Nice Airport

Overall the Nice airport offers good facilities. The homepage is good you can get a lot of information there. The only thing I have to criticise are the restrooms. In the Schengen-Area I found only one small restroom there is another downstairs but without a hint. So passengers sometimes have to wait.

Nice is undoubtedly my favourite airport all round! Both terminals are lovely and offer beautiful views of the runaways and sea the airport is only a short 20 minute cheap bus ride from town the lounges are great staff surprisingly pleasant across airlines. The airport is both large enough to offer many services and small enough to be pleasant and friendly.

The main problem with Nice airport which is a major problem with many french airports is the fact that some of the luggage reclaim area is open and it is even easy to get inside the closed one. I saw a passenger simply opening a door and getting in (no staff around) and getting back out with the trolley. Terminal 1 has not got this problem but believe me it is very annoying arriving with a flight and picking up luggage with a lot of people around. I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of stealing went on a person can simply get in the open baggage reclaim area and pick a piece of luggage up.

The extension to Terminal 2 is an outstanding piece of architecture - spacious and airy and bathed in the Azurean sunlight. Even this jaded cynic was impressed for the horrors of CDG have engendered a particularly virulent cynicism regarding French airport design but much thought has gone into making the NCE T2 experience a genuinely uplifting one. From the waiting areas one has a clear view of the Promenade des Anglais. Indeed if one is travelling lightly it's only a walk of 70-80 minutes between emerging from the airport and sitting down to a cocktail at the Negresco Hotel.

The immigration hall is too small for non-Schengen flights which are few in all fairness and they had 2 officers clearing everyone. One passenger with a visa problem could be catastrophic for everyone else coming off a long flight from NY. Baggage was fast and customs as usual in France was easy. I felt that the cost of the taxi to the hotel was too expensive - I definitely felt ripped off. The taxi back to the airport upon leaving was much cheaper. Be warned there are taxi touts in the arrivals hall trying to get you to take their more expensive ride to the city. The airport is a perfect medium size and is easy to get around. The lounge airside (non-Schengen) was quite nice with good snacks. As they have divided the airside areas into 2 components: Schengen and non-Schengen they have created 2 small and confining areas. I would prefer one large departure hall with access to all the shops and lounges vs. being restricted to one area where I wouldn't want to spend too much time. The int'l passengers enter the airside via the Schengen hall and then enter the int'l area via passport control. The Schengen pax have no access to the int'l area. I am curious to see what the new terminal will be like.

It is always a pleasure to arrive at Nice airport. Luggage always quick and then off to the palm trees. Check in facilities are very well. In the busy period the main departure lounge seems to get a bit crowded but the C class lounge is beautiful with many choices of snacks and drinks.

Nice-Cote d'Azur Airport is the ideal gateway to enter the Riviera. Located in a beautiful setting of gardens and palm trees and overlooking the Baie des Anges a few other airports can boast such an exceptional location. The terminals are very compact and rational though Terminal 1 is now showing a little bit its age and doesn't offer many shopping possibilities. Soon anyway there will be a new extension to Terminal 2 and I'm looking forward to see the amenities this new facility will offer to passengers. The airport is very close to downtown and you can actually access it in 5/10 minutes by taxi. If I have to mention an inconvenience well that's the schedule of the direct bus to the city centre - if your flight lands in Nice after 10.30 pm - and there is quite a number of flights arriving then - you'll be possibly waiting the bus for 45/50 minutes as it's only running at hourly intervals then. Pity for such closeness to the city to waste all that time waiting!