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The Promenade des Anglais in Nice, with palm trees along the seafront, the sea on the left and the dome of a grand hotel on the right

Where to stay in Nice

Photographed in 2021. Photo: Zairon, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Places to stay in Nice

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About Nice

Nice gives every car two free hours a day at the kerb and then forbids parking beyond two hours fifteen. The tram from the airport reaches the centre in under half an hour.

France. Guide last checked .

Facts and rules

Last checked . Each fact links to its source.

Airport
Nice Côte d'Azur (NCE), about 8 km by road from the Place Masséna. Tram line 2 reaches Jean Médecin in under 30 minutes and Port Lympia at the far end. Source
Airport tram and bus
Line 2 runs every 7 to 8 minutes on weekdays; the link between terminal 2, terminal 1 and Grand Arénas is free. Bus 12+ stops 150 m from terminal 1. An AERO return ticket is EUR 10. Source
Who charges the tourist tax
The Métropole Nice Côte d'Azur, on deliberations of 28 June 2018 and 10 July 2024, with rates in force since 1 January 2025. Source
Tourist tax
Per person per night, additions included: EUR 6.43 palaces, EUR 4.69 five stars, EUR 3.48 four stars, EUR 2.28 three stars, EUR 1.34 two stars, EUR 1.07 one star and chambres d'hôtes, EUR 0.27 camping. Source
Unclassified lodgings
6.70% of the cost of the night per person excluding tax, the métropole's 5% plus the 1.70% regional addition, capped at EUR 6.43. Source
The regional addition
A 34% addition created by the finance law for 2023, paid to the Société de la Ligne Nouvelle Provence Côte d'Azur. The Alpes-Maritimes levy no departmental addition. Source
Parking with a rental car
Paid Monday to Saturday 9am to 7pm, free on Sundays and public holidays. Two consecutive hours a day are free on a free ticket, then EUR 1.20 an hour and EUR 2.40 for two. Source
The two hour fifteen ceiling
Parking for more than 2 hours 15 minutes on a street space is forbidden, and the forfait post-stationnement is EUR 25. Zero-CO2 cars get 2 hours 15 free a day. Source
Car parks
The Régie Parcs d'Azur runs the métropole's car parks. One hour is free at Saleya, Palais Masséna, Promenade des Arts, Corvésy, Palmeira, Les Bosquets, Marshall, Palais de Justice, Saint Roch and Sulzer, and 30 minutes at Mozart and Acropolis. Source
Short-term rental rules
A second home needs a change-of-use authorisation from the city before it can be registered, and registration on the métropole portal issues the number the platforms ask for. Hosts declare every four months. Source
Quotas in 2026
Four sectors, Vieux-Nice, the centre, Riquier-Port-Mont-Boron and the west, hold about 70% of listings and are capped at 691 temporary authorisations for 2026, 0.9% of their housing stock. Filing opened on 1 September 2026. Source
Days a main residence may be let
The Nice council voted on 19 June 2026 to raise the ceiling to 120 days a year, up from 90. Source
Low-emission zone
The national list restricts only heavy goods vehicles in Nice, at Crit'Air 3. Cars and light vans are not covered. Source
Check-in
A guest who is not a French national fills in a fiche de police. The host keeps it for six months and hands it to the police on request. Source
Short stays for non-EU visitors
90 days in any 180 across the Schengen area. The EU Entry/Exit System has been fully operational since 10 April 2026. Source
Currency
Euro (EUR). Source
Emergency numbers
112, ambulance 15, police 17, fire 18 Source

Areas of Nice

Fruit and vegetable stalls under striped awnings on the Cours Saleya market in the old town of Nice, with ochre and red houses behind
Photo: Mike is Michi, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Vieux Nice

The old town behind the seafront, where the Cours Saleya market sets out its stalls under striped awnings against ochre and red house fronts. The lanes are narrow and busy into the evening, and it suits a short stay made on foot.

