European Traveler

Travel by Train to Nice Côte d’Azur Airport (NCE) on the French Riviera

by in Côte d'Azur Riviera, France

Aéroport Nice-Côte d’Azur is a short walk or tram ride from Saint Augustin Station and bus ride from Nice Ville Gare SNCF main train stations with fast connections to French Riviera resorts.

TER Train in Monaco Colors

Nice-Côte d’Azur Airport (NCE) is not directly linked to the French railway system. However, it is a short walk or tram ride from the airport terminal to Saint Augustin station or a fifteen-minute express bus ride to Nice Ville Gare SNCF central train station. Almost all regional TER trains call at both Nice-St Augustin and Nice-Ville stations. TER trains are generally faster than buses and stop at most French Riviera resort towns including Mandelieu, Cannes, Antibes, Nice-St Augustin, Nice-Ville, Villefranche-sur-Mer, Monaco, Merton, and Ventimiglia. Intercity and TGV trains depart only from Nice Ville. Taxi2Airport gives online quotations for private airport transfers without first requiring personal details or flight numbers – it is often a good alternative for small groups or traveling at odd hours and with luggage.

Traveling to Nice-Côte d’Azur Airport (NCE) by Train

Google Map Nice Airport

As trains do not stop directly at Nice-Côte d’Azur Airport, a bus transfer, a tram rider or a short walk is always required. The closest train station to the airport is Nice-Saint Augustin, where almost all TER regional trains call. Nice-Ville station is a 15-minute bus ride away and offers not only TER but further long-distance connections.

TER train tickets can be bought from the bus ticket windows just outside the airport terminals. This is a good option as there may be longer waits at the station and often a need for small change to use vending machines.

French train tickets are available for print at home from the official websites of French Railways – Oui.SNCF and RailEurope but Trainline is often much simpler to use. Use “Nice St Augustin” for the station closest to the airport and Nice for the main train station.

From Nice-Côte d’Azur Airport (NCE) to St Augustin Train Station

Bus 23 Bus Stop near Nice-Saint Augustin Train Station

It is possible to get to St Augustin station from Nice Airport by walking, tram 2 or taxi. It is not Nice’s nicest area but safe enough during the day or when in a group. Bus 23 no longer stops here (or at the airport terminal itself).

It is around ten minutes walk from Terminal 1 to the station. The route is not well marked – download the pdf map from the airport website. The area was designed with cars in mind making walking less optimal at night, in bad weather, or when carrying bulky luggage.

An alternative is to use the tram to Grand Arenas – the first stop after leaving the airport. From Grand Arenas, it is a short walk to the station – the route is well marked. The tram is €1.50 but free for travel between Terminal 1 and 2. Walking between Terminal 2 and Terminal 1 is not feasible.

Train tickets are available at the airport from the transportation tickets office at the bus station at Gate AO at Terminal 1 or at Terminal 2, Arrivals level Gate A2/3.

From Nice-Côte d’Azur Airport (NCE) to Nice-Ville Gare SNCF Railway Station

Nice-Ville SNCF Train Station

Nice-Ville train station, often referred to as Nice Gare, or Nice SNCF station, is in the center of Nice city. A special airport express bus 99 connects both Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 with the station twice per hour in 15 minutes.

Bus 99 stops directly at the terminal and train station making it a better solution when traveling with luggage or at odd hours. However, bus 99 requires an Aéro Ticket (€6). This areo ticket not longer functions as a day ticket but is valid for travel on the local buses and tram network for up to 74 minutes, which is probably of limited use to travelers using the railways rather than buses to their final destinations.

Around summer 2019 tram 2 should go all the way to central Nice and bus 99 is likely to be suspended.

How to Buy French Train Tickets Online

French railway tickets are available online from many resellers – Trainline is 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 is 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. Trainline also sells 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.

TER Trains from Nice to French Riviera Towns

Fort Carré in Antibes seen from a TER Train

The most useful trains when traveling to French Riviera resorts are the regional TER trains. These trains usually run twice per hour (more often at peak times). Almost all trains stop at St Augustin too, except trains starting only from Nice towards Italy.

TER train traveling times from Nice-Ville Gare SNCF train station in minutes are around:

Trains operate from around 5 am to 11 pm, which makes them also useful at night when bus services have ended. Although the train is generally more expensive than the regular bus, they do tend not to overfill to the point of having to wait for the next service.

Trains are often cheaper (with no luggage surcharges) and as fast as the special airport express buses but require a transfer, which may be a drag when traveling with luggage.

Bearers of TER trains tickets should ask for a discount tariff when buying admission tickets to amongst other the Oceanographic Museum in Monaco, the Greek Villa Kérylos in Beaulieu-sur-Mer and Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild in Saint Jean Cap Ferrat.

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