Nice: your first hour after landing
You have just landed on the seafront, 7 km from the old town — Nice Côte d'Azur is the Riviera's front door, and the tram runs from the terminal door to the Promenade. This guide covers the airport run and its one ticket trap, where to sleep from the pink-domed palace to the hostel by Place Masséna, socca and the Cours Saleya, a first day from market to Castle Hill, and the corniche coast that fills day two.
In this guide
You just landed in Nice. The airport rides the seafront 7 km from the old town — the move is tram 2, about 30 minutes to the centre at €1.70 on a Lignes d'Azur card (the €10 Aéro ticket is optional), with a Saily eSIM live from the arrivals hall, a first morning on the Cours Saleya, and the coast days that sell out first — the Èze and Monaco trip above all — worth booking ahead through GetYourGuide.
Quick facts
Airport
Getting in
Currency
Languages
Time zone
Emergency
Plugs
Tap water
Tourist tax
Best months
Map
Stays, sights, and landmarks in Nice — live hotel prices plus the key places from this guide.
Settle in
Land at Nice Côte d'Azur and the city starts at the terminal door: both terminals open straight onto tram platforms, the Baie des Anges across the road. Ride the transfer as stage one — 30 minutes along the seafront into Jean Médecin.
Set up your data before you leave the terminal: a Yesim eSIM loads a France data plan in minutes, so the Lignes d'Azur app, maps and the tram tracker work from the kerb. Comparing plans for a longer France trip, check Saily and Airalo as the alternatives.
Run the arrival checklist in this order:
- Ride tram 2 towards Port Lympia — €1.70 on a La Carte or the app, trams every 7 to 8 minutes, no booking needed
- Skip the €10 Aéro ticket unless the airport run is your only transit — a €2 La Carte plus Solo fares beats it by day two
- Drop your bags, then walk the Promenade end to end for your bearings
Check the tax line when the hotel quotes your rate: the taxe de séjour rides on top — €1.07 a night in a hostel, €3.48 at a four-star, €6.43 in a palace, per person, additional tax included.
If a delayed or cancelled flight wrecked the arrival, AirHelp checks whether the airline owes you compensation — worth five minutes before you write the day off.
Getting around
Times are airport to city centre.
Tram 2
Trams every 7 to 8 minutes by day towards Port Lympia; the stretch between the terminals and Grand Arénas is free — the standard €1.70 fare applies from there on a La Carte or the app; the €10 Aéro return is optional
Bus 12+
No tickets sold on board — buy at the stop machine before you board; hugs the Promenade, so it drops you closer than the tram for seafront hotels
Taxi
The fare to the centre zone is fixed by regulation, luggage included — confirm the flat fare before you set off; ranks sit outside both terminals
Rental car
Worth it for the corniches and the hill villages only; the old town is pedestrianised and centre parking is scarce and expensive
Nice Côte d'Azur sits on the seafront 7 km south-west of the centre, and the transfer has one clear anchor: tram line 2, serving both terminals, running to Port Lympia via Jean Médecin. The one wrinkle is the ticket. The airport platform machines push the Aéro ticket — €10 for an open return. It is not compulsory: a loaded La Carte is valid to the airport at the standard €1.70 Solo fare. The hop between the terminals and Grand Arénas is free, so the budget move is to ride that stretch, buy your card there, and continue on the same line. The airport rides are these:
In town, the centre is walkable and Lignes d'Azur fills the gaps: three tram lines, dense buses, every ticket valid 74 minutes with transfers. A Solo costs €1.70 on La Carte (€2, refundable) or in the app; passes run €7 for a day, €13 for two, €20 for seven. Validate every time you board — inspections are frequent. Bus 12+ hugs the Promenade, so for a seafront hotel it drops you closer than the tram does.
Prefer to be met? A Kiwitaxi transfer or a Welcome Pickups driver puts a name board in arrivals at a fixed price — worth it with kids or a late flight. Driving yourself, price the airport pickup on AutoEurope first, and think twice: the corniches are glorious, the old town is a pedestrian maze.
In the city
Start on the Promenade des Anglais: walk east from the Negresco's pink dome as the bay curves, past the blue chairs and pebble beach clubs, to the #ILoveNICE sign at Rauba Capeu — the whole city explains itself in that one sweep.
Climb Colline du Château, between the old town and the port — stairs from the Promenade's east end, or the free lift by the Tour Bellanda. The castle is long gone; what remains is the Riviera's best free viewpoint, a waterfall, and the panorama every postcard steals. Go before 10:00 or at golden hour.
Spend the middle of the day in Vieux Nice: the Cours Saleya market (flowers and food every morning except Monday, when antiques take over), socca hot from the oven, baroque churches in lanes too narrow for cars, and gelato on Place Rossetti. Cross to the port for the evening — Rue Bonaparte's bars are where the city itself goes out.
Book the headline days before you arrive — the Riviera day trips sell out first. Browse the Nice listings on GetYourGuide, and compare Klook for attraction tickets.
Give day two to the coast itself — a boat to Villefranche, or the train east.
