Article written by Elisa - Travel Writer & Local in France
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Visit Nice, France
Nice, in Southern France, is the capital of the beautiful French Riviera. Known for its fantastic climate, beautiful sea views, and culture, Nice is a great holiday destination. Nice is ideally located for visiting other Mediterranean cities like Cannes and Marseille and can be easily reached from Paris.
If all this wasn’t enough, Nice will also be hosting some of the 2023 Rugby World Cup games and some of the football matches during the Summer Olympics 2024, so it’s the perfect excuse to plan a trip to Nice.
If you decide to visit Nice, France, this is your Nice transportation guide to learn how to get to Nice from Paris, other Rugby & Olympic host cities in France, and abroad.
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How to Get to Nice from Abroad
1. Getting to Nice by Plane
Nice Côte d’Azur Airport (NCE) is the city’s airport and is around 7 km southwest of the city center. One of the main airports in France in terms of passenger volume, there are regular year-round flights to Nice Côte d’Azur Airport (NCE) from many European destinations.
You can be in Nice from London in just two hours, from Geneva in just an hour, and from Rome, Frankfurt, and Zurich in just over one hour. There are also seasonal flights to further afield destinations like Montreal and New York – Click here to book your flight tickets to Nice
Nice Airport is well connected to the city, and you can reach there by bus or tram, or even private transfer. You can check out more information about all the ways to get from Nice Airport to the city.
For those arriving in Nice with lots of luggage or in large groups, it may be best to take a private transfer. We like Welcome Pickups‘ services for private transfers from Nice Airport to the city; Welcome has good cars and the best English-speaking drivers in Nice.
If you need to change terminals, there’s a tramway that connects the terminals for free in less than 3 minutes.
2. Getting to Nice by Train
The main train station in the city is Nice-Ville which is located in the heart of the downtown area, just 500 meters from Basilique Notre-Dame de l’Assomption.
You can reach Nice from a variety of European destinations, but most require at least one connection.
From Milan, you can be in Nice in under five hours with one change, traveling with Trenitalia and SNCF. From Geneva in Switzerland, you can be in Nice with either one or two changes with TGV inOui in under eight hours. Again, with TGV inOui, you can travel from Barcelona to Nice in under nine hours with two changes – Click here to book your train tickets to Nice
GOOD TO KNOW: Since July 2023, a new AVE Internacional (the Spanish fast train) connects Barcelona and Madrid with many cities in Southern France, Marseille and Lyon included. Barcelona – Marseille only takes 4 hrs 35 min while Madrid – Marseille takes 7 hrs 45 min. From Marseille, it’s only 2 hrs 30 min to Nice.
If this is your first time traveling around France by train, check out our quick guide to train travel in France to get familiar with the different train options.
3. Getting to Nice by Bus
Nice’s main bus station is Vauban Bus Station, located near the IAE Nice Business School. Taking the bus to Nice is handy if you are on a budget. BlaBlaCar Bus, Alsa, and FlixBus are some of the bus companies running buses to Nice.
From Milan, you can reach Nice in under five hours with zero changes. From Barcelona, it takes around 9 hrs 30 min to reach Nice with no changes. You can even take the bus from London to Nice with a change in Paris, but it’s a rather long 27-hour journey – Click here to book your bus tickets to Nice
How to Get from Paris to Nice
Traveling to Nice from Paris is a great idea for a much-needed beach holiday, a romantic trip, or a winter getaway (check out this Nice itinerary for two days and the best day trips from Nice).
You may also want to watch Rugby World Cup matches or Summer Olympic football matches in Nice and Paris.
With more time available, you can consider this Paris to Nice road trip, which covers some of the most beautiful cities in France, like Lyon, Dijon, and Avignon. If you don’t have a car in France, you can rent one in Lyon with DiscoverCars.com. Check out our best tips for renting a car in France.
