Nice Cote D'Azur Airport

About Nice Cote D’Azur Airport

Nice Côte d’Azur Airport (NCE) is France’s third busiest airport after Paris CDG and Paris Orly, handling roughly 14 million passengers a year across two terminals. It sits on reclaimed land at the western end of the Promenade des Anglais, with the runways skirting the Baie des Anges. Most international flights and Air France use Terminal 2, while Terminal 1 handles a mix of low-cost and regional carriers. A free shuttle runs between the two.

The airport is one of the few in France with direct apron access for private aviation, with Signature Aviation and Swissport-managed FBO terminals on the western side handling busy traffic during the Monaco Grand Prix and the Cannes Film Festival. A planned cross-airport tram extension and improved road links continue to be developed alongside the runway capacity.

Getting from Nice Cote D’Azur Airport to Nice

The airport is 7 km west of central Nice and connected by the Promenade des Anglais (M6098), the A8 autoroute and tram line 2. A pre-booked private transfer typically takes 20 minutes to a hotel near Place Masséna, with door-to-door pickup at the terminal exit. For groups, late arrivals or stays in the hills above the city, a transfer is faster than the tram once luggage is factored in.

Terminals and pickup points

NCE has two terminals:

• Terminal 1: smaller, used by easyJet, Wizz, Vueling and some seasonal carriers. Meet-and-greet area is opposite the main exit.
• Terminal 2: larger, used by Air France, British Airways, Lufthansa and most long-haul. Drivers wait near the central information desk in arrivals.

Both terminals have direct access to the short-stay car park used by private transfer drivers, generally a 2 to 3 minute walk from the meet point.

Common transfer routes from Nice Cote D’Azur Airport

Frequent routes from NCE include:

• NCE to central Nice and Promenade des Anglais hotels, around 20 minutes.
• NCE to Villefranche-sur-Mer, around 25 minutes.
• NCE to Monaco and Monte Carlo, around 35 to 45 minutes.
• NCE to Cannes, around 30 to 45 minutes.
• NCE to Saint-Tropez (peak summer), around 90 to 120 minutes.

Longer transfers from NCE include hilltop village stays in the Riviera back-country. Saint-Paul-de-Vence, Vence and Tourrettes-sur-Loup are each 30 to 45 minutes inland, while Grasse for the perfume museums is around 45 minutes. The same booking can include a sightseeing stop on the way to a resort, with the driver waiting on-site.

Booking your Nice Cote D’Azur Airport transfer

Use the search on this site to compare licensed Riviera operators for any NCE route, with one fixed price, meet-and-greet at the terminal and free cancellation up to 24 hours before pickup. Visa, Mastercard, Amex, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Alipay, iDEAL, Wero and PayPal are all accepted, so payment fits whichever wallet you usually fly with.

For events such as the Monaco Grand Prix or the Cannes Film Festival, road closures can lengthen routes by 30 to 45 minutes. Booking the same operator for both legs of a stay reduces stress on departure day, and selecting a vehicle one size larger than you think you need is a small price for the extra luggage space when transferring to a hilltop village or vineyard hotel.