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Paris to Nice by train
How to take the train from Paris to Nice
There are now three options for taking a train from Paris to Nice.
During the day one can only take high speed trains, but both the regular TGV InOui services and low-cost, but more basic, Ouigo services share the route.
It's particularly worthwhile to click on the Train Guides below so that you can compare the two train services.
However, if you need to arrive at a specific time you will often have to take one train service or the other.
The Ouigo services can plug gaps between the TGV InOui departures.
There is also now the option of taking an overnight train, which conveys couchette berths and reclining seats, but no sleeping cabins.
However, it gives the opportunity of arriving in Nice just after 09:00
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Routes
Option 1: travelling by a regular TGV service
Journey Summary
5hr 57min - 6hr 6min (approx)
Daily
Travel Information
Note that these trains depart from the Gare De Lyon in Paris.
The trains which are usually scheduled to depart from Paris at 11:17*; 15:17*; 17:18 and 19:20* are the fastest services of the day.
They are the TGV InOui trains, which take the direct route so do not call in Marseille.
*=these departures aren't available daily year round.
The other departures call at Marseille-St Charles station; where they will reverse direction. .
Final Destination: Nice
All trains also call at: Toulon, St Raphael-Valescure, Cannes and Antibes
Mon-Thurs: 4 x trains per day
Friday: 5 x trains
Sat/Sun: 4 x trains per day
On this route there are additional departures in the summer months.
Tickets
Book early and save: Yes
Online bookings usually open: up to 6 months ahead of the travel date - but bookings can open sooner when SNCF is running a promotion.
When booking 2nd class tickets only one type of ticket will be available per departure, discounted 'Prems' tickets or 'Seconde' tickets; though the price of Seconde tickets are also typically cheaper when they are first placed on sale.
When booking 1st class tickets there will be a choice of Premiere tickets and Business Premiere tickets.
The two key T&Cs of booking Prems, Seconde, or Premiere tickets are:
- Up until two days prior to departure, these types of tickets can be refunded for no additional charge (big tick), but a €15 fee will be payable for making a refund in the two days prior to departure.
- It's also possible to exchange tickets to an alternative departure on the same journey, but you will have to pay any difference in price between the cost you paid and the cost at the time of the exchange.
Though if you book Business Premiere tickets, the key T&Cs are that tickets can be exchanged and refunded free of charge up to 30 minutes after departure, so if you get to the station just too late to miss the train you were originally booked on to, you won't lose out financially.
Seats will automatically be assigned when booking tickets for this journey, but rail pass users will need to be pay a reservation fee prior to boarding these TGV trains.
The price is dictated by demand per departure, so book ahead and try and be flexible re: your departure and arrival times, as trains leaving earlier or later can be cheaper.
Expect to pay more for this journey between the beginning of June and mid-September, particularly if you will be travelling on a Friday or Saturday, as the most heavily discounted tickets inevitably sell out faster at times of particularly high demand.
Where to book
| Ticket Provider | Approximate Cost | |
|---|---|---|
| SNCF Connect | from €55 | |
| Download the SNCF Connect App | from €55 | |
| Save A Train | from €55 | |
| Happy rail | from €55 | |
| Rail Europe | from €55 | |
| Trainline | from €55 | |
| Omio | from €55 |
On this journey
Travelling On
Journey Features
Good to Know
The low-cost, but more basic, Ouigo trains now provide a direct alternative to these InOui trains for a daytime journey from Paris to Nice.
Journey Description
This is a journey of contrasts, between Paris and the Marseille suburbs, the train will travel on the high speed line.
After Marseille the train will slow down, but this gives more of an opportunity to take in the scenery
If your reserved seat is on the right of the train (when facing the direction of travel) once the train has passed through the Marseille area, there are some fabulous views of the Cote d'Azur.
Particularly between Marseille and Toulon....
and from St Raphael to Antibes...
... and after departure from Antibes
All of the images and video were captured from the right of the train
This is a journey on which it is worth choosing Upper Deck seats and departing from Paris sufficiently early, so that you can really appreciate the final couple of hours of the trip.
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Option 2: taking a more basic Ouigo service
Journey Summary
5hr 52min - 5hr 57min
Daily
Travel Information
Final Destination: Nice
When making a train journey from central Paris to Nice, you now have a choice of travelling by standard TGV InOui trains or by these Ougio trains.
So you can now opt to save money, but have a much more basic on board experience, and travel on a Ouigo.
2 x trains per day
Tickets
Online bookings usually open: up to 9 months ahead of the travel date
Tickets for the alternative service of TGV InOui trains are usually made available 4 months ahead, so if you look up this journey more than 4 months ahead on SNCF Connect, you may only see these Ouigo services, but they are not the only option on this route.
