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Forget the stress of flying. Chill out from Paris to Nice by train & see scenery like this. What's the train like? What's the journey like? |
Paris to Nice in 5h40 from €19
TGV Duplex high-speed trains link Paris with Nice in as little as 5h40, centre to centre from as little as €19. Flying take 4 stressful hours of train to the airport, check-in, boarding, flight, airport, luggage reclaim and bus, while the clever money chills out by train with a glass of wine and a good book, enjoying the wonderful views down the Rhône Valley, past Avignon & Marseille and along the beautiful Mediterranean coast. There's a time-effective overnight train with couchettes, too.
Ouigo lo-cost Paris-Nice
trains
What is the Paris-Nice sleeper
train like?
Paris Gare de Lyon
station guide
Train travel in France, a beginner's guide
European train travel general information
Timetable southbound until 14 December 2024
Timetable southbound from 15 December 2024
Timetable northbound until 14 December 2024
Timetable northbound from 15 December 2024
Read downwards, each column is a train you can take. You may find extra trains at peak periods, for example Easter, or July & August.
This is the typical timetable for Paris-Nice trains, but times vary from day to day & season to season so check times for your specific date online.
TGV = 300km/h double-deck TGV Duplex run by SNCF French Railways, branded TGV InOui. 1st & 2nd class, cafe-bar. No luggage restrictions, no check-in.
Sleeper = Intercité de Nuit with 1st class 4-berth couchettes, 2nd class 6-berth couchettes & reclining seats, see more about Intercités de Nuit.
Ouigo = lo-cost service run by Ouigo, a subsidiary of SNCF, set up as a budget airline on rails. Separate pricing from normal trains, no first class, no catering, 30-minute check-in, luggage limits/fees, Interrail & Eurail passes not valid. Ouigo trains don't show up on all booking sites, see the Ouigo page.
Note A = Runs daily from 31 March.
Most Paris-Nice TGV trains also call at St Raphael (for the bus to St Tropez) & all trains call at Antibes. Change in Nice for Monaco-Monte Carlo.
Local TER trains link St Raphael, Antibes, Juan les Pins, Nice, Monaco-Monte Carlo & Menton every half hour or so all day, check times at www.sncf-connect.com.
Paris to Nice is 975 km or 605 miles. These TGVs average over 105mph including stops.
How much does it cost?
If you book in advance, Paris to Nice by TGV starts at €29 in 2nd class or around €45 in 1st class.
These are Prems advance-purchase fares, no refunds, no refunds or changes to travel plans with the cheapest fares. Prices rise as the cheaper tickets sell out and departure date approaches, so book ahead. €55-€79 is a typical price.
If you buy on the day, Paris to Nice costs around €130 in 2nd class or €195 in 1st class with a flexible fare.
Children under 4 go free but without their own seat. No ticket needed, just bring them along. You can give them their own reserved seat for €9 with a Billet Bambin if you book at www.sncf-connect.com or www.raileurope.com or www.thetrainline.com & add them as a passenger with the correct age. This is well worth it!
Children 4-11 years qualify for a child fare, which may be 50% of an expensive adult flexible fare or the same as a cheap adult prems fare.
There is no discount for seniors unless you buy an SNCF Carte Avantage Senior. But only buy one if you are going to make multiple trips.
Ouigo has its own completely pricing from €19, see the Ouigo page.
The sleeper train starts at €19 in a seat, €29 with a couchette in 6-berth and €59 with a 1st class couchette in 4-berth.
Eurail & Interrail passholders must pay a fee, for reservation fees & how to make passholder reservations, see here.
How to buy tickets
When does booking open?
Booking for TGV & Intercités de Nuit opens up to 4 months ahead, often longer than this over the summer, but dates immediately after the timetable change in mid-December usually open in mid-October. Ouigo bookings open up to 6 months or more ahead, sometimes more.
Which website should you use?
You can buy Paris-Nice train tickets at various websites, some sites charge a booking fee, some sites offer seating options, some allocate your seat with no choice. Here's a quick run-down. They all offer e-tickets.
www.sncf-connect.com: SNCF's own website,
in €, no booking fee.
It sells TGV InOui & Ouigo trains with a full range of seat options. If booking 1st
class, you can select your seat from a seat map. You are shown your seat
numbers before you pay. You print your own
ticket or can show it on your phone.
It can also sell Billet Bambin, a flat fee which gives an infant a reserved seat instead of having to sit on your lap. When booking a lo-cost Ouigo train, only payment cards from certain countries are accepted, see the explanation here.
www.thetrainline.com:
Easy to use, in €, £ or $, international cards welcome, it sells TGV
InOui and Ouigo and offers a choice of seating
options including upper or lower deck on a TGV Duplex. If booking 1st
class, you can select your seat from a seat map. You are shown your seat
numbers before you pay. You print your own
ticket or can show it on your phone. Small booking fee.