Nice airport
about 8 km
Place Masséna
about 1 km

Car and parking

Inside the paid perimeter: Monday to Saturday 9am to 7pm, two consecutive hours free a day on a free ticket, then EUR 1.20 an hour and EUR 2.40 for two, with parking forbidden beyond 2 hours 15 minutes and a EUR 25 charge if it is overrun. The Saleya car park gives one free hour. Vieux Nice is one of the four sectors the city put under quota for tourist lets in 2026.

Tram tracks crossing the paved Place Masséna in Nice, with the red arcaded buildings of the square and the seated figures on their masts
Photographed in 2021. Photo: Zairon, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Centre ville and the Carré d'Or

The squares and shopping streets around the Place Masséna, where the tram crosses the paving between red arcaded buildings. It suits a first visit that wants the shops, the tram and the old town all within a few minutes on foot.

Nice airport
about 7 km
Place Masséna
under 1 km

Car and parking

The same paid perimeter, the same two free hours and the same 2 hour 15 minute ceiling. Four of the car parks with a free first hour sit here: Palais Masséna, Promenade des Arts, Corvésy and Palais de Justice. The centre is a quota sector for tourist lets.

The Promenade des Anglais

The seafront itself, palms the length of the bay and hotels facing the water. It suits travellers who want the sea from the window and are content to walk or take the bus into the centre.

Nice airport
about 6 km
Place Masséna
about 4 km

Car and parking

A through road with its own stopping bans. Where bays are marked the city tariff applies, with two free hours a day and nothing longer than 2 hours 15 minutes. Bus 12+ runs along the Promenade from a stop 150 m from terminal 1.

Yachts and fishing boats moored in Port Lympia in Nice, with the coloured house fronts of the quay and the wooded hill of Mont Boron behind
Photographed in 2021. Photo: Zairon, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Le Port, Riquier and Mont Boron

Port Lympia, where yachts and fishing boats lie against coloured quays under the wooded hill of Mont Boron. Tram line 2 ends here, which makes it the easiest of these areas to reach from the airport without a car.

Nice airport
about 11 km
Place Masséna
about 3 km

Car and parking

Paid perimeter rules as elsewhere, two free hours a day and a 2 hour 15 minute ceiling. The Saint Roch car park on this side gives one free hour. Riquier, the port and Mont Boron form one of the four quota sectors.

Nice Ouest and the Arénas

The western quarters beside the airport, around the Grand Arénas interchange where tram lines 2, 3 and B meet. It suits an early flight, a late arrival and a longer stay that needs a car more than it needs the old town.

Nice airport
about 3 km
Place Masséna
about 6 km

Car and parking

The nearest of these areas to the terminals by road, about 3 km. The tram link between terminal 2, terminal 1 and Grand Arénas is free, so a car is not needed for the airport run at all. The west is also a quota sector for tourist lets.

Guides

Questions

How much is the tourist tax in Nice?

Per person per night, including the 34% regional addition: EUR 6.43 in a palace, EUR 4.69 at 5 stars, EUR 3.48 at 4 stars, EUR 2.28 at 3 stars, EUR 1.34 at 2 stars and EUR 1.07 at 1 star or in a chambre d'hôtes.

What does an unclassified flat pay?

6.70 per cent of the cost of the night per person before tax, which is the métropole's 5 per cent plus the 1.70 per cent regional addition, capped at EUR 6.43 per person per night.

Is street parking free for two hours?

Two consecutive hours a day for every vehicle, on condition of taking a free ticket at a meter or in the app with code 861. Zero-CO2 cars get two hours fifteen. Sundays and public holidays are free.

How long can a car stay in one street space in Nice?

Two hours fifteen minutes. Beyond that parking is forbidden and the charge is a forfait post-stationnement of EUR 25.

How do you get from Nice airport to the centre?

Tram line 2 links both terminals to Jean Médecin in the centre in under 30 minutes and to Port Lympia, every 7 to 8 minutes on weekdays. By road it is about 8 km to the Place Masséna.