The cheapest way to get from Nice airport to Cannes

With taxis costing upwards of €90 depending on where you are staying in Cannes, it’s always worth checking the other options. If you are travelling with one or two people and have travelled a bit, you might just want to get downtown as quickly as possible in which case the taxis are a tempting option. If you are travelling alone, on a budget and have a little time, there are three cheap ways to get to Cannes.

To determine which the best option is, think first about where you are actually staying.

• Cannes centre: the express bus and the train are the best options.
• Antibes, Golfe-Juan or Juan-les-Pins: the Golfe Juan express bus or train is the way to go.
• Cannes La Bocca or Mandelieu: go for the train (just check on a map how close your hotel is to the relevant stations).

Our first tip is the cheapest: the bus. The NoctamBus 200 takes over from the express shuttle bus (see below) on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings. The journey takes about 90 minutes and costs just €1. It drives through Antibes, Juan-les-Pin and Golfe Juan, so is handy if your hotel is located there.

Tip n° 2: It’s a little-known secret that Nice airport has a railway station (relatively) near by: Nice-St Augustin. It brings you to Cannes in about 35 minutes for the price of about €5.20 (Januray 2011). It’s particularly handy if you are staying in Juan-les-Pins or Antibes. To reach it, take bus 23 or the car park shuttle bus from Terminal 1. Nice-St Augustin is the second stop. Alternatively, go to the bus station in Terminal 1 and look for signposts for the “L’Arénas” office block. Then take Avenue Lindbergh and then a right on the Blvd Cassin. Cross at the lights and head under the railway bridge. You’ll find the station on your right. It takes about 15 minutes, not recommended if you have heavy cases but perfectly doable otherwise. Last trains are at 21:43 weekdays and 14 past midnight on Saturdays and Sundays according to the train timetable. But I’m hesitant about recommending the last train. Look for the latest timetable on the SNCF site or Train timetable Nice-Cannes (You might want to print this info and the timetable).

Tip 3: the Cannes Xpress bus (n° 210) is a popular option, as it leaves from Terminal 1 every 30 minutes, visits Terminal 2 and then takes the motorway straight to Cannes for €15.60 in 50 minutes (return ticket €25.50). I like this one, as you often meet people on the bus and your Cannes festival starts straight away! The last bus leaves the airport at 8pm. The bus arrives and then leaves from the “gare routière” near Cannes town hall. There are ample bus connections from there, or take a taxi if you’re out of town. Another express bus, n° 250, goes from the airport to Antibes, Juan-les-Pins and Golfe Juan for €8 (€15 return).

The newest kid on the block is CannesExpress (confusingly close to the shuttle bus name). They offer a shared taxi shuttle service for €20 to a large number of hotels and apartments  in Cannes, Le Cannet and Mandelieu via their website. I haven’t tried it yet, but it’s a very tempting offer. Read the fine print and book in advance at CannesExpress.

Updated January 26, 2012. But I’m not responsible for changes to the timetables.

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