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• You must cancel your booking at least 48 hours before the start time of the activity/experience to get a complete refund.
• If you cancel your booking less than 48 hours before the start time of the activity/experience, you will not be reimbursed.
• Any modifications made less than 48 hours before the start time of the activity/experience will not be allowed.
• The cut-off times are determined by the activity/experience's local start time.
• This activity/experience is weather dependent. If it is cancelled due to inclement weather, you will be given an alternate date or a full refund.

For groups of 12 or more, you may send us an inquiry at [email protected]. Although we do not guarantee bulk deals for all our tours, there are some tours for which we can offer discounted pricing. Ordinary hop-on-hop-off bus tickets are entitled to group savings. Attractions, pass items and combo tickets aren't.

Due the nature of this type of tour and varying demand, group travellers should be aware that there is no guarantee that the group will be able to travel altogether as the available seats vary from stop to stop and depends on demand each day. The group may need to split up and/or wait for the next bus(s).

As, we cannot guarantee that the group shall be able to travel together as one group, therefore we will reduce the group size down to 4-5 smaller groups per ticket (depending upon group size).

Nice Le Grand Tour: Hop-On, Hop-Off Bus Tour

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• Unlimited bus tours with Nice Hop On Hop Off facilities for the entire route
• Get easy access to the cruise terminal because of the stop at Villefranche
• 12 bus stops at prime locations including every tourist attraction
• Multilingual commentary is available on board in 8 languages
• Mobile Ticket Acceptable (No need to print)

Nice is the exotic blend of ancient Greek heritage and the 19th century lifestyle of the European high class. Experience the pebble stone beaches, the ancient architectures and the beautiful places of the French Riviera with the 12 prime locations in the Nice Open-top city sightseeing bus tour.

First Bus: 10:00am , Last Bus:  5:30pm Frequency: Every 45 minutes Full Loop: 1 hour 30 minutes  Starting Point:  Esplanade Georges Pompidou (99 Quai des Etats-Unis)

• 1 or 2 Days Nice Hop On Hop Off Bus Pass
• Audio Guide in 8 languages: French, English, Spanish, Italian, German, Russian, Japanese, Chinese Mandarin
• Personal Headphones (Digital Sound)
• Entrance Fees (Unless specified)
• Hotel Transfers

Redemption Info

Starting Point:  Esplanade Georges Pompidou (99 Quai des Etats-Unis), 06300 Nice However, You can board the bus at any stop and voucher can be exchanged directly with the driver. You will receive a ticket in exchange for your voucher, which you must keep until the expiry date/ tour. Please check your ticket to know when it expires. After exchanging your voucher for a ticket, your voucher will no longer be valid. In loss of voucher/ticket, company is not liable for any refund. Note: Tickets are valid for the date which you booked. Cruise Passengers:  Stop 7 - Port Lympia / Carnot, 10, Boulevard Carnot

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Useful downloads, cancellation policy, customer reviews.

Bus was very clean and timely. It was busy therefore crowded, perhaps more buses? Read More

Bus was very clean and timely. It was busy therefore crowded, perhaps more buses?

Thank you for your valuable feedback. Happy to hear your thoughts. It is always interesting to see what our travelers think of our service.

excellent trip, such a good way to see Nice and a good introduction to Ville Franche. Read More

excellent trip, such a good way to see Nice and a good introduction to Ville Franche.

Perfect Read More

Brilliant tour and got to see a lot of the attractions around Nice that we would not have seen otherwise. Easy to hop on... Read More

Brilliant tour and got to see a lot of the attractions around Nice that we would not have seen otherwise. Easy to hop on and hop off at the stops.

Great tour of Nice and surrounding areas. Got delayed a bit because of the Ironman event, so never made it back to our o... Read More

Great tour of Nice and surrounding areas. Got delayed a bit because of the Ironman event, so never made it back to our original hop on spot and had to walk the rest of the way back. Great history lesson and the views from the upper level were amazing.

Pretty good way to see Nice. Read More

Pretty good way to see Nice.

We loved it! Read More

We loved it!

