Nice Airline Crew Layover Guide
Reviewed by Captain AL
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| Fastest into town | Tram line 2 Port Lympia from the stops at Terminal 1 and Terminal 2: a journey of less than 30 minutes to the city centre, with a tram to the airport every 7 to 8 minutes on school term weekdays, every 9 to 10 minutes on school holiday weekdays and on Saturdays, and every 11 to 12 minutes on Sundays and public holidays, with evening gaps widening to 15 to 22 minutes after about 20:15 |
|---|---|
| First and last tram | From the Aeroport Terminal 2 stop towards Port Lympia, Monday to Friday the first tram is 05:20 and the last is 23:51, with two later trams at 00:15 and 00:51 that run on Fridays only. Coming back, from Port Lympia towards Aeroport Terminal 2, the first is 04:40 and the last is 23:10, with 23:30 and 00:10 on Fridays only |
| Payments | The airport needs its own ticket. The Aero is EUR 10,00 for an open return, sold by the ticket machines on the tram platforms at Terminal 1 and Terminal 2, which take coins and bank cards. A loaded Lignes d’Azur card at the general rate also gives access |
| Tap water | Safe to drink |
| Emergency | 112 (French national emergency numbers plus Nice specific administrative lines) |
| Solo & at night | Taxi ranks sit at entrance A3 at both Terminal 1 and Terminal 2, and the airport publishes a fixed fare of EUR 32,00 to Nice Centre, so you know the price before you get in |
| Crew knows | The EUR 10,00 Aero is a return and not a single, and the operator publishes no one way version, so that fare buys both legs whether you use them or not. Riding between Terminal 2, Terminal 1 and Grand Arenas is free on lines 2 and B, so you only pay for the part past Grand Arenas |
| Crew deals | Verified car rental and hotel rates for airline staff: on this page, right below this guide. |
airlinecrewdiscount.net · NCE crew card · Checked Aug 2026 · Next check Nov 2026 · Screenshot this card for offline
Every number on this page comes from an official source. Where no official source gives a number, we say so instead of guessing.
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Getting from Nice Cote d’Azur Airport into the city centre: which ride makes sense?
The tram does nearly all of it: two lines stop at both terminals and one of them runs straight into the city centre. The catch is the fare, because the airport sits outside the ordinary city ticket. Trains along the coast leave from a station seven minutes on foot from Terminal 1. Budget the full EUR 10,00 return for the airport tram. No official page publishes a one way airport fare, so do not plan on a cheaper single ticket.
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| Mode | Time | Cost | Good to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tram (line 2, Port Lympia) | less than 30 minutes from Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 to the city centre every 7 to 8 minutes on school term weekdays, every 9 to 10 minutes on school holiday weekdays and on Saturdays, and every 11 to 12 minutes on Sundays and public holidays, with evening gaps widening to 15 to 22 minutes after about 20:15, except on 1 May |
EUR 10,00 for the Aero open return, or the general rate on a loaded Lignes d’Azur card | The line stops at Jean Medecin in the centre and at Port Lympia by the port. Travel is free between Terminal 2, Terminal 1 and Grand Arenas, so the free section ends at Grand Arenas and you need a ticket to ride past it into town. The Aero ticket covers one return with connections during the 74 minutes after first validation and the operator states the operator states it is usable with no validity limit. First and last departures are on the first_last row. |
| Tram (line B, CADAM) | approximately every 10 minutes on weekdays, except on 1 May | same airport ticketing as line 2 | Line B also serves Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 and runs to the Administrative Centre rather than the city centre. It carries the same free section between Terminal 2, Terminal 1 and Grand Arenas. Lines 2 and B meet tram line 3 at Grand Arenas for Saint-Isidore and the Allianz Riviera stadium. Use it as the terminal to terminal link and as the fallback when line 2 is not the one at the platform: the airport states you reach Terminal 2 in less than 3 minutes on either line, at no charge. Do not confuse this with the free electric car park shuttle, which is a separate service linking the terminals to the further car parks P4, P6, P8 and P9 every 15 minutes from 4:30 a.m. to the last flight, at the latest 1:30 a.m. |
| Bus (12+ Pasteur Hospital) | no onboard sales, buy the ticket before boarding | A bus rapid transit route, boarded 150 metres on foot from Terminal 1 at the Aeroport / Promenade stop on the Promenade des Anglais (M6098), opposite the Sheraton hotel. Main stops include the Promenade des Anglais, Place Massena (Albert 1er), the old town (Opera or Cathedrale), Place Garibaldi and the Palais des Expositions. Does not run on 1 May. | |
