Nice Airport to Cannes: the one route where the train wins outright

Nice Côte d'Azur is the busiest airport on the French Riviera, and Cannes — about 27km down the coast — is one of the most common onward trips. On paper it should be a drive of 30 to 35 minutes down the A8, but anyone who's sat in traffic on that stretch in July knows it can stretch past an hour without much warning.

What makes this route different from most others covered here is the train. Nice has its own station a short hop from the terminal — a shuttle bus to Nice Ville, then a quick regional TER train — and the line runs frequently straight into Cannes, dropping you a short walk from La Croisette. Door to door it's often faster than the car during peak traffic, and it's the cheapest way to make the trip by a wide margin.

The catch is the first leg. Getting from arrivals to the station itself isn't a single seamless journey, so with a lot of luggage or a late flight it adds friction that doesn't come up on routes with a train stop right at the airport.

A taxi or private transfer skips that step entirely and is the obvious choice for groups, evening arrivals, or hotels on the far side of Cannes from the station. Given the traffic on the A8 in season, a transfer at least guarantees a driver absorbs the delay rather than you watching the meter.

Rule of thumb: travelling light with a bit of patience, the train is genuinely one of the best transfers on this entire site. Heavy bags, a late landing or more than two people, book a car and let someone else deal with the traffic.