard ligne dazur ticket bought for 1 euro can be used to continue a jouney in Nice using different buses at interconnecting bus-stops, providing the ticket is used with one hour of 'stamping' (There is a machine just past the bus driver), provided the journey is not a return trip. This method can get you door to door from the airport directly to the Port, and so to Port Nicea, using bus 23 then bus 10 (there are several stops where they both interchange-just read the numbers on the bus stops-all are very clearly signed. If you have light hand luggage and can't be bothered changing buses, you can actually catch the number 10 directly from the airport straight to the Port, by walking out of the airport, terminal 1, and to the bus stop marked 'arenas', behind the large complex of offices and hotels- "Arenas" directly opposite the airport or from terminal 2, catch the free shuttle to terminal 1, then walk. |
| The above map shows all the buses serving Nice and, apart from walking, this is best way to get around Nice. The only note of caution is that connecting buses are often served by more than one stop, athough the bus stops will all share the same name, so you may have to hunt a bit ie walk around the corner to find the right stop - it will have the number of the bus you wish to catch clearly displayed at the top of the stop. This map takes a while to download and you will need an 'acrobat reader' to download it. Once you are in Nice, pick up a bus map from the ligne dazur office at Place Massena open Monday to Friday 7:15 to 19:00 and Saturday 8:00 to 20:00. |
| local buses in Nice ligne dazur |
| Nice International Airport Terminal 2 easyJet passengers and domestic flights |
| Car Rental in Nice |
| Not worth it in my opinion unless you are going further afield ie skiing. You can walk everywhere in Nice. Also, Nice is well served by the local ligne dazur bus network and to travel further out of Nice, there is a very good inter-town network from the train station and bus station plus boat trips from the port.If you are in Nice in the Summer, say mid-June to the start of September, then I definitely would not recommend renting a car, it's just too busy. Out of high season, then it would be useful for a day or two but I would only bother if you were planning on visiting somewhere not accessible by public transport eg a tour of the vineyards in the Bellet region. Driving and parking are very difficult in Nice. Walking and buses are the best way to get around. You can hire a car from the airport, T2 - see the airport website for more information but I have found it to be busy, time-consuming and an inevitable queue even when you've pre-booked. We have since found it easier to rent from satellite branches of the main car rental companies in the city centre. There is one close to us right by the port, part of the rentacar.fr network with a branch at 10 Quai Papacino, Nice Port. Easy and hassle-free - ask for Madame Anne - she speaks fine English if necessary: Rentacar - NICE PORT 10 quai Papacino 06300 NICE e-mail niceport@rentacar.fr Tél 04 93 56 45 50 Fax 04 93 26 91 76 The dialling code for France is 00 33 then miss off the first 0 of the tel/fax number. It's a small office not far from the estate agents Haussmann Immobilier and the sweet factory Confisorie Florian. If you do decide to rent a car, check that your hotel or apartment can offer secure underground parking. This will probably cost extra and may have to be reserved in advance. |
| information about buses into Nice and surrounding areas, plus on-line bus ticket sales for most types of ticket. |
| Getting to Nice, transport and transfer from the airport to Nice city centre |
| All about Nice |
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| The Express bus 98 to Nice city centre main Bus Station or Gare Routiere and Express bus 99 to Nice Centre Ville Train Station, departing from quai 5 and 4, respectively, are found just outside the Arrivals Hall in Terminal 2. Cross the road and turn right for about 50 metres. Time tables and routes for the 98 and 99 are here. More information about the Express buses is below. If you have no change (4 euros one way) for the bus driver, you can pay for your ticket or change a note at a small kiosk/ticket office opposite the bus quais. In the evening, only the 98 operates but will run to the train station if you let the driver know. Taxis are directly outside the Arrivals' Hall. Taxi Information If you need to get to Terminal 1, for example to catch the ordinary ligne dazur bus number 23 into Nice city centre for 1 euro, there is a free shuttle bus ('navette') connecting the two Terminals, although you could easily walk it with hand luggage. More info below. If you need to catch a train, by using the free shuttle to the 'Arenas' stop, the first stop after T1, you can get quite close to St Augustin train station. There is good info and a map to St Augustin train station via the airport website. |
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| bus route of the express bus 98, from the airport to the bus station (Gare Routiere) Please click to enlarge |
| Nice International Airport Terminal 1 (all other international flights) |
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| Express bus from the Bus Station to the Airport |
| Express bus 98 from the Bus Station (Gare Routiere) to Nice Airport, 4 euros |
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| Catch the express bus 98 from Quai 5 - just ouside Terminal 2 at Nice airport. This bus takes you to most of the main Hotels along the Promenade des Anglais and terminates at Nice Bus Station Click here for the route |
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| Quai 5, Terminal 2 |
| The nearest train station to the airport is St Augustin, one stop west of the main Nice train station. You can catch a train west as far as La Napoule and east as far as Vintimiglia in Italy plus all the stops in between of course. To get to the station, it can be walked - a good 20 minutes brisk walk with hand luggage or take the free airport shuttle or 'navette' which will get you half-way there. For a map, more information and train time tables click here. The ligndazur bus 23 from Terminal 1stops by St Augustin, one euro (use free shuttle to get from T2 to T1) more info For European rail pass and ticket sales and European travel information the link is www.europeanrailguide.com |
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| Homeward bound Jan 2004 :-( |
| Max Cartier's 15 m sculpture 'Le Voyager' at Terminal 2, Nice airport |
| Nice bus map (adobe reader required) |
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| Nice's new Tramway Photo taken at exhibition on the Promenade des Anglais, March 2005. The first trams started running at the end of 2007. |
| Most buses in Nice tend to fizzle out to nothing by about 8pm. For 2007 there's a new night service to Monaco so don't forget to pack your sparkly boob tube for a night out at Jimmyz. Similar service to Cannes too. Night service: NocTAM bus Thursday, Friday, Saturday and on the eve of holidays. 4 round trips departing from Terminal 1 NocTAM'bus 100 NICE - MONACO - MENTON 10pm to 2.30am NocTAM'bus 200 CANNES 11.30pm to 4.10am €1 one way (Ligne d'Azur tickets are not valid). For more information. : www.cg06.fr (in French). |
| Night bus service 2007 |
| Ligne d'Azur - the Nice local bus and tram network TAM inter-town bus and coach network Using buses and coaches to explore Nice Nice Tramway (husband's youtube video) Rent an apartment in my Residence 'Port Nicea' Hotels near the Port Contact me Practical guide and links |
| ATS - transfers from the airport door to door booked and paid for online. About the same cost as a taxi but very convenient and english-speaking, no need to panic about the right euros either. |
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| 2009 bus fares remain fixed at just 1 euro a trip (exceptions include the 98 & 99 airport express buses that cost 4 euros = a 1-day bus/tram pass, plus some of the airport RCA buses) |