The best way to get to Nice by car is via the A7, the Autoroute du Soleil. Parking garages are available in Nice.
Most of the visitors drive with their own cars to the Côte d'Azur. Those who come from the south of Germany can easily manage the distance in one day. From the south of Germany, it is approximately 1,100 km to Nice. By using the motorways, the trip takes approximately 12 hours. Those who come from the north of Germany should possibly plan an overnight stay. Coming from the north and west, it is best to drive via Lyon and then onto the Autoroute du Soleil, the A7 in southern direction. From southern Germany, it is best to travel via Geneva, passing Lyon on this route as well and then taking the A7. The motorways in France are subject to tolls and signs with the inscription "Péage" announce a toll station. As a general rule, there is a charge of about 5 cents per motorway kilometre. A trip on the country roads does not cost any money, but it takes considerably longer.
For drivers, the national driving licence is sufficient in France. It is also no longer compulsory to carry the international green insurance card, but this is recommended to make it easier to deal with accidents.
Speed limits in France
There is a limit of 0.5 per mille for drink driving in France. There is an agreement between France and Germany that fines for any traffic offences can also be collected in the home country. The fine in these cases must be at least 40 euros.
On French motorways, the maximum speed limit is 130 km/h, reduced to 110 km/h in wet conditions. On two-lane highways, cars are allowed to travel at a maximum of 110 km/h, on normal country roads the speed limit is 90 km/h. In towns and cities, the speed limit is the same as in Germany. In built-up areas, as in Germany, a maximum speed of 50 km/h applies.
Parking in Nice
When parking in Nice, a certain amount of caution is advised, as a yellow stripe on the side of the road means that parking is absolutely prohibited. If there is a blue stripe, parking at the roadside is allowed, but there will be a charge for it. As the parking in the big French cities can be quite problematic, there are many parking garages built in Nice. There is a parking garage near the Place Masséna, which is very centrally located.
