Nice airport to the city centre: tram line 2 in under 30 minutes for €1.70, bus 12+ along the Promenade, a €32 flat taxi fare and the evening tram works to 3 December

💡 The Short Version: Take tram line 2 from either terminal to Jean Médecin or Port Lympia: under 30 minutes, every 7 to 8 minutes on weekdays, €1.70. Bus 12+ runs along the Promenade des Anglais to Place Masséna and the old town for the same fare. A taxi to the centre is a flat €32; Monaco is €95. There is no train at the airport: Nice-Saint-Augustin is a 3-minute walk from the Grand Arénas tram stop. Evening works on tram lines 2, 3 and B run from 25 October to 3 December 2026, so check a late arrival. Bridge works on the Promenade near the airport run for eleven months from 2 October. Prices are in euros. Or book a transfer: the private hotel transferad is from €70 (GetYourGuide).

Nice Côte d’Azur airport (NCE), compared

Fares are the operators’ own. The airport has two terminals, and the tram stops at both.

Tram line 2

€1.70 · under 30 minutes · every 7 to 8 minutes on weekdays

Tram line 2 runs from Terminal 2 and Terminal 1 to the city centre by Jean Médecin and on to Port Lympia, the port. Line B runs from the airport to the administrative centre every 10 minutes or so, and line 3 to the Allianz Riviera stadium joins both at Grand Arénas. The stretch between Terminal 2, Terminal 1 and Grand Arénas is free. Buy a ticket from the machines at the terminals’ tram stops, which take coins and bank cards, from the SELECTOUR VIP Assistance Services desks in each terminal, or in the Lignes d’Azur Tickets app, which the airport lists for Google Play only (nice.aeroport.fr). Validate on every journey.

A line 2 tram at the Terminal 1 stop. Photo: Snoopy 31, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Bus 12+

€1.70 · along the Promenade des Anglais · no sales on board

Bus 12+ is a bus rapid transit line. Its airport stop, Aéroport / Promenade, is on the Promenade des Anglais opposite the Sheraton, 150 metres from Terminal 1. Its main stops include Place Masséna (Albert 1er), the old town (Opéra or Cathédrale), Place Garibaldi and the Palais des Expositions. Buy before boarding: a machine at the stop takes coins and cards.

Taxis

Flat €32 to the centre · €2 per suitcase · €8 minimum charge

Taxis wait at arrivals exit A3 at both terminals. The fares are the airport’s indicative 2026 list, with taxes and without supplements; extras are €2 per suitcase and €4 for a fifth passenger, with an €8 minimum charge, and a receipt is compulsory for journeys of €25 or more. Four destinations have one flat fare: Nice centre €32, Antibes or Juan-les-Pins €72, Cannes €85 and Monaco €95. Further out the list gives a range for day (8:00 to 18:00) and for night, Sunday and holidays.

The Promenade’s bridge works near the airport began on 2 October 2026 and run for eleven months, with two lanes of the seaward carriageway diverted. They affect cars, taxis and buses to the airport (Nice-Matin).

Zou! express buses and the train

The Terminal 2 bus station, on the arrivals level at exit A1 or A3, serves Zou!‘s express buses: line 80 to Monaco and Menton from bay 1, line 81 to Cannes from bay 2 and line 82 to Antibes and Vallauris from bay 3. Buy before you board, because the driver adds €0.40: line 80 takes a bank card on the validator or a ticket from niceairportxpress.com, and lines 81 and 82 sell by SMS. Zou! bus 650 to Grasse leaves from the Grand Arénas bus station, under 500 metres from Terminal 1.

There is no railway station at the airport. The nearest is Nice-Saint-Augustin, a 3-minute walk from the Grand Arénas tram stop; take the free tram from Terminal 2 or Terminal 1 to Grand Arénas.

Evening tram works, 25 October to 3 December 2026

Lignes d’Azur is adapting tram lines 2, 3 and B in the evenings. These are the changes to line 2 (Lignes d’Azur).

On 26 to 29 October and 2 to 5 November, a tram after about 20:48 does not leave Terminal 2, so take bus 12+ or a taxi. From 15 to 26 November a tram after 21:40 stops at Jean Médecin, and from 29 November to 3 December it stops at Magnan.

Which to take

• Cheapest and simplest: tram line 2, €1.70, for the centre, Jean Médecin and Port Lympia.
• For the Promenade, Place Masséna and the old town: bus 12+, which stops along them.
• Late, or with luggage: a taxi at the flat €32, which is the airport’s indicative fare; the extras are listed above.
• Straight on to the coast: Zou! bus 80 to Monaco and Menton, bus 81 to Cannes.
• Staying by the station: tram line 2 to Jean Médecin, then tram line 1 to Gare Thiers; see where to stay in Nice.

Passport control

Arrivals from outside the Schengen area go through passport control, where non-EU visitors are registered in the Entry/Exit System with fingerprints and a photo, so allow extra time. The entry rules are on the Nice hub.

After you arrive

What to book before you go to Nice lists the closed days and the sights that need tickets. Nice public transport has the fares and the passes, and day trips from Nice leave from Nice-Ville. Best time to visit Nice gives the weather by month, and the Promenade des Anglais is the road the bus follows. Where to stay in Nice compares the areas.