According to the city’s tourist office, Nice Airport, which is officially called Nice Côte d’Azur Airport, is only a quarter of an hour from the city centre. The airport has two terminals, Terminal 1 and Terminal 2, and tram line 2 runs from both of them straight into Jean Médecin and on to the harbour. For most people, the tram is the obvious choice.
If you’re staying along the Promenade des Anglais, bus 12 is easier, and if you’re heading to Villefranche-sur-Mer, Monaco, Antibes or Cannes, you can take the train from the station next to the airport or one of the express buses. A taxi to the centre costs a fixed fare. The right choice depends on where you’re staying and when you land, so here are all the options with fares, journey times and stops. For the rough conversions I’ve used about £0.84 and $1.12 per euro.
Contents
At a glance
- Tram line 2: €10 (about £8.40/$11) for an open return ticket, under 30 minutes to Jean Médecin, runs on weekdays from 05:20 until shortly before midnight.
- Train from Nice St-Augustin: 8 to 9 minutes to Nice-Ville, around 35 minutes to Monaco and just over half an hour to Cannes, with up to four trains an hour on weekdays.
- Bus 12: €1.70 (about £1.45/$1.90) for a Solo ticket, around 20 minutes to Opéra - Vieille Ville along the Promenade des Anglais, runs from just after 06:00 until shortly before midnight on weekdays.
- Express bus 80 to Monaco: €21.40 (about £18/$24), around an hour to Monaco, departures every half hour from 08:30 to 22:00.
- Express buses 81 and 82: €21.40 (about £18/$24) to Cannes and €11 (about £9.30/$12.50) to Antibes, running from Terminal 2 from 07:30 to 21:55.
- Taxi: A fixed fare of €32 (about £27/$36) to central Nice, €72 to Antibes, €85 to Cannes and €95 to Monaco.
- Uber: Typically €20 to €30 (about £17 to £25.50, or $22.50 to $33.50) to Nice, and you’ll see the fare in the app before you book.
Finding your transport at the airport
Nice Airport has two terminals, and the tram is free between Terminal 2, Terminal 1 and the Grand Arénas stop. It takes under 3 minutes to get from Terminal 2 to Terminal 1. Both terminals have their own line 2 stop with ticket machines that take both coins and payment cards. If you need tickets other than the airport ticket, the travel agency Selectour VIP Assistance Services has a sales point in both terminals, and in Terminal 2 you’ll find it on the first floor.
The express buses to Monaco, Cannes and Antibes leave from the bus station at Terminal 2, on the arrivals level by exit A1 or A3, where bus 80 stops at bay 1, bus 81 at bay 2 and bus 82 at bay 3. At Terminal 1, they stop on the arrivals level by exit A0, at the car park shuttle stop. Tickets for the express buses are also sold at the Service Centre in Terminal 2, which only takes cards.
The taxi rank is at A3 at both terminals. Uber picks up in the Parking Pro zone by exit D4 at Terminal 1 and by exit A3 at Terminal 2. Bus 12 leaves from the Aéroport / Promenade stop, around 150 metres from Terminal 1 on the Promenade des Anglais, opposite the Sheraton hotel, and a footpath leads from exit A0 at Terminal 1 to Nice St-Augustin railway station. You’ll find everything on the airport’s public transport page.
1. Tram line 2 to Jean Médecin and the harbour
Line 2 is the direct route into the city. The tram starts at Aéroport Terminal 2, stops at Aéroport Terminal 1 and Grand Arénas, and then runs through western Nice to Magnan, Alsace-Lorraine and Jean Médecin. From there, it continues via Durandy and Garibaldi / Le Château to its terminus, Port Lympia, at the harbour. The airport says the journey to Jean Médecin takes under 30 minutes, and according to the timetable, it takes around half an hour all the way to Port Lympia.
On weekdays, trams run every 7 to 8 minutes for most of the day and around every 20 minutes early in the morning and late in the evening. The first tram leaves Terminal 2 at 05:20 and Terminal 1 at 05:25, and the last one leaves Terminal 2 at 23:51 and Terminal 1 at 23:56. The times can be different at weekends, so check the Lignes d’Azur timetable if you’re landing late. Line 2 doesn’t run on 1 May.
The tram is my first choice if you’re staying in the Jean-Médecin neighbourhood, in the Old Town or by the harbour. The catch is the ticket, because the machines at the airport don’t sell the rechargeable card that the cheap single tickets have to be loaded onto.
Fares and tickets
The ticket you can buy from the machine at the airport stop is the 1 aller / retour Aéroport for €10 (about £8.40/$11). It covers both the journey into the city and an open return to the airport, and you can change to other trams and buses for 74 minutes after you first validate it.
