Private jet to the French Riviera

The French Riviera, or Côte d'Azur, runs for close to 200 km from Hyères in the west to Menton on the Italian border. Along it, four airports take private aircraft: Nice Côte d'Azur, Cannes-Mandelieu, La Môle near Saint-Tropez and Toulon-Hyères, and Monaco adds a heliport. Which one to land at depends on three things: where you are staying, how large the aircraft is and what time you arrive or leave.

This page compares the airports of the French Riviera and helps you pick the right one with the right aircraft. The details of each destination are on the pages for Nice, Cannes, Saint-Tropez, Monaco and Monte Carlo. As a broker, we collect offers from operators across Europe and plan the trip around both the runway and the address.

Give us the address on the coast, the dates and the number of passengers, and we will suggest the airport, the aircraft and the transfer in one reply.

Why the French Riviera suits private flying

Flight times to the Côte d'Azur

Block times to Nice in a Citation M2, the first column of the main table, taxi and climb included:

A Praetor 500 flies London - Nice in 1:48 h. From Copenhagen a Phenom 300 reaches Cannes-Mandelieu in 2:22 h, and from Oslo or Stockholm in about 3:00 h. A Pilatus PC-12 needs 1:21 h from Bern to La Môle, and a Citation XLS+ 1:37 h from Brussels to Toulon-Hyères or 2:23 h from Copenhagen. Since all four airports lie within about 110 km of each other, the flight time barely changes; the runway, the opening hours and the drive at the other end make the difference.

Prices for private flights to the French Riviera

The tables quote one-way prices for the whole aircraft with a suitable aircraft near your departure point; handling, parking and passenger taxes are extra. Times belong to the first aircraft in each row that can fly the route, and on request means that type cannot fly the route without a stop.

From the European hubs to Nice

A Citation M2 for up to six passengers costs EUR 8,000 from Geneva or Milan and EUR 11,000 from London. The Praetor 500 adds a stand-up cabin and range for Larnaca or Lisbon, and the Falcon 2000LXS carries ten people with luggage for a long summer stay.

From northern Europe to Cannes-Mandelieu

Cannes-Mandelieu takes jets up to 35 t, so light, midsize and super midsize jets fly there directly from Scandinavia, Poland and Ireland:

To La Môle and Toulon-Hyères

For the Saint-Tropez peninsula, a turboprop or a PC-24 lands at La Môle; larger jets use Toulon-Hyères, the nearest long runway:

Long-haul flights to Nice

Nice is the only airport on the coast that takes every long-range jet and VIP airliner without restriction. On every route the price follows three things: hours in the air, where the closest available aircraft is and the time of year. Between May and September aircraft are scarce and parking is limited at all four airports, so many trips are priced as two separate one-way flights. France charges its solidarity tax when you leave, never when you arrive: about EUR 420 per passenger in a jet on European routes and about half that in a turboprop, even for a short hop from one Riviera airport to another. Flights from the UK add Air Passenger Duty, set by the weight and seating of the aircraft. Italy charges EUR 100 per passenger up to 1,500 km on flights to and from its airports, and Germany a departure tax.

Business jet price per flight hour

Heavy Jets from EUR 8,300 / hour

Light Jets from EUR 3,200 / hour

Ultra Long Range Jets from EUR 12,000 / hour

Super Midsize Jets from EUR 6,300 / hour

Very Light Jets from EUR 2,500 / hour

Long Range Jets from EUR 9,800 / hour

Midsize Jets from EUR 4,500 / hour

Turboprops from EUR 2,000 / hour

What a trip really costs

Price per person

A private flight is priced per aircraft, so the cost per seat falls with each passenger. Taxes are then charged for each traveller:

Online calculator

Use the calculator with the route, date and passenger count; put the address on the coast in the comment field, and an estimate follows by e-mail.

The airports of the Côte d'Azur compared

The four airports differ more in their rules than in their location:

Which airport for which resort

If Nice has no slot or the weather closes the smaller airfields, Marseille Provence (3,500 m), Genoa (2,910 m) and Riviera Albenga in Italy (1,430 m) serve as backups.

Which aircraft for which airport

On the Côte d'Azur the runway often decides the aircraft as much as the number of passengers:

Summer luggage, golf bags and pushchairs fill small holds quickly. A group of eight with hard cases is better served by a midsize jet to Cannes-Mandelieu than by a light aircraft to La Môle; send the bag list with the request.

Not sure which airport fits your aircraft and address? Leave a number and an adviser will ring you back.

When to fly to the Riviera

The season is not the same along the whole coast: Saint-Tropez lives mainly in summer, while Nice, Cannes and Monaco have traffic all year.

In high season, book the aircraft and parking several weeks ahead. Landings at La Môle also depend on the weather, so we always prepare an alternative there.

