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Nice airport/rental car question

Posted by (Granite Bay, CA) on

I'm trying to find the best option for us. We will finally arrive from the west coast, after a 10 hour Zurich layover (used miles so worth it) and will arrive in Nice at 10:30 PM. I was planning to rent a car and driving the 7 min to our Ibis Airport Hotel that night. As I've thought about it more, I wonder if it would be better to get an Uber and just go back the next morning to rent the car. We arrive in terminal 1 and the car is in terminal 2. I've read that taxis are about 30 Eruro for the 5 min drive to our hotel, but the parking cost 10 euro and less one day car rental the price is a wash. Due to exhaustion, I'm beginning to think it will be best to just get to our hotel.

If we did that, I've read you can walk to terminal 1 from our hotel, but we still need to get to terminal 2 to get the car.

Do you know if we can catch a shuttle from terminal 1 to terminal 2 outside security to get to the car rental location?

Posted by
3159 posts

Check your hotel website. There are 2 Ibis airport hotels. Nice Airport Arenas Hotel offers free shuttle service from airport. Ibis Airport Promenade Hotel offers tram service from T1 and T2. Just take the tram or shuttle back to T2 to get your car the next day.

Posted by
1914 posts

Ok! Thanks for that info Philip. We are staying at the Ibis Airport Promenade Hotel. I haven't read anything about a tram available. Is that similar to a shuttle bus or is this tram public transport in Nice? Do you know if it can be taken from the airport to our hotel on our arrival night?

Posted by
759 posts

It is public transportation. Airport into Nice. From your hotel walk to terminal 1, take the tram to terminal 2 to pick up your car.

Posted by
675 posts

Let me expand on the instructions, as I live there part time: There is a new Tram line 2 that connects both terminals of the Nice Aeroport and continues downtown. (after Dec 14th, it will to the Port). It is free between the terminal and the Grand Arenas stop, but drops in frequency after 8pm. At the Grand Arenas there are a number of hotels within easy walk distance, including the IBIS Budget and Novotel. However the regular IBIS is on the Promenade, and can be reached via stop Cassin/Kirchner; the fare is E1.50 per person. As noted certain other hotels have shuttles as well. Also note the car rental center is reached by shuttle or walk from T2. Note that major car rental companies also operate from Nice station and Nice centre, so if you are staying more than one night or want to see the city first, you can take the tram into town.

Posted by
12172 posts

I'd take a taxi when you arrive, then see what the situation is for whether it's walkable to pick up your rental? I dropped my car when I first arrived in the Riviera and used the local train to explore. When I left, I flew out of Nice and walked the mile from the train station to the airport. It's a long walk. It depends on how much walking you want to do. I've walked between the terminals and it's a good 10-15 minutes walking from one to the other. I don't recall seeing a shuttle but their may be a bus that shuttles and I just didn't wait for it?

Posted by
675 posts

@Brad -- there was a bus shuttle before but now there is a tram line, it is free between T2, T1 and the Grand Arenas stop (connection with a shorter walk along a well paved route to the St. Augustin train station).

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