Gare du Sud in Nice

The Gare du Sud is a beautiful former railway station in Nice, in the lively Libération district. It’s located near the city center and can be reached by tram T1, or on foot. One of the most modern movie theaters in France has been built next to it.

Gare du Sud literally translates to South Station. The name does not refer to the station’s location in Nice, because it lies just north of the Nice Ville main station. It is, instead, connected with the beginning of the railway route from Nice to the mountains towards Digne-les-Bains. Gare du Sud is no longer a station, but the new station for this line, the Gare de Nice CP (4 bis Rue Alfred Binet), stands just behind. From here you can catch the famous Train des Pignes and take the beautiful route through the mountains.

Gare du Sud at a glance

• What: a 19th-century station with a library and a great iron train hall, now without the food hall.
• Where: 35 Avenue Malausséna, in the Libération district, 10 minutes’ walk from Nice-Ville station.
• Getting there: tram line 1, Libération stop.
• Nearby: the Pathé cinema, the Libération market (mornings except Monday) and the Train des Pignes station.

See also our Nice travel guide.

Gare du Sud: from railway station to food hall and beyond

The Gare du Sud opened at the end of the 19th century, and its facade and iron train hall are listed historic monuments. After the trains moved to the new station behind it, the building stood empty for years. Since 2012, the old station building has housed a library, and in 2019 the restored train hall opened as a food hall with more than 20 small restaurants, which brought life back to the Libération district.

The food hall did not last: after changes of operator and periods of closure, it has closed, and the city plans a new, cultural use for the hall. Even so, the Gare du Sud is worth a look for its architecture, especially if you are nearby. Just outside is the T1 tram line (Libération stop), so it’s easy to get here, for example, from Massena Square, and the area around Nice Central Station can be reached on foot in just a few minutes.

Cinema and “Liberation” market in Nice

Right next to the hall (actually behind it), a modern cinema has been built. If you want to watch a movie that has the best sound and picture (Dolby Cinema) while lying on reclining chairs, be sure to choose the screening in room No. 7. Tickets for the films shown in this room are a bit more expensive, but I assure you that quality and comfort are worth it. The cinema is called the Pathé Gare du Sud, and the current program can be found at cinemaspathegaumont.com.

Remember that movies shown in France are usually with French dubbing. This version of the movie will be marked with the letters VF. If you want to watch a movie in the original language version with French subtitles, you need to look for a screening with the description VOST.

This neighborhood provides one more attraction – the Liberation marketplace. It is well stocked, especially with fish and seafood, which are always fresh here. Residents and restaurateurs alike buy here. The market in Nice’s Liberation is less touristy than the Cours Saleya in the city center, and it is open every morning except Monday. For a meal, the cafés and restaurants around the market are popular with locals; more addresses are in what and where to eat in Nice.

The Gare du Sud is a good stop on the way down from the hill of Cimiez, with the Matisse Museum, or on the way to the Marc Chagall Museum, about 15 minutes’ walk away.