If your ticket indicates NCE LFMN in the column of the arrival point, this means that the Cote d'Azur is waiting for you. It is in these Latin letters that the Nice-Côte d'Azur airport code is encrypted. The second name indicates that the hub serves not only the city, but also the entire coast of the famous French Riviera. And also the whole state, albeit a dwarf one, is Monaco. Read about how to get from the airport to your destination, and how not to get lost in two terminals, in this article. Here you can familiarize yourself with the hub scheme and find out how best to get to public transport.
General information
Nice - Cote d'Azur, or simply Nice, is an international airport. And even more: it is the third largest hub in France. It is second only to the metropolitan Orly and Charles de Gaulle. Thus, it is no exaggeration to say that the local airport is a real air gate to the south of France. Passenger traffic here reaches ten million people. However, everything here is simple and compact. Two main terminals are within walking distance from each other. Free shuttles run between them at intervals of twenty minutes, but if you are light, you can overcome this distance very quickly.
To be precise, there are three terminals at the airport. But, as you know, the Cote d'Azur is a favorite place to live or rest for moneybags. It was for their private jets that the third terminal was built.
History
God himself ordered that the airport at the highest level at such a world famous and popular resort as Nice. All the innovations of France were invariably introduced in the main city of the Cote d'Azur. Therefore, the aviation exhibition of 1910 was held here. And since 1918, an amazing seaplane took off into the sky above Nice, heading for Corsica. The hub received official status of a civil airport in 1929. The Second World War just died out, as a long paved runway was built. The current name "Nice - Cote d'Azur" the airport received in 1955. At first he had only one terminal. Now this oldest building mainly serves passengers on domestic flights.
Where is
This city is very compact - Nice. The airport, whose address is listed in directories as 06281 Nice Cedex 3, France, is actually located within the resort. If you walk along the Promenade des Anglais to the west from the main street until the river Var flows into the sea, you will get directly into the hub. All the way from the center is less than six kilometers. Perhaps this is the only airport where it is not only quick to get, but also pleasant: A palm-lined promenade runs along the sea past beautiful villas. From the airport there is a helicopter connection with the city-state of Monaco. Regular buses run to other resorts of the French Riviera, as well as Italian Liguria. Cannes, Antibes, St. Tropez, Grasse - everywhere you can get in less than an hour. A little more will take the road to Genoa, Turin and Milan. Use this hub and in order to get to the alpine ski resorts.
How to get to Nice Airport
Due to the short distance to the terminals, it is easy to walk or bike. Especially if you live in the western part of the city. Without traffic jams and delays, you can get to the hub by train. Many trains go in that direction. You need one that stops at Nice San Agustin (Gare Nice St Augustin). Exit trains right at Terminal No. 1. If you need a T-2, you can use the free shuttle. These buses, as a rule, interfere with electric trains. It should immediately be noted that the French Riviera is a mega-expensive region. Taxi, despite the small distances, will cost you about 150-200 Euro. Therefore, if you do not leave late at night, you should use the services of bus transport. The city runs many routes. You need the one where it says: “Nice Airport.”
Little tricks of local buses
Everything on the Cote d'Azur is designed to "rip off" as many tourists as possible, while sparing the locals. Therefore, for those who arrive for the first time in the city of Nice, the airport may seem like a trap for their budget. Therefore, usually people go along with the crowd in the direction of the bus stop sign and take routes 98 or 99. Such a trip costs six euros. The ticket is bought at the ticket office at the bus stop. But if you exit the terminal through the entrance, where the sign "Taxi" hangs, then you can leave for the city for one and a half euros.
There is a large public transport stop right at the entrance . There are routes number 23, 24, 52, 59, 600, 70, 94. Some of them go to other cities of the Riviera (for example, number 500: “Nice Grasse through the airport). A ticket can be purchased from the driver. The ticket must be immediately stamped, after which it is valid for 70 minutes. This gives you the right to change to another public transport, for example, a tram. Municipal buses stop if the passenger asks for it or if you want to get into the car, wave your hand.
Nice Airport: scheme
In both terminals there are duty-free shops, cafes, recreation areas with Wi-Fi, playgrounds, currency exchange points. In T-1, where the flight “St. Petersburg – Nice” flies, there is a conference room with a capacity of 250 people. The VAT refund office is located in T-2. Passengers of the Moscow-Nice flight fly to this terminal. By the way, voice announcements of registration or boarding on these routes are duplicated in Russian. Recently, the Tax Free office has been opened in the first terminal. Near T-2, in a multi-tiered parking, there are car rental offices. Nice St Augustin train station is a few hundred meters from the T-1. Three kilometers from the airport is the station of San Loren du Var (Gare St Laurent du Var). Bus routes No. 1A, 1B and 200 go to him.