mikeroro

We will be spending a week in Nice in late september and will be renting a car. Please let us know if parking is a problem and if it is expensive to park in parking lots. Since it is our first visit to the south of France we've no experience with car rentals and parking in Nice and surrounding towns. Any information would greatly appreciated.
Thanks

Neopolitan

There are a couple of large underground lots in the center near the old town and the beach. I didn't think they were particularly expensive, but we may have gotten a special rate from our hotel -- I really don't remember.
Parking is somewhat of an issue in the entire area, but late September won't be a third the problem it is in July or August.

Azureskies

Parking in Nice is never easy, but there are several underground parking garages. I think the going rate is about 28 euros a night. Parking on the street is possible but you may spend a lot of time roaming around looking for a space - the traffic in Nice is mainly made up of people looking for parking spaces! Nice is serviced by excellent public transport, I would suggest using the buses and trains for trips to St Paul de Vence, Monaco, Menton, Cannes etc and hiring a car by the day if needed to see the surrounding areas. There are Hertz, Budget and Avis offices in the centre near Hotel Meridien.

TimS

Last year at the end of May I spent five nights in Nice. I used the Nice bus system and took trains to neighboring towns along the coast. I picked up a rental car on the fourth day so I could drive to places more accessible by car, parked on the street overnight, and then drove to the Luberon.

I suggest you follow a similar plan. Plan your daytrips so you use trains and buses most of the time. Why pay parking fees and daily rental charges for days you won't need a car at all?

Sue_xx_yy

If you're planning daytrips to places like Antibes, strongly suggest you use public transit those days. Parking was in such short supply, even in mid-April, that cars were parked everywhere - legally, illegally, wherever it was physically possible to put the things. (We gave up and drove on....)

Neopolitan

I would agree. We've stayed in Nice with a car (as part of a longer driving trip) and without a car. Visiting other places on the coast was a whole lot easier without the car. The car did come in handy for some more distant trips like the Verdun Gorge and St.Paul, Vence.

Underhill

Parking in the lot beneath the Cours Saléya runs about 28 Euros per day, although our hotel's rate is 18. However, there are some other municipal lots--outside ones--that aren't that expensive, and someone told me that there's even one that doesn't charge.

The first time we were in Nice we discovered that parking meters didn't need to be fed at lunchtime (12 to 1). That might still be the case.

The advice not to drive into Antibes is well taken. For one thing, the traffic is fierce, and then there's the lack of parking...not fun at all. But if you drive, check out the large lot by the marina.

Underhill

No, 12 to 2!

Underhill

Here's a chart of parking lots in Nice:

http://www2.nice.fr/parkings/liste.html