Arriving — Trains arrive at the city’s main station, Gare Nice-Ville, avenue Thiers. From here you can take trains to Cannes for 7.90€, Monaco for 4.40€, and Antibes for 5.20€, with easy connections to Paris, Marseille, and anywhere else along the Mediterranean coast. For more information, visit www.sncf-connect.com or call tel. 36-35.
Buses (www.lignesdazur.com; tel. 08-10-06-10-06) to towns east, including Monaco (no. 100) depart from place Garibaldi; to towns west, including Cannes (no. 200) from Jardin Albert I. Tickets to all French Riviera destinations under 74 minutes away (which may include a change of buses) cost 1.70€.
Transatlantic, intercontinental, European, and domestic flights land at Aéroport Nice–Côte d’Azur (www.nice.aeroport.fr; tel. 08-20-42-33-33). From there, municipal bus nos. 98 and 99 depart at 20-min. intervals for the Port and Gare Nice-Ville, respectively; the one-way fare is 6€. Official taxis are not cheap. A ride from the airport to the city center costs around 50€; Uber taxis are less than half the price. Trip time is about 20 min.
Ferryboats operated by Trans-Côte d’Azur (www.trans-cote-azur.com; tel. 04-92-00-42-30), on quai Lunel on Nice’s port, link the city with Ile Ste-Marguerite (45€) and St-Tropez (74€) from May to September.
Visitor Information — Nice maintains three tourist offices. The largest is at 5 promenade des Anglais, near place Masséna (www.nicetourisme.com; tel. 08-92-70-74-07). Additional offices are in the Promenade du Paillon city center park, in the arrivals hall of the Aéroport Nice–Côte d’Azur and outside the railway station on avenue Thiers.
City Layout — The city is divided into five main neighborhoods: the Italianate Old Town; the vintage port; the commercial city center between place Masséna and the main train station; the affluent residential quarter known as the Carre d'Or, just inland from the promenade des Anglais; and hilltop Cimiez. All are easy to navigate on foot, with the exception of Cimiez.
Special Events — The Nice Carnaval (www.nicecarnaval.com), known as the “Mardi Gras of the Riviera,” runs from mid-February to early March, celebrating the return of spring with 3 weeks of parades, corsi (floats), veglioni (masked balls), confetti, and battles in which young women toss flowers at the audience.
The Nice Festival du Jazz (www.nicejazzfestival.fr) runs for a week in mid-July, when jazz, funk, and reggae artists perform in the Jardins Albert I near the seafront. Recent performers have included Herbie Hancock and Sir Tom Jones.
Getting Around
On Foot — Nice is very walkable, and no point of interest downtown is more than a 10-minute walk from place Massena, including the seafront promenade des Anglais, Old Town, and harbor.
By Bicycle & Motor Scooter — Like many French cities, Nice has its own bike-sharing scheme, Vélo Bleu (www.velobleu.org). You can register directly at one of Nice’s 161 bike stands (difficult) or online (much easier); fees range from free (for the first hour) with a 3€ registration charge to 7€ for a week. Alternatively, you can rent bikes (from 18€ per day) and scooters (from 26€ per day; driver’s license and deposit required) from Booking Bikes, 6 rue Massenet (www.loca-bike.fr; tel. 04-93-04-15-36), which has additional rental offices in Cannes and Antibes.
By Car — Rental agencies for gas and electric cars are sited around Nice. Sixt (www.sixt.fr; tel. 01-70-97-61-11) ranks among the most centrally located, on the ground floor of Le Méridien hotel. Cooler cats may rent an E Type Jaguar or vintage Chevrolet from Rent A Classic Car (www.rentaclassiccar.com; tel. 09-54-00-29-33) from 529€ per day. The funkiest addition to Nice’s car hire scene is NiceCar (www.nice-car.fr; tel. 04-93-16-90-36). For 40€ per two hours, visitors can drive one of their three-wheeled, GPS-guided cabriolet cars.
By Taxi — Taxis Nice (www.taxis-nice.fr; tel. 04-93-13-78-78) will pick up within 5 minutes across town, although most locals now use the Uber or Bolt apps.
By Public Transport — Most local buses leave from the streets around place Masséna. Municipal buses charge 1.70€ for rides within the entire Alpes-Maritime province, even as far as Monaco or Cannes. The same ticket can also be used on Nice’s tramway, which connects the Old Town with Gare Nice-Ville, Nice Airport, the Allianz Riviera stadium, and northern Nice. Tickets, day passes (5€), and week passes (15€) can be bought directly onboard buses (although not trams) or at electronic kiosks around the city (where 10€ carnets of 10 tickets can also be purchased). For further information, see www.lignesdazur.com.
ATMs/Banks — Nice is home to dozens of banks; LCL Banque, 15 av. Jean Médecin (tel. 04-93-82-84-61), is one of the most central.
Dentists — SOS Dentaire (www.ordre-chirurgiens-dentistes-06.com; tel. 04-93-01-14-14).
Doctors & Hospitals — Hôpital Lenval, 57 av. de la Californie (www.lenval.org; tel. 04-92-03-03-92).
Embassies & Consulates — U.S. Consular Agency Nice, 7 av. Gustave V (tel. 04-93-88-89-55); Consulate of Canada, 2 pl. Franklin (tel. 04-93-92-93-22).
Internet Access — Various public squares and streets (such as the cours Saleya) throughout Nice offer free Wi-Fi.
Local Information — "Nice-Matin" (www.nicematin.com) has covered local news and events since 194. Google will translate the entire newspaper into English. Riviera Buzz (www.riviera-buzz.com) cover news, art, culture, and events in and around Nice
Mail & Postage — La Poste, 6 rue Louis Gassin (tel. 36-31).
Pharmacies — Pharmacie Masséna, 7 rue Masséna (tel. 04-93-87-78-94).
Safety — Nice is generally a very safe place. However, as in any big city, it’s important to keep an eye on your valuables, in particular anywhere that’s crowded. Avoid poorly lit streets at night, including in Nice’s Old Town. Shortchanging in shops across Nice is the commonplace, so overtly count your change.
Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.
