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Travel by Tram 2 to Nice Côte d’Azur Airport (NCE)

January 2, 2021 by Henk Bekker in Côte d'Azur Riviera, France, Nice

Tram line 2 is the cheapest and fastest way to travel to Nice Côte d’Azur Airport (NCE) from the city center, Vieux Ville, and port.

Nice Promenade des Anglais

Getting to Nice-Côte d’Azur Airport is cheapest, easiest, and fastest on the new west-east tram line 2. The tram runs from Aéroport Terminal 2 and Aéroport Terminal 1 parallel to the Mediterranean coast and the Promenade des Anglais to the old town and city center of Nice Ville with its final stop at Port Lympia. Trams run every four to five minutes for much of the day with total traveling time over the full route only 26 minutes. The tram replaced airport express buses 98 and 99 as the best way to travel from downtown Nice to the airport and in contrast to these buses, the tram has no airport surcharge and tickets are only the standard €1.50 per journey.

Traveling on the tram is free for everyone between airport terminals 1 and 2, as well as to Grand Arénas — the first tram stop from the airport and a convenient stop for numerous buses and St Augustin railway station.

Note: two tram lines run from Nice Airport: tram 2 (blue) goes to Nice center while tram 3 (green) goes to the north and is of little interest to most tourists. If on the wrong line, simply change trams at Grand Arénas.

Tram Line 2 to Nice-Côte d’Azur Airport (NCE)

Map of tram lines 2 and 3 to Nice Côte d'Azur airport NCE
Download pdf map from “Plan autour du Tram” at Lignes d’Azur

Nice’s Tram Line 2 (Ligne 2 de Tram) runs from downtown Nice alternating to either Nice Côte d’Azur Airport (NCE) or to the CADAM prefectural administration center in the western outskirts of the city.

The line splits at Grand Arénas near Saint Augustin SNCF train station, with every second tram going to CADAM Centre Adminsitratif and the others to Nice Airport to stop directly at both Aéroport Terminal 1 and Aéroport Terminal 2. If on the wrong tram, get off at Grand Arénas and take the next tram 2 or tram 3 traveling to the airport.

En route from Port Lympia to the east of Nice’s town center, tram 2 passes the important transportation hubs of Garibaldi and St Jean. It runs through a tunnel underneath the old town and town center but emerges from the tunnel near Magnan and travels above ground, mostly along Avenue de la Californie that runs parallel to the more famous Promenade des Anglais (and the Mediterranean Sea).

Traveling time on the tram is only 26 minutes from Nice Airport to Port Lympia.

Trams operate at high frequency with four-minute intervals during peak periods. The flat-floor access trams have a capacity of 300 passengers per journey.

Buying Tickets for Nice Airport Tram

Traveling on the tram between Airport Terminal 2, Terminal 1, and Grand Arénas is free for everyone.

In contrast to the previous Airport Express buses 98 and 98, the tram has no airport surcharge and thus costs only the standard fare — currently €1.50 with free transfers to other buses for 74 minutes. Buy tickets from vending machines (or the ticket window at the airport or online) before boarding the tram — all tickets must be validated at the start of journeys (including after transfers).

Tickets may also be bought through the apps of Lignes d’Azur. (The English website is a nightmare but the apps work well in French.)

Get Your Guide

Transfer Connections on Tram 2

Tram Line 2 will have several convenience connections (correspondence) with other public transportation methods including at:

  • Grand Arénas – close to Nice-Saint Augustin train station. (Travel on the tram is free from both airport terminals to Grand Arénas.) Most regional trains stop at Nice-Saint Augustin SNCF station making it often more convenient than traveling via Nice-Ville SNCF main station.
  • Parc Phoenix — first stop after Grand Arénas — terminus for buses 200 (Cannes), 400 (Vence) and 500 (Grasse).
  • Jean Médecin – with Tram Line 1 and one-stop to Gare Thiers (Nice Ville main train station) or to Masséna with many bus lines.
  • Garibaldi / Le Château – with Tram Line 1 and many bus lines.

It is expected that tramline 2 will reduce car traffic on the Promenade des Anglais by 20% or 20,000 cars per day. As a direct consequence of tram 2, the former pricey airport express buses 98 and 99 have been canceled. once the tramline is fully operational. Bus 12 still runs past the airport (Aeroport Promenade stop a short walk from Terminal 1) and along the full length of Promenade des Anglais.

More on Travel to Nice-Côte d’Azur Airport:

  • Public Transportation to Nice-Côte d’Azur Airport (NCE)
  • Book Day Trips and Excursion Tours in the Nice Region
  • By Tram 2 to Nice-Côte d’Azur Airport from Downtown
  • By Bus from Nice to Nice-Côte d’Azur Airport to Downtown
  • By Train to Nice-Côte d’Azur Airport from French Riviera Resorts
  • Transportation to Cannes from Nice-Côte d’Azur Airport
  • Transportation to Antibes from Nice-Côte d’Azur Airport
  • Transportation to Monaco from Nice-Côte d’Azur Airport
  • Suntransfers and Welcome give online quotations for private airport transfers without first requiring personal details or flight numbers.
  • Use RailEurope or Oui SNCF for French national railways timetables and tickets. Buying train tickets online is often easier at Omio or Trainline: from Nice-St Augustin (close to the airport) or from Nice-Ville. (Nice town center).
  • Air France for cheap flights to Nice-Côte d’Azur Airport (NCE)
Get Your Guide
See All Nice Côte d'Azur Tours at GetYourGuide

Filed Under: Côte d'Azur Riviera, France, Nice Tagged With: 0GT, A4, Côte d'Azur, J1, J2021, NCE, Nice, Nice-Côte d’Azur Airport, P21

« By Public Bus from Nice-Côte d’Azur Airport (NCE) to Downtown
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Book French Train and Bus Tickets

French railway tickets are available online from many resellers – Omio and Trainline are generally the simplest to use.

SNCF has several official websites: Oui.SNCF is the main site but visitors may be passed on to other SNCF sub-sites with many non-European-based users ending up at RailEurope sites that often sell only long-distance train tickets. Trainline and Omio are generally a lot easier to use and may include searches for competing buses, such as Flixbus, that are price and time competitive with trains on some popular routes. Also, try Ouigo for low-cost TGV trains — limited choice and routes but low prices.

Trainline and Omio also sell cross border journeys and tickets for many other European countries. Print at home tickets are generally the best option, collecting tickets at the station is time-consuming. Tickets for short journeys and trains in urban areas (RER & Metro) are usually not sold online.


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