Nice is a great walking city and many of our suggestions involve footing it - but you can always relax on the beach or in an outdoor cafe.
This is far and away the best way of getting around Nice. Arm yourself with a map from the Tourist Office (5 Promenade des Anglais) and get those feet moving!
When you need a rest, you'll find a park or a cafe within 50 yards!
We cannot stress enough the importance of finding accommodation in the true centre of Nice. That means the Carre d'Or, the Old Town or the port. If you are on the Promenade des Anglais make sure your street number is well below 100 - anything below 50 is ideal.
Many hotels claim to be "central" - but Nice can be very hot in summer and a twenty minute walk before you get anywhere can ruin your day.
If you are flying in to Nice, the most convenient and cheapest way to get from the Airport to the city centre is the Airport Bus No. 98 which departs every 20 minutes from Terminals 1 and 2. Last regular service is 21.00 (Terminal 1) or 20.53 (Terminal 2), although at peak periods (most of the summsr) there are later buses up until 23.50 (T1) or 23.43 (T2).
If you are staying at our apartment, get off at the Boulevard Gambetta stop, cross over the Promenade des Anglais, and No. 50 is about 50yards to your left.
Cost? €4.00 per person. Time? About 15 minutes.
Local buses cost just €1.30 per trip. After you time-stamp your ticket in the machine in the bus, it's valid for one hour and a half and can be used for one transfer. The Nice by Bus pass, valid for one/five/seven days, includes a return trip to the airport. You can buy single trips, 14-trip cards and a day card on the bus. The other passes are sold in tabacs and kiosks as well as at the Sunbus information office (tel: 04 93 13 53 13; 10 ave Félix Faure).
You will find the bus useful if you want to visit the museums or archeological sites at Cimiez.
By Taxi
Avoid if at all possible. Nice taxis are notoriously expensive and their drivers are notoriously dishonest. Not all, of course, but enough to be a real problem. Foreign tourists, particularly those who speak little or no French, are fare game (pun intended!)
If you have to take a taxi, make sure the driver is using the meter and applying the right rate, clearly outlined in a laminated card, which the driver is required to display.
By Tram
At last! Nice's brand new tramway, opened in November 2007. U-shaped, it connects oulying suburbs with the centre of town - and allegedly will alleviate the city's congested traffic. We'll believe that when we see it!
Le Petit Train
This will take you through the old town and up to Le Chateau. A 40 minute trip costs €6.50 (children under nine €3). However, we don't really recommend it; it only covers the Old Town, the Chateau and the Port, which you'll probably visit anyway and we've never seen anybody looking happy on it - it's more bemused or embarrassed. How did we end up here? But if you don't mind looking like a tourist (or have kids with you), go for it.
The Petit Train leaves from the Promenade des Anglais, opposite the Casino Ruhl.
By Tour Bus
A better, but more expensive, (Adults €17, Children €9) alternative to the Petit Train can found a few yards further on. The open-top double-decker bus gives a Grand Tour of Nice lasting 1hr 30min and gives you a much better idea of the city layout. From March to early November the service runs every half hour from 9.30am to 6.30pm; the rest of the year hourly from 9.30am to 5.00pm. If you pay €20 you can use the bus over 2 days - and get on and off wherever you want.
By Car
Although we stress repeatedly that you don't need a car in Nice, no doubt some of you will find it more convenient to drive to Nice from home. Or you may want to rent a car for a couple of days to get outside the city.
Parking can be a problem, but the local parking garage will give you a week for €96, two weeks for €148
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