Getting Around Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur

We flew in and out of the Nice Airport during our trip and found it to be an easy airport to maneuver around. We used public transportation while in Nice but then returned to the airport mid-way through our holiday to pick up our rental car since we were heading up into the mountains. Everything is well signed (in English and French) and each time there was never a problem with finding our way.

The airport has two terminals and regular free shuttle buses that run between them and the various parking areas. There is also a bus terminal at Terminal 1 with a number of buses that run through the area, including the Nice Express bus that goes direct to the Nice main train station in the city center (Gare de Nice-Ville).

While waiting for our flight, the area was very crowded with passengers, although there seemed to be enough seats. The waiting area is just small and cramped with shops and cafés all around. A nice plus was that there were plenty of notice boards with flight information so you didn’t have to walk far to get updates on your flight and/or gate.

One of the best things about flying into Nice is the view from the plane on takeoff or landing. Planes come in over the water and make some sharp turns. We arrived at sunset and it was stunning to see the sun set over the water. Our departure gave us a great view of the coast. Be sure to get a window seat and have your camera ready!

There is a "Carte Isabelle Famille" which costs 35 Euros (one day only) or 80 Euros (3 consecutive days) for 4 persons (2 adults + 2 children under 16 years old).

Source in French: http://www.ter-sncf.com/Regions/paca/Fr/Se_deplacer_en_TER/Avant_mon_voyage/Produits_et_prix/DetailProduit.aspx?action=liste&ctcr=VL15&mode=0

If you buy it at the ticket office, you may be asked to fill in this form: http://telechargement.ter-sncf.com/Images/Paca/Tridion/Formulaire_Cartes_2010_tcm-27-58068.pdf

Thank you for your response. I did think Avignon, Nimes, Aix, were close enough for day trips. Don't want to change hotels too many times as you always lose a large piece of the day when you move to another hotel. So, would it be better to stay near the train station or near the port, or does it even matter if the Metro is near?

As the Sea Alps extend towards the seashore, space for roads is limited. On the other hand, the view from each road is breathtaking. In the eastern part of the Côte d'Azur, three so-called "corniches" allow visitors to enjoy these vistas: the Basse-Corniche, the oldest of them, next to the sea, the Moyenne-Corniche from the 1920s in the middle and the Grande-Corniche (built during Napoleon's reign) high above sea level. Numerous movies were filmed here because of the sublime vistas. Every corniche is worth driving along, so you do best to take the drive several times on each one of them. Some great views can be enjoyed close to Nice, near Eze, in Beausoleil with Monaco beneath you and further east in Roquebrune and around. But basically, the views are great more or less everywhere.
While it is possible to cycle the corniches, I would advise not to do that: The traffic is heavy and the countless bends make it easy for a cyclist to be missed by car drivers, especially if both are admiring the view and not driving carefully.
The only drawback is the lack of parking possibilities: there are only very few.

The TGV (Train à Grande Vitesse) whisks you to Provence from Paris in 3.5 hours. There are trains to Avignon, Aix en Provence, and Marseille. You can catch trains at the Charles de Gaulle airport and bypass Paris altogether.

We have deciced to stay/sleep in one place and from there make trips, routes every day. It is more convinient then to change hotel/apartments every two or three days and waist your time on chek in and chck out ; packing and unpacking your staff. We have choose nice house some 20 kilometers away from Avignon and all major sights was in 45 minutes drive distance. Also, we bought car navigation system wich shows up at the end as a very good investment, because we have never lost :-)

Website with the regional bus service for the Provence.
Main places include from west to east:
Arles, Fos sur Mer, Istres, Miramas, Salon de Provence, Vitrolles, Aix-en-Provence, Marseille Cantini, Marseille, La Ciotat, Aubagne.

Rates and schedules you can find under menu option Horaires et Tarifs.
You can call the information number for travel advice.

The main office is at:
368, boulevard Henri Barnier, 13016 Marseille

A convenient, easy way to travel along the coast is by taking the train. The line runs from Marseille way along the coast to just over the Italian border.

The main attractions are on the route - Cannes, Antibes, Juan-les-Pins, Nice, Monaco - and there are beautiful stretches running right alongside the ocean.

The fares were, we thought, not too bad. From Mandelieu La Napoule to Antibes and return was €7.20 each.