Getting around the coast

We book the transfer with the flight and choose it by the luggage, the weather and the traffic of the day.

Empty Legs on the Riviera

With four airports, limited parking and heavy summer traffic, the French Riviera produces many empty repositioning flights. Typical directions:

Because the timing belongs to someone else's charter, these flights reward flexible dates. To hear about them, e-mail empty-legs@jets.flights with the direction you need and the days you could travel.

Flying with a dog or cat

The pet travels in the cabin beside you on flights to any of the four airports, after the operator has approved it. Entry follows French and EU rules, also if you continue to Monaco:

• A microchip first, then the rabies vaccination; a first vaccination must be at least 21 days old on travel day.
• An EU pet passport, or an animal health certificate for animals from Great Britain.
• A maximum of five animals per person.
• No entry for pit bull, boerboel and tosa type dogs lacking a pedigree; category 2 dogs on a lead and muzzled in public.
• France needs no tapeworm treatment, but the UK, Ireland, Malta, Finland and Norway want it 1-5 days before a dog arrives, and Britain takes pets only through approved routes and handlers.

Many public beaches on the coast ban dogs in summer, though several towns keep dog beaches. Helicopter and boat operators must also accept the animal in advance, so mention it when you book.

Documents, customs and taxes

Checklist before the trip

• Each traveller's passport or ID card, including the children's.
• Passenger names and document numbers by the day before.
• The exact address: villa, hotel, yacht berth or event venue.
• Arrival and departure times, so we can check which airports are open.
• Bags by type, especially if a helicopter follows the flight.
• Pet documents and the hotel's pet rules.
• Company name and VAT number for the invoice.

How booking works

1. Tell us where on the coast you are going, when, with how many people and how much luggage.
2. We match the airport to the address and the hours, and the aircraft to the runway.
3. You receive 2-4 aircraft options with the price for the whole aircraft and the onward helicopter, car or boat.
4. After you sign with the operator and pay, we book slots, parking and the transfer.
5. If you leave from another airport than the one you arrived at, we plan it as two one-way flights.

Our team

Charlotte McKinney

Commercial Director

charlotte.m@jets.flights

Henry Richter

Head of Aviation Department and Data Protection Officer

henry.r@jets.flights

Emma Miller

Director of Development

emma.m@jets.flights

Liam Bishop

Senior Aviation Consultant

liam.b@jets.flights

Oliver Davis

Aviation Consultant

oliver.d@jets.flights

Anna Laurent

Aviation Consultant

anna.l@jets.flights

French Riviera private flights: frequent questions

• • Which airport should I choose on the Riviera?

  • It depends on the address and the aircraft. Nice suits Monaco, Nice and long-haul jets; Cannes-Mandelieu suits Cannes and Antibes; La Môle and Toulon-Hyères serve Saint-Tropez and the Var.

• • How much does a private jet to the Côte d'Azur cost?

  • From Geneva or Milan to Nice, a Citation M2 is EUR 8,000 one way; from London it is EUR 11,000. A turboprop to La Môle starts at EUR 7,500 from Bern. Prices are for the whole aircraft; taxes and transfers are added.

• • Which aircraft can land near Saint-Tropez?

  • La Môle is limited to turboprops and to light jets such as the PC-24 flown by crews with the airfield approval. Larger jets land at Toulon-Hyères, about 14 minutes by helicopter from Saint-Tropez.

• • Why can't large jets land at Cannes?

  • Cannes-Mandelieu accepts jets up to 35 t maximum take-off weight, which rules out the Global family and the largest Gulfstreams. They land at Nice, 24 km away.

• • Which airport is open at night?

  • Nice is open around the clock. Cannes-Mandelieu works in daytime hours only, La Môle closes at dusk and Toulon-Hyères hours are checked for each flight, so late arrivals and departures are planned through Nice.

• • Can we land in one place and fly home from another?

  • Yes. We book two one-way flights, for example out to Nice and home from Toulon-Hyères.

• • Is there tax on a flight between two Riviera airports?

  • Yes. The French solidarity tax applies to every departure from a French airport, including a short hop from Cannes-Mandelieu to Toulon-Hyères.

• • How do people travel between the towns?

  • By helicopter in 7-25 minutes, by car, by train along the coast, or by boat between Cannes and Saint-Tropez in summer. We book it together with the flight.

• • When is the busiest time?

  • The Film Festival in May, the Monaco Grand Prix in late May or early June, and July and August, when La Môle and Toulon-Hyères are busiest.

• • Can my dog come along?

  • It can, seated in the cabin, once microchipped, vaccinated against rabies and carrying an EU pet passport. Many beaches ban dogs in summer.

• • Are there Empty Legs to the Riviera?

  • Yes, often, especially to and from London, Paris, Geneva and Milan, and northbound at the end of summer. Write to empty-legs@jets.flights.