Nice airport to ibis budget hotel - walking?

They are a reasonable walking distance. The issue isn't the distance it is the big highway you have to cross and walk next to. Not very pleasant but possible (and there is an official map on the airport website showing how).

We stayed at the Campanile hotel by the airport. https://www.campanile.com/en/hotels/campanile-nice-aeroport There is an underpass under the highway, and we just walked along the Promenade, under the underpass then pretty much at the airport. Looking at my blog notes, I wrote it took 15 min...we only had carry on size luggage - I wouldn't want to do it if I was dragging big suitcases.

Looking at the google map, the Ibis is a little further down the road from the Campanile (which was a nice enough place)...so you're looking at prob another 5-10 min added on, depending on how loaded down you are and how fast you walk. I'm not sure if there is an underpass down more by where you would be staying, or if you'd have to use the same one we did..

We stayed at. Nice airport Ibis Budget hotel. There is an easy public bus from the airport to the hotel, then walk about half block. It is side by side with Novotel.

Thank you for the reply.

JS,

How was your experience at the ibis Budget hotel? I am traveling with a 4 year old kid and want to ensure the hotel is decent (just a clean room) to stay for a couple of nights. Did it have air conditioning? The website mentions it does but the reviews say there was no AC. Tried mailing the hotel, have not received any reply yet.

What means of transport did you use to travel to the town and nearby places? Did you use the Saint Augustin station for train travels?

From a couple of trips I took to museums located out toward the airport I can tell you that traffic on the coastal road between the airport and the old town can be badly clogged, especially during rush hour. It's rather unpredictable and makes planning bus trips quite a challenge. The longer your visit to Nice, the more concerned I'd be about staying out by the airport. However, if you have an easy walk to St-Augustin Station, that helps with the commuting problem. Do take a look at the locations of any museums you want to see, though. Many are quite a slog from Nice-Ville Station, so they might require two forms of transportation from your hotel. On the other hand, I enjoyed the Asian Art Museum that's very near the airport. I was told that the park behind the museum is very nice, too, but I learned that too late.

Before making a final decision, I suggest that you check the train schedule between St-Augustin and Nice-Ville. It's a bit gappy, with no train between 11:24 AM and 12:31 PM, and the last train from Nice-Ville back to St-Augustin departs at 9:11 PM.

I wouldn't stay near the airport if I were you. You'll spend more time on transportation than you'll want to. Is there a special reason why you want to stay near the airport? Ibis Budget is VERY bare bones. Plain Ibis hotels are very bare-bones so I would imagine that the Budget brand is even less charming. Campanile is a little better I'd say and I'd imagine there's a few Accor budget hotels closer to downtown if the cost is your main issue.

It is simple: maybe Ibis Budget was what the OP could afford;
There are a lot of buses running up down that way along the promenade anglais to the airport.
Just don't try to go anywhere during rush hour.
The rooms look just like the pictures.
I've got Silver status with Accor mainly from staying in the Ibis or Ibis Budget brands.
And they have always been clean I never had a problem with air conditioning.

We stayed at the Ibis Budget Nice Aeroport hotel last July. If you are getting out on Terminal 1 or 2, you can easily walk from the airport to the hotel.

Yes, there is a large 4 lane street you would have to cross, but there are stop lights and walkways to help you cross.

St. Augustine is close also. I would say... a 7 minute walk from the hotel. We had to cross some streets that were under construction - but maybe by now they're finished?

And there are buses that run down to Old Town from here. Just stop at one of the bus stops on the Promenade.

There is air conditioning, but it's more like an air conditioner that you know is about to break on you. It still blows air - cools a bit - but you know if it gets any hotter you'll need a new air conditioner. And if you keep your air on in the room when you're out - hoping to come back to a cool room - you won't - bc when they come in to clean, they will turn it off.

If you're just looking for a clean bed and a shower, then it works fine. But if you're looking for more, I would suggest to find another place.

Read one of your responses...if you are travelling with a 4 year old, I'm afraid the hotel by the airport may be too far. The 4 year old will slow you down and being closer to downtown may be better for you and the 4 year old.

Bon voyage!

Yes, thank you for all the comments. We are evaluating staying closer to the old town so that we can roam around late in the evenings as well.

Any recommendations? We don't want to spend a lot on the hotels (around 80 Euros), a clean room for a good sleep is our requirement.

Have you booked your plane ticket yet? The last few years I've booked flight and hotel packages on sites like Priceline, Exp dia, and Hotwire. In every case I got an excellent deal for a hotel. In fact, the last two years ir was cheaper to book a package than the flight alone (strangely enough) .