The standard Lignes d’Azur ticket is called Solo and costs €1.70 (about £1.45/$1.90). It’s valid for one journey with changes for 74 minutes, but not for a return trip. The Solo ticket has to be loaded onto an anonymous rechargeable card, which comes with a deposit of €2 (about £1.70/$2.20). The card is sold from the machines at every tram stop except Terminal 1 and Terminal 2, in the app and at Lignes d’Azur retailers. At Selectour in both terminals, you can buy Solo tickets, Multi tickets and day passes.
If you’re getting around the city for several days, there’s also the Pass 1 jour for €7 (about £5.90/$7.80), the Pass 2 jours for €13 (about £11/$14.50) and the Pass 7 jours for €20 (about £17/$22.50), with unlimited travel on trams and city buses. Children under 4 travel free. You’ll find the fares at Lignes d’Azur.
How to buy and validate your ticket
The machines at the Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 stops take coins and payment cards. If you have an Android phone, you can buy your ticket in the Lignes d’Azur Tickets app instead, which the airport says is only available on Google Play. With an iPhone, your ticket has to be on a physical card, which you can top up from the app.
Whichever ticket you have, you need to validate it every single time you board, even if you have a day pass. Hold your ticket or card against the reader once you’re on board. If you travel without a validated ticket, the inspectors can give you a fine.
Where to get off
Jean Médecin: The stop is halfway along avenue Jean Médecin, the city’s main shopping street, and staying here puts you right in the middle of the Jean-Médecin neighbourhood. The main station, Nice-Ville, is around 800 metres away, and you can change to tram line 1 here.
Durandy and Garibaldi / Le Château: The next two stops are on the edge of the Old Town, which is called Vieux Nice in French. Garibaldi / Le Château is on Place Garibaldi, and from here you can walk into the narrow streets of the Old Town or up towards Colline du Château.
Port Lympia: The terminus is at the harbour. Get off here if you’re staying by the harbour.
2. Train from Nice St-Augustin to Monaco, Villefranche, Antibes and Cannes
Nice St-Augustin station is in the Grand Arénas district, less than 500 metres from the terminals, and the TER ZOU! regional trains run from here along the coast in both directions. From Terminal 1, you follow a footpath from exit A0 and reach the station in around 7 minutes. From Terminal 2, you take the free tram to Grand Arénas, and from the stop, it’s around a 3-minute walk to the station.
The train is the quickest way to the other towns on the coast. Heading east, you’ll reach Nice-Ville in 8 to 9 minutes, Villefranche-sur-Mer in around 18 minutes, Monaco Monte Carlo in 35 to 37 minutes and Menton in around 53 minutes. Heading west, the train runs to Antibes in around 20 minutes and to Cannes in just over half an hour. The journey times come from the SNCF timetable, and some trains continue to Ventimiglia in Italy or to Grasse.
On weekdays, there’s a train every quarter of an hour on the Cannes, Nice, Monaco and Menton line from 05:50 to 22:00, and then every half hour until 23:30. At weekends, the trains run later, and on Saturday nights they run until as late as 02:00. The train suits you if you’re staying outside Nice or close to Nice-Ville. You can read more on the airport’s train page.
Fares and tickets
TER ZOU! train tickets are singles, and they’re only valid on the day and in the direction printed on them. From Nice-Ville, a full-fare single costs €6.10 (about £5.20/$6.80) to Monaco, €3.60 (about £3/$4) to Villefranche-sur-Mer, €7 (about £5.90/$7.80) to Antibes and €9.70 (about £8.20/$11) to Cannes. The distance from Nice St-Augustin is different, so the fare may vary slightly, and the machine shows the exact fare for your journey. The fares from Nice-Ville are listed at TER Sud.
Children under 4 travel free, and children aged 4 to 11 pay half price. If you’re travelling as a group, there’s a discounted mini-group ticket.
At Nice St-Augustin, there’s a ticket machine for TER tickets, and the station has a ticket office, which is open Monday to Saturday with a lunch break and has shorter hours on Sundays. You can also buy your ticket online from TER Sud or SNCF Connect and keep it on your phone.
Where to get off the train
Nice-Ville: The city’s main station is around 800 metres from the Jean Médecin tram stop. The train is quick, but from Terminal 2 you first have to take the tram to Grand Arénas and walk to the station, so if you’re heading for the centre, you’ll rarely save time compared with line 2.
Villefranche-sur-Mer: The train stops in Villefranche-sur-Mer around 18 minutes after Nice St-Augustin, and it’s a direct journey with no changes. It’s the easiest way to get there.