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Get on board a bus, a van, or an electric vehicle and let yourself be guided through the towns and villages of Nice Côte d’Azur. Don’t miss any site or viewpoint, your driver will show you the most beautiful spots of the territory for a few hours or a whole day.

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Located in the heart of the Old Town, close to the Cours Saleya and its market, on the ground floor of the Palais du Sénat, a historic landmark that is also home to the Nice Heritage Centre, the “Atelier Cuisine Niçoise” offers cookery classes, culinary competitions, exhibitions and product presentations.

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Nice is renowned as much for its tourist appeal as for its art of living and its cuisine. Traditional Mediterranean cuisine with lots of vegetables, flavours and scents … Discover all the...

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Explore the beautiful Mediterranean city of Nice along the French Riviera during your Hop-on, Hop-off Nice Bus Tour. The Hop-on, Hop-off Nice Bus Tour ticket makes it easy for you to discover the city, one stop at a time. Forego the headache of trying to figure out transportation in a new city and pick up a Hop-on, Hop-off Nice Bus Tour ticket for a seamless, stress-free Nice trip. A Nice sightseeing tour has never been so simple! Step off the bus to visit the Nice attractions that interest you. Then, hop back on and skip the ones that don’t. You can enjoy audio commentary in over 8 languages, supplying you with useful information as you head towards your next destination. Check out Promenade – Etats-Unis, Ile de Beauté Port, Croisière – Bleu Rivage, and more. Or, see Place Garibaldi, Acropolis – Barla, Musée Chagall, and other Nice points-of-interest. You can choose between a 1-day or 2-day Hop-on, Hop-off Tour of Nice that stops at 14 different places throughout the city. If you want to see the city without paying for those expensive taxi fares, then taking this tour is what to do in Nice!

Other Hop On Hop Off Destinations

• New York City
• San Francisco
• Washington DC
• Los Angeles
• Johannesburg
• San Antonio
• Reykjavik Iceland
• St-Petersburg
• Benalmadena
• Thessaloniki
• Kristiansand
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Nice: Best Things to Do In The French Riviera Gem

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Dublin at Your Own Pace: How to Maximize Your Hop-On Hop-Off Tour

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Nice Buses 2024

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The Nice bus system is fairly extensive as it connects all parts of town as well as the outskirts. ( See a bus map ) Buses are modern, air-conditioned and fairly comfortable as far as buses go. Yes, they can be quite crowded but the special bus lanes on major streets means they can get you to your destination much faster than a car especially during rush hours.

Convenient as it is, the buses don't hold a candle to the tramway for journeys between the Old Town and north Nice and between the Airport and central Nice. The tram is more frequent and runs longer hours. More .

The only bus journey that can be substantially more convenient than the tram is Line 99 that connects boulevard Gambetta with central Nice. It runs every 15 minutes between 9.30am and 7pm 7/7. And, it's a non-polluting electric bus. Check out this map:

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Bus service starts early (around 5 or 6am) and finishes somewhere between 9pm and 1am depending on the line. Lines 5, 6, 7, 8 are coordinated with tram lines and run until nearly 1am. The rest end earlier. Frequency varies according to the route but is generally every 10 to 20 minutes. Buses are more frequent on weekdays and substantially less frequent on Sundays.

Airport Buses

Airport buses 98 and 99 have ceased operations . Instead, there's the Tram Ligne 2 which carries passengers from the Airport to Port Lympia.There's also bus no 12 which operates from the stop Airport/Promenade, rolls down the Promenade des Anglais and ends at Promenade des Arts. It runs from 5:30am to 9:40pm.

[ More about ground transport from Nice Airport ]

Five things to know about Using Nice Buses

1. You must flag down the bus as it approaches

2. You should board at the front and exit at the rear door

3. You must pass the magnetic stripe on your ticket across the indicated spot on the validating machine even if your ride is a transfer. There are occasional checks and you will be levied an on-the-spot fine for not having a ticket or not having a validated ticket.

