Nice Public-Transport

Nice Public-Transport information

Trains

Nice's main station, Nice-Ville (Tel: +33 (0)8-9235-3535), is on Avenue Thiers near the northern end of the main Avenue Jean Médecin shopping street. From here it's a 15 minute walk down to the sea. Local connections are superb. Trains depart at least every hour from 06h30-23h30 for destinations along the coast such as Cannes, Antibes and Juan-Les-Pins to the west, and Villefranche, Monaco and Menton to the east. Faster connections link Nice with many of France and Italy's main cities such as Paris, Marseille, Lyon, Milan, Turin and Genoa. Change trains at the interesting Italian border town of Ventimiglia (Vintmille in French) for trains to Venice, Lugano, Rome and Naples. Le Train des Pignes: For those who do not have time to tour the wonderful countryside around Nice, this turn-of-the-century railway line up to the town of Digne will take you into the lavender fields of Provence and back, all within a day. The name refers back to when engine drivers used to start their boiler fires with pine cones as kindling. Trains leave four times a day and on special trips steam trains sometimes run the line, although standard trains are the norm. Contact Gare des Chemins de Fer de Provence, 4 Rue Alfred Binet. Tel: +33 (0)4-9703-8080.

Buses

Sunbus (Tel: +33 (0)4-9313-5313) runs an efficient bus service throughout Nice. tickets cost EUR1.30 for a single ride of any distance. Day and week passes as well as carnets of tickets are available from the Sunbus station next to the Gare Routière central bus station, itself situated close to the Place Masséna. Buses 5 and 15 run north up to the museums in Cimiez, while buses 8, 9 and 11 run along the Promenade des Anglais. All buses running down Avenue Jean Médecin from Nice-Ville will take you to the heart of Nice and the Place Masséna. The main coach station for connections along the coast such as Cannes, Monaco and Menton is the Gare Routière (Tel: +33 (0)4-9385-6181) on Blvd Jean Jaurès. Schedules run from 06h00-22h30 daily, and the coach comes in slightly cheaper than the train while offering a similar standard of comfort. Destinations such as Cannes, Juan-les-Pins and Antibes are serviced at least hourly and every 30 minutes throughout the majority of the day. Services east to destinations such as Villefranche, Monaco and Menton are even more frequent, never more than 30 minutes apart and every 15 minutes at peak times.

Driving

Nice is small enough to explore on foot, and if you're staying in the city for the duration of your stay then you have no need of a car. The three main shopping areas of the Zone Pietonne, Avenue Jean de Medecin and Nice old town can be covered without even the need for public transport. The Tourist Information office give out free, good quality maps of the town if you need one. If you're planning on exploring the locale, driving is a pleasant way of getting around Southern France and you'll find navigating up and down the coast extremely straightforward. If you visit in the summer hiring an open-top car and cruising along the riviera is as much part of the holiday as a viable transport alternative. The one thing to be aware of if driving along the coast is that in many of the towns parking is at a premium, and in the older towns often the centres were not deisgned with cars in mind. A national driving licence issued in EU countries is permitted for driving in France. An International Driving Licence is recommended for citizens from countries outside the EU. The minimum driving age is 18. Driving is on the right and you must overtake on the left-hand side. The driver and all passengers in the front and rear of the car must wear seat belts where fitted. Children under ten are not permitted to travel in the front seat. The speed limit is 130km per hour (81miles per hour), on motorways with a toll, 110km per hour (68mph) on motorways with no toll or when wet, 90km per hour (56mph) on major roads outside towns and 50km per hour (31mph) in urban areas. The minimum speed limit for cars travelling in the left lane on the motorway is 80km per hour (50mph). Some motorways in France are toll paying. Payment is made by credit card or cash and depends on the distance travelled. You will be given a ticket on entry and produce it later for payment. You should be aware that there is a time on the ticket and paying for a ticket one hour later, some 150km down the road shows you must have exceeded the speed limit. On the spot fines of up to EUR760 can be demanded for speeding offences, so it is wise to adhere to restrictions.

Rent a Car

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Taxis

There are taxi ranks on the Avenue Félix Faure and at the main station as well as throughout the city. Most of the larger hotels will have a taxi waiting outside, otherwise the concierge will call one for you. If you need to order a cab ask at your hotel or restaurant for a local firm or try calling Allo Taxi Nice, Tel: +33 (0)4-9313-7878.