MAESTRACCI MATHIEU

This place needs toilets. It's perfectly located for the last two years because before that, getting to the airport was a real hassle. It has good access for disabled people, and once you get off the tram, it's a 10-minute ride in the trams to IKEA.

Beware of pickpockets. This station is very close to Nice Airport and is the best option if you need to take a train westward towards Cannes and Grasse or eastbound to Monaco and the Italian border. You can take a tram from the airport and get off at the tram station (Grand Arenas) across the street. The ride is free between the airport and that station. To reach Saint-Augustin Station, you do need to take the stairs or the lift to reach the area to buy tickets and the train platform. There is a ticket counter and a few ticket machines outside. The machines are a bit awkward to use as you need to turn the controls when making a selection. There are English instructions, but it is a bit difficult to change the setting so I would buy the tickets from the ticket counter if it is open. While the location is convenient, it is a notorious pickpocket location. My mom nearly was pickpocketed in the lift by a bunch of young girls. The lift was too full, which they used as a distraction for their treachery. It was a good lesson learned to be more careful with valuables, but it did start the trip in France on a bad note. Lastly, be aware that trains may arrive in the opposite direction if there is a track issue. Was headed to Ventimiglia, but ending up taking the train on the westbound platform due to this. Did not know what was up until I saw a large amount of passengers walking to the other side of the tracks. Though this led to a chaotic rush with heavy luggage in tow as the train was about to arrive. This station is a convenient location to take a train after arriving from the airport, but you need to be on guard when walking in the area and at the platform when waiting for your train.

Pray that the elevators are working when you have a heavy luggage. If you have a light backpack then this station is quite nice. No cafes or nice stores though

trains arrive exactly on time, nicely marked platforms and a very clean station.

Full of pickpockets !!! Be VERY careful and don't let anyone get too close to you. Especially in elevators and when boarding the trains, when packed. Pickpockets are usually groups of very young and aggressive women. Police can't do anything because they don't have ID and are often below 18yo.

The service is frequent and well used. No entrance to the south, so to reach the airport from Nice / Menton direction you must cross the tracks via a bridge go down to the street and cross back underneath the railway. If you have luggage pray that all 3 elevators are working. Very little shelter. The ticket office is closed even in morning peak despite this being shown as an airport station. 3 new ticket machines with the TER rotary dial system (1980s) installed which almost nobody can use about 25 years after SNCF started use touchscreens. Poor tram connections, about half of trams towards Nice run past the exit but stop 2 blocks away.

Horrible station, no benches, no toilets, nothing. SNCF: so something about it! Look at all the horrible reviews!

November 2024: What an Embarrassment Nice St Augustin is meant to be a significant railway station. If you are travelling to/from Nice Airport from/to anywhere on the South coast by train, this is where you change to/from a tram for an airport transfer. And it also sits on top of a bus station, And if that isn’t enough, the station serves the fast-growing new Plaine district of Nice. In short it is meant to be a major multimodal hub, so it should be damnedly impressive – but it isn’t. This station is brand new. Clean, neat lines, modern building, elevators and practical, broad staircases. But the facilities and signage are awful. Want a coffee? Or anything else? Tough luck, the only way to buy anything is from two vending machines that are both out of order (see photo). And anyway they are both inaccessible inside a locked building that (on this Sunday) is unstaffed. In fact, no staff were visible anywhere. Then, if you are new to this station, good luck with your tram transfer. I think there are no signs to the tram stop, or if they are they are not very visible. That’s just thoughtless. Uber and taxi drivers will happily drop you off here, but there is no safe or designated or appropriate drop off point – the driver just drives onto the wide sidewalk… Oh, and if you want to sit down, I recommend the stairs leading down to the platform – there are seats on the platform, but they are very few in number. Perhaps that is why the architect made the stairs so wide? There were literally dozens of people sitting on the stairs today. Truly, this is an embarrassment, it should be much better – whoever is responsible for this station should be ashamed. EDIT: 2 months later (Jan 2025) the two vending machines are STILL out of order! And although it's only 5:45pm on a weekday the ticket office is locked!!!