| Taxi | fixed fares from the airport, 2026 indicated prices including tax and excluding supplements: Nice Centre EUR 32,00, Antibes and Juan-les-Pins EUR 72,00, Cannes EUR 85,00, Monaco EUR 95,00 | Ranks are at entrance A3 at both Terminal 1 and Terminal 2. A receipt is obligatory for any journey costing EUR 25,00 or more, so ask for it and keep it. The airport dispatch number is +33 4 93 13 78 78. If you believe you were overcharged leaving the airport, the complaint goes to the taxi inspection office at the Mairie de Nice on 04 97 13 26 51, with a copy of the receipt and the three digit taxi number from the roof sign. | |
| Train (SNCF, from Nice Saint-Augustin) | 7 minutes on foot from Terminal 1 to the station Cannes to Nice to Monaco to Menton: one train every 15 minutes on weekdays from 5:50 a.m. to 10 p.m., then every 30 minutes until 11:30 p.m. |
Nice Saint-Augustin station is less than 500 metres from Terminal 1 and a dedicated pedestrian walkway from exit door A0 takes 7 minutes. Platform access has moved to the other side of Avenue Maitre Maurice Slama, next to the Grand Arenas newsstand. Weekend hours run longer, with trains until 2 a.m. on Sunday morning. The Marseille to Toulon to Nice line has one departure an hour on weekdays. This is the coastal line, so it is the way to Cannes, Monaco and Menton without a car. The airport publishes no fare for it and none is quoted here. |
Best Areas for Crew Stays in Nice, from Vieux Nice and the Promenade to the transport district next to the airport
Vieux Nice: The old town’s narrow lanes behind the Cours Saleya market, the densest eating and wandering ground in the city and walkable from the centre.
Jean Medecin and the centre: The main shopping spine and the tram stop most layovers get off at, with Place Massena at its southern end.
Promenade des Anglais: The seafront curve between the airport and the old town, flat, long, and the obvious walk or run if you only want air.
Port Lympia: The working harbour at the far end of tram line 2, quieter than the old town and the other end of the same one seat ride.
Grand Arenas and Saint-Augustin: The business and transport district next to the airport, where the tram, the coastal railway station and the intercity buses all meet.
What to Do on a Layover in Nice, from a short sit at the terminal to a run along the coast
Under 5 hours: Stay at the airport. The Wi-Fi is free and unlimited, and once you have paid EUR 10,00 for a tram ticket and allowed for screening on the way back, a short window stops being worth the move.
5 to 9 hours: One clean move works: tram line 2 to Jean Medecin, then the old town and the Promenade des Anglais on foot, and back on the same line. Note the last tram towards the airport before you leave the platform, because it is earlier than crew expect.
9 hours plus: The coast opens up. Nice Saint-Augustin station is 7 minutes on foot from Terminal 1 and the Cannes to Nice to Monaco to Menton line runs every 15 minutes on weekdays from 5:50 a.m. to 10 p.m., so Monaco or Cannes and back is a real option without a car. If you would rather drive it or split a taxi, the airport’s fixed fares are EUR 85,00 to Cannes and EUR 95,00 to Monaco. No drive time is quoted here because no official source publishes one.
Crew Tips for Nice and Nice Cote d’Azur Airport
The airport fare is not the city fare: This is the one that catches people. The transit operator states that reaching Nice Cote d’Azur airport requires a specific ticket: the Aero, at EUR 10,00 for an open return, which covers one return trip with connections during the 74 minutes after first validation and carries no validity limit. A loaded Lignes d’Azur card at the general rate also gives access. Riding between Terminal 2, Terminal 1 and Grand Arenas is free on lines 2 and B, so the free section ends at Grand Arenas and everything past it into town needs a ticket. Do not assume an ordinary EUR 1,70 city ticket covers you from the airport.
Where to actually buy the ticket: The ticket machines on the tram platforms at Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 take coins and bank cards and sell the Aero return at EUR 10,00. Inside the terminals, the SELECTOUR VIP Assistance Services desks sell SOLO, MULTI and the 1, 2, 7, 14 and 30 day passes. Two traps worth knowing: phone ticketing is Android only, but an iPhone is not useless: the operator’s own tariff guide documents an iOS path where the app tops up a physical Lignes d’Azur contactless card over NFC without holding the ticket itself, so on an iPhone either buy the EUR 2,00 card first or just use the platform machine, and the EUR 2,00 anonymous rechargeable card is sold by tram station machines everywhere except at Terminals 1 and 2, so pick that up at a desk or a retailer instead.
Connectivity: Airport Wi-Fi is free and unlimited with no time limit. Select the network NiceAirportFreeWifi, open a browser, and accept the terms on the portal home page. The operator states 5,000 people can connect at once, so it holds up at a busy bank of gates.
