The regional train lines, Trains Express Regionaux (TER), are operated by the French state-run monopoly SNCF. These express trains allow for rapid connections between the major coastal cities on the Cote d`Azur from Cannes to Ventimiglia, the first town over the Italian border. Trains are available every 30 minutes at certain times of the day and most of the stations are within walking distance of the town center, or offer a bus service from the station. Tickets can be purchased from machines at each station, just make sure to validate the ticket onboard. If the tickets are not validated they are not valid and you will need to pay a fine. Prices on local trains are flat and vary according to the distance.

TER trains are generally faster than buses and stop at most French Riviera resort towns including Mandelieu, Cannes, Antibes, Nice-Saint Augustin, Nice-Ville, Villefranche-sur, Monaco, Menton, and Ventimiglia. Intercity and TGV trains depart only from Nice Ville. Important bus and tram lines always start at, or pass near, the train station in cities and towns with municipal bus and tram systems.

From June to September, the guided voyage on the Trains des Merveilles, costs about €15 round-trip. The journey runs from Nice to Tende in the Valley of the Marvels, with stops in perched villages. The train climbs more than 3,000 feet high on the trip through the Mercantour National park and takes about two-hours.

Train Services: www.sncf.com/fr/trains/ter

The Intercity buses in the French Riviera are managed by the Alpes Maritimes department opposed to the trains that are managed by the Provence Alpes Cote d`Azur regions. It is important to note that the buses can get very crowded, especially at rush hour, and the bus routes run into the normal regional traffic given that the roads are typically too narrow to accommodate a dedicated bus lane. The buses are generally quite modern and practical but their large size does not always mean that they have plenty of seated spaces. Although it is a very inexpensive means of transportation, it can be very time consuming when traveling by bus.

The public bus line, Lignes d`Azul (www.lignesdazur.com) connects the 24 towns and cities throughout the Cot d`Azur. With ticket Azul, a travel for a single ticket costs about €1.50 and allows you to hop on buses that link Nice to nearby towns. The ticket permits you to take two transport networks in succession, to complete a journey, including one change between one of the lines on the Departmental Council`s TAM network and a line on one for the following networks: Evibus (Antibes and surrounding area), Comunaute del la Riviera Francaise (Menton and surrounding area), Sillages (Brasse and surrounding area), Bus Varmer (Carros and surrounding area), Linge d`Azur (Nice and surrounding area), Bus Azur (Cannes and surrounding area). All-day passes are available for about €4.

Below are some main lines that you would use to visit the major attractions on the French Riviera:

Line 100: Nice to Menton, the coastal route runs along the rugged coastline with stops in beachside towns like Villefranch-sur-Mer, Beaulieu, Cap d`Ail and Monaco. This line offers some amazing scenery on your journey of the rugged coastline. You will want to be mindful of traveling outside the morning and evening rush hours.
Line 200: Nice to Cannes, this ride takes around 2 hours, depending on traffic.
Line 400: Nice to Vence via St Paul, this ride takes around 90 minutes to get to Vence.
Line 81: Nice to St Jean Cap Ferrat via Villefranch and Beaulieu sur Mer
Line 82: Nice to Eze Village using the Moyenne Cornich road, offering some stunning views of the coastline.

Taxi ranks in town are indicated by a blue panel. To reserve a taxi, central booking services are available in the Riviera`s main towns. It is important to note that taxi`s can be expensive on the Cote d`Azur.

One of the most convenient ways to get around the Riviera is by car. All of France and Europe`s major car rental companies have branches at Nice Airport. You typically have to pay for parking from Monday to Saturday from 9 am to 12 pm and from 2 pm to 6 pm. In the summer months, traffic conditions may prove to be difficult along the coast.

A car will allow you to optimize your time, as well as more flexibility than the train or the bus, especially if you`re moving around late. There are four main thoroughfares that run along the coastline, the A8 motorway and the three `Corniches,` roads that are carved into the mountainside between Nice and Italy. Below provides some additional details:

The A8 motorway, or `La Provencale,` crosses the whole French Riviera region (as part of the link between France and Italy). It is important to note that there are a number of tolls linked to the number of tunnels and viaducts. The motorway is relatively close to the coastline but after Nice airport, it curves inland and then east through the mountains so it is not too convenient to head down to the coast.

The D6007 main road (formerly know as N7) is toll free road, mostly runs parallel to the A8 and also links France to Italy. Moyenne Corniche, the section in the mountain side between Nice and Monaco, is a beautiful ride that provides impressive views from over 950ft above sea level. This is a great road to use to tour around the eastern Riviera as it is one of the legendary mountain roads of the Cote d`Azur. It is also worth noting that the section west of Nice is not as exciting and usually has lots of traffic.

The Bass Corniche coastal road runs from the port of Nice to the Italian border and follows both the train line and the bus route 100. This road offers stunning views but does have a number of traffic lights and some areas of slow speed limits (only 20mph while passing through Eze). This road is great to drive from Nice or Monaco to Cap d`Ail, Eze sur Mer, Beaulieu, Cap Ferrat and Villefranche sur Mer.

The Grande Corniche also offers magnificent views in the mountains with average heights of over 1,600ft high between Nice and Roquebrune Village. This is a beautiful road to travel if you are looking to enjoy the journey, just keep in mind that the road can be a bit scary at times if you are afraid of heights and also can get quite narrow in some places.

Boat travel on the Cote d`Azur is a beautiful way to get around while enjoying the scenery from the water. There are shuttle boats that operate April through October with Les Bateaux Verts (www.bateauxverts.com), trips between Saint Tropez and Saint Maxine coast about €13.50 and take around 15 minutes. Another shuttle services, Trans Cote d`Azur (www.trans-cote-azur.com) departs from Nice and Cannes and goes to Corniche de l`Esterel and Saint Tropez. Some of these routes are only offered from May to early October.

Uber is available throughout most of the Côted`Azur and into Monaco (but not vice-versa) and is a much easier option than calling a cab or waiting for one at a designated taxi stand.

Once you arrive in any of the cities, towns and villages of the French Riviera, you will find that they are all very `walkable` cities and should be explored on foot.