Nice airport is on the west edge of town, about 8km from central Nice (ave Jean Medecin). Getting to the town center from the airport is easy and cheap to do by public transport.
Nice tramways are fast and efficient. Tramway Line 2 connects Airport Terminals 1 and 2 with Port Lympia in central Nice via Jean Medecin and Garibaldi where there's a connection to Line 1. Line 1 takes you to north Nice, the Nice train station, Nice old town and east Nice. Line 3 runs north to Saint Isidore. Here is a basic map of Nice tramways (you'll see a larger version at the airport):
In Terminal 2 you'll find the tram stop and ticket dispenser between A1 and A3 exits. In Terminal 1, follow signs to the extreme west end of the terminal and exit there to find the tram stop and ticket dispenser.
Tram tickets are not sold on board the tram but must be purchased in advance. The way to buy tickets is to get them from a ticket dispenser outside each terminal.
Watch out though! The only possibility offered by the ticket dispensers at the airport is the €10 return Carte Aero. You could call this the "tourist price" because locals only pay €3.40 return or €1.70 each way. Every other ticket dispenser in town offers the lower price.
How to get around it?
Line for tram tickets outside Terminal 1
Simple. Just take the tram to Grand Arenas. Either tram line 2 or 3 goes to Grand Arenas. It's free! At Grand Arenas you have the option of buying La Carte for a refundable €2 fee and then buying either one or more trips at the price of €1.70. Or, you may want to buy a one-day (€7), two-day (€13) or 7-day (€20) pass. Not only is it cheaper but the ticket line is shorter. Whip out your credit card or have coins handy though as the machines don't accept banknotes.
Or
Download the Lignes d'Azur app on Android (not available on iPhone) and buy La Carte before arriving. You can even download it upon arrival by flashing the QR code
See all details on buying Nice transport tickets and using the tramway .
Local bus No 12 links Terminal 1 with the Promenade des Arts via the Promenade des Anglais. If you arrive in Terminal 2, take the 2 or 3 tram for free to the Terminal 1 stop.
Signs direct you from the tram stop to a pedestrian walkway next to a road and then on to the Airport/Promenade bus stop.
Turn right at the end of the walkway and you'll see the Airport/Promenade stop.
At the Airport/Promenade stop you can buy a one-way ticket into town from the driver for €2 cash only. The drivers can give change. Note that if you opt for the Lignes d'Azur ticket app as described above, you can use it for your bus journeys.
Book a private transfer to/from your Nice hotel
Bus line 12 is the easiest choice if your hotel is on or near the Promenade des Anglais. Here are some hotels and the nearest bus stop on line 12:
Radisson Blu (Sainte Helene stop)
Le Negresco (Gambetta/Promenade stop)
Hotel West End (Gambetta/Promenade stop)
Westminster Hotel (Gambetta/Promenade stop)
Le Royal (Congres/Promenade stop)
Palais Mediterranée (Congres/Promenade stop)
Bus 12 is also the best choice if your apartment is in the Old Town. Get off at Jardin Albert 1er if you're staying near Cour Saleya; at Opera/Vieille Ville for the Old Town; at Garibaldi for accommodation around Place Garibaldi.
These stops are also on or near tram line 1 but taking the bus means no change from line 2 to line 1 is necessary.
Take Tram 2 if you're staying in West Nice, the Quartier des Musiciens, the Jean Medecin neighborhood or east Nice.
Tram 2
The last tram leaves Terminal 2 for Port Lympia at 11.55pm Sunday-Thursday and 12.15am Friday and Saturday. The first tram leaves Terminal 2 at 5.24am.
The first tram leaves Port Lympia for the airport at 4.45am and the last tram leaves at 1.15am Friday and Saturday, 12.35am Tuesday - Thursday.
Bus 12
Bus 12 begins it's route from the airport around 6:04am Monday-Saturday and 6:57am Sunday; the last bus leaves around 12.33am daily. Buses run about every 10 minutes working hours Monday-Friday and a little less frequently on weekends.
To the Airport
Make sure to board the tram marked "Aeroport", not the tram marked "CADAM" which goes to the Nice administrative centre. Should you make a mistake you have until the Arenas stop to rectify it as it is at Arenas that the branches diverge.
