Nice hop-on hop-off bus: Nice Le Grand Tour at €24 for 1 day, 11 stops every 45 minutes from 10:00, the €12 little train and the coastal cruise

💡 The Short Version: Nice Le Grand Tour is €24 for 1 day and €28 for 2, at the same price on its own site and on GetYourGuide. It has 11 stops and a bus every 45 minutes from 10:00 to 17:30, from the Promenade des Anglais through the old town and the port to Villefranche-sur-Mer. It does not stop at the Matisse or Chagall museums. The little train is €12 and runs a 50-minute castle circuit; the coastal cruise is €23.50 and ends for 2026 on 1 November. A €7 day pass on Nice’s trams and buses reaches more places; the bus buys a commentary. Prices are in euros. Or book now: the hop-on hop-off ticketad is from €24 and the little trainad from €14 (GetYourGuide).

The ticket

The operator is Nice Le Grand Tour, a double-decker bus that runs seven days a week.

The ticket includes an audio guide in 9 languages with earphones, free Wi-Fi on the bus and a city map with special offers. The bus is accessible to wheelchair users, and the operator’s real-time page shows where the buses are. The French Riviera Pass includes the bus for 24 hours: is the pass worth it? has the sums.

The stops and the times

The operator’s timetable is indicative: delays are possible in traffic. A bus leaves stop 1 every 45 minutes, at 10:00, 10:45, 11:30, 12:15, 13:00, 13:45, 14:30, 15:15, 16:00, 16:45 and 17:30, and stop 11 comes 65 minutes after stop 1.

The map shows the tram connections: line 1 at the stop Opéra-Vieille Ville, and lines 2 and 3 at Jean Médecin. The route does not enter Cimiez, so the Matisse and Chagall museums are by bus 5 or on foot. Villefranche-sur-Mer is the three stops at the end of the loop, and the Citadelle there is closed 2 to 13 November 2026.

Is it worth it?

The bus buys a commentary and a fixed loop. The sights on it are on the tram network too: line 1 stops at Opéra-Vieille Ville, and lines 2 and 3 at Jean Médecin and Port Lympia, all covered by a €7 day pass (Nice public transport has the lines). The train reaches Villefranche in 7 to 9 minutes, so the bus is for the commentary and for riding between sights. The French Riviera Pass pays if you also want the little train and two museums: the bus, the train and two €10 museums are €56 against €30.

The little train

€12 · €6 aged 4 to 12 · free aged 0 to 3 · 50 minutes · from the Centenaire monument

France Voguette’s electric train leaves from the foot of the Centenaire monument on the Promenade des Anglais, with commentary in 8 languages and wheelchair access. The 50-minute castle circuit stops for 10 minutes on Castle Hill. It runs daily on the low-season timetable, with a departure every 20 minutes between 9:40 and 12:20 and between 13:40 and 16:40. The 45-minute city-centre circuit runs only at 17:00 and 17:30. Tickets are sold at the kiosk by the departure point for cash, holiday vouchers or card, and there is no booking except for groups of 20 or more (francevoguette.com). GetYourGuide’s little train ticketad is from €14, €2 more than the kiosk, and is rated 4.3 from 1,382 reviews.

Boat trips

The operator’s price comes first; the GetYourGuide listing follows with its own.

Trans Côte d’Azur’s 2027 dates are not published. For the coast boats to Monaco, Cannes and Saint-Tropez, see day trips from Nice.

Before you go

• Where to board: stop 1 is at the Théâtre de Verdure on the Promenade; stop 4 is by the station on avenue Thiers.
• The last bus: the 17:30 departure from stop 1 is the last, and it reaches the Villefranche stops at 18:15 to 18:25, so pair a late ride there with the train back.
• The one thing that ruins a ride: expecting the bus to reach the Matisse or Chagall museums.

Nice walking tours covers the old town on foot, and the Promenade des Anglais is where the bus and the little train start. What to book in Nice lists the closed days, and Nice public transport has the fares. Where to stay in Nice compares the areas, and things to do in Nice lists the rest.