Take the Train from Paris to Nice

The train from Paris to Nice is a peaceful, breathtaking ride. Once out of the Paris suburbs, you pass through the rolling French countryside. And then, once you hit the French Riviera -- oh boy! It's beautiful coastal town after beautiful town, all the way to Nice. Here's some information about buying France train tickets and taking the train from Paris to Nice.

Unless your travel plans are extremely flexible or you want to play it by ear, I would recommend booking your train well before you arrive in France. Many of the discount fares sell out early.

Where to Buy Tickets for the Train from Paris to Nice

Most people think of going to Rail Europe for tickets for the train from Paris to Nice, but as a reseller, their price includes a markup and an $18 handling fee, which makes your tickets more expensive. Also, you can't purchase from Rail Europe more than 60 days in advance.

SNCF is the rail ticket reseller in France, which also adds surcharges. A cheaper way is to go directly to TGV's site and get your tickets from there. Here's how.

If you can't read French, then use TGV's English site to book discount tickets for the train from Paris to Nice. For "Your Country," or for "Select the country for receiving or collecting the tickets," be sure to select "Great Britain," regardless of where you are or where you're traveling. It's the only way to get the discount tickets and make your reservation in English.

Schedules for the Train from Paris to Nice

I would advise that you NOT make a round trip reservation, but rather to book two one-way tickets instead. The reasons being, 1) if something changes with your plans, you can make a change to just one leg of the trip without affecting the other, 2)Two one-way tickets cost exactly the same as round trip, so it's a way to maintain a little flexibility.

Plug in your dates and times, and you'll be presented with several train schedules, classes and fares. Put in the earliest time you can travel to see all the trains for the day.

Be sure to choose a "direct" train -- which doesn't mean the same as "non-stop." "Direct" means that you don't have to change trains at Lyon, Marseille, or Toulon. (All trains to the south of France have stops, but not all are direct.)

When choosing a route for the train from Paris to Nice, you should only see the Departure station (the Paris train station "Gare de Lyon") and the Arrival station (Nice City, aka Nice Ville) on the journey selection page. If you see a third city listed in between, it means there's a train change at that stop. You will have to disembark with your luggage during a short layover before boarding a second train to your final destination. It's easy to avoid this hassle.

Fares for the Train from Paris to Nice

You must choose a fare class and either a first class or second class ticket. (First class gives you more room.) The fare classes each come with different rules for exchanges and refunds. Here they are from most expensive and most flexible to least expensive and least flexible.

• PRO tickets (Business Class), Most expensive, Most flexible, tickets are not pre-printable
  

Sold 90 days in advance, but sometimes less. Per TGV, "You can exchange your TGV PRO ticket, free of charge, until the departure of the train and even up to 1 hour afterward only at the departure station." You can even exchange your ticket or get refund (with a 50% fee) up to 60 days after departure of your initial train from Paris to Nice.

• Loisirs (Leisure Tickets), Moderate discount, moderately flexible with exchange fees, tickets are not pre-printable

The farther in advance you purchase tickets, the cheaper they are. Loisirs tickets are exchangeable and refundable without penalty up until the day before departure. On the day of travel, they are exchangeable and refundable with a fee. After the train leaves, the tickets are non-exchangeable and non-refundable.

• PREMS tickets (Premium), Less expensive, not flexible, tickets can be printed in advance
  

Prems tickets can be purchased up to 3 months in advance. They are non-exchangeable and non-refundable.

• iDTGV tickets (Internet rate), Cheapest fares, somewhat flexible, tickets can be printed in advance.
  

IDTGV fares are the cheapest of all, starting from 19€ . Tickets can be purchased 4 months in advance (6 months in summer) -- although that varies -- and the prices gradually go up as the train gets fuller. No refunds, but the tickets are exchangeable before printing for a 10€ fee. Once you've printed them, no changes are allowed. IDTGV's are completely separate discount trains, and there are only one or two a day -- usually the first train or last train of the day. So if you decide to make a change to your plans, your risk having to wait a whole 'nother day to take the train from Paris to Nice.

The thing about iDTGV fares is that although they’re cheap and pre-printable, you can’t pick a seat on the train until after payment. You have to pay blind and then hope that the seating arrangement you want is available. If you don’t care, then IDTGV is a good deal. But if you want seats for an entire party together, or you want a window or a specific seat location, it’s anyone’s guess what’ll be available after you pay.

* If you do purchase a round-trip ticket for the train from Paris to Nice, you can only print tickets in advance if all the legs of the journey are Prem's or iDTGV. If the outbound leg is Loisir and the return is a Prem's fare, you will be prompted to get ticket delivery by mail (which you can't do in U.S.)

* Even though you entered "Great Britain" to be able to navigate in English, you should still put in your true mailing address for the credit card purchase. You will need to present the same card along with the reference number when you pick up your tickets in France (if you don't print them). You can print out the automated email TGV sends, show that to the teller with your card to make things easy.

