Bus from Nice to Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat
Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat is just a short bus ride from Nice, and offers lovely walks, stupendous villas, excellent lunch choices, and an award-winning beach…
Bus Tickets
The fare costs just 1.70€, and you can also use a day or week pass, all of which you can buy in the ticket machines at any tram stop (plus the rechargeable card Le Carte, which costs 2€ but is refundable). You can also buy your tickets from the driver as you board, but it will cost extra (4€!) . Also note that your bus/tram ticket gives you unlimited transfers in Nice for 74 minutes, so if you take the tramway to get to the bus stop, the bus will not cost extra.
Choosing Which Bus
The Bus #15 Port de Saint-Jean now leaves from the top of the Promenade du Paillon gardens, just to the side of the church, and just across the gardens from the Old Town. It runs every 15 minutes during the week, 20 minutes on Sundays and French holidays. This bus goes all the way into the town of Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, with the added bonus of having stops for the Villa Kerylos and Villa Rothschild as well. This is the best way to get from Nice to Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat as it will be less crowded and hits all the spots you want to see.
If you are staying in the Nice Port area, it might be more convenient to catch the Bus #600 to Monaco which leaves every 15 minutes on weekdays and every 20 minutes on Sundays and French holidays. Go to the right hand corner of the Port, which is rue Arson, and walk inland a block. The bus stop is just a pole with a sign (Arson/Fodere), but you can recognize it by the line of people already waiting to get to Monaco! This bus doesn’t go all the way into the town of Saint-Jean, but get off just after you see the Hotel Riviera at the Pont Saint-Jean stop (the stops are clearly shown on a screen and announced as well, so you can’t miss it.)
From here you can take a marvelous 15 minute walk into town on the flat and paved footpath… just walk down to the hotel beach and you will see the path right away.
What to do in Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat
Click here for my ideas on the perfect day trip to Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat with a side trip to Villefranche-sur-mer, but in short, here’s a quick summary:
This peninsula has some of the highest property values in the world, so naturally its tiny village is packed with upscale boutiques, high-end art galleries and gourmet restaurants.
Just after the town you will see beautiful Paloma beach, which was voted one of the two top beaches on the Riviera. There is a big public beach or splurge on the private beach. The beach has gravelly sand, gentle waves thanks to the protected cove, and is a great place to swim. There is a restaurant for a leisurely lunch or just pop by the bar/snackbar for a beachside break.
From the far end of the beach, you can pick up the trail to do one of the most magnificent walks on the coast: an easy loop around the windswept cape. After about 30 fabulous minutes you will see a sign to return to Saint Jean. This entire loop takes around 35 minutes and is easy walking.
If you choose to continue the rest of the way around, the paving stops and the trail gets a bit more rugged. This final portion will take an additional hour at least, and you will end up back near where the bus #600 dropped you off, and you can also catch the bus #15 back to Nice.
By now you’ve noticed that the sumptuous villas are mostly hidden behind enormous gates and longer driveways, or only visible from the sea… but there are two fabulous estates that you can see, the illustrious Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild with its magnificent gardens, and the Villa Kerylos. Villa Rothschild is a 20 minute walk from the village, or you can get to both of them on the bus #15 which leaves from the center of town: for the Villa Rothschild (the bigger wow) get off at the Plage de Passable/Rothschild stop, and for Villa Kerylos get off at the Villa Kerylos stop.
Getting back
Even if you came on the bus #600, it’s easier to take the bus #15 back from the center of the little town, leaves every 15-20 minutes on weekdays and every half-hour on Sunday, and that way you can be first on the bus and get a good seat. This is the best way to get back, as the bus #600 is often packed to the gills from the return trip from Monaco and will just blow right by you if there is no more room. Note that both buses stop running at 8pm. You can also take Uber back, for around 20€. Even better: first-time Uber users can click here and save 10€ on each of your first 5 rides!
Photo Credit: Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat courtesy of The Blue Walk European Walking Vacations
- Back up to Main Bus Page: Everything you need to know about taking the Bus in Nice