Nice airport to city centre: tram, bus, taxi

Nice Côte d'Azur Airport (NCE) lies right by the sea at the western end of the Promenade des Anglais, only about 7 km by road from the Place Masséna. Few big airports are this close to a city centre. The short answer: take tram line 2 if your hotel is near Jean Médecin, the old town or the port – it leaves directly from both terminals. Take bus 12+ if you are staying along the Promenade des Anglais, and a taxi if you have a lot of luggage or are travelling as a family: the fare to the centre is fixed.

Nice airport to the city centre: the options

Times: tram "less than 30 minutes" to the city centre according to Nice Côte d'Azur Airport, taxi as pure driving time to the Place Masséna based on OpenStreetMap, without traffic; on the Promenade in summer and at rush hour allow considerably more. The airport gives no single journey time for bus 12+. Taxi fare according to the airport (as of October 2026).

Tram line 2: straight into town

Tram line 2 of Lignes d'Azur, the Nice transport network, stops at Terminal 2 and Terminal 1 and runs into the centre. According to the airport, it stops at Jean Médecin, the main shopping street a few minutes from the Place Masséna and the old town, and ends at the port (Port Lympia) – a journey of less than 30 minutes.

• Frequency: according to the airport, a tram runs every 7 to 8 minutes on weekdays.
• Tunnel: in the centre, line 2 runs underground, so it is not held up by traffic on the coast road.
• Between the terminals: according to the airport, the tram between Terminal 2, Terminal 1 and Grand Arénas is free. Grand Arénas is also where you change to tram line 3 (towards the Allianz Riviera stadium).

Tickets for tram and bus

Lignes d'Azur has no paper tickets any more: tickets are loaded onto a rechargeable card. According to the airport:

• Aéro return ticket: €10 for the trip from or to the airport stops and back; the return trip is open.
• Rechargeable card: the anonymous card costs a €2 deposit, refundable at Lignes d'Azur sales points.
• Other tickets: SOLO (one journey), MULTI and passes for 1, 2 or 7 days can be loaded onto the same card.
• Buying: at the ticket machines at the tram stations of Terminal 1 and 2 (coins and bank cards) or in the Lignes d'Azur Tickets app (Android only, according to the airport). There are no ticket sales on board – buy your ticket before you get on.

Bus 12+: along the Promenade des Anglais

Bus 12+ is a rapid bus line (BRT) that runs along the Promenade des Anglais towards the city centre. Its stop Aéroport / Promenade is on the Promenade opposite the Sheraton hotel, about 150 metres on foot from Terminal 1, according to the airport. This bus is useful if your hotel is on or near the Promenade, west of the centre. As on the tram, buy your ticket before boarding.

Regional ZOU! buses also leave from the bus stations at both terminals, for example towards Cannes and Monaco – useful if you are not staying in Nice at all.

Taxi and transfer

Taxis wait outside both terminals. According to the airport, a fixed fare applies to the centre of Nice: €32; fixed fares also apply to Antibes / Juan-les-Pins (€72), Cannes (€85) and Monaco (€95). Without traffic the drive to the Place Masséna takes about 11 minutes (7 km); on the Promenade at rush hour and in summer it can take much longer. If you think you have been overcharged, the airport explains how to complain to the city's taxi inspection – keep the receipt.

A pre-booked transfer is worth it for families who need child seats, groups or a late landing. Airport transfers in Nice^* can be booked with Welcome Pickups. Our article on when an airport transfer pays off compares the options for ten airports.

Which option suits whom?

• Hotel near Jean Médecin, the Place Masséna, the old town or the port: tram line 2.
• Hotel on or near the Promenade des Anglais: bus 12+.
• Going on to Cannes, Antibes or Monaco: a ZOU! regional bus or a taxi at the fixed fare.
• Family, a lot of luggage, group: a taxi at the fixed fare or a pre-booked transfer.

If you come from outside the EU, for example from the UK, set up mobile data before you land so you can buy the ticket in the app straight away – a travel eSIM for France^* (Airalo) is usually cheaper than roaming; our eSIM price index compares the prices per gigabyte.

On the day you leave

Tram line 2 runs to the airport from the port and Jean Médecin; check whether your flight leaves from Terminal 1 or Terminal 2 – the tram stops at both. Because the airport is so close, you can easily spend the last morning in town. If you have already checked out, you can use luggage storage in the centre^* (Radical Storage).

How long to stay and what to see is in our article how many days in Nice.

Nice trip planDay by day, with map and tips

How YesTrip helps you plan

In YesTrip you add your flight and hotel to your trip and plan each day around them, with a map of your places in Nice and the weather for your travel days. The ready-made plans for Nice can be copied into your trip with one tap. With the offline package you have the map without a connection, also on the tram from the airport. YesTrip is free.

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