4. You may ask the bus driver to let you know when you arrive at your desired stop but only if the bus is not crowded with passengers. Otherwise, consult the list of stops in the bus or keep an eye on the sign at each bus stop. Some buses have a screen that announces each stop.

5. Before you reach the stop, you (or someone else) must press the red button fixed to poles so that an Arret Demandé flashes in red overhead the driver.

All tickets are valid on buses or trams.

Single Ticket

The price of a single ticket is €1.70 but only if you buy it from a ticket machine. If you buy it on board from the driver it costs €2 (the driver can make change). The ticket ( Solo Secours ) is good for all transfers that take place within 74 minutes but is not good for a return trip. You can then recharge this ticket at any ticket machine.

This refillable card offers the best deal for visitors. It's available for purchase at any ticket dispenser or at any Lignes d'Azur office. There's a €2 refundable processing fee and then you choose either a pass or a multi-voyage plan . Under the latter, you prepay any number of journeys from 1 to 100. The price is degressive. The more you buy, the cheaper it is. You pay €1.70 for the first 12 trips; €1.50 for the next 13 trips; €1.30 up to 50 trips and then €1 for 50 to 100 trips. For example, if you put 15 trips on your card you’ll pay €24.90. Note that this multi-voyage plan can be used by more than one person which makes it ideal for people travelling in a group. There is no expiration date and it can be used for group travel. Just punch in the validator once for each person. As in the single-ticket, the card is good for transfers in the same direction for 74 minutes. The card must be validated for each transfer.

There's also a daily pass for €7 which is economical if you'll be doing a lot of sightseeing. You can buy this pass at any ticket dispenser or Lignes d'Azur office. First choose to purchase La Carte and then choose the daily pass. To use the daily pass, stamp it in the validatating machine onboard your first trip. After that, you're good to go for as many bus and tram trips as you like for 24 hours. The pass can only be used by one person.

Two-Day Pass

The modality is the same as the one-day pass but it costs €13.

Seven-Day Pass

The seven-day pass for €20 is another option if you need to take a number of buses throughout your stay.

Buying Bus Tickets and passes

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Only the rechargeable Carte Secours for €2 may be purchased in cash on board from the driver. Drivers can give change. Otherwise, there are four ways to buy tickets and passes.

1) There is a vending machine at each tram stop in which you can buy La Carte and then choose the number of voyages on the multi-voyage plan or a pass. The machines do not accept banknotes, only coins or credit cards.

2) Sign up for an account at lignesdazur.com and you can purchase your tickets (except a single ticket) and passes online and have them delivered to your French address.

3) Pay in person at a Lignes d'Azur agency or an authorized distributor. Many tobacco shops sell tickets. In Nice the Lignes d'Azur agency has an office at 33 boulevard Debouchage. A full list of the distributors throughout the region is here .

4) Pay by smartphone. It's easy and practical. Download and install the app Nice Ticket for Android or Apple. Just plug in your credit card number. On Android you can buy La Carte and fill it with one or many tickets plus any pass or subscription (Nice residents only). On the iPhone you can only recharge a card you've already purchased. To validate the ticket or pass on the bus, make sure NFC is turned on and the screen is on. Place the NFC antenna (usually on the back of the phone) against the validating machine as follows:

If a ticket inspector asks to see your ticket, simply open the app. This method is convenient because you don't need to keep track of your card.

Planning Your Journey

The Nice bus and tram system is handled by Lignes d'Azur. It is not the most user-friendly system, primarily because timetables and frequencies vary so much from one bus line to the other. On the other hand, the buses are extremely reliable usually arriving within a minute or two of the scheduled time. Here are some planning tools to get you around the bus system:

Website Your first stop should be the Lignes d'Azur website. Just plug in the addresses of your departure and arrival points and you'll get a precise timetable. Also important are the up-to-the-minute notifcation of service disruptions. Disruptions and detours are frequent because of strikes, construction work, demonstrations and the many events that take place in central Nice.

Telephone Lignes d'Azur has a telephone service in which you can find out exactly which bus or buses to take where and at exactly what time the bus arrives at your stop. No kidding. Just call 08 1006 1006 (.06 per minute). Operators can communicate in English.

