Nice Train Station called Nice-Ville is the main railway station in Nice, the city in France. If you are planning to travel by train from/to Nice (e.g. to Monaco), in most cases Nice-Ville station will be your best choice. You can find currency exchange at Nice-Ville Railway Station but don't expect to get a fair foreign exchange deal here.
Currency Exchange Office
Nice-Ville Railway Station’s currency exchange office run by ChangeGroup can be easily found as Nice Train Station is compact and there are signs leading to the currency exchange office which is located on the left side after entering the station building.
Here you can exchange your foreign currency to Euro (EUR) and vice versa.
On Google you can find plenty of negative reviews about the money changer at Nice Train Station as in addition to the displayed exchange rates being unattractive they are also charging a fixed fee and commission that is extra to their markup from mid-market rates. The fixed fee and commission rates are not clearly displayed at the place but according to the receipt of one customer they've additionally charged 4 EUR fixed fee and commission equivalent to 8.5%.
It's not clear if they are charging the same fee and commission in all cases so make sure to ask about them if for some reason you would decide to exchange your money there.
Currency Exchange Rates
On the day of our visit, currency exchange rates at Nice Train Station were worse than you could get in the city center even without taking into consideration the fixed fee and extra commission.
How bad currency exchange rates can be expected at Nice Railway Station?
USD to EUR exchange rate at Nice Train Station
The mid-market USD exchange rate on the day of our visit was 0.9971 US Dollar for 1 Euro, so the rate offered at train station (1.1132 USD/EUR) was by 0.1161 USD or 11.7% worse than the exchange rate at the market.
As it's only the difference between the displayed exchange rate and the mid-market rate, you need to add 8.5% commission and fixed fee to this markup so you could know how much money you are losing by exchanging currency here. Depending on the amount exchanged, you would be losing about 21-25% of your money by exchanging your USD at Nice Train Station. Not even close to a fair deal!
GBP to EUR exchange rate at Nice Train Station
The mid-market GBP exchange rate on the day of our visit was 0.8615 Pound Sterling for 1 Euro, so the rate offered at train station (0.9603 GBP/EUR) was by 0.0988 GBP or 11.5% worse than the exchange rate at the market.
Even at this level the exchange rate is worse than you could get at reputable currency exchange office. Add 8.5% commission and fixed fee and by exchanging GBP at Nice Train Station you will be losing about 1/4 of your money.
Exchange rates of other currencies at Nice Train Station
As you can see above, exchange rates for the most popular currencies at Nice Railway Station are far from being competitive and are much worse than your bank would use for your international ATM withdrawals. However, for less popular foreign currencies expect to get even worse exchange rates here!
The mid-market AUD exchange rate at the time was 1.5441 Australian Dollar for 1 Euro, so the rate offered at Nice-Ville Train Station (1.7292 AUD/EUR) was by 0.1851 AUD or about 12.0% worse than the market rate.
The mid-market CAD exchange rate at the time was 1.3519 Canadian Dollar for 1 Euro, so the rate offered at the railway station (1.5202 CAD/EUR) was by 0.1683 CAD or about 12.5% worse than the market rate.
In most cases you will be losing about 1/4 or even more of your money if exchanging any of less popular currencies at Nice Railway Station. Avoid exchanging your currency here!
Tips
If you need cash at the main train station of Nice, it might be better just to withdraw money from ATM. To get the best exchange rate on your withdrawals, make sure to use the card from Wise.
When looking for currency exchange in Nice city center you must be attentive because some of the money changers there give exchange rates that can be as bad as at the train station. However there are money changers in Nice City Center that offer better rates and don't charge hidden commission and fixed fees for exchange.