Take the train from Nice to Italy... Full details & tips on how to book

Cote d'Azur to Italy by train

Until 2009 there were direct trains between Nice, Genoa & Milan, run by Trenitalia in co-operation with SNCF (French Railways).  SNCF pulled out, then in 2014 Trenitalia formed a subsidiary called Thello to run 3 daily Nice-Milan trains, entering France on a fully-commercial basis without SNCF involvement.  The trains were popular, but with finances badly hit by the pandemic they were discontinued in July 2021.

Currently, a journey from Nice to Italy means taking a French TER train from Nice to the border at Ventimiglia, then a Trenitalia Intercity train from Ventimiglia to Genoa & Milan.  Change in Genoa for La Spezia, Cinque Terre & Pisa, change in Milan for Venice, Florence & Rome.  At least two trains, two bookings, two separate tickets - so much for cross-border co-operation!  But it's still a comfortable & scenic ride, this page will help you plan your trip & buy tickets...

  Timetable

  How much does it cost?

  How to buy tickets

  Route map

  Changing trains at Ventimiglia

  Travel tips:  Luggage, WiFi, food & drink...

  What are the trains like?

  What's the scenery like?

Timetable eastbound 2023

Timetable westbound 2023

Notes for the timetable

How much does it cost?

• Nice to Ventimiglia by TER local train costs €8 normal tariff.

  You are sometimes offered a promotional fare of €5 or €7.50.  Fixed price, cannot sell out, you can buy on the day at this price, good for any train.  Children under 4 free, under 12 half price.

• Ventimiglia to Milan by InterCity train starts at €19.90 in 2nd class, €26.90 in 1st class.

  Fares vary like air fares, so book ahead.  Tickets are only good for the specific train you book, seat reservation included.  Children under 4 free, under 14 child rate.

• Milan to Venice or Florence by Frecciarossa starts at €19.90 in 2nd class or €29.90 in 1st class.

  Milan to Rome or Naples by Frecciarossa starts at €29.90 in 2nd class or €39.90 in 1st class.

  Fares vary like air fares, book ahead for the cheapest prices.  Tickets are only valid for the specific train you book, a seat reservation is included.  Children under 4 free, under 14 child rate.

How to buy tickets

• Easy way...

  Go to www.raileurope.com and buy tickets from any French station to any Italian station or vice versa, for example Cannes to Venice or Florence to Marseille.  It can do this because it connects to both the French SNCF and Italian Trenitalia ticketing systems.

  It's easy to use, in £, € or $, international credit cards no problem.  There's a small booking fee.  More about Raileurope.

  Booking usually opens 4 months ahead.  More about when European train bookings open.

  Tip:  For Nice, it's best to specify Nice Ville as this is the main station.  If you select Nice (any station) it brings up Nice Riquier which is a local station in eastern Nice, although marginally closer to the old town and Vieux Port.

  Tip:  Before running an enquiry when travelling eastbound towards Italy, click More options, enter Ventimiglia as a via station and select a 1 hour stopover time.  This gets you a robust 1-hour connection in Ventimiglia.  If you don't do this, it typically offers a 20-30 minute connection which I think inadequate given that these TER trains can run 20 minutes late.  There is no need to do this when travelling westbound, as TERs from Ventimiglia to Nice run twice an hour and tickets are good for any train.

  For the French TER you can print your own ticket or select a mobile ticket to show on your phone.

  For the Trenitalia train it's ticketless, you simply print out your booking reference or show it on your phone.

• Almost as easy...

  You can also buy tickets between any French station and any Italian station at www.thetrainline.com, which also connects to both SNCF & Trenitalia.  It's also easy to use, in £, € or $, international credit cards no problem.  The booking fee is smaller, but there are two disadvantages versus www.raileurope.com:  First, if you book all in one go you can't mix & match 2nd class on the TER with 1st class on Trenitalia.  Second, it gives you the default transfer time at Ventimiglia with no way to tell it you want a more robust connection.

  To get around this, first book the Trenitalia trains between Ventimiglia and any Italian destination, add to basket, then add a suitable TER connection, add to basket and check out.  More about Thetrainline.

• Advanced way...