Trainline can also sell Billet Bambin, a flat fee which gives an infant a reserved seat instead of having to sit on your lap. When booking a lo-cost Ouigo train, only payment cards from certain countries are accepted, see the explanation here. Who are Thetrainline?
www.raileurope.com:
Easy to use, in €, £ or $, international cards welcome, you print your own
ticket or can show it on your phone. Small booking fee. It offers a
choice of seating options including upper or lower deck, but not seat selection.
Raileurope no longer shows your seat numbers until you pay, when it's too late
to change them.
Raileurope can sell Billet Bambin if you have € selected, this is a flat fee which gives an infant a reserved seat instead of having to sit on your lap. It does not sell tickets for Ouigo trains. Who are Raileurope?
www.omio.com
overseas cards welcomed, prices in €, £ or $, small booking fee. You print
your own ticket or can show it on your phone.
Route map
What are the TGVs like?
TGV InOui
The regular Paris to Nice trains are branded TGV InOui. TGV stands for Train à Grande Vitesse (high-speed train) and InOui means unheard of in the sense of exceptional. InOui is SNCF's current brand for its front-rank TGV trains.
The TGVs used on the Paris-Nice route are impressive TGV Duplex double-deck high-speed trains, see the video guide here. They operate at up to 300 km/h (186 mph) on the high-speed line between Paris & Marseille and at much lower speeds over the classic (and very scenic) line along the coast from Marseille to Nice.
You board the train at the lower level through a wide sliding door into an entrance area at one end of the lower deck. Here, there's a toilet and door to the lower deck seating. A short & easy flight of 9 steps leads from the entrance to a landing at one end of the upper deck, with an upstairs toilet and door to the upstairs seating. You walk along the train from car to car at the upper level. There are luggage racks upstairs and downstairs, at the coach ends and between the seats.
Ouigo: For the lo-cost no-frills Ouigo trains, see the Ouigo page. For the overnight sleeper train, see the Intercités de Nuit page.
Power sockets & WiFi
These trains have free WiFi in both classes. Mobile data works fine along most of the route. There are power sockets for laptops and mobiles at every first class seat and (depending which generation of TGV Duplex you get) there may also be sockets at 2nd class seats. There are baby-changing facilities and designated spaces for passengers in wheelchairs.
Cafe-bar
There's a cafe-bar serving drinks, snacks & hot dishes similar to this sample TGV bar menu, or you're free to bring your own food & wine along for the journey. See the travel tips below for how to order food & drink on the train's intranet and collect it from the cafe-bar.
Upper or lower deck?
When booking, you can choose a seat on either upper or lower decks. If you have problems with stairs or very heavy luggage, the lower deck might be best. But for the best views (over the top of the occasional sound barrier along the high speed lines!), definitely choose an upper deck seat. For couples in first class, an upper deck club duo face-to-face table-for-two is easily the best option.
Seat numbering
Click here for TGV Duplex seat numbering plans. Seat numbers 11-58 = lower deck, seats 61-128 = upper deck. Car 1 (= car 11 in the second TGV unit when one is coupled up) is usually at the Paris end of the train, car 8 or 18 at the Nice end, although this can't be 100% guaranteed as the unit could enter service either way round. For that reason, it's not possible to specify a forward facing seat. In any case, those trains which call at Marseille St Charles change direction there.
A double-deck TGV Duplex at Paris Gare de Lyon in the new InOui colour scheme. Paris to Nice takes as little as 5h37 by train, a relaxing & scenic journey with a glass of wine and a good book. Watch the TGV video guide
Video guide to TGV Duplex
What's the journey like?
1. Paris Gare de Lyon. TGV trains to Nice leave from the magnificent Gare de Lyon in central Paris, see Gare de Lyon station guide.
Hall 1 at the Gare de Lyon. The TGV may leave from Hall 1 or Hall 2, see the Paris Gare de Lyon station page.
Lunch at the famous Train Bleu restaurant at the Gare de Lyon before catching the Nice Express? Larger photo.
Or a coffee or beer in the bar (above right), which makes an excellent VIP waiting lounge.
2. Boarding the TGV at Paris Gare de Lyon. There's no check-in, you simply place the QR code on your ticket, printout or phone against the glass reader on the ticket gate at the entrance to the platform and stroll to your train. Just make sure you're on board a few minutes before departure time. You place your luggage on the racks above or near your seat. In half an hour you're chilling out in rural France at 300 km/h.