After you land in Nice: Bookable experiences
Where to stay your first nights
Hotel Le Negresco.
Best for the palace splurge on the PromenadeThe Riviera's grand address at 37 Promenade des Anglais: the 1913 palace under its pink dome, a private art collection of some 6,000 works, 102 rooms and 28 suites all decorated differently, Michelin-starred Le Chantecler, and a private beach club across the Promenade.
Hôtel La Pérouse Nice.
Best for a cliff-side boutique base by the old townA four-star hideaway at 11 Quai Rauba Capeu, built into the cliff at the foot of Castle Hill: 56 rooms, a pool cut into the rock, the Le Patio restaurant in a lemon-tree courtyard, and rooftop terraces over the Baie des Anges. Cours Saleya is two minutes on foot.
Villa Saint Exupéry Beach Hostel.
Best for budget beds two streets from Place MassénaA converted villa at 6 Rue Sacha Guitry, two streets from Place Masséna: dorms and privates, a bar and café in the old chapel, a 24-hour gym and sauna, and organised tours to Èze and Monaco. Check-in from 15:00, check-out 10:00.
Stay between the Promenade and the old town for a first visit — beach, market and tram inside a ten-minute walk. The seafront for the palace splurge, two streets back for the boutique hideaway, the Masséna blocks for budget beds.
Book early for July, August and Grand Prix week. Confirm whether the quoted total includes the taxe de séjour.
Where to eat first
Eat niçois on day one. The canon is short and strict: socca, the chickpea pancake baked in a wood-fired oven and eaten scorching with black pepper; salade niçoise, where the tuna-versus-anchovy argument never ends; pan bagnat, the salad's sandwich form; and petits farcis, vegetables stuffed and baked. Three first stops:
Chez Pipo.
The socca benchmark at 13 Rue Bavastro, by the port — chickpea pancakes from the wood oven since 1923, eaten at zinc counters with a glass of rosé. Expect a queue at lunch; it moves fast.
Acchiardo.
A family-run old-town house at 38 Rue Droite, serving daube, farcis and salade niçoise since 1927. No frills, no shortcuts — the room locals book for Sunday lunch, so reserve.
Lou Pilha Leva.
The old town's niçois canteen on Place Centrale, at 10 Rue du Collet — socca, pan bagnat and pissaladière at communal tables, priced for a first night.
For food tours, market walks and cooking classes, browse the Nice listings on GetYourGuide and book a slot for your first free evening.
Day trips and more
The corniche coast east of Nice is the day-trip coast: Monaco, Èze, Antibes and Menton line up on one railway, and the organised tours here are polished. Carry a swim kit — every version ends near the water.
Èze, Monaco and Monte-Carlo half-day trip
Five hours with hotel pickup: Èze's medieval lanes and a free Fragonard perfumery tour, then Monaco's old town, palace and cathedral, a lap of the Grand Prix circuit, and Casino Square. The sampler that earns its 7,000-plus reviews. Check availability →
The Best of the French Riviera full-day tour
Ten hours by minivan: Èze and Monaco in the morning, then west to Antibes' ramparts, Cannes for the Croisette and festival steps, and the artists' village of Saint-Paul de Vence to close. Choose this over the half-day if the coast is the point of the trip. Check availability →
Mala Caves and Villefranche snorkelling boat tour
Three hours on a semi-rigid boat from Nice port: swim and snorkel at the Mala Cave below Èze, then an hour ashore in Villefranche-sur-Mer's painted old town. Small groups — the sea day to pair with the land day. Check availability →
Doing it yourself is easy: TER trains leave Nice-Ville every 30 minutes or so — Monaco in about 25 minutes for about €5, Antibes in 20, Menton in 35, Cannes in 40. For Èze village, ride bus 112 from Vauban (€1.70): the Èze train station sits down at the sea, a long steep climb below the village.
When to go and what it costs
May, June, September and October are the sweet spot: the sea is swimmable (warmest in September) and the heat is kind. July and August are hot — around 28 to 30°C — and busy. February belongs to the Carnival, a fortnight of parades and flower battles; late May brings the Cannes festival and the Monaco Grand Prix back to back, and prices spike across the coast. Winter is mild (around 13°C) and quiet — pack a layer even in June.
A backpacker in a dorm, on market lunches and the €7 day pass: €55 to €80 a day. Mid-range — four-star room, bistro dinners, a boat or tour day: €160 to €220 a day. A splurge day with the palace hotel and a beach-club lunch passes €400 without trying.
Stack the transit maths early: with two airport runs and daily rides, the €20 seven-day pass beats pay-as-you-go by day three — and it covers the Èze bus too.
What to pack
Tap items to check them off — your list is saved on this device.
Pack for heat, glare and one cool sea wind — sun, pebbles and spray can share one afternoon, even in July. The full list:
- Comfortable walking shoes Shop walking shoes on Amazon →
- Sunscreen Shop sunscreen on Amazon →
- Reusable water bottle Shop water bottle on Amazon →
- Phone charger and power bank Shop power bank on Amazon →
- Daypack Shop daypack on Amazon →
- Sunglasses Shop sunglasses on Amazon →
- Light rain jacket Shop rain jacket on Amazon →
Add the Nice extras: water shoes for the galets — beautiful and brutal barefoot — a swim kit that lives in the daypack (every day trip ends in the water), and a light cover-up for churches and the evening corniche breeze.