Monaco Monte Carlo: The train stops in Monaco 35 to 37 minutes after Nice St-Augustin. If your hotel is a little further away, you can carry on by one of Monaco’s city buses.
3. Bus 12 along the Promenade des Anglais
Bus 12 is a fast Lignes d’Azur line, and it runs from the Aéroport / Promenade stop along the Promenade des Anglais and through the centre to Garibaldi, then on to Hôpital Pasteur. The stop is around 150 metres from Terminal 1, so from Terminal 2 you first take the free tram to Terminal 1. Along the way, the bus calls at a string of stops with Promenade in their names, including Magnan / Promenade, Gambetta / Promenade and Congrès / Promenade, and then at Albert 1er, Opéra - Vieille Ville and Garibaldi.
In the middle of the day, the bus runs around every 11 minutes. The first morning departure is at 06:04, and the last is at 23:54 on weekdays. In the middle of the day, the journey takes around 11 minutes to Magnan / Promenade, around 18 minutes to Albert 1er and around 20 minutes to Opéra - Vieille Ville. The bus doesn’t run on 1 May.
Tickets aren’t sold on the bus, so you’ll need yours before you board. The Solo ticket for €1.70 (about £1.45/$1.90) is valid on both Lignes d’Azur trams and buses, and you can buy it at Selectour in the terminal or in the app before you head out to the stop. The bus is the best choice if your hotel is on the Promenade des Anglais. Check the times in the bus 12 timetable.
4. Express buses 80, 81 and 82 to Monaco, Cannes and Antibes
The regional bus company ZOU! runs three express buses from the airport, and they stop at both terminals. Bus 80 runs to Monaco and on to Menton, bus 81 runs to Cannes, and bus 82 runs to Antibes and Vallauris. For Cannes and Antibes, the train is cheaper and quicker, so the buses are mainly worth it if you have a lot of luggage.
Bus 80 is the one most people use. It runs every day of the week, and from the airport towards Monaco and Menton, there are buses from 08:30 to 22:00, every half hour to Monaco. According to the timetable, the journey to Monaco takes around an hour, and in Monaco the bus stops at Place d’Armes, Sporting (Bay Hôtel), Larvotto, Casino and Office de Tourisme, among others. The journey to Menton Gare Routière takes around an hour and a half. See more at Nice Airport Xpress.
Bus 81 runs from Terminal 2 from 07:35 to 21:55 and reaches Cannes Gare SNCF in 50 to 55 minutes. Bus 82 runs from Terminal 2 from 07:30 to 21:55, roughly every 45 minutes, and reaches the Pôle d’Échanges d’Antibes in around 47 minutes. You’ll find the timetables at ZOU!.
Fares and tickets
A single on bus 80 or 81 costs €21.40 (about £18/$24) if you buy it online or at the Service Centre in Terminal 2, and €21.80 (about £18.50/$24.50) on the bus. Children aged 4 to 11 pay €10.70 (about £9/$12), or €11.10 (about £9.40/$12.50) on the bus. On bus 82 to Antibes, a single costs €11 (about £9.30/$12.50), or €11.40 (about £9.60/$13) on the bus. If there are three to nine of you, there’s a group ticket.
On bus 80, you don’t need a ticket in advance, because you can tap your payment card on the reader when you board. For buses 81 and 82, you can also buy an SMS ticket, which you show to the driver. If there are several of you heading to Monaco, you can book a private transfer from the airport to Monaco here.
5. Taxis and Uber
The taxi rank is at A3 at both Terminal 1 and Terminal 2. The airport publishes fixed fares, and they’re €32 (about £27/$36) to central Nice, €72 (about £61/$81) to Antibes and Juan-les-Pins, €85 (about £72/$95) to Cannes and €95 (about £80/$106) to Monaco. The fares don’t include supplements, so expect to pay a little more if any apply. The full list is on the airport’s taxi page.
A receipt is compulsory for journeys of €25 or more, so ask for one. Complaints go to the City of Nice’s taxi inspectorate, and you’ll need to give the taxi’s number, which is on the roof. If you need a taxi from the city, you can book one with Taxi Nice Riviera in their app or by phone on +33 4 93 13 78 78.
Uber picks up in the Parking Pro zone, which is by exit D4 at Terminal 1 and by exit A3 at Terminal 2, and the app shows you the exact spot. According to Uber’s own figures, an UberX from the airport to Nice has cost €22 (about £18.50/$24.50) on average and a Comfort €27 (about £23/$30), so you can typically expect to pay €20 to €30 (about £17 to £25.50, or $22.50 to $33.50). Prices go up when demand is high. See more at Uber.