Seating on the Train from Paris to Nice

Sit on the right side of the train going to Nice and the left side leaving Nice to get the best view of the Mediterranean coastline. Also, get a front-facing seat. If there's just one or two of you, you might want to avoid the seats that face each other, unless you don't mind strangers sitting across from you. Those seats are great for families and groups of friends, though.

The overhead luggage rack clearance is rather low, so if you're tall, watch your head when you stand up.

Ticket Delivery

The only options for Americans are to print tickets in advance (which I like to do for at least the outbound leg, in case any unforeseen circumstances), or pick them up from the teller window in France. You can't pick up at the machines, because U.S. credit cards don't have the required microchip to work in French machines. (I believe some AMEX cards might work, though). TGV doesn't mail tickets to the U.S. Decline the insurance, because insurance requires that the tickets be mailed (which they won't do to the U.S.).

* Be sure to notify your credit card company in advance that your making a purchase from a merchant in France, so they don't block it. If you have a card that doesn't charge a foreign transaction fee, you can save yourself another 3%.

* Your birthdate must be visible on your ticket. Remember to enter it European style, MM/DD/YY, not DD/MM/YY.

* You do not have to get a validatation stamp on your pre-printed tickets at the station. Just be prepared to show your e-ticket and ID when asked.

Trains from Paris to Nice and the French Riviera depart from Gare de Lyon. (There are also trains to Nice from Charles de Gaulle Airport, which is convenient if you're flying into Paris but are bound for Nice).

At Gare de Lyon, check the board for your train's departure, and keep checking. You might not see your train on the board until 15 minutes before its departure. Trains are listed with a color and a number or letter, indicating the platform and track. There's a blue (bleu) platform which lists the tracks in letters, and a yellow (jaune) platform, which lists the tracks in numbers. Take note of which platform and track your train from Paris to Nice is leaving from. The blue and yellow platforms are at opposite ends of the train station.

Be at your track early, so you can find your train car (or voiture, find your car number on the overhead signs or on the side of the train near the doors), and claim a spot for your bags on the luggage racks, which fill up quickly. The last thing you want is to be wandering from car to car, trying to find a spot for your bags -- and you also don't want your bags in a different car than you are. There are large luggage racks outside the cabin doors, and smaller racks in the front, middle, and or rear of the cabin. Put your bags as close to you as you can, and try to put your bags at the rack in front of you if possible so you can keep an eye on them.

A Note about Security on the Train from Paris to Nice: I recommend locking your bags up with a PacSafe Wrapsafe cable lock. That way, as people get on and off at the stops between Paris and Nice, you don't have to worry about your bag getting off at a stop without you.

There will be an overhead rack above the seat, but it's not a large overhead bin like you'd find on an airplane. It will hold nothing bigger than a day pack or shoulder bag -- no suitcases.

TGV trains are clean very comfortable, particularly if you travel first class. You'll have lots of legroom and personal space. There's no smoking, and the bathrooms are pretty clean. The Bar Car is the train's social area. You'll see people standing around sipping drinks and chatting. The Bar Car serves meals, snacks, sodas and wine -- so you can really unwind if you want. They also sell Paris metro tickets, so it's a good chance to get a ticket if you need one without having to futz with the ticket machines or having to wait in line for a teller after the trip back from Nice.

The train from Paris to Nice takes about 5 1/2 hours, depending on how many stops are on your schedule. The train is only high-speed between Paris and Marseille, and then it slows down -- which is great because the end is the best part. (France is now building an extension of the high speed tracks down to the Riviera.)

For the first 2 1/2 hours, you'll whiz past cow pastures, sunflower and lavender fields, and through the vineyards of Burgundy. The French countryside is pretty, but will largely be a blur because of the speed of the train.

Look out for the double TGV viaduct (also called the Viaduc des Angles) that crosses the River Rhone just before the Avignon station. If you look out the window to the left while crossing the viaduct, and you'll see Avignon's Palais des Papes in the distance. Also, note that the Rhone is the dividing line between France's Languedoc-Rousillon region and the Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azur region. Now you're in Provence!

About 3 hours into the ride on the train from Paris to Nice, you'll hit Marseille, the first stop on the French Riviera. From here on out, the ride along the Mediterranean coast will take your breath away. After Marseille, the train passes through Toulon, St. Raphael, Juan des Pines and Antibes, Cannes and finally arrives in Nice. The train hugs the coastline, so once you hit the Riviera, you'll have prime views of the Mediterranean the whole way. Around every curve is another beautiful town rising from the bluffs. Within city limits betwen the Riviera stations, you'll be riding right alongside the beachfront, where you can see bikers, roller skaters, and all the beachgoers as you ride by.