hi, my business partner and I have a meeting in Cannes, and we will be in france only for one day (its ok, been there before, though not the rivierra!)

Our flight gets to Nice, though our meeting is in Cannes.
by reading some posts, i see that people prefer Nice over Cannes, which was one of my main questions... i.e. should we spend our one day/night in Nice or in Cannes?
and if in Nice, what location should we chose for our hotel? we would like to be "in the middle of things" as its only one night.

how far (taxi or train?) is the airport in Nice from the city?

How far (taxi or train) is the ride from Nice to Cannes?

any advice would be welcome, since we have to be there, we'd like to get the most of it!

Julia

The Nice airport is extremely close to central Nice. I can't think of another city whose airport is this close in.

I can't really recommend the place I stayed, but the Grimaldi is very well-liked on Fodors and is on my list for my next visit to Nice.
www.le-grimaldi.com/

I haven't been to Cannes, but it sounds much more modern and glitzy than Nice. Nice has lots of old world charm, architecture, wonderful museums, markets, cafes.

Definitely stay in Nice. If you want to save some money, take a bus from the airport to the city. The Nice airport site has all the details about bus routes.

A taxi from Nice to Cannes would cost a small fortune. There is frequent train service, the trip takes about 40 minutes, and the fare is around €5.

Thanks so far Cimbrone and TimS - so Nice it is!!
ok, now looking for a hotel...
anyone have a recommendation for a site to book through? (havent searched for europe hotels in a while...)

and - most importantly - what area of Nice would we be looking for? old town? promenade? what area would we most enjoy our few hours there? - nightlife, streat stalls etc. how far is the "old town" from the prom des anglais - if that is even so important...

waiting for replies - thats fodorites!

For one night and the meeting is in Cannes, for sure will be staying in Cannes and not Nice. I have been this September to Nice and Cannes. If stying few nights I like Nice better. Though, some people prefer Cannes especially for the beach. It will take you at least two hours from Nice airport to Cannes each way if you will take the bus and then the train, including buying and waiting for the train and the bus...etc. There is direct bus to Cannes from Nice airport. A taxi to Nice will be about 30 Euro to 35.
There are many hotels in Cannes from top 5 to 2 stars. The cost of hotel and foods for one night is not much different between Nice and Cannes.

The choice will also depend on your flight time. Buses start after 8 am.

For the one night for the meeting I would stay in Cannes. Otherwise there is too much commuting and not enough enjoying. Cannes is nice, pun intended, with a sweeping boardwalk and beach, shops, restaurants, etc.

For one night, stay on the promenade. Get a room facing the sea. Take a train from Cannes. Depend on where your hotel is on the main road. There are some stops you can catch the airport shuttle without going all the way to the bus terminal. If your flight is real early, take a taxi. Last year I took a bus all the way from VSM to Nice bus trerminal to catch the shuttle to the airport and it cost under 4 euro. Nice airport is not busy.