Private transfer
If you’re landing late with children, or there are several of you with lots of luggage, you can book a private transfer from Nice Airport here. The driver meets you at the airport and takes you to the door, and the price is agreed in advance.
Onward travel around the Côte d’Azur straight from the airport
The trains from Nice St-Augustin run along the whole coast from Cannes to Menton, and some continue to Grasse or to Ventimiglia in Italy, which takes just over an hour.
There are also trains from the station towards Toulon and Marseille roughly once an hour on weekdays. Bus 80 runs to Menton Gare Routière, and from the bus station at Grand Arénas, which you can reach on the free tram, ZOU! runs buses including the 650 to Grasse and the 60 to Aix-en-Provence.
If you’re travelling around for several days, the Pass SudAzur Explore can be worth it. It gives you unlimited travel on ZOU! trains and buses throughout the Alpes-Maritimes department and in Monaco, as well as on city networks such as Lignes d’Azur. The pass costs €35 (about £29.50/$39) for 3 days, €50 (about £42/$56) for 7 days and €80 (about £68/$90) for 14 days, and under-18s travelling with an adult pay less. Read the conditions at TER Sud.
Getting back to the airport
On weekdays, tram line 2 towards the airport leaves Port Lympia at 04:40 and Jean Médecin at 04:45, and the first tram reaches Terminal 1 at 05:12 and Terminal 2 at 05:17. The last one leaves Jean Médecin at 23:15. If you bought the airport ticket for €10 (about £8.40/$11), your return journey is already paid for, and you just need to validate the ticket again.
Towards the airport, bus 80 runs from Menton and Monaco from 06:00, and from as early as 04:00 from Tuesday to Sunday, with the last buses at around 20:00. The coastal trains run from around 05:50 on weekdays, and from the station, you can take the free tram to Terminal 2 or walk along the footpath to Terminal 1. For the journey back, you can book a taxi with Taxi Nice Riviera or take an Uber.
The airport recommends being at the airport 2 hours before departure for shorter flights and at least 3 hours before for long-haul flights, and the self-service check-in machines open 5 hours before departure. Read more on the airport’s check-in page.
Which option should you choose?
Here’s what I’d recommend, depending on where you’re staying:
Old Town (Vieux Nice): Take tram line 2 to Durandy or Garibaldi / Le Château, or take bus 12 to Opéra - Vieille Ville.
Promenade des Anglais: Take bus 12, which runs along the promenade and stops close to the seafront hotels.
Jean-Médecin: Take tram line 2 to Jean Médecin. It runs right into the heart of the neighbourhood.
Villefranche-sur-Mer: Take the train from Nice St-Augustin. It runs direct to Villefranche-sur-Mer in around 18 minutes.
Monaco: The train is the cheapest and quickest option, while bus 80 takes you all the way to several stops in Monaco without changing.
Cannes and Antibes: Take the train from Nice St-Augustin. It’s both cheaper and quicker than the express buses.
If you land at night: The tram runs until shortly before midnight on weekdays, and bus 12 runs until 23:54. If you land later than that, it’s a fixed-fare taxi or an Uber.
If there are three or four of you: A taxi to central Nice costs €32 (about £27/$36) for the whole car, while four airport tickets cost €40 (about £34/$45). If you won’t be using the tram to get back to the airport, the taxi is the best option.
Practical tips for getting from Nice Airport to the city centre
Save money by buying the card at Grand Arénas. The tram is free from the terminals to Grand Arénas, and the machine there sells the rechargeable card for €2 (about £1.70/$2.20). With a Solo ticket for €1.70 (about £1.45/$1.90) each way, it works out cheaper than the airport ticket, but you’ll have to wait for the next tram.
Validate your ticket every time you board. This applies to all Lignes d’Azur tickets, including day passes and the airport ticket, and also when you change.
Pay for bus 80 with your card. On the express bus to Monaco and Menton, you simply tap your payment card on the reader when you board, so there’s no need to find a ticket office.
Choose your hotel with the connection in mind. If you’re staying in Jean-Médecin, the tram runs right to your door, and you can see hotels in Jean-Médecin here. If you’re staying on the seafront, bus 12 runs the whole length of the promenade, and you can see hotels on the Promenade des Anglais here. If you’d like to stay in Villefranche-sur-Mer, the train runs direct, and you can see hotels in Villefranche-sur-Mer here.
If you’re not sure which neighbourhood suits you, read my guide to where to stay in and around Nice, where you’ll also find my hotel recommendations in the Old Town, on the Promenade des Anglais, in Jean-Médecin and in Villefranche-sur-Mer.
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