Nice's main station: Location map
Nice Ville is the main station in downtown Nice, walking distance from the seafront and Promenade des Anglais. Nice Ville was opened in 1864 and completed in 1867 for the famous PLM, Chemins de Fer de Paris à Lyon et à la Méditerranée.
Other stations in Nice: Nice Riquier is a local station east of Nice Ville, see location map. It's marginally closer to the old town and Vieux Port but only served by TER regional trains. Nice Saint-Augustin is a local station to west of Nice Ville opposite Nice airport also only served by TER regional trains, see location map. The local trains to Digne on the Ligne des Pines run by the Chemins de Fer de Provence leave from the Gare des Chemins de Fer de Provence just north of Nice Ville, see location map.
Nice Ville station taken from across the main road. The low black building on the right of the forecourt is the tourist information office.
Main entrance.
Main hall, immediately inside the main entrance. Note the ticket gates. The doors on the far side lead onto platform A.
Ticket gates. A row of gates marked Embarquement can be used at any time with TER tickets. Another section of gates is used for boarding specific departures, such as a TGV to Paris. Scan your ticket QR code on the gate reader and it will open.
Platforms with a TER train on platform B. Platform A and the main building are to the left, platform C to the right. The overbridge with lift & escalator up from each platform can be seen in the far distance. The steps down to the pedestrian subway are roughly in the middle of each platform.
Which platform?
Platforms at Nice Ville are lettered A to G, with platform A next to the station building on the south side, platform G on the far (north) side.
Subway & steps: A pedestrian subway (pictured below left) runs from the main hall (or rather, from platform A just outside it) underneath all the tracks with a flight of steps up to each platform.
Overbridge & lifts: If you can't manage the steps to or from the subway due to heavy luggage or mobility issues, there is a modern overbridge at the far west end of the trainshed linking all platforms and the main building. This has a lift, an (up only) escalator and steps to/from each platform. Pictured, below right.
Left luggage
There is now no left luggage at the station. The Hotel Belle Meunière across the road from the station can keep bags for you for around €5 per item or try the Hotel de Berne. Or use a luggage storage website such as Radicalstorage.com to book bag storage at a nearby location.
Tickets & information
The SNCF long-distance ticket office is in the main building, along the passageway leading off the main hall to the left (as you walk into the station) marked SNCF-TGV InOui.
For local tickets (for example to Cannes, Antibes, Marseille, Monaco or Ventimiglia) there's a regional ticket office just along the passageway leading off the main hall to the right (as you walk into the station) marked Billetterie Zou, see the photo below. Or use the Zou ticket machines. Zou is the brand name for regional transport in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, Zou regional trains are run under contract by SNCF French Railways and (like all French regional trains) classified TER, Trains Express Régionaux.
Food and drink
There are various food outlets at the station including a Paul sandwich shop.
There's a Carrefour Express minimarket in the station to the right of the main entrance. Or there's a larger Monop supermarket across the road and to the left, see location map.
Local transport
The station is walking distance from anywhere in Nice city centre.
The Promenade des Anglais is a 15-minute 1.1 km walk, see walking map.
Nice Old Town is a 19-minute 1.4 km walk, see walking map.
Nice ferry terminal (for ferries to Corsica & Sardinia, see location map) is 3 km from the station so I'd recommend a taxi.
Taxi fare calculator for Nice.
Hotels in Nice
The famous 5-star Hotel Negresco is Nice's most celebrated hotel, right on the Promenade des Anglais.
For something cheaper, but also on the Promenade des Anglais and not far from the old town, try the Mercure Nice Promenade des Anglais.
For a hotel near the station with good reviews, try the Hotel 64 Nice or Maison Durante.