Nice has three SNCF stations and one separate narrow-gauge terminus, and choosing the wrong one is one of the easier mistakes to make on this stretch of the coast. For most international visitors the right station is Nice-Ville. Long-distance trains, the TGV from Paris, and the busy coastal TER to Monaco and Italy all start there.
The two other SNCF stops, Nice Saint-Augustin and Nice Riquier, only handle TER regional services. Saint-Augustin sits next to Nice Côte d’Azur Airport. Riquier is on the eastern edge of the city, useful if your hotel is closer to the port. The fourth station, Nice CP, is the terminus of the Train des Pignes narrow-gauge line and is on a different network entirely, not covered by Interrail or Eurail.
Booking pages often show only “Nice” without naming the station. Open the train detail before you pay and look for the full station name. Saint-Augustin and Riquier can quietly appear in TER drop-downs even when you wanted Nice-Ville.
Which station should you use?
Use this as your first answer. Then confirm the exact station on your ticket.
| Station | Use it when… |
|---|---|
| Nice-Ville (also called Gare de Nice-Thiers) | TGV InOui from Paris, Lyon or Marseille; Ouigo (where served); Intercités; almost all long-distance and international trains; coastal TER to Monaco, Cannes and Ventimiglia; Train des Merveilles to Tende. |
| Nice Saint-Augustin | Your ticket says Saint-Augustin; you are walking to or from Nice Côte d’Azur Airport; you are taking a short TER hop along the airport side of the city. |
| Nice Riquier | Your ticket says Riquier; you are staying east of Place Garibaldi or near the Port of Nice and want the closest SNCF stop. |
| Nice CP (Gare des Chemins de Fer de Provence) | You are riding the Train des Pignes to Digne-les-Bains or out into the Var valley. Different operator, different ticket. |
The booking-page trap is real. SNCF Connect, Trainline, RailEurope and Omio sometimes list “Nice” alongside the three SNCF stops. If you tap the wrong row, your TER ticket can drop you at Saint-Augustin or Riquier instead of the central station. Open the train details and confirm.
Nice-Ville
For almost every international visitor, Nice-Ville is the right station. It is the only Nice station that handles TGV, Intercités, and long-distance international services, and it is also the main stop on the coastal TER to Monaco, Cannes, Antibes, Menton and Ventimiglia. Its address is Avenue Thiers, just north of Avenue Jean-Médecin.
One naming quirk to know before you book. The station opened in 1864 and is sometimes called Gare de Nice-Thiers in French timetables. That is the same building as Nice-Ville. If your ticket shows the Thiers name and your hotel confirmation shows Nice-Ville, do not assume two different stations.
What trains use Nice-Ville
TGV InOui calls at Nice-Ville on the Paris to Marseille to Cannes to Nice axis and on the Lyon to Avignon to Cannes to Nice route. Some workings continue east to Monaco and Menton. Ouigo, the SNCF low-cost brand, also serves Nice from Paris on a separate fare.
Intercités services and TER PACA regional trains, branded Zou for regional ticketing, share the same platforms. The coastal axis links Cannes, Antibes, Nice, Monaco, Menton and Ventimiglia roughly every 15 to 30 minutes during the day, with extended hours on weekends. The Marseille to Toulon to Nice TER line gained extra frequency in late June 2026, with a stated 60-minute departure pattern and around 16 round trips per day, per the Région Sud announcement.
One detail surprises Paris-bound travellers. The dedicated high-speed track ends near Marseille St-Charles. East of there, the TGV runs on the classic Marseille to Ventimiglia line at conventional speeds. A typical Paris to Nice TGV takes around 5 hours 45 minutes to 6 hours, not the three you might expect from “TGV”.
Getting around from Nice-Ville
Tram line 1 stops at “Gare Thiers”, about 200 m from the SNCF entrance. From there you can reach Avenue Jean-Médecin, Place Masséna and Vieux Nice without changing trams. Tram line 2, the line that runs to the airport, stops about 800 m away at Jean-Médecin.
