From Nice Côte d’Azur Airport, Tram Line 2 takes you directly from either terminal to Jean Médecin, followed by a walk to Place Masséna. Bus 12+ approaches the centre along the waterfront, while an official taxi avoids the public-transport boardings and final walk.
Choose your transfer by terminal, luggage and arrival time. Place Masséna is the central reference point used below, rather than every accommodation’s door. Your onward journey depends on where you are staying.
Tram, bus or taxi?
| Criterion | Tram Line 2 | Bus 12+ | Official taxi |
|---|---|---|---|
| Travel components to Place Masséna, excluding waits and baggage reclaim | T2: about 41 minutes; T1: about 40 minutes, including terminal access and final walk | T2: about 41 minutes, including tram, interchange and walks; T1: about 28 minutes, including walks | T2: about 22 minutes, including rank access; T1 total: —; rank-to-centre drive: about 22 minutes |
| Changes | None; walk from Jean Médecin | T2: tram to bus; T1: none; walk from Albert 1er/Phocéens | None |
| Fare and charging unit | €1.70 per adult single with standard fare on a Lignes d’Azur card; otherwise €10 per adult airport round-trip purchase | €1.70 per adult single | €32 per vehicle to Nice Centre, excluding supplements |
| Frequency or departures | Weekdays: approximately every 7–8 minutes; weekends: — | Through 28 October 2026: weekdays 93 departures, Saturdays 83, Sundays 31; irregular intervals | — |
| Departure windows and evening limits | September–May, T2 towards Port Lympia: last 23:51 Sunday–Thursday; 00:51 Friday–Saturday nights. T1: — | Through 28 October 2026 listing: 06:04–00:54 weekdays/Saturdays, 14:25–00:54 Sundays. Separate timetable listing: last 00:50 daily | — |
The tram is the simplest public transfer from either terminal. Choose the bus if the waterfront approach suits you and you are comfortable taking luggage outdoors. From Terminal 2 it adds a boarding. With children or several bags, a taxi means fewer things to carry between vehicles.
Add baggage reclaim, public-transport waiting or a taxi queue to the travel times above. Traffic can also lengthen the drive. On weekdays, allow roughly up to eight minutes for a tram wait in ordinary service. Leave extra time for handling luggage on the walks and at the tram-to-bus change.
The airport tram ticket buys a return journey, not a single. For physical ticket media, La Carte has a refundable €2 deposit, while Ma Carte costs €2, non-refundable. The Lignes d’Azur Tickets app avoids that separate card charge. If you already have a suitable card, use the standard-fare option rather than automatically buying the airport product.
For an arrival after the public departures that fit your journey, head to the official taxi rank. Some tram departures run only on Fridays. Bus 12+ has separate weekday school-holiday schedules, and public holidays follow its Sunday schedule.
Tram Line 2 and airport tickets
Board Lignes d’Azur Tram Line 2 towards Port Lympia and get off at Jean Médecin. Both terminals have a direct service to this central stop. The ride takes about 32 minutes from Terminal 2 or about 28 minutes from Terminal 1.
At Terminal 2, the tram stop is immediately outside arrivals, about 50 metres away, a walk of about 1 minute. Keep your bags together before joining the boarding area.
- Name
- Terminal 2 tram stop
- Location
- Nice Maps
- Essential fact
- The tram boarding stop serving Terminal 2 at Nice Côte d’Azur Airport.
Kurt Rasmussen · Attribution · Edited
At Terminal 1, follow the tram signs outside to the Terminal 1 tram stop: about 250 metres, or about 3 minutes on foot. The first city-bound departures run daily, including Sundays, at 05:20 from Terminal 2 and 05:24 from Terminal 1.
- Name
- Terminal 1 tram stop
- Location
- Rue Costes et Bellonte Aéroport Terminal 1, Nice Maps
- Essential fact
- The tram boarding stop serving Terminal 1 at Nice Côte d’Azur Airport.
A standard fare loaded on a Lignes d’Azur card permits airport travel. If you need to buy the airport round-trip product, use SELECTOUR VIP Assistance Services in either terminal. Line 2 tickets are also available through the Lignes d’Azur Tickets app.
For a machine purchase at the ordinary fare, ride free to Grand Arénas, alight and buy there. Use the tram-station ticket machines, then board another city-bound tram. This introduces another wait, so it is a different journey from staying on the direct terminal-to-centre service.
Both the standard single and airport round-trip ticket allow connections within 74 minutes of first validation. The standard single does not allow a return trip. Tap your contactless ticket or card against the onboard or platform validator every time you board, including a change of line, and do not insert it. A green light and short beep confirm validation.
From Jean Médecin, walk south along Avenue Jean Médecin to Place Masséna, about 600 metres or about 9 minutes. Jean Médecin is not the square itself: keep this final walk in mind if you are carrying heavy luggage.