  You can of course book the French TER to/from Ventimiglia at the official French Railways website www.sncf-connect.com, in €, with no booking fee.  Then you book Trenitalia trains between Ventimiglia and any Italian station at either www.italiarail.com (easiest, plain English, they'll refund their small booking fee if you email them at seat61@italiarail.com after you book) or Italian Railways' own site www.trenitalia.com (you'll need to use Italian city names even in the English version).

  Tip:  As there are lots of TER trains between Nice & Ventimiglia, but relatively few Intercity trains between Ventimiglia & Milan, start by booking the Italian train between Ventimiglia & your Italian destination, then add the French TER connection afterwards.

Route map

Changing trains at Ventimiglia

• How long to allow for connections in Ventimiglia, westbound?

  Travelling from Italy towards Nice it doesn't matter.  It only takes a few minutes to hop off one train, walk to another and step on.  TERs run from Ventimiglia to Nice once or twice every hour (I only show the relevant ones in the timetable above) and TER tickets are good for any train.  So if the Trenitalia train is late and you miss the connection, you simply catch the next one, no worries! 

  Tip:  TER trains from Ventimiglia to Monte Carlo, Nice & Cannes usually appear on departure screens as destination Grasse or Cannes-La Bocca.

• How long to allow for connections in Ventimiglia, eastbound?

  Travelling from Nice towards Italy, it's a different story.  There are no through tickets between Nice & Italy, you have to buy a separate ticket for the French TER and for the Italian Intercity train, so you've no passenger rights to later onward travel if the TER is late and you miss the connection.  Tickets for Intercity trains are only good for a specific departure and become worthless if you miss it (but if it happens, ask staff, you may be helped out anyway).  These TERs can easily run 20 minutes late, occasionally more, so I recommend at least 45 minutes in Ventimiglia between trains to be on the safe side, which given the way the timetable works, usually means an hour.

  Online booking systems only allow 20-30 minutes by default, by all means chance it if you like, but journey planners don't factor in the risk of having to buy a new onward ticket at the full-flex 'base' rate if you miss the connection.

  Incidentally, if you're taking a Trenitalia regional train onwards from Ventimiglia (for example, to San Remo, Savona or Genoa), a 20 minute connection is fine, because Trenitalia regional tickets are not train-specific and can also be used on the next departure if necessary.

• For a coffee, beer or bite to eat between trains in Ventimiglia...

  Ventimiglia (Vintimille in French) is a pleasant Italian border town.  It takes a few minutes to walk from the station to the seafront.

  The station has a decent buffet called the Bar Self-service Market Il Punto, good for a coffee or light meal, see Google maps entry.

  Alternatively, walk directly ahead of you out of the station and on the street leading from the station to the seafront you'll find the Gran Caffè Paris see Google maps entry for the Gran Caffè Paris.

  For a good meal, the Osteria Consani is near the seafront a few minutes' walk from the station, see Google map entry for the Osteria Constani.

Travel tips

• Should you go 1st or 2nd class?

  The TER trains in France are 2nd class only.  On the Trenitalia Intercity trains, 2nd class is fine, there's no need to pay extra for 1st class unless you want to.  1st class simply means more leg & elbow room, with seats arranged 2+1 across the car width rather than 2+2 - although that means there are solo seats and tables-for-two on one side of the aisle in 1st class which are great if you're travelling alone or as a couple.  1st class is usually quieter, 2nd class is often busier with more families and kids.  On the Trenitalia Intercity trains, all seats are either at a fixed table or have a drop-down table attached to the seatback in front, with a reading light & 2-pin power socket.

• Boarding your train

  There's no check-in, just be on board the train at least a minute before departure time when the doors close.  Seat reservation is compulsory on the Trenitalia Intercity trains and tickets for these trains come with a reserved seat automatically included.

• Which side of the train to sit?

  On the TER trains, obviously sit on the right hand side for all the coastal views going east towards Italy, and on the left hand side going west.

  On Trenitalia Intercity trains you can't pick a side when reserving as the reservation system doesn't know which way round the carriage will be.

• Luggage

  Like any European train, you take your luggage onto the train with you.  Nobody weighs it or measures it or worries about how many bags you have, as long as you can carry it it's fine.  You either put it on the overhead racks above your seat which take anything up to back-pack size, or you can slide it in between the seat backs where the seats are back-to-back.  On TER trains it can just go on the floor.

