Nice France Cruise Port Guide

Location:

It is well worth being up on deck when your ship approaches Nice to catch a first glimpse of the famous palm tree-fringed Promenade des Anglais, if you are coming from the west.

Smaller ships dock at the Quai du Commerce. Everything you might need is close at hand -- tourist information, taxis, telephones, currency exchange, a free shuttle service (in season).

The Nice port Limpia is at the east side of the Baie des Anges. At the dock area are some bars and bistros. It is a 30 minutes walk to the most interesting part of Nice: the old town: Vieux Nice; and not much further the lengthy Promenade des Anglais which stretches along the beach of the Baie des Anges. There is a free shuttle service most of the time.

Larger cruise ships anchor in nearby Villefranche.

Various bus lines depart from the airport. To get to the downtown bus station ("Gare Routiere"), take the airport express line 98 departing T1 and T2 every 30 minutes. To get directly to Nice's main train station (Gare Nice Ville SNCF) take the alternating route 99. The airport website has a page with timetables.

Hotels in Nice.

Printable map to take along.

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Port Location on Google Maps

Monthly Climate Averages for Nice France

Sightseeing:

Leave the pier for an orientation tour of Nice. Along the way many sights will be seen, the first and foremost of which is the famous Promenade des Anglais, a splendid palm-lined boulevard on which stands the legendary Negresco, an imposing hotel with a rococo facade.

Another intriguing sight will be the Russian Orthodox Cathedral, with its vividly colored ceramics beneath six onion-shaped domes adding greatly to the already exotic atmosphere of the city.

Finally, you can visit the old city where tightly packed tall houses, usually adorned with bright flowers or hanging laundry, line the narrow streets. Here, enjoy a leisurely walk on Cours Saleya, the elegant promenade in downtown Old Nice where the famous flower market is found (closed on Mondays).

Webcam Promenade des Anglais

Tours Excursions Transportation:

A relaxed way to explore Nice is by taking the little tourist train or the Nice Hop on/off buses.

Bus and a new tram service throughout the region is frequent, not just for local stops, but even to Monaco. Buses such as the Grasse-Nice bus travel through Pre-du-Lac, Le Rouret, Roquefort, Villeneuve-Loubet and Cagnes-sur-Mer with at least 10 round trips daily.

Most of the buses connect with each other at Station Central on Avenue Felix-Faure. Catch the #2 or #12 bus for the beaches. For additional information, call 04-93-13-53-13.

Buses for Monaco, St-Tropez and Cannes depart from the Municipal Bus Station on Boulevard Jean-Jaure. For information on long-distance bus travel, call 04-93-85-61-81.

The SNCF (French Railway) station is a 10-minute walk from the Port of Nice. Making coastal stops between Marseille and Monte Carlo, it's easy to tour on foot once arriving at your destination. A typical round trip from Nice to Monaco, first-class, will run about $10. Timetables

It pays to compare your cruise line shore excursions here.

Nearby Places:

St. Paul de Vence, an idyllic medieval hill village with its Fondation Maeght, a museum just outside town (a short steep way up) with works of Chagall, Miro and others, in a lovely setting.

Shopping and Food

For the big designer labels head west of place Masséna to rue du Paradis, rue Masséna, rue de la Liberté, rue Alphonse Karr and avenue de Suède. should be noted that place Massena and avenue Jean Medecin are currently experiencing massive disruption as Nice is in the process of constructing its tram route.

The antiques and brocante market (Pl. Robilante), by the old port, is held Tuesday through Saturday.

The local cuisine has a Provençal and Italian heritage; specialties include pissaladière (savory tart with onions, anchovies, black olives), socca (pancake made with chickpea flour) and stockfissa (garlicky salt-cod stew).

Do not tell the Italians, but the restaurants in Nice prepare superb pizza's. Order a pizza "avec une oeuf" (with egg), than sprinkle a little spiced olive oil on top. Bon Appetit!

Currency:

Euro

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Communication:

For Internet check with the local tourist office.

The main tourist office in Nice is at 5 Promenade des Anglais.

Local emergency number: 112

Opening Hours and Holidays:

Most shops, businesses, information services, museums and banks in France stay open all day. The exceptions are the smaller shops and enterprises, which may close for lunch sometime between 12.30pm and 2pm. Basic hours of business are from 8 or 9am to 6.30 or 7.30pm Monday to Saturday for the big shops and Tuesday to Saturday for smaller shops (some of the smaller shops may open on Monday afternoon). You can always find boulangeries and food shops that do stay open, however, on days when others close – on Sunday normally until noon.

Holidays in France

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