Getting around the Côte d'Azur

All the practical information you need to get around the Côte d’Azur!

Getting around the Côte d’Azur by bus!

If you don’t have a car, the bus is an economical alternative!

Many bus companies criss-cross the Côte d’Azur. The Lignes Express Régionales Zou! (Zou! Regional Express Lines) will connect you to the major towns and cities on the Côte d’Azur. You can check the routes and timetables at https://www.info-ler.fr.

Côte d’Azur bus networks also offer numerous inter-city and inter-village connections.

In the Alpes-Maritimes, visit www.lignedazur.com and in the Var www.varlib.fr.

From Nice Côte d’Azur Airport, line 2 of the tramway will take you to Nice city centre in 30 minutes.

By opting for the Ticket Azur, you can travel at the single rate of €1.70 on the entire network (bus and tram). You can buy your tickets at ticket offices, on board buses, from vending machines and from approved retailers.

When it comes to fares, opt for a book of 1 to 100 journeys.

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Local train arrival in Nice — ©Côte d'Azur France - Istock - Getty Images

Getting around the Côte d’Azur by train!

The train: the best option for speed!

Most of the coastal towns on the Côte d’Azur have an SNCF station. There are regular services, with a train every half-hour at certain times of the day. Let yourself be carried away and enjoy the scenery! Regional Express Trains (TER) provide fast connections between all the major towns on the Côte d’Azur between Hyères and Menton, via Monaco. Check the timetables on the SNCF website. A good idea for families or groups of friends: opt for the Tourist Pass. From 1 June to 30 September, for €16 per person, you can travel freely on the Trains Express Régionaux (TER) for a day in the Alpes-Maritimes department. If you wish, you can choose to travel in 2 departments (Alpes-Maritimes and Var) for €32. Up to 8 accompanying persons can benefit from this offer.

Also worth discovering: the Train des Merveilles, which runs between Nice and Tende, and the Train des Chemins de fer de Provence, which runs between Nice and Digne-les-Bains.

Côte d’Azur Mobility Plan!

It’s possible to get around the Côte d’Azur without a car, by combining bus and train.

To make it easier to get around, the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region has set up the SUD Mobilité portal, a one-stop route-finding site that is also available via an application.

With SUD Mobilité, you can find the best routes for getting around the Côte d’Azur by combining trains (TER), buses and regional coaches. Consult the timetables in advance.

Find out more about SUD Mobilité!

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Nice Côte d'Azur Airport — ©O. Puydebois - Côte d’Azur France

NEW: THE NICE SAINT-AUGUSTIN-AIRPORT MULTIMODAL HUB

A truly multimodal hub has been created to make getting around Nice easier! The new St-Augustin station brings together several modes of transport in a single location. The interchange offers a complete range of intermodal services, including tram-airplane (direct access to the airport), tram-bus (urban and interurban buses), tram-train (TGV and TER), tram-car (700-space park-and-ride facility and car-sharing stations) and tram-bike (Vélo Bleu) connections.

In addition to a station on line 2 of the tramway (West-East) already in operation, it includes two new stations, one road and one rail, and opens onto a large public esplanade. Less than 500 metres apart, the multimodal interchange and the airport are linked by a wide thoroughfare dedicated to pedestrians, cyclists and public transport. This facilitates connections and, in particular, provides direct access to Nice Côte-d’Azur Airport (free tramway between the station and the airport).

COMING SOON :

2024: start of work on the Nice Aéroport TGV/TER station and the second phase of the bus station
2028: Nice Airport station opens.

You can buy your ticket or season ticket directly on the website: https: //www.ter.sncf.com/sud-provence-alpes-cote-d-azur

Find all the information about this station here: https: //www.ter.sncf.com/sud-provence-alpes-cote-d-azur

Getting around by car on the Côte d’Azur!

All the major car rental companies are present in the Côte d’Azur’s main towns and cities, as well as in the main railway stations and airports of Nice Côte d’Azur and Toulon-Hyères. The main road on the Côte d’Azur is the A8 motorway.

Parking is generally charged from Monday to Saturday, from 9am to 7pm. Numerous car parks and parking meters are available day and night, allowing you to visit sites and monuments at your own pace. As a guide, here is the average hourly rate: €1.50 for parking meters and €2 to €3 for paid car parks.

Parking tip: 10 Nice car parks, 18 car parks in Cannes and 40 car parks in the Principality of Monaco offer you 1 hour’s free parking.

© Office de Tourisme Métropolitain Nice Côte d’Azur

Taxis on the Côte d’Azur!

All the major towns on the Côte d’Azur have taxi services, particularly from railway stations and airports. Taxi ranks are indicated in town by a blue “TAXI” sign. To book a taxi, there are taxi ranks in the main towns and cities on the Côte d’Azur. For more information, contact the Côte d’Azur Tourist Offices or visit www.taxi.fr.

Try your luck with SIXT‘s private chauffeurs, or hire a car from Europcar, Avis, Hertz, Rent a Car…

Getting around by bike!

A new way to get around and discover all that the Côte d’Azur has to offer!

Do you have a bike? The Côte d’Azur is the perfect place for this environmentally-friendly way of getting around. Between the Alpes-Maritimes and the Var, there are numerous discovery routes and cycle paths, such as the coastal cycle path that links Toulon to Le Lavandou, Cavalaire to Sainte-Maxime, and Cannes to Nice with the ” Mediterranean by bike ” itinerary.

Don’t have a bike? In Nice, with its 125km of cycling facilities, take advantage of the blue bikes! There are 175 stations throughout the city (one every 300 metres), providing 1,750 bikes 365 days a year, 7 days a week, 24 hours a day. There are several options available, whether you’re an occasional or regular user.

Nice by bike — ©Aurélien BUTIIN - Côte d'Azur France

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Helicopter travel on the Côte d’Azur!

Another way to discover the Côte d’Azur from the air…

The Côte d’Azur has 3 main heliports: Nice Airport, Cannes and Monaco. These heliports offer regular services between these 3 towns, as well as to Saint-Tropez and the Isola 2000 ski resort. These services are provided by specialist companies such as Azur Hélicoptère, Monacair, Héli Air Monaco, Alpes Hélicoptères and Héli Sécurité.

A wide range of discovery packages and panoramic flights are available.

Prices vary according to the number of passengers (maximum 5). For more information, visit theNice Côte d’Azur Airport website.

Getting around the Côte d’Azur by boat

Enjoy the beauty of the Côte d’Azur from the sea…

Boating is a very pleasant and practical way to discover the Côte d’Azur. There are several types of sea link. They link the towns of Toulon harbour, the ports of the Gulf of Saint-Tropez, Saint-Raphaël, Cannes and Nice. You can find out more about crossings from tourist offices. There are regular services to the Iles de Lérins from Cannes as well as Juan-les-Pins, Golfe-Juan, Mandelieu, Nice and Théoule-sur-Mer. The islands of Hyères are also accessible by boat from Toulon, Hyères, La Londe, Le Lavandou and Cavalaire. In summer, Théoule-sur-Mer can be reached from Cannes on the Estérel shuttle service.