3. Paris to the outskirts of Lyon. The train leaves the Gare de Lyon and joins the high-speed line, accelerating smoothly to 300 km/h through the suburbs, soon reaching open country. Between Paris and the outskirts of Lyon the train runs through undulating countryside with villages and farms nestling in small valleys.
4. The Rhone Valley. South of Lyon the train powers down the Rhone Valley past pretty French villages with picturesque churches and an occasional chateau.
Watch for hilltop villages & churches
On a clear day you can see the French Alps in the far distance to the left, and the dark line of the Massif central mountains in the distance on the right.
5. The Rhone & Chateau de Montfaucon. Between Valence and Avignon the train crosses a broad stretch of the River Rhone with a view of the wine-producing Chateau de Montfaucon on the right, www.chateaumontfaucon.com.
6. Crossing the Rhone at Avignon. Approaching Avignon TGV station the train crosses the Rhone again on a massive viaduct high above the water. If you look to your left you can see Avignon's famous Palais des Papes standing out on the skyline in the distance, see the picture above. Though if you can see anyone dancing sur le pont d'Avignon you have better eyesight than me.
7. The train skirts Marseille. The train leaves the high-speed line and slows right down towards Marseille. Direct Paris-Nice trains use a chord line to avoid having to reverse in Marseille St Charles terminus, and if you look to your right you'll glimpse the infamous Chateau d'If (France's Alcatraz, think Count of Monte Cristo) on its island out in the bay. You may also glimpse the lovely church of Notre Dame de la Garde on the summit of it's hill
8. Along the Cote d'Azur. After Toulon comes the bit you've been waiting for. The train runs along the Mediterranean coastline of the beautiful Cote d'Azur, past rocky headlands, millionaires' villas and yacht-filled marinas all the way to Nice. Lovely! Yes, this photo was taken from the train. Photo courtesy of Mike Sloan.
9. Arrival at Nice Ville station right in the city centre. See Nice Ville station guide.
Nice Ville is just 15 minutes walk from the Promenade des Anglais (below).
Travel tips
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Should you go 1st or 2nd class?
2nd class is absolutely fine, no need to pay for 1st class unless you can afford it. There's no food or drink included in 1st class, it's just the extra elbow and leg room you're paying for. On the other hand, first class seats are arranged 2+1 across the car width, so there are 'solo' seats and tables-for-two in 1st class as well as the dual-side-by-side and tables-for-four which you'll also find in 2nd class where seats are 2+2 across the car width. Prices vary like air fares, so 1st class may only cost a little more than 2nd, see what prices you get before you decide.
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Upper deck seats are best!
Whichever class you choose, I recommend an upper deck seat on the TGV Duplex for the best views of the scenery. You are given the choice if you book at www.raileurope.com, www.thetrainline.com or www.sncf-connect.com, but not at most other sites.
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Forward-facing seats?
You can't select forward-facing seats, but car 1 (or in a second TGV unit, car 11) is usually at the Paris end of the train and you can work out which way seats face from the TGV Duplex seat map. However, for 3 or 4 people I'd recommend 4 seats around a table (4-seater or family or carré) as far more convivial. In first class for two people I suggest a table for two (face-to-face or club duo) as by far the nicest seating option, as you each get a seat which is both aisle and window and one of the two seats will always be facing forwards.
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Give your infant or baby their own seat
Infants under 4 go free on French trains, no need to buy them a ticket, just bring them along. However, if they go free they don't qualify for their own seat, they go on your lap. You can give them their own seat on TGVs and Intercités with a flat-fare €9 Billet Bambin added to your booking. Well worth it! Simply add your infant to your booking with their correct date of birth.
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The best place to wait for the train in Paris
I highly recommend using the bar or having a meal at the famous Train Bleu restaurant inside the Gare de Lyon (Hall 1). Opened in 1903, it's a listed national monument and an experience in itself. You can reserve a table for lunch or dinner online at www.le-train-bleu.com. If you don't want a meal, simply use the Big Ben bar as your VIP first class lounge!
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Boarding the train in Paris
There is easy level access from street to concourse to platform. There's no check-in, you can wander off the street onto the station, see which platform your train goes from on the departure screens, then go to that platform. At Paris Gare de Lyon you'll find ticket gates at the entrance to each platform, simply place the QR code on your ticket or phone in front of the barcode scanner any time up to 2 minutes before the train goes and the gate will open.
