By Air

Nice Côte d’Azur Airport is only three or four miles to the west of the city and is well connected to the rest of Europe by many major airlines. Trains run to Nice every 45 minutes and there are also reliable bus services, with the airport bus running to and from the intercity bus station and Sunbus route 23 also serving the airport. Taxis are also available, but are fairly expensive, while highway N98 runs directly to the city centre.

By Bus

Buses run to Nice from other major centres in France and are operated by Eurolines. Journeys are long and can be tiring. Buses come into Nice from many regional destinations including: Antibes, Cannes and Monaco. The bus station is located at 5 boulevard Jean Jaurès.

By Rail

Visitors can reach Nice by train and the journey from Paris by high-speed TGV is comfortable and fast. The service is run by SNCF and tickets can be booked online. The journey time from Paris to Nice aboard a TGV train is just 6 hours. Services also arrive from Lyon and Marseille among other destinations and the main train station, Gare SNCF, is situated to the northwest of the town centre.

By Car

Nice is on the main A8 motorway that links Genoa in northern Italy with Marseille. The A8 bypasses the city to the north and is well connected to the N98 coastal road, which itself runs from Monaco, through Nice and past Cannes while hugging the coast. Those heading to Nice from northern Spain should take the A7 north to the French border and join with the A9 to Nimes. From here, head east along the A54, A7 and A8 for Nice. Common road distances: from Paris, 933kms; Barcelona, 644kms; and Genoa, 193kms.

Colline du Château

The first part of Nice to be settled was the Colline du Château (castle hill, 92m/302ft high), which can be reached by elevator from the shore promenade (Quai des Etats-Unis) at the end of the Baie des Anges. The area at the top has been laid out as a park and offers an impressive panorama (orientation table). The citadel which once stood here was destroyed in 1706. Worth seeing are the remains of two churches built one above the other in the 11th and 15th C., which have now been excavated. Just to the east of the remains there is a good view of the harbor below.

Fine Arts Museum

The Fine Arts Msueum houses 15th to 20th C French, Italian and Flemish works. Highlights include 17th and 18th-century French paintings, and 19th-century paintings and sculptures. The museum also houses the Dufy collection and the Alexis and Gustav Adolf Mossa collections.

Vieille Ville

The lively and picturesque Old Town of Nice, with its maze of tiny alleyways and streets, in which one could be forgiven for imagining oneself transported to Italy, is popularly known as "Babazouk". It opens out at the western end of the Colline du Château and in the northwest is bounded by spacious boulevards and parks, which extend over the Paillon (Jardin Albert I, Place Masséna, Promenade du Paillon). In the south it is bordered by the Ponchettes, in which fishmongers and grocers supplement the wares on display at the market on the adjoining Cours Saleya.

Nice Castle

Located in a park overlooking the harbour, Nice’s ruined castle offers one of the best vantage points of the city. The castle itself is not much to look at, but visitors are permitted to climb the stairs to the viewing platforms that stand over 300 feet above Nice for a fantastic view.

Musée Chagall

In Nice, the avenue de Flirey and the connecting boulevard de Cimiez lead south from the amphitheater and baths. At the crossing with the avenue du Docteur Ménard stands the Musée National Message Biblique Marc Chagall, the most important exhibition of Chagall's works (paintings, etchings, lithographs, sculptures, stained glass, mosaics, wall tapestries on Biblical themes). Works by other artists are also displayed in the temporary exhibitions which are mounted.

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January - February -> 4(°C) - Winter
July - August -> 27(°C) - Summer

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