  There is easy level access between the concourse and all platforms at Milan Centrale so you just pull your bags behind you on their wheels.  At Nice Ville there's level access from street to concourse, then access by escalators or lifts to all platforms.

• Food & drink

  There is no catering on the French TER trains or on these Trenitalia Intercity trains.  Feel free to bring your own food and drink along, even a beer or bottle of wine if you like.

• WiFi & power outlets:  The Trenitalia Intercity trains have power outlets at all seats, but no WiFi.

• Children

  Under 4s go free on both SNCF & Trenitalia, no ticket required, just bring them along.  On SNCF, under 12s qualify for child rate which on TERs usually means half price.  On Trenitalia, under 14s qualify for the child rate on Intercity, Frecciabianca, Frecciargento & Frecciarossa trains, but only under 12s qualify for child rate on Trenitalia's regionale & regionale veloce trains.  More about child age limits on European trains.

• Milan Centrale

  Milan Centrale is an attraction in its own right, see the Milan Centrale station guide which explains the layout of the station and good places for a beer, coffee or meal.  If you're travelling from, to or through Milan Centrale make sure you take time to look around you, it's a magnificent landmark, see if you can spot Mussolini...

• Interrail & Eurail passes

  Eurail and Interrail passes can be used on all Trenitalia trains, but as of 1 July 2022, not the French TER trains, see the Eurail & Interrail reservation page for details. selecting either France or Italy.  No reservation necessary for Trenitalia regional trains, just board & show your pass.  A reservation is required for a small fee on the Trenitalia Intercity trains, see the Italy section on the Eurail & Interrail reservation page.

What are the trains like?

French TER trains:  The TER trains which run along the Cote d'Azur between Cannes, Juan les Pins, Antibes, Nice, Monaco, Menton & Ventimiglia are double-deck, air-conditioned, 2nd class only.  There are toilets on board, but no catering, so bring your own food & drink.  Luggage just goes on the floor or on the racks, it's not a problem.  Sit upstairs for the best views as the train twists and turns along the wonderful Côte d'Azur...

A double-deck TER train from Nice to Ventimiglia, seen at Nice Ville station.

A TER train rolls into Juan les Pins station, between Nice & Cannes - these trains also call here.

Trenitalia's Intercity trains are air-conditioned with comfortable seating in classic cars hauled by a locomotive.  All tickets are for a specified departure and come with a specific reserved seat automatically included.  There's no catering, so bring your own food & drink.

A Trenitalia InterCity train at Milan Centrale...

2nd class on an Intercity train.  Larger photo.		1st class on an Intercity train.  Larger photo.

Trenitalia's Frecciarossa trains run from Milan to Verona, Venice, Bologna, Florence, Rome & Naples.  They can run at up to 300 km/h (186 mph) on Italy's high-speed lines and have 4 classes, Standard, Premium, Business and Executive, see the Frecciarossa page for more information.  Most Milan-Florence-Rome-Naples trains arte now Frecciarossa 1000, most Milan-Verona-Venice trains are operated by the earlier Frecciarossa 500.  Both types have air-conditioning, a cafe-bar, power sockets at all seats & free WiFi.

This is a Frecciarossa 1000 at Milan Centrale, other services are operated by Frecciarossa 500.  More information about Frecciarossas & explanation of the 4 classes.

Standard class, 2+2 across width.  Larger photo.		Executive class, 1+1 across width.  Larger photo

Business class seats 1+2 across car width, with tables for 2 and tables for 4 and complimentary prosecco. Larger photo.		In business class you can order a meal at your seat, around €18.  More information about Frecciarossas.

What's the scenery like?

The railway from Nice to Milan runs along the French and then Italian Riviera, through Monte Carlo, Menton, San Remo, Diano Marina, Savona and Genoa.  On the Italian side, the railway between San Remo & Alassio was rebuilt slightly inland a few years ago, but it's still a great trip.  You'll pass bays, hillside villages, yacht-filled harbours and rocky headlands.  Take a picnic and bottle of wine, sit back and enjoy the ride!

Coastal scenery from the upper deck of a TER from Nice to Ventimiglia.  If you get any great photos along this route, let me know!

More coastal scenery between Ventimiglia & Genoa.  Photos courtesy Lucas Martin.

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