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Travel to Nice
Travel by road
Summary:
Motorways bear the prefix 'A', national roads 'N' and minor roads are classed as 'D' roads. Traffic drives on the right and speed limits are 130kph (81mph) on motorways, 110kph (68mph) on dual carriageways separated by a central reservation, 90kph (56mph) outside built-up areas and 50kph (31mph) in built-up areas. Visitors who have held a driving licence for less than three years face tighter speed restrictions. The French police fine motorists on the spot for driving offences such as speeding.
The minimum age for driving is 18 years. All passengers must wear seat belts and children under 11 years may not travel in the front seat. You must carry your national driving licence, the car's registration document, and a red warning triangle at all times or you may be fined. EU nationals taking their own cars to France are strongly advised to obtain a Green Card, without which insurance cover is limited to the minimum legal cover in France. The Green Card tops this up to the level of cover provided by your domestic policy.
Emergency breakdown service:
Nice Dépannage (tel: +33 4 9700 0333).
Routes:
The A8 heads westwards towards Marseille, and eastwards towards the Italian border. The M6098 takes a more scenic coastal route east, while the M6202 cuts north through the mountains.
Driving times:
From Paris - 9 hours; Toulouse - 5 hours 10 minutes; Monaco - 30 minutes; Milan - 3 hours 40 minutes.
Coaches:
Eurolines (tel: 0892 899 091, in France only or +33 1 4186 2421; www.eurolines.fr) provides services to Nice from neighbouring countries and major French towns and cities. Eurolines buses stop at the Gare Routière Internationale de Lindbergh, the international bus station near the airport at 175 Boulevard René Cassin.
Travel by rail
Services:
Gare Nice Ville (Avenue Thiers), on the edge of the city centre, is just over 1km (0.6 miles) from the Mediterranean. The station services destinations all along the French Mediterranean coastline, as well as further north into the rest of France and across the border into Italy.
Operators:
SNCF (tel: 3635, in France only or +33 892 353 535; www.sncf.com) is France's national railway service provider.
If you're travelling from the UK, you can take a Eurostar train from London to Lille, from where there's a direct high-speed TGV service to Nice.
Chemins de Fer de Provence (tel: +33 4 9703 8080; www.trainprovence.com) also run trips to Digne-les-Bains in the mountains.
Journey times:
From Paris - 6 hours; Lille - 7 hours; Geneva - 7 hours 30 minutes; Monaco - 30 minutes; Milan - 5 hours 50 minutes.
Travel over water
Summary:
Nice is the perfect starting point if you’re planning on visiting the island of Corsica, with regular ferry services going between the city and various Corsican ports.
Ferry services:
Corsica Ferries (tel: +33 4 9532 9595; www.corsica-ferries.co.uk) connects Nice with Bastia, L'Ile Rousse, Calvi and Ajaccio.
Maritima Ferries (tel: 3260, in France only) runs crossings between Nice and L'Ile Rousse.
Transport to the city:
It’s fairly easy to get from the port into the centre of town; you can walk for 15 minutes, take advantage of the Vélo Bleu bike hire scheme, or hop on one of the regular bus services.
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