Best of Nice

Adieu Velo Bleu!  Nice just got two new fleets of modern electric share bikes that anyone can use, locals and tourists alike. They’re easy to use, not expensive, have sturdy construction and are well-maintained. In all, there are 2000 bikes in designated zones all over town (even in neighboring towns), mostly where the clunky old Velo Bleu docking stations used to be.

You’ll see blue bikes and green bikes: The main differences are that the Day-Glo green Lime bikes are just for one rider and have a big handy basket on the handlebars.

The blue Pony e-bikes are made for 2 riders, with a comfortable rear passenger seat and footholds.  Also, for purists, Pony has a few classic muscle-powered bikes mixed into its fleet as well.  Pony is a French start-up and Lime is an American share-bike giant, formerly affiliated with Uber.

Both companies have their own app, but they work basically the exact same way:

• Download the Lime and/or Pony app to your phone (both available in English) and register a payment method
• Look on the online map to find the nearest bikes (each bike’s battery charge is noted in kilometers)
• Put a 10-minute reservation on your chosen bike so no one else can snake it before you get there
• Walk up to your bike, scan its QR code with your phone to unlock it, and away you go…
• The ride ends (and the timer stops) when you park the bike in one of the designated zones.  Nothing to do, the bike just knows (but take a photo anyway)

Both Lime and Pony start with single-trip prices of 1€ plus a few centimes per minute (.19 for Pony, .23 for Lime), then offer much cheaper multi-trip discount deals by the day/week/month: Pony’s are based on number of trips, and Lime’s are based on cumulative minutes.  See my Bike Rentals in Nice page for an easy chart with the pricing options, but between the two there is an affordable offer to fit every user.

If you have never tried an electric bike you are in for a treat: you start peddling and then it just peddles for you… it’s so fun, like riding a magic bike!  Test it out with a morning spin along the Prom: you won’t regret it!

See related page Biking in Nice

Photo by Best of Nice

Update: The last day of the season for Roubion and Valberg is April 1, but Auron and Isola will be open through April 14, 2024

Did you know that the least expensive ski resort in all of Europe is just one hour from Nice by car?

Ski Info Magazine recently ranked every ski resort in Europe based on the combined cost of lift tickets+lodging.

And the surprise winner is… Roubion-Les Buisses, a small ski resort just an hour’s drive from the Nice airport, with 8 lifts and 30k of runs.  With 20€ lift tickets and nightly lodging averaging just 26€/person, it’s a a killer deal at just 42€ total.

Roubion just got a big dump of snow last week, so after a slow start, their season is finally in full swing!

In a separate ranking at the end of last season, The Nice-Matin surveyed local skiers, which also resulted in some surprises:

1. Auron: Best overall: big resort, good village ambience, great runs
2. Valberg: Most charming village, best for families, most non-skier activities
3. Le Val d’Allos:  Wide-open least-crowded ski runs
4. Isola 2000: Highest altitude, best snow (and an Olympic host in 2030!)
5. La Colmiane: Best overall value (quality/price)
6. Limone: Popular Italian ski resort, just over the border from France

For more details on these resort rankings, plus transportation options, see my Day Trip to the Ski Slopes page.  All these resorts are accessible with public transportation: via the bargain Nice Ski Express Buses, by city bus, or by mountain train.

You can’t beat seaside-to-schussing in less than 2 hours, and a bargain to boot!