Smartphone Lignes d'Azur has apps for iPhone and Android. The geo-location feature is most helpful if you don't know your nearest stop. Be aware that the app tells you when the bus or tram is supposed to arrive. It is not unusual for a bus to arrive ahead of schedule.

Nice Bus Changes

There is no more 10-voyage card. The new bus and tram ticketing system changed in 2023 and is more complicated. Click here for all details.

Last updated May 22, 2024

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A Guide to 10 ‘Luxury Bus’ Lines You Can Take Instead of Amtrak

A nationally recognized reporter, writer, and consumer advocate, Ed Perkins focuses on how travelers can find the best deals and avoid scams.

He is the author of "Online Travel" (2000) and "Business Travel: When It's Your Money" (2004), the first step-by-step guide specifically written for small business and self-employed professional travelers. He was also the co-author of the annual "Best Travel Deals" series from Consumers Union.

Perkins' advice for business travelers is featured on MyBusinessTravel.com , a website devoted to helping small business and self-employed professional travelers find the best value for their travel dollars.

Perkins was founding editor of Consumer Reports Travel Letter, one of the country's most influential travel publications, from which he retired in 1998. He has also written for Business Traveller magazine (London).

Perkins' travel expertise has led to frequent television appearances, including ABC's "Good Morning America" and "This Week with David Brinkley," "The CBS Evening News with Dan Rather," CNN, and numerous local TV and radio stations.

Before editing Consumer Reports Travel Letter, Perkins spent 25 years in travel research and consulting with assignments ranging from national tourism development strategies to the design of computer-based tourism models.

Born in Evanston, Illinois, Perkins lives in Ashland, Oregon with his wife.

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Yes, you can travel in luxury on a bus: A few bus lines around the country are providing luxury bus service on intercity routes up to about 300 miles, especially in areas where air and rail service is either sparse or expensive. To qualify as “luxury,” my primary requirement is that a line must provide one-by two seating, with extra legroom, in a full size intercity bus, along with an onboard lavatory, Wi-Fi and/or streaming TV, snack/drink service, and no-fee baggage checking. That’s all typically much more comfortable than a plane, and sometimes more comfortable than Amtrak. Fares are around double regular bus fares, because the lines fit only 22 to 35 seats into buses that nominally hold 55 to 60 seats, in addition to extra passenger amenities.

I found 10 lines that qualify, listed here alphabetically, with samples of posted one-way fares. Most lines employ capacity-controlled pricing: As buses fill up, fares for remaining seats increase. Most lines also offer a variety of round-trip, multi-ride, frequent-traveler membership, student, and similar discounts. Most require reservations, and pick up and leave travelers on public-street loading zones, or sometimes at hotels.

Editors’ Note: Included fares are accurate at time of publication.

9 Tips to Finally Stop Overpacking

BestBus is one of the many bus lines that operate between New York City and the Washington, D.C. area. Although most of its trips use conventional intercity buses, one or two daily trips feature “Prime” service that offers the necessary luxury mix. At least one trip operates most days nonstop between New York Penn Station and Washington-area drop off points at DuPont Circle and Union Station and three stops in suburban Virginia. The Prime fare for February starts at around $47 one-way, compared with $38-40 for the regular service; trips take four hours and more.

Amtrak offers frequent competition, with trips taking from a bit under three hours (Acela, from $155) to 3:30 hours (Northeast Regional, hovering around at $115 with fares below $100 available on specific dates).

C&J Bus Lines

C&J operates at least two daily trips, all with luxury buses, on two main routes:

• Connecting Boston with Dover, Portsmouth, and Seabrook New Hampshire. Trips take 55 minutes to Seabrook, at $13.99, to 1:30 to 2 hours to Dover at $14.99, and on average 1:15 to 1:30 to Portsmouth at $14.99.
• Connecting New York with Andover, Massachusetts as well as Seabrook and Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Trips take 4 hours to Andover, fares are $74. Trips to Seabrook take between 4:30 and 4:45 and trips to Portsmouth take roughly 5:15, fares for both are $84.

