Settling in

One of the nicest surprises about moving here was realizing I didn't need a car nearly as much as I expected. The coast is threaded together by trains and buses in a way that most newcomers underestimate — and once you know how the pieces fit, getting from Menton to Cannes without a steering wheel becomes almost pleasant.

The regional trains (TER) along the coast

The TER line running along the coast between Cannes, Antibes, Nice, Monaco and Menton is, for my money, the single best transport value on the Riviera. Trains run frequently, tickets are cheap by most European standards, and the views out the window between Villefranche and Monaco alone are worth the fare. I buy tickets through the SNCF Connect app a few minutes before departure — no need to book far ahead for most regional trips, and there are ticket machines at every station if the app isn't cooperating.

The bus network

Within Nice, Lignes d'Azur runs the city bus and tram network, and a single ticket costs around €1.70 — genuinely one of the cheapest urban transport systems I've used anywhere. Zou! is the regional brand covering the rest of the coast — it's not really a separate system, more an umbrella that includes both the TER trains I just mentioned and the regional buses that fill in the routes Lignes d'Azur doesn't reach, often at similarly modest prices. If you're going to be here a while, it's worth looking at a monthly pass rather than buying single tickets — it adds up fast in the other direction, in your favor.

When a car is more trouble than it's worth

If you're living centrally in Nice, Antibes or Cannes, a car often costs more in stress than it saves in time — narrow one-way streets, aggressive parking enforcement, and a public transport network that already covers most of what you need. Where a car genuinely earns its keep is if you're up in the hills, in a village the trains don't reach, or need to move furniture and large shopping regularly. My honest advice: live here a few months without one first, then decide.

Parking realities

If you do have a car, budget real money and real patience for parking. Street parking in central Nice is metered and actively enforced, private garage spots in older buildings are rare and expensive to rent, and public car parks fill up fast on weekends and in summer. Apps like the city's own parking service or general parking-finder apps take a lot of the guesswork out of it, but there's no getting around the fact that parking here is a genuine cost of car ownership, not an afterthought.

Airport connections

Nice Côte d'Azur airport is well served by tram and bus from central Nice — the tram is the option I use most, since it avoids traffic entirely and drops you close to the terminals for a fraction of a taxi fare. From further along the coast, an airport shuttle bus or a train-plus-tram combination usually beats driving and paying for parking, especially if you're gone more than a couple of days. If you're arriving with a lot of luggage on your very first trip, a taxi or rideshare is a reasonable one-time splurge — there's no need to prove a point to yourself on day one.

Walking, cycling, and the pace of things

Don't underestimate how much of the coast is genuinely walkable, especially within a single town — Nice's Old Town, the Promenade, and most of central Antibes and Cannes reward being on foot far more than being in traffic. Several towns also run shared bike or e-bike schemes now, which is a nice middle ground for trips a bit too long to walk and not worth waiting for a bus. It changed how I experience the city, honestly — you notice a lot more at walking pace than you ever do through a car window.

Common mistakes

Renting or buying a car in the first month out of habit, before you've tested whether you actually need one. Not validating a paper train ticket before boarding, which can get you an unpleasant surprise if a controller checks. And underestimating how far the bus network actually reaches — I assumed for months that certain villages were "train only" and only later discovered a perfectly good bus route I'd never looked for.

I still remember the first time I took the coastal train from Nice to Menton just for the view, with no particular reason to be in Menton at all. That's the honest upside of not driving here — you notice the place a lot more.

Fares, schedules and apps change from season to season — check current prices and timetables on SNCF Connect or Lignes d'Azur before you travel.

Ask Nathalie