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Côte d'Azur (Riviera) Transport | |
| The French Riviera is easy to reach by plane, train and car. Local and regional public transport is good—and favored for convenience. | ||
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Towns such as Nice, Cannes and Monte Carlo along the jagged coast of the Côte d'Azur (French Riviera) were once only accessible by boat, but today buses, trains, airplanes and helicopters carry travelers quickly and smoothly among the various coastal towns, and to other cities in France, Italy and beyond. Aéroport Nice-Côte d'AzurAéroport Nice-Côte d'Azur, the Riviera's major airport, serving both French domestic and international flights, is on the seashore 7 km (4.4 miles) southwest of the center of Nice (map); 27 km (17 miles) west of Monte Carlo, Monaco; and 28 km (17.3 miles) northeast of Cannes. More... Tram to the City CenterLignes d'Azur Tram Line 2 travels directly from the airport Terminals 1 & 2 to the center of Nice (Jean Médecin) near the Gare Nice-Ville (or Thiers), terminating at Port Lympia (Vieux Port; 11.3 km/7 miles; 26 minutes). To travel from or to the airport, you need a special transit pass, the Aéro (10€). More... Regional TrainsRegional TER trains pass near the airport. If you're headed for a Côte d'Azur town beyond Nice, or to Italy, walk 10 minutes north to the SNCF Nice-Saint-Agustin-Aéroport station. For timetables, schedules and tickets, use SNCF-Connect.com or the SNCF-Connect smartphone app. Taxi & Ride AppNice's major taxi company is Taxi Riviera (tel. +33 (0)4 93 13 78 78, same number for WhatsApp). They offer a smartphone app for planning and reserving taxis. Of the Ride App companies, Uber is active in France (Lyft is not). Tram & BusLignes d'Azur is the public tram and bus organization that connects the 24 towns and cities along the Côte d'Azur. Their useful website has a version in English. To encourage use of public transport, fares are low: 1.70€ per trip in most cases, with one-day and one-week passes available. Local cities and towns, and the Principality of Monaco, also have their own municipal bus lines for local service. Load the useful Lignes d'Azur transit app and separate Lignes d' Azur Tickets app onto your smartphone. Android-based smartphone users can buy tickets and passes on their phones and use their phones as their tickets; at this writing, iPhone users can buy tickets on their phones via the Lignes d' Azur Tickets app, but must then load them onto a plastic transit card (2€) available from ticket machines at major stations. To add more fares to your transit card, just hold the card at the top-back of your phone while accessing the Lignes d' Azur Tickets app. Regional Transport: ZOU!The transport organization for intercity and regional TER trains and buses for the Région Sud (Provence, Alpes & Côte d'Azur) is named ZOU! If you want to travel by public transport from Nice to Saint Paul de Vence, or from Monaco to Marseille, Nîmes or Orange, ZOU! will help you get there by planning your route by train and bus, informing you of schedules and timetables, and selling you a ticket. Here's a map. More... TrainSNCF, the French National Railways, operates trains along the Riviera and to other cities and towns in France and the Principality of Monaco. Gare de Nice-Thiers SNCF is the principal station for long-distance trains. TGV high-speed trains zoom directly between Nice and Paris.
CarThe Côte d'Azur is hemmed in by mountains, making space—including driving and parking space—in cities and towns precious. Although the French Riviera is easily reached by car, and a car can be useful for touring, you may also find yourself parking the car and taking convenient local transport rather than fight the driving and parking problems. For the record, the parking app favored in Nice is Pay-by-Phone. French government transport policies encourage public transport and discourage private cars, including rental cars. You may find that on the Côte-d'Azur, car rental is far more expensive than in some other locations.
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Aéroport Nice-Côte d'Azur, Nice, France
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