The platform number may not be posted until 20 minutes before departure, but the departure boards at the Gare de Lyon will tell you whether it will leave from Hall 1 (blue, platforms A to N) or Hall 2 (yellow, platforms 5-23) so you can wait on the right concourse close to where the train will leave. The more historic concourse with platforms A to N and the famous Train Bleu Restaurant is Hall 1, the newer concourse accessed along platform A or through the ticket hall is Hall 2. See Paris Gare de Lyon station guide.
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Luggage
Luggage works on these Paris-Nice TGV trains just as it does on other European trains. For all practical purposes you can take what you want, nobody weighs it or measures it. Your bags aren't checked in or anything, you simply take your bags on board the train with you and stick them on the racks above your seat, or between the seats, or at the car ends. There are racks both upstairs & downstairs, and the stairs to the upper deck are shallow and wide enough to make taking bags upper deck pretty easy. It's as simple as that. No luggage worries! Luggage storage at Paris & Nice stations.
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Bikes
Bikes are carried on Paris-Nice trains free of charge as ordinary luggage if they are semi-dismantled and placed in a zip-up bike bag not exceeding 120cm x 90cm. Bikes are carried un-dismantled on the overnight train in a bike area. See the Taking bikes on trains page.
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Order food & drink online, then collect it from the cafe-bar
You can log onto the train's WiFi, then order items from the cafe-bar on your laptop or phone on the train's intranet. They'll give you a 15-minute time slot for picking it up from the cafe-bar counter, but you'll skip right to the front of the queue to pick up your food & drink, potentially saving a lot of time waiting in line to be served!
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Recommended hotels in Nice
The Hotel Negresco is Nice's most famous & historic hotel, on the Promenade des Anglais itself facing the Med. Named after its founder, Henri Negresco, it has been an institution in Nice since 1912. More about the hotel at en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hotel_Negresco.
The Hotel La Villa Nice Promenade is in a similar location, one road back from the seafront's Promenade des Anglais, but much cheaper! Consider staying between the Promenade des Anglais and Nice's pleasant old town, such as at the Hotel de la Mer. More hotels in Nice.
Ouigo - the budget airline on rails, Paris-Nice from €19
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In 2013, SNCF created a subsidiary company called Ouigo to operate as a budget airline on rails using specially refitted TGV Duplex trains. For more information, tickets, tips & photos, see the Ouigo page.
What's the Paris to Nice sleeper train like?
The Paris-Nice overnight sleeper train was discontinued in December 2017, but restored from 19 April 2021. It's once more a convenient, time-effective way to travel between Paris and Nice, with great views along the coast in morning southbound, or, in summer, in the evening northbound.
The train has 1st class 4-berth couchettes, 2nd class 6-berth couchettes, and ordinary seats. Couchettes are simple flat padded bunks each provided with a fresh clean pillow, individual reading light and a lightweight sleeping-bag. Each passenger gets a bottle of mineral water, earplugs (if you really need them), tissues & (in first class) sleep socks. French couchette cars have been modernised with quiet carpeted interiors & soft fabric bunks. Only bona fide passengers with tickets & reservations are allowed onto the platform, and there are minimal stops between 00:00 & 06:00 for a smooth, safe & secure journey through the night.
See the Intercité de Nuit page for more about French night trains, including how to book sole occupancy of a couchette compartment.
Hotels in Paris
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Hotels near the Gare de Lyon
Hotel Terminus Lyon (right in front of the station, 3-star, doubles €139); Mercure Paris Gare de Lyon (on the station itself, 4-star, doubles €120); Novotel Paris Gare de Lyon (opposite the station, 4-star, doubles €139); Mistral Hotel (800m from Gare de Lyon, 1-star, doubles €68); Hotel 26 Faubourg (5 min walk from Gare de Lyon, 2-star, doubles €86);
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For something special
There's the famous & flashy Paris Ritz in the Place Vendôme of course (over €900 a night) or the similarly-priced Le Meurice, but if you want a really special hotel for a luxury break or romantic weekend and can afford to splurge around €290 a night, I'd recommend the small, sumptuous and intimate L'Hotel. It's on the bohemian left bank, walking distance from the Seine, the Ile de la Cité & Notre Dame. Oscar Wilde spent the last days of his life here in room 16, and the hotel has been used by many famous people from Sinatra to Mick Jagger. Rooms are on the cosy side, but they are beautifully decorated and have character that other hotels lack.
Hotels in Nice
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Nice's most celebrated hotel is the famous 5-star Hotel Negresco, right on the Promenade des Anglais.
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For something cheaper, but also on the Promenade des Anglais and not far from the old town, try the Mercure Nice Promenade des Anglais.
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For a hotel near the station with good reviews, try the Hotel 64 Nice or Maison Durante.