Hailing a taxi at the airport is the worst way to get to or from central Nice. Nice taxis are among the world's most expensive and Nice taxi drivers are among the world's most unscrupulous. Taxi scams are ubiquitous. Theoretically, there's a flat rate of €32 (including four passengers plus luggage) to go from Nice Airport to central Nice (8km). In fact, taxi drivers start the ride with €32 on the meter and then let it run. The final bill could be €45 or €50!
courtesy Nice Airport
Taking a taxi to the airport entails a host of similar problems as the driver will charge (illegally) for the drive from the taxi stand to your pickup point. In any case, you will pay far more than Nice taxi official rates.
Although taxi drivers are supposed to take credit cards, they rarely do.
Fortunately there are alternatives! By far the best way to organise private transport to and from the airport is to book in advance, using Uber or a car service. Uber rates are somewhat less than taxi rates and scamming is rare. Car services charge about the same, if not less, than a Nice taxi and are friendly and reliable. In either case, you will know the rate before booking and can pay by credit card.
Book a private transfer to/from your Nice hotel to Nice Airport
The Nice-Saint Augustin train station is one stop from the Airport. Take trams 2 or 3 to Grand Arenas and follow the signs to the train station which has elevators to the two platforms. From there it's one stop to Nice Ville train station. This is a good and easy solution if you're staying around the train station as it avoids both traffic and the necessity to change tram lines.
Bus 81 (formerly bus 210) is an express bus to Cannes that runs roughly every half hour from 8am to 10pm from Terminal 2 and from 7am to 7:45pm from the Cannes train station (Gare SNCF) and Le Cannet (Place Benidorm). The ride takes 45 minutes and costs €19. Buy tickets online at niceairportxpress.com or in the Espace de Vente in Terminals 1 and 2.
Bus 620 (formerly bus 200) runs from the Aeroport/Promenade stop outside Terminal 1 to Cannes train station daily from around 6.30am to around 10pm. A ticket costs €2.10 and can be purchased from the Espace de Vente or on board.
Bus 621 runs Friday and Saturday evenings from Parc Phoenix to the Cannes train station from 11:15pm to 2:15am making stops according to demand.
Another possibility is to take the train from the St Augustin station. To get to the St Augustin station follow the sign from outside Terminal 1. It's an easy 10-minute walk but if you're overloaded with luggage, take Tram 2 (Direction Port Lympia) to the Grand Arenas stop. The train station is then a 3-minute walk. There are elevators to the platforms.
Here's what the station looks like from the Arenas stop:
Buy your train ticket online at thetrainline.
There's a fixed rate from the Airport to Cannes of €80 which taxi drivers routinely ignore.
Book a private transfer to/from your Cannes hotel to Nice Airport
Nice Airport Express runs bus 80 (formerly 110) from Terminals 1 and 2 to the Place d'Armes, Casino and Monte Carlo Bay Hotel and going on to the Menton bus station every hour or so starting at 8.15am and ending at 8.35pm. The ride takes about 45 minutes and costs €22 (33 round trip).
At night, there's the bus 601 (formerly 100N) which runs from 9:30pm to 2.30am and connects Parc Phoenix with Menton, Monaco, Beaulieu-sur-Mer and Roquebrune for €2.10. Parc Phoenix is less than a kilometer from Terminal 1. Until about 12.30am it's possible to take tramway line 2 from Terminal 1 or 2 to Parc Phoenix where you can buy tickets on board.
Another possibility is to take the train from the Saint Augustin train station. To get to the St Augustin station follow the sign from outside Terminal 1. It's an easy 10-minute walk but if you're overloaded with luggage, take Tram 2 to the Grand Arenas stop.
Buy your train ticket online at thetrainline.
There's a fixed rate from the Airport to Monaco of €100 if you grab a taxi at the airport. The taxi driver will probably tack on a "surcharge".
Book a private transfer to/from your Monaco hotel to Nice Airport
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Last updated November 13, 2023
Hi! I'm Jeanne and I've been living on the Riviera for years. With my local insights your trip will be easy and fun. And, do check out my book Nice Uncovered: Walks Through the Secret Heart of a Historic City. More about me here.
