Car rental Ada (Tel : 0825 169 169), Avis (Tel: 0820 050 505), Budget (Tel: 0825 003 564), Europcar ( Tel : 0825 358 358), Hertz (Tel: 0825 342 343), National/Citer (Tel: 0144 386 161), Sixt (Tel: 0144 385 555).

Office rental Azur Business Services (Tel: 131 717, Email: abs@abs-center.com). Secretarial services Business Centre (Tel: 130 588, Email: jp@business-ad.com). Consulates and Embassies United Kingdom (26 av Notre-Dame, Tel: 0493 621 356), United States (7 av Gustav V, Tel: 0493 888 261), Germany (34 av Henri-Matisse, Tel: 0493 835 525), Belgium (5 rue Gabriel-Fauré, Tel: 0493 835 525), Italy (72 blvd Gambetta, Tel: 0492 144 090).

BUSINESS HOURS

Shops are usually open Monday-Saturday 10am-noon and 3pm-7pm. In high season some shops close later. Most food shops and street markets open on Sunday morning.

Banks and administration offices are open Monday-Friday 8.30am-noon and 1.30pm-5pm.

LOCAL PRESS

Nice-Matin newspaper has local news and entertainment listings. New Riviera Côte d’Azur is a glossy quarterly magazine in English with an excellent guide to hotels and restaurants on the Riviera, from Menton to St Tropez.

Riviera Radio, on 106.3 or 106.5 FM, broadcasts music, chat programmes, local and international news in English.

INTERNET CAFES

Email Café (8 Rue Saint Vincent). L’Arobas Café (22 Rue Benoît Bunico). Plasma Café (9 Rue Offenbach). L’Atelier (5 Rue Barillerie, Email: Cyber@café/Planète).

MONEY

The currency in France is the Euro (€). Credit cards are accepted in most major hotels and restaurants and many shops, although some may set a minimum spend before they accept them. Cash machines are available around every corner and travellers’ cheques as well as cash can be exchanged at banks and bureaux de change.

TIPPING ETIQUETTE

While most restaurants and bars include service in the bill, it’s still the done thing to tip. However, with rising prices tips have been coming down from the classic 10%, so leave 5% as the bare minimum. Tipping is optional in taxis, but hotel porters will expect a few Euros for delivering luggage.

PUBLIC HOLIDAYS

On official holidays, banks, government offices, shops, the majority of businesses and also many museums and tourist attractions are closed.
1st January—New Year’s Day
17th April (2006)—Easter Monday
1st May—Labour Day
8th May—VE Day
25th May (2006)—Ascension
14th July—Bastille Day
15th August—Assumption
1st November—All Saints
11th November—Armistice Day
25th December—Christmas Day

WEATHER AND CLIMATE

The French Riviera benefits from a Mediterranean climate characterised by exceptional sunshine almost 300 days per year. It rains heavily but infrequently, mostly in March/April and October/ November. In winter it rarely freezes. It’s a good idea to pack a sweater, but one can usually count on an alfresco breakfast or lunch on a restaurant terrace, except when the mistral wind blows from the west. August (and to some extent July) is when the French go on holiday and the seaside gets very busy—not a good time to do business.

GETTING INTO TOWN

Airport Nice Côte d’Azur International Airport (Tel: 0820 423 333 or 334 8988 9828 from abroad, www.nice.aeroport.fr) is France’s second busiest airport. It has two terminals linked by a free shuttle service. Terminal 1 has a business centre for executives in a hurry.

Taxi Taxi ranks at the airport are clearly indicated from each terminal. The trip to the centre of Nice costs between €20 and €28. It is also possible to pay with a special taxi voucher issued by the Chambre Syndicale des Mâitres Cochers de la Ville de Nice (Tel: 0493 857 001), in which case the fare to or from the airport is €57 for Cannes, €19/€21 for Nice and €65 for Monaco.

Car Follow the signs to the centre of Nice, which will take you along the Route Nationale 7 (RN7) or the Promenade des Anglais with the sea on your right. The journey should take about 10-15 minutes. Bus One of the quickest ways to get into town is on the Ligne d’Azur bus No 99 (from stand 1 at Terminal 1 and stand 4 at Terminal 2), which takes you straight to the SNCF railway station in 20 minutes.

If you need a stop along the way, such as the Congres, take the No 98 (stand 5 at Terminal 2, stand 1 at Terminal 1). It leaves approximately every 20 minutes and takes 30 minutes into the centre of Nice. Bus No 23 takes longer with more stops (Terminal 1, stand 6). Tickets can be bought online via the airport website. A single journey costs €1.30 and a one-day pass (for all Ligne d’Azur buses) is €4.

Train The Nice-St Augustin train station is one kilometre away from Terminal 1 and it will take about 20 minutes to walk there. There is a local line to Nice’s main station, Cannes, Monaco and other towns (Tel: 0892 353 535, www.ter.sncf.com/paca). Helicopters Heli Air Monaco (Tel: 377 9205 0050, Fax: 377 9205 7617) offers a helicopter service between Monaco Heliport and Nice Airport (one way €55 per person, return trip €110) and other destinations including Saint Tropez and Corsica. Heli Inter Riviera (Tel : 0493 214 646, Fax: 0493 314 647). Cannes-Mandelieu Airport, to the west of Cannes, caters for private jets and business aviation (Tel : 0820 426 666 or 898 898 28, www.cannes.aeroport.fr). For a fast connection to Nice, Tel: 0493 904 170. Also try Cap Camarat Business Jet (Tel: 0493 904 085) for first-class travel seven days a week from CannesMandelieu Airport.