Walking distances from the station are short but they are not on top of the sea. The Promenade des Anglais is a 1.1 km walk, about 15 minutes. Nice Old Town (Vieille Ville) is 1.4 km, about 19 minutes on foot. With heavy luggage either becomes a taxi or tram leg, not a walk.
Inside the station, the SNCF TGV InOui ticket office is along the corridor to the left of the main hall as you enter. The Billetterie Zou regional counter is along the corridor to the right; there are Zou ticket machines on the concourse for short coastal hops. A left luggage office sits to the right of the main hall, useful if you want to drop bags before a few hours by the sea.
Platforms are lettered A to G, with platform A on the south side next to the station building. A pedestrian subway under all tracks has steps only. If you have heavy luggage or limited mobility, head to the overbridge at the far west end of the trainshed, which has a lift, an up-only escalator, and steps.
Nice Saint-Augustin
Saint-Augustin is the airport-side TER stop, and that is essentially its whole purpose for visitors. It moved 400 m west on 1 September 2022 to interchange directly with Nice tramway lines 2 and 3.
What trains use Saint-Augustin
Only TER PACA regional trains call here. No TGV, no Intercités, no Ouigo. The trains running through Saint-Augustin are the same coastal-axis TER you would board at Nice-Ville, plus services westbound toward Cannes, Antibes, Grasse, Draguignan and Marseille.
Bigger trains from Paris do not stop. If your ticket says “Saint-Augustin”, you are on a regional train.
Saint-Augustin and the airport
The reason most international travellers pass through Saint-Augustin is to get to or from Nice Côte d’Azur Airport. Aéroports de la Côte d’Azur publishes a dedicated pedestrian walkway from Terminal 1 exit A0 to the station, less than 500 m and about 7 minutes on foot. There are no train tracks inside the terminals themselves.
Tram 2 (“Port Lympia”) and tram 3 stop next to the station. The airport authority also runs a free shuttle linking Terminal 2, Terminal 1 and the “Grand-Arénas” stop, which sits beside Saint-Augustin. The free tram link gets you between the terminals at no fare.
From Saint-Augustin to Nice-Ville is about 5 minutes by TER. With light luggage and during TER operating hours, that is a reasonable way into the city. With heavy luggage, late at night, or when no TER is due in the next 20 minutes, take tram 2 from the airport instead.
Nice Riquier
Riquier is the eastern TER stop on the coastal axis between Nice-Ville and Monaco. It opened in 1868 and is the closest SNCF station to the Port of Nice and to parts of Vieille Ville, though “closest” is relative.
What trains use Riquier
Only TER PACA services. The same coastal trains that stop at Nice-Ville stop here a few minutes later eastbound, and again westbound on the way back. Direct TER to Cannes, Grasse, Menton and Ventimiglia. No TGV. No Intercités. No left luggage office, no large ticket hall.
When Riquier is the better arrival
If you are coming from Monaco, Menton or Ventimiglia and your hotel is east of Place Garibaldi or near the port, getting off at Riquier saves you a tram or taxi backtrack from Nice-Ville. The port itself is about a 20-minute walk from Riquier.
If your ticket already says Riquier, do not change it. The platforms are quiet and the exit drops you straight into a residential area on the eastern side of the city. For most visitors heading to a hotel near the Promenade des Anglais or Avenue Jean-Médecin, Nice-Ville is still the better stop.
Nice CP and the Train des Pignes
Nice CP is a separate station, 10 to 15 minutes’ walk north of Nice-Ville. The “CP” stands for Chemins de fer de Provence, the small company that runs the metre-gauge Train des Pignes line to Digne-les-Bains. It is not SNCF.
Two things matter for the planning decision. First, no Interrail or Eurail pass is valid on the Train des Pignes. Tickets are bought directly from CP, online at trainprovence.com or at the station. Second, no TGV, no Intercités, and no SNCF TER goes through Nice CP. The Train des Pignes is its own world.
What it is good for is a half-day or full-day scenic excursion. The line runs about 151 km north into the Provençal hinterland through 27 tunnels, with a daily Nice to Digne service plus more frequent urban services Nice to Plan-du-Var. In summer, a vintage steam train runs a separate section between Puget-Théniers and Annot.
