Nice Airport—officially Nice Côte d'Azur Airport—is conveniently located along the far western end of the Promenade des Anglais and is only about a twenty-minute drive from the city center and the major tourist attractions. After Charles de Gaulle Airport and Orly Airport in Paris, it is the busiest air facility in France. Since glittering Monte Carlo is only about ten miles away, the airport in Nice France is also the primary facility for the Principality of Monaco, and there is regularly scheduled helicopter service between the two areas.

Transportation options to and from Nice Airport are convenient because of the facility's proximity to the city and because of the sophisticated tourism infrastructure in the region. There is a train station in the Nice Côte d'Azur Airport with service into the city, where there are connections to Paris and other European destinations, to Northern Italy, and Marseille

There is also frequent and inexpensive express bus service into the city, and taxis are readily available outside the baggage claim areas of both terminals. Some hotels offer complimentary airport shuttles, and many vacation package deals include airport transfers. Finally, there are several car rental outlets at the airport in Nice France if your vacations include driving yourself to various destinations in the region. There is even a chauffeured motor scooter option for those who want the best method of transportation to the city with minimal traffic hold ups.

Nice Map

Flights to Nice Côte d'Azur Airport are how most visitors coming to the city from the United States will arrive. There are frequent daily flights from Paris and there are direct flights from New York City as well as from most major European cities. Africa is only about 400 miles across the Mediterranean, and there are direct flights to North Africa as well as to the Middle East. If you cannot get a direct flight from your home, you will probably connect in Paris.

The airport in Nice France is a modern facility with all the services, restaurants, bars, and stores that tourists and business travelers require. If you haven't had enough shopping in the city's Cours Saleya open air market, there are duty free shops for those last minute souvenirs before you depart. Most international flights come into the older of the two terminals, but this one also has plenty of modern services. There is free shuttle service between the two terminals. There are several airport hotels, some of which are perfectly suitable for your entire stay, offering beaches and other vacation amenities. There are also some hotels that are primarily for business travelers or for tourists who need only a single night's stay when they first arrive or before they depart the next day.

Many tours of France as well as Mediterranean cruises begin somewhere else and end with a few days in Nice. People on these kinds of vacations will only see Nice Airport once, when they depart for home. Rhone River cruises from Chalon-sur Saone to Arles will often have a Nice post-cruise excursion. Even though Marseille is closer to Arles, most people on these river cruises usually prefer to spend their last few days on the Riviera's Côte d'Azur.