Compare Nice Airport car hire deals

With an excellent public transport network running along the Côte d'Azur, car hire in Nice might seem unnecessary. However, if you're planning on exploring nearby natural parks, or taking a Riviera road trip, driving a rental car will be more enjoyable than cramming onto a busy train or bus.

Language: French | Currency: Euro (€) | Avg. Flight time: 2 hrs 10 mins

Nice Airport (NCE), also known as Nice Côte d'Azur Airport, sits on the coast around 5km (3 miles) west of the city centre. It lies at the end of Nice's famous Promenade des Anglais, which runs along the city's main bay. Many car hire companies, including Avis, Budget, Hertz and Sixt, have airport branches waiting to offer you a deal.

Driving to the city centre from Nice Airport is simple. Exit the airport on to the Promenade Edouard Corniglion Molinier (M6098), which connects to the Promenade des Anglais.

There's a Car Rental Centre at the airport, behind car park P5 at Terminal 2. There are some hire company desks in the arrivals hall, by gates A1/A2 in Terminal 1 and between gates A2 and A3 in Terminal 2, but they are not as consistently staffed as those in the rental centre – and in any case, you'll have to head to the P5 car park to pick up your vehicle.

Car rental companies that have desks at Nice Airport in 2025 include:

• Avis and Budget (Tel: 08 44 58 18 181)
• Firefly (Tel: 04 93 21 81 52)
• Europcar (Tel: 00 33 1 78 42 77 71)
• Hertz (Tel: 00 33 4 93 213 672)
• Enterprise (Tel: 00 33 1 44 38 03 23)
• Inter rent (Tel: 0 826 109 219)
• Sixt (Tel: 08 20 00 74 98)
• Goldcar (Tel: +34 965 94 31 86)

If you're arriving at Nice's main train station, Gare de Nice-Ville, you'll find plenty of cheap car rental brands to choose from. You'll also find a cluster of car hire companies around the Albert I Garden, where the Promenade des Anglais meets the Old Town.

Driving in Nice is straightforward if you're sticking to the Promenade des Anglais, which stretches from the airport to the Old Town and port. However, the streets hidden behind the promenade can be much trickier to navigate. There's a grid layout (of sorts), but the one-way systems are a challenge.

The good news is that the main roads are typically well maintained, well marked and sign-posted. The bad news is that, as with any relatively compact but popular city, traffic can be heavy and parking difficult. You'll find that many roads have on-street parking on one or even both sides (narrowing the road), with no available spaces. There are 15 public car parks scattered around the city centre, and those are usually a better bet.

While you do need to be a confident driver to tackle the claustrophobic heart of Nice, most car hire companies are handily located close to main roads, with pick-up points near the main train station (Gare de Nice-Ville) and around the Albert I Garden, just off the Promenade des Anglais. This means easy access to the wider, well-marked roads running along the coastline.

Monaco

Driving time: 30 minutes

Take one of the scenic routes to Monaco and enjoy a memorable drive to the world's second-smallest country. Choose to drive there on the Moyenne Corniche, which gives great views from winding mountain roads, or the Grand Corniche, which is easier on the nerves. A day is long enough to see the super-yachts in the marina, have a flutter in the casino and admire the Prince's Palace.

Préalpes d'Azur Regional Natural Park

Driving time: 45 minutes

If you fancy escaping the Côte d'Azur crowds and heading inland to the Alpine foothills, this park, boasting forests, gorges and mountain views, sits just above Nice. Saint-Jeannet is one of Alpes-Maritime's famous hillside 'perched villages', and makes an ideal entry point at just 45 minutes from Nice.

St Tropez

Driving time: Two hours

There's no train station in the chic, colourful seaside town of St Tropez, so it becomes much easier to reach if you have a rental car at your disposal. The A8 motorway is the quickest route, but taking the coastal roads will reward you with beautiful scenery. You could even stop off at glamorous Cannes on the way.

1. Don't drive while wearing headphones or earphones. It's now illegal throughout France, and could land you with a hefty on-the-spot fine.
2. Read the parking rules carefully. Ten of the public car parks in Nice offer the first hour free, while metered street parking often has a two-hour maximum stay.
3. If you're planning on driving the coastal roads in the summer, be warned that they will be busy and delays are likely. The road entering St Tropez is particularly bad.

Fair fuel policy

A fair fuel policy (also known as full-to-full or same-to-same) means you’ll only pay for the fuel you use. All car rental deals compared on TravelSupermarket come with a fair fuel policy, so you can book your hire car safe in the knowledge there will be no nasty surprises at drop-off. More information on TravelSupermarket’s commitment to fair fuel policies can be found here.

No hidden fees

All rental deals compared on TravelSupermarket include mandatory fees (for example, one-way and young driver surcharges) in your rental quote at the time of booking, meaning you’ll know the full price of your car hire upfront.