Factfile   Nice Côte d'Azur - Airport and City - South of France

Nice Airport - l'Aéroport Nice Côte d'Azur

Nice airport has a long history with the original aerodrome established in 1929 and is no France's second most busy airport.

The airport is located on the west side of Nice by the sea. There are spectacular views for landing and take off. There are two parallel runways. The aircraft take off from the outer runway (south runway) closer to the sea and land on the inner runway (north runway). The south runway is used landings and takeoffs during the night and the north runway is closed.The airport is open to air traffic 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, however, only 2% of flights take off or land between 11pm and 6am.

There are two terminals - Terminal 1 (the original that is on the east) and Terminal 2. Car rental companies are based at Terminal 2 although most of them have desks in Terminal 1 arrivals. There is a free and freequent shuttle bus service between the two terminals. Bus services go from the airport into Nice or westwards (Cannes direction). The rail network does not have a station at the airport and it is difficult to get from the nearest station to the airport. The Rail - SNCF regional train service operates from Gare Nice St Augustin, situated 500 metres from Terminal 1 and Gare St Laurent du Var, located 3km from the airport, serving routes from Cannes to Vintimille.

The following airlines use Terminal 1: Aer Lingus Aeromexico Air Baltic Air Berlin Air Dolomiti Air Mediterranee Air Transat Air Ukraine INTERNAT ALPIEAGLES AUSTRIAN Blu Express Blue 1 BLUE LINE BMI Baby BMI BRITISH MIDLAND British Airways Brussels Airlines City Airline CSA Czech Airlines Emirates EUROPE AIRPOST EUROPEAN AIR CHARTER Excel Airways SIGNAG FARNAIR EUROPE Fly Baboo FLYBE FLYGLOBESPAN FLYNORDIC GERMANWINGS IBERIA Intersky Israir Japan Airlines Jet2.com LOT Polish Airlines Lufthansa Luxair Malmo Aviation NEW AXIS AIRWAYS Norwegian Air Shuttle Nouvelair OLT Ostfriesche LU Rossiya Airlines Ryanair SAS Saudi Arabian Airlines SKY Europe STC Russia Swiss International Air Lines TAP Portugal Thomsonfly Titan Airways Transavia.com Turkish Airlines Uited Airlines VLM Airlines Vueling Welcome Air

The following airlines use Terminal 2: Air Algerie Air France Alitalia Atlas Blue CCM Airlines Delta easyJet Finair KLM Royal Dutch Airlines Middle East Airlines Northwest Airlines Royal Air Maroc Tunis Air

It should be noted that the above list should not be relied on for accuracy as circumstances will cause airlines to go out of business or to stop flying to Nice - Information 11/08

Nice

Nice is has been a popular city for years. It was popular with British Royalty (Queen Victoria was a regular visitor to the area (including Menton), and Winston Churchill enjoyed holidays in the area.

It has France’s no 2 airport and with the expansion of low cost air travel from within Europe is the gateway to the French Riviera.

The city of Nice extends inland with its pedestrian area featuring luxury boutiques, Massena gardens with their fountains and the picturesque old town. Nice stretches the length of the Baie des Anges, lighting up the whole of the Riviera with its majesty. When you fly into Nice airport the views are superb by day or night.

It is a magnificent city, the epitome of Riviera charm, a gentle way of life and luxury that has an exceptionally mild and sunny climate, blue sea and azure skies. Nice is a thriving tourist city, sought after all year round by lovers of the French Riviera. The Promenade des Anglais is a world-famous attraction, which is the pride of the city of Nice.

The Promenade des Anglais is synonymous with prestige and stylish living. Graced by majestic palm trees, hotels, Casinos and famous restaurants, a pedestrian area, long stretches of beaches, pergolas and sky blue chairs, the Promenade des Anglais is a prominent feature along the Baie des Anges and almost a microcosm in its own right! "A feast for the eyes, Nice - where Queen Victoria was amused, Matisse painted his Blue Nudes and Coco Chanel invented the suntan.

It is marvelous to escape from dreary winter in northern European into its sharp light and balmy Mediterranean air: to wander round the harbour, through the flower market in the ornate Cours Saleya, or into the bar of the Hotel Negresco for a cocktail as exotic as the building itself. Home of one of the biggest summer jazz festivals, off-season Nice also offers cool sounds in many a late-night cafe-bar. In winter you are only 40 minutes drive from the Alpine ski slopes and another world and only a short drive from Monaco and Italy.

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Nice Riviera Tourist Pass now available - October 2008

The Nice Riviera Tourist Pass has been introduced and is ideal for those spending a few days in the city. The pass allows visitors to make the most of unlimited usage of the city's "Grand Tour" double decker buses and free entrance to attractions like the Monaco exotic gardens, the Russian Cathedral and museums including the Marc Chagall museum. There are also price reductions at selected restaurants and shops. You can have the choice of purchasing a one day, two day or three day pass. More information at the tourist office website

What to see:

Nice offers everything you could wish for in a holiday destination - history, spectacular scenery, architecture and a buzzing nightlife, not forgetting plenty of sun and sea. The 4000-year-old city has many historical sights to see. Visit the Old Town, which dates back to medieval times or La colline du chateau dating back to the eleventh century. The old town contains within its narrow alleyways, the expanses of its squares and the Cours Saleya over 250 restaurants, 200 boutiques and galleries. Other excellent places for sightseeing include the Basilique Notre-Dame - the largest church in Nice, built in 1864. Other sightseeing hotspots include La Cathedrale Saint-Reparate, built in the seventeenth century, and the 16th century L'Ancien Hotel de Ville, formerly Nice's town hall. Climb (or take the lift) up to the castle and enjoy panoramic views over the Baie des Anges and visit the two cemeteries lying side by side the Christian and neighbouring Jewish cemetery.