Language, visa and entry
! Check visa requirements before you fly
French first, always. Lead with bonjour (bonsoir after about 18:00) before any question, in every shop, café and ticket window; skipping it is the one reliable way to earn a Gallic shrug. Markets are hands-off until invited. Lunch ends by 14:00 sharp, dinner starts around 19:30, and the apéritif hour is sacred.
Four phrases do most of the work:
Sort entry paperwork before booking anything non-refundable. France is Schengen: most visitors from the US, UK and Canada get 90 days in any 180 without a visa; your passport should be valid at least three months beyond departure.
The EU Entry/Exit System (EES) is live, so on first entry expect a photo and fingerprints — allow a few extra minutes at NCE. EU and UK visitors carry their EHIC or GHIC; everyone else wants insurance with medical cover.
Do not buy an ETIAS. The planned EU travel authorisation is NOT yet in operation: nothing to apply for before you travel, and any site selling you one now is selling a form that does not exist.
Safety and health
Pickpockets work the tram and the station
Tram 2 from the airport, Nice-Ville station and the Cours Saleya crowds are the hotspots: front pocket or cross-body bag, phone off the café-table edge, and shrug off clipboard-petition and "found ring" approaches.
The pebble shore drops away fast
The beaches shelve steeply into deep water a few metres out, and most of the shore is unlifeguarded outside the marked summer zones. Enter slowly, swim inside the flagged areas, and take real care with children.
Jellyfish arrive with the warm water
Late-summer méduses drift into the Baie des Anges on the currents; check the flags and lifeguard posts before a long swim, and rinse any sting with seawater, not fresh.
Heat and sun are the quiet hazards
Castle Hill and the corniche walks have little shade at midday: carry a litre of water, start the climbs early, and remember the sea breeze hides how fast you are burning.
Related destinations
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Frequently asked questions
The things travellers ask in the first 48 hours: the airport ticket that is not compulsory, the tax the Métropole sets, and the train to Monaco.
Fares checked against the Lignes d'Azur tariff guide and Nice Airport, October 2026; taxe de séjour against the Métropole Nice Côte d'Azur 2026 scale; entry rules against EU EES guidance and France-Visas.
Ride tram 2 from either terminal towards Port Lympia: about 30 minutes to Jean Médecin, trams every 7 to 8 minutes through the day. The standard Solo fare is €1.70 on a La Carte or in the Lignes d'Azur app — the €10 Aéro return sold at the airport machines is optional.
No. The Aéro ticket (€10, open return) is one option, not a requirement. The operator confirms a loaded La Carte is valid to the airport at the normal €1.70 fare, and the tram between the terminals and Grand Arénas is free — buy your card there and ride on.
Most US, UK and Canadian visitors get 90 visa-free days in Schengen. The EES entry system is live, so expect a photo and fingerprints on first entry. ETIAS is not yet in operation — there is nothing to apply for or buy.
The Métropole sets it by category, additional tax included: €1.07 per person per night in hostels and one-star hotels, €2.28 at three stars, €3.48 at four stars and €6.43 in palaces. Unclassified stays pay 6.7% of the nightly cost, capped at €6.43. Under-18s are exempt.
May, June, September and October: warm sea, open terraces, thinner crowds. February is Carnival — glorious but packed. Late May brings the Cannes festival and Monaco Grand Prix, and prices spike along the whole coast.
Easily. TER trains run from Nice-Ville about every 30 minutes and reach Monaco in roughly 25 minutes for about €5. Go early, walk the old town and the palace square before the crowds, and ride back the same way — no tour needed unless you want Èze on the same day.
Fares change — the Lignes d'Azur tariff guide and the Métropole always win.
Nice, in your pocket
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Sources and last verified
Airport transfers and fares against Nice Côte d'Azur Airport's access pages and the Lignes d'Azur tariff guide (Solo €1.70, Aéro return €10, passes €7, €13 and €20; the T1–T2–Grand Arénas stretch is free). Taxi flat fare against the regulated airport tariff (€32). Taxe de séjour against the Métropole Nice Côte d'Azur official 2026 scale, totals including the 34% additional tax: €1.07 (one star and hostels) to €6.43 (palaces); unclassified stays at 6.7% of the nightly cost capped at €6.43; under-18s exempt. Hotel details against the properties' own sites and listings, October 2026. GetYourGuide products opened and read October 2026 (Èze and Monaco half-day 4.5 from 7,072 reviews; Riviera full-day 4.8 from 1,517; Mala Caves boat 4.9 from 936). Entry rules against the EU's EES pages and France-Visas: EES live, ETIAS not yet in operation. Photo credits as in the guide data. Last verified October 2026.
Affiliate disclosure: hotel names, transfers, experiences, and products linked in this guide may earn After You Land a commission at no extra cost to you. Prices and times were checked in Oct 2026 and change often — confirm before you book.