Concord Coach Lines

Concord operates several trunk routes, but offers its luxury “Plus Bus” on one daily round trip each on its route connecting New York City with Portland, Maine (6 hours, $79).

Amtrak connects New York with Portland, but a train trip requires changing trains and stations in Boston. The shortest connection for a trip in early March takes six hours and costs $84, including bus transfer between stations in Boston. Competitive air service to Portland for a similar time frame starts at $45 one way.

10 Tips for Long-Distance Amtrak Trips

Dartmouth Coach

Dartmouth Coach operates luxury bus trips at least once daily with extra weekend service between New York City and Hanover/Dartmouth and Lebanon, New Hampshire. Trips take about five hours; fares start at $89. This company is affiliated with Concord Coach Lines and appears to offer a similar luxury product. Dartmouth also operates from the Boston area, but only with conventional buses.

Amtrak does not go near Dartmouth or Lebanon. Flights from New York to Lebanon start at around $134 one way, and require about four hours with a plane change at Boston.

Hampton Jitney

The Hampton Jitney operates between New York and the main eastern Long Island centers, including three to four daily luxury “Ambassador” service trips to/from Montauk, with additional trips to/from Amagansett. Montauk trips take 3:15; fares start at roughly $45.

The competition to the Hamptons is the Long Island Rail Road Montauk line. Montauk trips take 3:15 and cost $22.25 off-peak, $30.50 peak.

Red Coach operates a complex network linking Miami with Tallahassee while also serving key intermediate stops. Although it also operates conventional buses, Red Coach operates luxury First Class runs several times daily between Miami and Tallahassee via Orlando. Miami-Tallahassee trips take about nine and a half hours, with fares starting at $99; Orlando-Miami trips take about 4 hours with fares starting at $45.

Red Coach competes with Amtrak, Brightline, and Tri-Met between some South Florida stops, but no rail line operates to/from Tallahassee or between Atlanta and Florida. Miami-Tallahassee nonstop flight fares start at roughly $150 round trip, taking two hours nonstop or over five hours with a layover.

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Tripper Bus Elite

Tripper Bus is one of the many lines that operate between New York City and the Washington DC area. The line runs between two and seven trips each day, and on most days one of those trips uses a luxury “Elite” bus. Trips run between New York City Penn Station area and stops in suburban Bethesda and  Arlington. Travel time is 4:00 hours; Elite class fares start around $60, compared with regular fares which start at $27. See “BestBus” entry for Amtrak and airline competition.

Vamoose Gold

Vamoose is yet another New York-to-Washington bus line that operates a luxury service. “Gold Bus” trips operate three to four times per day between midtown Manhattan and stops in Bethesda, Maryland, and Arlington and Lorton, Virginia. The trips take 4:00 to 4:30 hours to/from Bethesda; 4:40 to/from Arlington; and 5:00 to 5:30 to/from Lorton. Gold Bus fares start at $79, depending on time of day; regular fares start at $49. See “BestBus” entry for Amtrak and airline competition.

Vonlane operates an extensive network of all-luxury bus routes connecting Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston, Atlanta, and San Antonio. All stops are at city-center hotels except for Dallas, where the terminal is at a Love Field hotel. Sample fares from Houston to Fort Worth are $129; the trip takes four hours.

All Vonlane routes are serviced by multiple airlines, including Southwest. Sample nonstop airfares for Houston-Dallas in late February start at $154 one way, decreasing to under $100 for select dates in March. Amtrak operates one train daily between Oklahoma City and Fort Worth and one train daily Dallas-Austin-San Antonio. Coach fares Dallas-San Antonio start at $37 for a 10-hour trip.

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Washington Deluxe

Washington Deluxe is the fourth (on my list) New York-Washington bus line that offers a deluxe option. “LUX” buses operate less than daily between New York/Penn Station and Washington/DuPont Circle. The trip takes 4:00 to 4:30; the fare starts at $35. See “BestBus” entry for Amtrak competition.

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