Hmm, flight tickets are done already, June 17 - June 20. Never explored booking both together, thanks for the insight.

Looking at staying in Nice for the first 2 nights and then spending another night somewhere else (still not decided).

I believe Rick suggests staying outside the Vieille Ville area so you'll be in a more modern building--I assume to maximize your odds of finding an elevator, good a/c, solid plumbing, reliable Wi-Fi, etc. Being within walking distance of the Old City would be good, or you could look for something very close to the tram line.

It's my impression that the hotel market in Nice is pretty competitive, with decent options at the 2-star level. I'd look at booking.com and see what's available in your price range. Read the reviews and you'll probably find something fine if you aren't bumping up against some sort of special event. With 2-star hotels it's usually a matter of trade-offs. You're looking for one whose disadvantages don't matter much to you.

I was very pleased with the Hotel Bristol (elevator; not cramped; recently renovated or re-decorated; huge, thick bath towels (but no hand towels); rock-solid Wi-Fi; reliable plumbing; I did not need the a/c in early May). It's very near the Nice Ville (main) station and a tram stop. However, it's on what's probably the least attractive street in the area, and I think that would be an issue for many Americans who aren't extreme budget travelers. But there are a couple of good Provencal restaurants very close by and a reasonably priced Lebanese place within about 3 blocks. I don't know whether the hotel has triples.

I would be hesitant about spending two nights in Nice and just one night somewhere else. There are lots of interesting day trips to be made from Nice without the hassle of changing hotels. There's an oceanography museum in Monaco (though I think it's expensive) and a zoo.

Nice is nice, and in my opinion, should be enjoyed from the center, including your accommodations. I have stayed there twice, and there are any number of decent (not fancy or beautiful, but clean and well situated) hotels in and around the city center. One hotel, the Star, is close to shopping and dining, and its rooms are pleasant. My gf and I enjoyed it, but last trip we joined another couple in renting an apartment from VRBO.com. To give you an idea, we spent $250 for a two bedroom, two bath ocean view apartment on the Promenade des Anglais, about 3 blocks down from the Negresco. Prices are good all over Nice, as are transportation options. Come into town, park your bags, and explore one of the most beautiful cities by foot.

We stayed at the Best Western Plus Messena in Nice. Looks like it's going for about $125 tonight. It is in a good location- able to walk to the waterfront and most sites. You may want to check it out.

Thanks acraven for the recommendation. Hotel Bristol does look nice and suit our requirements/budget, might book it.

I am also starting to feel that moving to Provence area for the last 2 days is not that great an idea and we should probably only focus on Cote d'azur area.

What day trips do you suggest from Nice? After seeing Eze, am not sure if we will be interested in other hill towns as much. How worth is a visit to Cannes/ St Paul de Vence/ tourist train to Tende?

Please suggest few option for day trips from Nice so that we skip going up north.

I liked the Chemin de Fer de Provence trip up to Digne les Bains, I stopped over in Entrevaux for a few hours and had only the bus turn-around time to see the larger Digne. Both were worthwhile but Entrevaux is more in-your-face picturesque. However, the round-trip costs about $50 per person, whereas all the other side-trip options are dirt-cheap, so I guess it's a matter of how much you want to get up into the hills. I was in Nice for over 2 weeks and thought it was important to see something other than the touristy coastal resorts and nearby hill towns. I think for folks on shorter trips, dedicating a full day to that train trip might not be the best use of time.

These are the other side trips I took:

• Villefranche-sur-Mer: Very close to Nice. You could go for a meal and just add on an hour or two for wandering around. It's cute, touristy and small.

• Biot: Picturesque town with several glass studios. I didn't get to the Leger Museum (which is supposed to be quite good) or the bonsai museum. They're quite close to each other a good distance from the historic upper town. Going to Biot means taking the train to Biot Gare (Biot-sur-Mer) and then a bus to the historic hill town. This is sort of a special-interest destination, I think.

• Villa Ephrussi and Villa Kerylos (totally different experiences), both on Cap Ferrat but not terribly close together. They can be visited in one day with some time left over to walk around Cap Ferrat. This trip starts with a train, then there's bus service that will get you closer to the villas. Not sure about bus frequency, especially on Sunday.

• Antibes: The town has something intangible that appealed to me. There was plenty of time to do some walking on Cap d'Antibes. Accessible by train; there may also be buses, but the train would be quite a bit faster.