Bus 12+ from Aéroport/Promenade
Lignes d’Azur bus 12+ runs from Aéroport/Promenade towards Hôpital Pasteur along the Promenade des Anglais waterfront. Get off at Albert 1er/Phocéens for Place Masséna. This brings you closer to the square than the tram’s Jean Médecin stop, but reaching the airport bus stop takes more effort.
From Terminal 1 arrivals, walk outdoors to Aéroport/Promenade, about 550 metres or about 7 minutes. From Terminal 2, use the tram boarding point described above and ride to Grand Arénas, about 10 minutes. Then walk to Aéroport/Promenade, about 650 metres or about 10 minutes. You will need to handle your luggage through the tram-to-bus change as well as on the pavement.
- Name
- Aéroport/Promenade bus stop
- Location
- Nice Maps
- Essential fact
- An outdoor bus stop near Terminal 1 at Nice Côte d’Azur Airport.
The bus ride to Albert 1er/Phocéens takes about 18 minutes. From there, walk inland to Place Masséna, about 250 metres or about 3 minutes. Keep your bags ready before alighting so that the final short walk is straightforward.
Buy before boarding: tickets are not sold on the bus. Use the SELECTOUR VIP Assistance Services sales points in either terminal or a ticket machine at a bus 12+ stop. The standard single’s connection validity and ban on return trips, explained above, also apply to this journey.
Validate each time you board, including after changing buses. Look for the same green confirmation and short beep described for the tram. If you see a red signal or no light, follow the displayed instructions or use another validator rather than assuming the ticket has registered.
Taxi ranks and fares
Follow TAXIS signs to the official rank outside arrivals. At Terminal 1, use the rank outside the arrivals terminal. At Terminal 2, head to Gate A3. Official taxis may collect passengers only at the rank. Taxis are available at both terminal ranks, making this the practical alternative when public departures no longer fit your arrival.
At Terminal 2, the walk to the rank is about 50 metres, or about 1 minute. From the Terminal 2 rank to Place Masséna, the drive covers about 11 km. From the Terminal 1 rank, it covers about 9.7 km. Road traffic and temporary restrictions can lengthen either trip.
The Nice-Centre fixed tariff is charged per vehicle, not per passenger, for destinations within the central Nice tariff area. Give your exact destination to the driver before setting off, particularly if you are continuing beyond Place Masséna to accommodation elsewhere in the city.
- Advance booking adds €4 to the airport-origin fixed fare.
- From the fifth passenger, add €4 per additional passenger. There is no separate airport passenger-pickup supplement on this fixed-fare journey.
- Qualifying bulky luggage adds €2 per item: luggage requiring external equipment because it cannot fit inside, or luggage when a passenger has more than three suitcases or equivalent-sized bags.
Taking a rank taxi avoids the advance-booking step. Reserving a vehicle may suit a group that needs particular capacity, but weigh that convenience against the booking supplement. Ordinary luggage does not automatically meet the bulky-luggage condition.
Train connections and airport shuttles
Neither airport terminal has a passenger railway platform. Nice Saint-Augustin railway station is outside the terminals, just north of the airport beside the Grand Arénas business district. It is a separate station to reach if your onward journey calls for a train, not a train stop inside arrivals.
Nice Airport does have a free parking shuttle linking both terminals with the more distant car parks. That shuttle does not take you to central Nice. For the centre, use Tram Line 2 or bus 12+ rather than looking for a separate dedicated public shared city shuttle. Use the parking shuttle for a car-park connection, or the free airport-area tram for travel within the boundary explained above.
Sources & fact-checking
Checks against the sources below cover: services and fares and charges.
- Régie Ligne d’Azur — service
- Lieux d’intérêts – Lignes d’Azur
- Fare guide 2026 (Edition July 2026)
- Régie Ligne d’Azur — fares and charges
- Free shuttles: T1, T2, car parks
- FAQ – Validation, Ticket Inspections and Fines
- Arrêt Aéroport / Promenade à Nice : horaires temps réel
- Fiche horaire du bus 12+ à Nice : à imprimer
- Line 12+ timetable, effective from 19 October 2026
- Station de Taxi Aéroport Terminal 1
- Taxi info and bookings
- Préfecture des Alpes-Maritimes — fares and charges
- Taxis: what are the fares and commercial obligations?
- Taxis : quels sont les tarifs et les obligations d’affichage et commerciales ?
- Ville de Nice — service
- Airport access – Lignes d’Azur
- Guide des tarifs Septembre 2026
- Régie Ligne d’Azur — fares and charges
- Schedule for Lignes d’Azur Tramway Port Lympia – Aéroport Terminal 2
- Evening transport network
- Métropole Nice Côte d’Azur — service