Treat Nice CP as a destination station for the Train des Pignes, never as a way to “arrive in Nice”. If a booking site offers you “Nice CP” for a journey from Paris, that is the wrong row.
Getting to and from Nice Côte d’Azur Airport
There is no train station inside Nice Côte d’Azur Airport itself. You have three practical options.
The simplest for most arrivals is tram 2, “Port Lympia”. Lignes d’Azur, the Nice metropolitan transport company, runs tram 2 directly from the airport into the city. The terminal-side shuttle (T1 to T2 to Grand-Arénas) is free. From Grand-Arénas, board tram 2 into the centre. Get off at “Jean-Médecin” for Nice-Ville (about 800 m walk) or stay on for “Garibaldi” or “Port Lympia” for the east side and the port. End-to-end the tram takes around 25 to 35 minutes depending on your destination stop. Check current single and day-pass fares at lignesdazur.com.
The fastest rail option, when it lines up, is the Saint-Augustin walkway plus a TER. From Terminal 1 exit A0 it is about 7 minutes on foot to Nice Saint-Augustin, then around 5 minutes by TER to Nice-Ville. This is useful when you have light luggage and a TER is due in the next 10 to 15 minutes. Use the TER Zou ticket fare for that single hop.
A taxi is the backup. Late at night, with heavy bags, or with young children, the tram and TER lose their charm. Check the airport taxi page for current fares before you queue.
Transferring between Nice’s stations
These are the connections you may have to make if your hotel and your train do not match.
| Transfer | Method | Approx. time |
|---|---|---|
| Nice-Ville to Nice Saint-Augustin | TER (coastal axis) | ~5 min |
| Nice-Ville to Nice Saint-Augustin | Tram 2 (via Jean-Médecin and Grand-Arénas) | ~25 to 30 min |
| Nice-Ville to Nice Riquier | TER (coastal axis) | ~5 min |
| Nice-Ville to Nice CP | Walk | ~10 to 15 min |
| Nice-Ville to Nice CP | Tram 1 (1 to 2 stops) | ~5 min on tram + short walk |
If a booking page shows a transfer under 30 minutes between two different Nice stations, look at it carefully. Plan for at least 30 to 40 minutes door to door if you are changing stations with bags. The TERs themselves are short, but everything either side of them adds up.
If you miss a connection because of an SNCF delay and both legs are on the same SNCF ticket, you can normally rebook on a later train. That protection does not apply when you are stitching a TGV ticket to a separate TER ticket bought on different bookings, so price the full journey as one booking when you can.
Trains from Nice to Monaco, Cannes and Italy
The coastal axis is the workhorse for everyone on the Côte d’Azur. TER PACA / Zou trains run Cannes, Antibes, Nice, Monaco, Menton and Ventimiglia, with broadly half-hourly service through the day and longer hours at weekends. Indicative journey times from Nice-Ville on Aéroports de la Côte d’Azur and Seat61 references work out to roughly 17 minutes to Antibes, 25 minutes to Cannes, 22 minutes to Monaco, 35 minutes to Menton, and around an hour to Ventimiglia, although the exact number varies by service.
Three practical points for visitors.
First, do not book the TGV for these short hops. The coastal TER is faster end-to-end once you account for boarding a long-distance train, and Interrail and Eurail Pass holders ride at no extra fee.
Second, you do not need a passport for France to Monaco or France to Italy on these services. Monaco is open and the Schengen Area covers both France and Italy.
Third, board the train using the station code or platform sign rather than the display name on your booking app. “Ventimille” (French) is the same place as “Ventimiglia” (Italian); “Monaco-Monte-Carlo” is the name of the only Monaco station. Confusion at the platform is rarely about the train and almost always about the name.
Rail passes and reservations at Nice stations
The rules differ by train, not by station.
TGV InOui (including Paris to Nice). Seat reservation is mandatory. Interrail and Eurail Pass holders need a paid pass-holder reservation in addition to the pass, and these can sell out on popular dates. Book early through the Interrail or Eurail booking tool, or on sncf-connect.com if you are buying a full ticket.