What is particularly worth being aware of when booking tickets for journeys by Ouigo train services, is that:
- Premiere/1st class tickets are not available.
- Reservations are included when booking, as they are on the TGV InOui trains, but you can opt to pay additional fess, or book a more expensive type of ticket to select a specific seat (more info is available on the Ouigo 'Train Guide').
- The more expensive type of tickets also include an additional luggage allowance, click the Ouigo 'Train Guide' to access more info on the luggage allowances on Ouigo trains; they're more restrictive than on a TGV InOui train.
- You cannot book or collect tickets for Ouigo trains at stations.
- The two key T&Cs of booking either of the two types of ticket available for journeys by Ouigo trains are:
- The tickets are not refundable.
- Exchanges to alternative departures are possible until 1 hour before the beginning of the boarding procedure, but they incur a fee of €10 per passenger, with any price difference between the old and new ticket(s) also added to this fee.
Though these factors, and more, are why you can make big savings by opting to travel by these Ouigo trains and not on the standard TGV InOui trains.
Eurail and InterRail Pass Users:
Rail passes cannot be used on Ouigo trains, but if you will be travelling with a 2nd class pass, our guide to using rail passes in France, explains why taking a Ouigo train can be worth considering.
Where to book
| Ticket Provider | Approximate Cost | |
|---|---|---|
| SNCF Connect | from €19 | |
| Ouigo | from €19 | |
| Trainline | from €19 |
On this journey
Travelling On
Journey Features
Good to Know
If you do opt to travel from Paris to Nice by these Ouigo trains, you should aim to be at the Gare De Lyon, 30 mins before the train is due to depart.
And that's because you need to pass through 'reception' before boarding a Ouigo train - staff need to verify that all passengers are abiding by the 'rules' of travelling on a Ouigo train, no additional un-booked luggage, no bikes etc.
These Ouigo trains travel on the same high speed line between Paris and Marseille which the TGVInOui trains take.
This is a journey of contrasts, between Paris and the Marseille suburbs, the train will travel on the high speed line.
After Marseille the train will slow down, but this gives more of an opportunity to take in the scenery
If your reserved seat is on the right of the train (when facing the direction of travel) - once the train has passed through the Marseille area, there are some fabulous views of the Cote d'Azur.
Particularly between Marseille and Toulon and from St Raphael to Antibes
All of the images were captured from the right of the train.
(These Ouigo trains to Antibes don't call at Marseille St Charles station, so they don't reverse direction during the journey.
Option 3; travelling through the night
Journey Summary
11hr 48min
Nightly
Travel Information
Note that these overnight trains typically depart from a different station in Paris than the daytime services.
Final Destination: Nice
The train also calls at: Toulon, St Raphael-Valescure, Cannes and Antibes
The train is typically scheduled to depart from the French capital at 21:20 and arrive in Nice around 09:10
1 x train per night
Tickets
Book early and save: Yes
Online bookings usually open: 4 months ahead of the travel date, but bookings can open sooner when SNCF is running a promotion.
The ticket for these overnight trains is fairly uncomplicated, when looking up a departure on SNCF Connect, the prices you will see for each accommodation option is the total cost.
Where to book
| Ticket Provider | Approximate Cost | |
|---|---|---|
| SNCF Connect | * |
On this journey
Travelling On
Journey Features
Good to Know
Before opting to travel by the Intercités De Nuit train, it can be good idea to take a look at the 'Train Guide' info; don't be put off by the lack of an image.
These trains are atypical of European overnight train services.
As it's the final hour of the journey which contains most of the scenic highlights when travelling by train from Paris to Nice, there are some wonderful coastal views to be enjoyed from the right-hand side of the train.
The best of the views come after departure from Les Arcs and as the train is due to leave there just before 08:00, they can be seen year round.
This second version of ShowMeTheJourney is exciting and new, so we are genuinely thrilled that you are here and reading this, but we also need your help.
We’re striving not to let anything get in the way of providing the most useful service possible, hence a facility has been set up with DonorBox which can be used to support the running costs and make improvements.
Instead of advertising or paywalls, your financial support will make a positive difference to delivering an enhanced service, as there’s a lot of ideas which we want to make happen.
So if you have found the info provided here to be useful, please consider saying thank you.
See if there’s a unique journey guide for your trip, featuring info on the trains, tickets & stations.
This is one of more than 100 train travel guides available on ShowMeTheJourney, which will make it easier to take the train journeys you want or need to make. As always, all images were captured on trips taken by ShowMeTheJourney.