• Menton: Very attractive and laid-back coastal town that's practically in Italy. It has an extensive, picturesque historic district and is known for its gardens. The botanical garden Val Rameh is actually walkable from the town's second train station (east side of town). Serre de la Madone (established by an Englishman) requires a bus from fairly near the main train station. Both are very nice. Both are on hilly terrain, and Serre de la Madone isn't exactly a piece of cake to walk around. There are steps but rarely if ever hand rails. I think Menton would be worth visiting even if you didn't go to the gardens. Of all the Riviera places I went, Menton (though with a higher ratio of very old to new architecture) is the one that felt the most like Nice, so I guess that's not a point in its favor, but I really liked it.

• St.-Paul-de-Vence: Really picturesque hill town, but wow is it touristy. It's small enough that the tourists are everywhere. In larger towns like Menton, you can wander off the beaten path and find relative peace. I'd go back in a hearbeat, but only to re-visit Fondation Maeght, the fabulous modern-art museum; it's a good walk from town, but not unreasonable, and there are taxis. It's mainly uphill going to the museum. St.-Paul-de-Vence is a bus ride from Nice.

• Vence: A city with a large historic district that seems full of locals rather than foreign tourists. Served by the same bus as St. Paul-de-Vence, but there's a bit of a walk from the bus station to the old town--I'd say at least 10 or 15 minutes. Pretty flat, though. I don't think it would be practical to walk between the two towns.

I didn't have time for Monaco or Cannes, both on the rail line. I think there's also bus service to Monte Carlo, which would give you views from higher up. I also skipped Eze, which involves a bus, but I don't know whether you need to hop on a train to get to the bus.

There's also Grasse, which sounds nice enough but primarily of interest to those who care about perfume. There's something going on with one of the transportation links to Grasse at the moment.

Ran out of space before noting that most if not all of the towns I mentioned have art museums, mostly modern. If you have any interest, see what the guide books say so you can make the appropriate selection(s) based on your personal preferences. Stopping at each town's tourist office will often yield information on current special exhibitions. Most of the small-town museums are not extensive and don't take too much time to see if they are conveniently located vis-a-visthe train/bus station or your other sightseeing targets.

The tourist office outside the Nice Ville RR sration was very helpful to me, providing maps for a lot of the neighboring towns I planned to visit. For major sights (like Villa Ephrussi and Villa Kerylos) you'll probably find targeted brochures.

The office of the bus company serving a lot of the surrounding towns, Lignes d'Azur, is only 2 or 3 blocks from the train station and has at least some of its schedules set out in racks.

The restaurants I liked around the Hotel Bristol were Le Saetone and Le Voyageur Provencal. They're both less than 2 blocks away on rue d'Alsace-Lorraine but in different directions. The Lebanese place, Le Socrate, is a bit farther. It's on the street running along the north side of Basilique Notre-Dame de l'Assomption, right off the pedestrian street, Av. Juan Medecin.

A few more blocks down Juan Medecin, rue Biscarra cuts off beside the big NicEtoile shopping co,plex. Rick mentions this street as one whose restaurants are frequented by locals. I didn't try his re ommendatiion(s), but was pleased with the Indian spot where I ate.

I thought all of the above places were solid picks. Don't expect fancy, special-occasion atmosphere. You can eat for less than 20 euros at any of them (excluding beverage) if you're tryng to pinch pennies, but a 2-course meal is likely to be between 20 and 30 euros. Le Socrate is the least expensive, and you won't go hungry there; I kept dialing back how much i ordered. Just the chicken kebab platter was very filling.

And couple of other points about the Hotel Bristol: It is kept meticulously clean. And the weekday daytime desk person is the manager. He speaks English extremely well, as do most of the other desk people I encountered. But don't forget what I wrote about the street ithe hotel is on! It's pretty typical of what you find around European rail stations.

acraven- I appreciate all of the details you've provided about Nice and day trips throughout the region. I'll be there at the end of June - 3 nights in Nice and 7 in Antibes. Your tips are very helpful!

Glad to be of service!

Thank acraven for taking out time and helping us with all the options.

After a lot of thought, we have decided to stick to Cote d'azur region for this trip. Save Provence for another trip.
We have a day left after doing Nice town, Monaco and Menton nicely (at leisure). Which out of the below options should we select?

1. St Paul de Vence and Vence (half day)
2. Antibes, Cannes and a trip to the Lerins Island (full day).
3. Villefranche Sur Mer and the seaside walk on Cap Ferrat - Am keen on this but should we visit Antibes instead?
4. Train des merveilles to Tende and back (full day)

Thank you all.

are those 4 organised tours or will you be doing them on your own?

Everyone on our own using public transport. No guided tours :)

Everything on our own using public transport. No guided tours :)

I'm sentimental and vote three because I do them every time I visit, which is passingly frequently.

The others are good too.