Ouigo. Separate fare, not on rail passes. If you want a Ouigo train from Paris to Nice, you buy a full Ouigo ticket. Luggage rules are stricter than on TGV InOui.
Intercités. Reservation required; pass-holder reservation fees apply where the service is bookable.
TER PACA / Zou. No reservation. The pass is valid on the coastal axis Cannes to Nice to Ventimiglia, on the Marseille to Toulon to Nice line, on the Grasse branch, and on the Nice to Breil-sur-Roya to Tende Train des Merveilles. Walk up and board.
Train des Pignes (Chemins de fer de Provence). Not on Interrail or Eurail. Buy tickets from CP at the station or online at trainprovence.com.
Frequently asked questions
How many train stations does Nice have?
Nice has three SNCF stations, Nice-Ville, Nice Saint-Augustin and Nice Riquier, plus a separate fourth terminus called Nice CP. Nice CP is the start of the metre-gauge Train des Pignes line to Digne-les-Bains and is run by Chemins de fer de Provence, not SNCF. For long-distance travel almost every visitor uses Nice-Ville.
What is the main train station in Nice?
Nice-Ville (sometimes called Gare de Nice-Thiers) is the main station. It is the only Nice station that handles the TGV from Paris and Lyon, Intercités services, Ouigo, and the busy coastal TER to Cannes, Monaco, Menton and Ventimiglia. Saint-Augustin and Riquier only handle regional TER trains.
Is Nice train station the same as Nice-Ville?
Yes. When booking sites and timetables say "Nice", they almost always mean Nice-Ville. The same building is sometimes labelled Gare de Nice-Thiers in French, after the avenue it sits on. If your ticket shows Saint-Augustin, Riquier or Nice CP, that is a different station and you should not assume it is the same place.
Which train station in Nice is closest to the Old Town?
Nice Riquier is the closest SNCF station to Vieille Ville and the Port of Nice, though only marginally. The port itself is about a twenty-minute walk from Riquier. Nice-Ville is about 1.4 km, or roughly nineteen minutes on foot, from the Old Town. If you arrive at Nice-Ville with luggage, take tram line 1 toward Vieux Nice rather than walking.
How do I get from Nice Côte d'Azur Airport to the city by train?
There is no train station inside the airport. From Terminal 1 exit A0 you can walk about seven minutes to Nice Saint-Augustin and take a TER to Nice-Ville in about five minutes. The easier option for most arrivals is tram 2 ("Port Lympia") direct from the airport into the centre, with a free terminal-side shuttle between Terminal 1, Terminal 2 and the Grand-Arénas stop next to Saint-Augustin. End-to-end tram 2 takes around twenty-five to thirty-five minutes.
Do TGV trains stop at Nice Saint-Augustin or Nice Riquier?
No. TGV InOui, Ouigo and Intercités services only call at Nice-Ville. Saint-Augustin and Riquier are TER-only stops. If your ticket says Saint-Augustin or Riquier for a long-distance journey, you have booked the wrong row.
How long does it take to get from Nice to Paris by TGV?
Around five hours forty-five minutes to six hours on a fast working. The dedicated high-speed track ends near Marseille St-Charles, so east of Marseille the TGV runs on the classic Mediterranean coastal line at conventional speeds. Despite the "TGV" branding, the eastern leg is not high-speed track.
Is the Train des Pignes covered by Interrail or Eurail?
No. The Train des Pignes is operated by Chemins de fer de Provence (CP), a separate company outside the SNCF network. Interrail and Eurail Passes are not valid. Buy tickets directly from CP at Nice CP station or online at trainprovence.com.
Do I need a passport for the train from Nice to Monaco or to Italy?
No. Monaco's border with France is open and both France and Italy are inside the Schengen Area. The TER coastal trains from Nice to Monaco, Menton and Ventimiglia run as regular regional services with no passport check at the border.
Do I need a reservation on the coastal TER from Nice to Cannes or Monaco?
No. TER PACA / Zou trains on the coastal axis Cannes to Nice to Ventimiglia are unreserved. Buy a Zou ticket, walk up and board. Interrail and Eurail Pass holders travel free on these services with no supplement; reservations are only required on TGV InOui and Intercités.
