Where to rent a car in nice - not at the airport!

There are rental agencies in Nice near Gare Thiers (main train station) and near the Promenade in the Carre d'Or or the edge of the Old Town (Vieux Nice) (including Hertz, Sixt, Europcar, Avis etc). Be wary of any hidden fees especially with some of the smaller companies.

Nice's main train station is more commonly called Gare de Nice Ville, but Avenue Thiers runs right behind it. It's not hard to navigate out of the city from there.

Thanks so much rooster! That's great to know!
And exactly what I needed to know.

I bet you are a lot of fun at parties Bruce.... 🙄

A quick Internet search easily revealed the locations of auto rental agencies apart from the airport. Enjoy Nice...we certainly did.

Yes, the full name of the station Gare de Nice Ville. Most people just refer to it as the Gare, even though there is another. I mentioned Thiers as it is the street actually in front of the station, and most of the major car rental companies are in or near the main parking garage there (on avenue Thier) and that is the address that comes up when you search. However, if you are staying closer to the Promenade you may find the agencies near the water more convenient when transferring from your lodging (but maybe slightly more lengthy to exit the city center, depending on which agency you choose -- just realize there is an underground bypass).

I would check rates of rentals from the US first, and determine where the rental is located second. That's what we did. We arranged our rental from Britain (rental in France). When we arrived at Dinard (small town next to St Malo), the car was waiting, all was set up properly, and we were on our way in 20 minutes. We used Enterprise.