Luggage storage: Storage sits in the Service Centres at both terminals: in the Service Centres at Terminal 1 and Terminal 2, open every day from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. A deposit of under 24 hours is EUR 19,00 per bag, then EUR 19,00 per bag per further 24 hours. Oversized items such as bikes, golf bags and skis are EUR 21,00 per 24 hours and a motorcycle helmet is EUR 5,00. If a whole crew drops bags together, 10 or more at once by the same person or group brings it to EUR 15,00 per bag per 24 hours. Bring valid ID and a phone number; staff seal each bag. Bags can be collected any time within 30 days, and perishables, valuables, hazardous items, animals and plants are refused.
Emergency calls on a dead SIM, and the callback number: Two things worth knowing before you need them. If a SIM is in the phone, emergency calls work even with no active plan, for example a prepaid bundle that is fully used up or a cancelled contract. And French emergency services call people back from a single number, 0 800 112 112, which is free and is not spam; if it rings after you have called for help, answer it. Calls to the short emergency numbers are free, geolocated, prioritised, and do not appear on a bill.
Intercity buses along the coast: ZOU! intercity coaches leave from the Terminal 2 bus station on the arrivals level at exit doors A1 or A3, with Monaco and Menton (80) at bay 1, Cannes (81) at bay 2, Antibes and Vallauris (82) at bay 3, and Saint-Raphael (90) at bay 4. Terminal 1 has its own stop at exit door A0 for routes 80, 81 and 82, and they stop at Terminal 2 on request if you signal the driver. There are no sales on board, so buy before boarding, and tickets bought from the driver carry a EUR 0,40 surcharge.
Emergency Numbers for Nice, Nice Cote d’Azur Airport, and France
👉 Swipe sideways if the numbers do not fit
| Any emergency, European number, routes you to the right service | 112 |
| Medical emergency (Samu) | 15 |
| Police (Police secours, to report an offence) | 17 |
| Fire and road accidents (sapeurs-pompiers) | 18 |
| Deaf, hard of hearing or unable to speak, by video, chat or SMS | 114 |
| Callback line used by French emergency services, free, answer it | 0 800 112 112 |
| Taxi overcharging complaints, Mairie de Nice taxi inspection | 04 97 13 26 51 |
| France country code (calling from abroad) | +33 |
| Coastal and sea emergencies (Promenade, Port Lympia) | 196 |
| Homeless emergency helpline | 115 |
Save these before you fly; numbers work from any phone.
How do I get from Nice airport to the city centre?
Take tram line 2, Port Lympia, from the stop at Terminal 1 or Terminal 2. The airport puts the ride into the city centre at less than 30 minutes, with a tram every 7 to 8 minutes on school term weekdays, every 9 to 10 minutes on school holiday weekdays and on Saturdays, and every 11 to 12 minutes on Sundays and public holidays, with evening gaps widening to 15 to 22 minutes after about 20:15. It stops at Jean Medecin in the centre and at Port Lympia by the harbour. Buy the Aero ticket at EUR 10,00 from the machine on the tram platform before you board, or use a loaded Lignes d’Azur card at the general rate.
How much is the tram from Nice airport?
The transit operator states that reaching the airport requires a specific ticket. The Aero costs EUR 10,00 and covers an open return, with connections during the 74 minutes following first validation and no validity limit on the return half. A loaded Lignes d’Azur card at the general rate also gives access. Riding between Terminal 2, Terminal 1 and Grand Arenas is free, so only the section past Grand Arenas into town needs the ticket.
Is the tram between Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 at Nice airport free?
Yes. The airport states that tram lines 2 and B provide a free link between Terminal 2, Terminal 1 and the Grand Arenas station, and that the tram gets you to Terminal 2 in less than 3 minutes. The free electric car park shuttle is separate: it connects the terminals to the further car parks P4, P6, P8 and P9 every 15 minutes from 4:30 a.m. to the last flight, at the latest 1:30 a.m.
What time is the last tram to Nice airport?
From Port Lympia towards Aeroport Terminal 2, Monday to Friday the last tram is 23:10, with two later ones at 23:30 and 00:10 that run on Fridays only. The first of the day is 04:40. Going the other way, from Aeroport Terminal 2 towards Port Lympia, the first is 05:20 and the last is 23:51, plus 00:15 and 00:51 on Fridays only. The line does not run on 1 May.
Is tap water safe to drink in Nice?
Yes. The state health agency ARS Paca controls drinking water from the source to the tap, and its control sheet for all three Nice distribution networks records 100 percent bacteriological conformity and concludes the water is of excellent bacteriological quality and conforms for every toxic and undesirable parameter tested. Nice is not on the regional register of drinking water use restrictions, situation dated 28 August 2026. The water is moderately hard on the utility’s own scale, but it is fine to drink.
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