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Getting Around Nice: By public transport
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Each main town on the French Riviera has its own local bus network, for Nice its "Lignes d'Azur" (Antibes has "Envibus", Cannes has "Bus Azur", and so on) and the 100 or more Ligne d'Azur routes are the main form of urban transport for locals going to work or school. Of more interest to tourists, an inter-urban network, the TAM (Transport Alpes-Maritimes)connects all the Eastern Riviera towns between Cannes and Menton and all the main villages like Èze and Vence. Its routes radiate from the main bus station in Nice, the (Gare Routière) in central Nice on Avenue Félix Faure near the Rue du Lycée. Bus fares are only €1, with a change to a non-return connecting service also permitted within 74 minutes, so it is worth mastering the bus system to get around.
The Ligne d'Azur and TAM routes overlap in and around Nice, so the ticket and tariff system is integrated to a common ticket zone, in which the local Ligne d'Azur tickets and passes are accepted on the longer distance TAM buses, but only between Cagnes-sur-Mer to the west, and Cap d'Ail short of Monaco to the east. The fare is identical on both networks - €1 for any distance - but with TAM you must always tell the driver your intended destination, so he can judge whether you should purchase a TAM ticket or a Lignes d'Azur. Outside the common zone, Lignes d'Azur passes are not valid and you need to pay the €1 fare in cash. In January 2009 the TAM and Lignes d'Azur will be merging, so there will be no need to know any of this stuff, as they will be rationalising the fare structures to match the single transport authority area. More mergers of the other five Riviera bus companies are on the cards, with the eventual goal of a unified bus tram and train ticket. But for now you need the knowledge.
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The one exception to the €1 fare is the Airport Express bus, which has a €4 flat fare. This buys you a Ligne d'Azur all day pass into the bargain - handy if you're arriving, not as beneficial if you're leaving.
The long awaited tram line opened in November 2007, and forms a U-shaped route from Las Planas to the northeast to Pont St Michel to the northwest. Whilst it links the main train station, bus station, downtown and the university, it is basically a mass transit system designed to get workers and shoppers to the centre of Nice from the suburbs, and is not of any particular value to tourists. It uses the same tickets as the buses but you buy these from the machines at bus stops, unlike buses, where it is usual to pay the driver or show your pass on entering the bus. Another innovation is the hourly "commuter express" bus service direct to Monaco via the Autoroute, the 100Express, though visitors may still prefer the slower and more scenic 100 route along the coast.
The SNCF rail service also links all the main coastal towns, so which is the best way to get around - bus or train? The journey from Nice to say Cannes by the 200 bus at €1 is considerably cheaper than the train, which is currently over €5. Meaning that the buses are liable to dreadful overcrowding and the prospect of standing for nearly two hours as it is slow with frequent stops and many traffic lights along the route. If you're short on cash and don't mind discomfort, take the bus. If you're short on time and prefer to sit, take the train.
When taking the bus, you must be aware of the somewhat odd way the bus schedules are laid out. They list the departure time at the first bus station, not the one you are currently at (unless the two coincide, naturally). At the right hand side of the bus schedule, you have a list of stations, and next to some you will find the time listed it will take the bus to get there (+20', for example). This means that you will have to do a lot of guessing. Best ask a native and leave some extra padding time if you plan to take a bus to any scheduled event that you really do not want to miss (airport, train, concerts, etc).
You can find local bus and tram route maps and timetables online www.lignedazur.com/index.asp. Route maps are listed under 'Maps' and timetables as 'Timetables'. They are provided in PDF format. Also, a new service ('Stop timetables') purports to display the times at your stop. From previous experience with the bus company, those should stand somewhere between educated guesses and outright fiction, due to unpredictable road traffic conditions (like one hour traffic jams around Villeneuve Loubet).
Apart from the airport express routes 98 and 99, buses rarely run after 8 o'clock in the evening. The tram however operates from around 4:30AM to after midnight. Five nightly bus routes (called Noctambus) serve the main parts of city, from 9:10PM to 1:10AM, and TAM has also now introduced infrequent buses throughout the night on the 100 line. The night buses leave from the Station J.C. Bermond, near the bus station, and the day fares apply on these night routes. If planning a visit involving a late evening return, consider train services, which provide the most reliable form of late travel.
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