Parking in Nice is easier than its reputation suggests – if you know the rules. Street bays give you two free hours once a day (Monday to Saturday, 09:00–19:00) but allow no more than 2 hours 15 minutes, with a €25 charge if you overstay; Sundays and holidays are free. For longer visits, this guide covers the underground car parks for the Promenade des Anglais, Vieux Nice and the port, and the free Parcazur park-and-ride sites on the tram.
On-street parking in Nice is built for short stops, not for leaving a car all day. The city gives you the first two hours free once a day – and then makes it very expensive to stay longer. For anything more than a quick visit, use an underground car park or a park-and-ride.
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| Rule | Detail |
|---|---|
| Paid hours | Monday to Saturday, 09:00–19:00 |
| Sundays and public holidays | Free |
| Free allowance | 2 consecutive hours free once a day – you must still take a (free) ticket at the meter or in the app |
| Maximum stay | 2 hours 15 minutes |
| Overstaying or not paying | Forfait post-stationnement (FPS) of €25 |
| Payment | Meter (card or cash) or the PayByPhone app |
Rules as published by the City of Nice. The tariff is progressive: on the city’s grid one paid hour costs €1.20 and two hours €2.40, and the final step (2 hours 15 minutes) costs €25, the same as the FPS.
The Métropole’s own car parks are branded Parkings d’Azur; others are run by Indigo, Interparking and EFFIA. Height limits are low – 1.90 m in the Parkings d’Azur sites – so check before arriving with a roof box. Hourly rates are posted at the entrance and on the operators’ websites.
Underground car park at 29 Promenade des Anglais with about 350 spaces: the natural choice for the beaches, the Villa Masséna museum and the Negresco.
About 320 spaces at 3 rue Alexandre Mari, between the town hall, the Opéra and Place Masséna, a few steps from the Cours Saleya market.
About 325 spaces under the law-courts square, the closest Métropole car park to the lanes of the old town and Place Rossetti.
Indigo car park on the Cours Saleya itself, at the seafront edge of the old town. It can be booked through Parclick.
Two Parkings d’Azur car parks along the Promenade du Paillon (about 290 and 600 spaces), close to Place Garibaldi, the MAMAC and the tram.
Car park with about 380 spaces at the port, for the ferry terminals and the antique dealers’ quarter. The first 15 minutes are free.
Two car parks serve the main station: Interparking “Gare Nice Thiers” and the EFFIA station car park. Compare the two before a long stay – their 24-hour prices differ considerably.
Parkings d’Azur sells multi-day passes for its central car parks: 5 days for €95 and 7 days for €118 at Palais Masséna, Corvésy, Palais de Justice, Promenade des Arts and Marshall. That is far cheaper than paying by the hour.
Lignes d’Azur runs ten Parcazur park-and-ride sites on the tram and bus network. Parking is free – but to drive out you need a Lignes d’Azur return ticket or pass validated that day. The return ticket costs €3.40 and is sold at the machines on site; a single ticket does not open the exit barrier.
| Parcazur | Spaces | Hours | Connection |
|---|---|---|---|
| Henri Sappia | 765 | 24 hours | Tram and bus (north) |
| Charles Ehrmann | 628 | 24 hours | Tram (west, near the airport side) |
| Vauban | 361 | 24 hours | Tram stop Vauban (east) |
| Saint-Isidore | 321 | 04:15–01:45 | Tram stop Stade, next to the Allianz Riviera |
| Pont Michel | 260 | 04:55–01:45 | Tram stop Pont-Michel (east) |
| Carras – Les Bosquets | 241 | 04:15–02:15 | Tram stop Carras (west seafront) |
Since 18 April 2025, private cars and light vans are no longer covered by the Nice low-emission zone: only heavy goods vehicles, buses and coaches with the oldest Crit’Air ratings are restricted. A rental or foreign car can therefore drive into the centre without a ZFE restriction.
Palais Masséna is on the Promenade itself. Street bays nearby are limited to 2 hours 15 minutes.
The old town is pedestrian. Use Palais de Justice, Corvésy or Indigo Saleya and walk.
Corvésy and the car parks along the Promenade du Paillon (Marshall, Promenade des Arts) are the closest.
Port Lympia car park, on the quay.
Use Parcazur Saint-Isidore at the tram stop Stade, or come by tram from the centre on match and concert days.
Nice parking cost estimator
Pre-book a garage in Nice →Pre-filled with the first paid hour on the city’s street grid (€1.20). Street bays are limited to 2 hours 15 minutes; car parks have their own tariffs.
Partly. From Monday to Saturday, 09:00–19:00, you get two consecutive free hours once a day if you take a free ticket at the meter or in PayByPhone. Sundays and public holidays are free.
A maximum of 2 hours 15 minutes. If you overstay or have no ticket, you pay the forfait post-stationnement of €25.
Palais Masséna, an underground car park at 29 Promenade des Anglais run by Parkings d’Azur.
The old town is pedestrian. The nearest car parks are Palais de Justice, Corvésy and Indigo Saleya on the Cours Saleya.
Parking at the Parcazur sites is free, but the exit barrier opens only with a Lignes d’Azur return ticket (€3.40) or a pass validated that day. A single ticket is not enough.
Private cars have been outside the Nice low-emission zone since 18 April 2025, so the permanent ZFE rules no longer apply to them.