In any case, here’s how to get from Paris to Nice:
1. Paris to Nice by Plane
Whilst we don’t recommend traveling by plane because it’s not environmentally friendly, it is possible to fly from Paris to Nice. Just be sure to factor in travel times from Paris to the airport, the luggage check-in & pick-up, and security controls, as it’s a bit longer than if you just got the train from the city center.
There are more than 40 flights a day leaving from Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG) and Paris Orly (ORY) Airports. A variety of companies run flights between the two cities, but some of these have connections. For direct flights, EasyJet and Air France are the main carriers. The quickest flights from Paris to Nice are 1 hr 25 min from Orly Airport to Nice Airport – Click here to buy your flight tickets from Paris to Nice
2. Paris to Nice by Train
Getting from Paris to Nice by train is the best option. You may think that train travel isn’t as quick as flying, but when you factor in travel to the airport, the early arrival time, and security controls, there’s not much difference.
There are around 15 direct trains from Paris to Nice each day, while the other trains running have one or two changes. The trains between the two cities are operated by SNCF and TGV inOui.
Trains usually leave from Paris Gare de Lyon, but there are also options to leave from Gare d’Austerlitz. The fastest direct train takes 5 hrs 30 min and arrives at Nice-Ville – Click here to buy your train tickets from Paris to Nice
If you want to maximize your time on the beautiful French Riviera, then why not take the overnight train from Paris to Nice? SNCF’s Intercités de Nuit service is the perfect way to arrive early and save money on a hotel – Click here to buy your night train tickets from Paris to Nice
3. Paris to Nice by Bus
The bus is a good option for those on a budget, and it does take a lot longer than on the train. There are usually around 17 buses a day going between Paris and Nice using BlaBlaCar Bus and FlixBus.
Buses depart mainly from Bercy Seine and arrive at Côte d’Azur Airport, as well as Gare Routière Vauban. The fastest bus takes over 13 hours from Bercy Seine to Nice Airport and is an overnighter – Click here to buy your bus tickets from Paris to Nice
How to Travel from Nice to Other Rugby & Olympic Host Cities
For the 2023 Rugby World Cup and Summer Olympics 2024, you might want to make the most out of your trip to France by visiting multiple host cities. It’s good, therefore, to know the best way to travel between Nice and these cities.
Nice Train Travel Table
Here’s the train table to travel from Nice to the other Olympic and Rugby cities. Significant time differences between two cities are due to the type of train (TGV-high-speed trains vs. TER-regional trains) and the time to change trains (if there’s a transfer).
FROM | TO | DIRECT CONNECTION? | DURATION | TRAIN TIMES & PRICE | MORE INFO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Nice | 1 change in Marseille | 9 hrs to 9hrs 30 min | Bordeaux Travel Hub | ||
Nice | change of trains (and stations) in Paris | 9 hrs 40 min | Nantes Travel Hub | ||
Nice | YES | 2 hrs 30 min | Marseille Travel Hub | ||
Nice | 1 or 2 changes of trains | 5 hrs 45 min to 7 hrs | Saint-Etienne Travel Hub | ||
Nice | direct or 1 change | 5 hrs to 5 hrs 30 min | Lyon Travel Hub | ||
Nice | 1 change in Paris | 7 hrs 30 min to 9 hrs 30 min | Lille Travel Hub | ||
Nice | Toulouse Matabiau (Rugby only) | 1 change in Marseille | 7 hrs to 7 hrs 30 min | Toulouse Travel Hub |
With more time available, you can consider this ultimate French road trip which covers all the French Olympic Cities (well, except Tahiti! ;-)). If you don’t have a car in France, you can rent one in Lyon with DiscoverCars.com. Check out our best tips for renting a car in France.
How to Get from Nice to the French Riviera
Some visitors travel to Nice on the way to other destinations on the French Riviera. Indeed, Nice is a travel hub to other beautiful places on the French Riviera and Southern France.
This post has all the ways to travel from Nice to Cannes. If you are traveling to Saint-Tropez, you will find all the ways to travel from Nice to Saint-Tropez in this post.
So there you have it, the Nice transportation guide with everything you need to know on how to get to Nice from Paris, France, or abroad smoothly.