TGV train from Paris to Nice at Paris Gare de Lyon...
 

Buy train tickets from Paris to Nice

The view from a Paris-Nice train on the Mediterranean coast

Forget the stress of flying.  Chill out by train & see scenery like this between Paris and Nice.  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.  With flying taking 4 stressful & disjointed hours of grotty RER train to the airport, check-in, boarding, flight, airport, luggage reclaim and cramped bus, the clever money chills out on the direct train with a glass of wine and a good book, enjoying the wonderful views down the scenic Rhône Valley, past Avignon & Marseille and alongside the blue waters of the Mediterranean on the beautiful Cote d'Azur. And a time-saving overnight train with couchettes was reintroduced from April 2021, too.

small bullet point  Train times

small bullet point  How much does it cost? 

small bullet point  How to buy tickets

small bullet point  Route map

small bullet point  What are the TGV trains like?

small bullet point  What's the journey like?

small bullet point  Travel tips for the TGV

small bullet point  Ouigo lo-cost Paris-Nice trains

small bullet point  What is the Paris-Nice sleeper train like?

small bullet point  Paris Gare de Lyon station guide

small bullet point  London to Nice by train

small bullet point  Train travel in France, a beginner's guide

small bullet point  European train travel general information

Timetable southbound 2023

 Paris ► Cannes, Nice

 

Ouigo

TGV

TGV

TGV

TGV

Ouigo

TGV

Sleeper

  Days of running:

Daily

Daily

Daily

Daily

Daily

Daily

Daily

Daily

 Paris Gare de Lyon depart:

08:22

09:10

10:10

11:22

14:10

16:10

17:22

 -

 Paris Austerlitz depart:

|

|

|

|

|

|

|

21:04

 Cannes arrive:

13:25

14:25

15:25

16:25

19:26

21:26

22:28

08:31

 Nice Ville arrive:

13:58

14:58

15:57

16:58

19:58

21:59

23:00

09:08

Timetable northbound 2023

 Nice, Cannes ► Paris

 

Ouigo

TGV

TGV

TGV

Ouigo

TGV

TGV

Sleeper

  Days of running:

Daily

Daily

Daily

Daily

Daily

Daily

Daily

Daily

 Nice Ville depart:

06:01

07:57

09:57

12:02

15:02

16:01

16:57

19:11

 Cannes depart:

06:31

08:28

10:32

12:33

15:32

16:32

17:33

19:34

 Paris Austerlitz arrive:

|

|

|

|

|

|

|

07:20

 Paris Gare de Lyon arrive:

11:46

13:50

15:50

17:50

20:38

21:50

22:38

 -

Read downwards, each column is a train you can take.  You may find extra trains at peak periods, for example 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 information 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 for more information.

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 (one TGV a day usually runs from Paris to Monte Carlo direct).  Local TER trains link St Raphael, Antibes, Juan les Pins, Nice, Monaco-Monte Carlo & Menton every 30 minutes or so all day, you can check train times using www.bahn.de/en and buy tickets for these at the station.

Paris to Nice is 975 km or 605 miles.  These TGVs average over 105mph including stops.

How much does it cost?

How to buy tickets

Route map

Paris to Nice train route map

 

Click for larger map

Highlighted = Paris-Nice TGV route.  Red = high-speed lines. 

Black = conventional lines.  Green = scenic sections of line.

Extract from the European Rail Map with kind permission of the European Rail Timetable people. 

I recommend buying the European Rail Map and European Rail Timetable at www.europeanrailtimetable.eu, they ship worldwide.

European Rail Timetable and map

Back to top

What are the TGV trains like?

TGV Duplex train from Paris to Nice

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 TGV, a relaxing & scenic journey with a glass of wine and a good book.  Watch the TGV video guide

TGV Duplex cafe-bar   TGV Duplex upper deck 2nd class seats

Cafe-bar on upper deck car 4, serving tea, coffee, soft drinks, wine, beer, snacks & microwaved hot dishes....

 

2nd class seats on upper deck.  There's a mix or tables for 4 and unidirectional seating. 360º photo.

First class on board a TGV Duplex   An TGV Duplex at Paris Est.

1st class upper deck seats, club duo on the left, club quatre on the right.  360º photo.

 

TGV Duplex.  The 1 next to the door means 1st class, a 2 means 2nd class...

TGV Duplex:  Stairs to upper deck   TGV Duplex:  Power outlets   TGV Duplex:  Luggage racks

The stairs to the upper deck. Just 9 steps, wide, shallow with double handrails.  No problem!

 

Power sockets:  All seats in both classes have power sockets, 2-pin 230v.

 

Luggage racks.  You take your bags on board with you and place them on the racks.  There are racks both upstairs and downstairs, both at the car ends and (as here) between the seats.

Video guide to TGV Duplex

What's the TGV journey like?

Paris Gare de Lyon

1.  Paris Gare de Lyon.  The trains to Nice leave from the magnificent Gare de Lyon in central Paris, a landmark in its own right.  See Gare de Lyon information page.

Paris Gare de Lyon Hall 1, platforms A to N

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.

The Train Bleu restaurant, Paris Gare de Lyon   The Train Bleu restaurant's bar

How about lunch at the amazing Train Bleu restaurant in Hall 1 of the Gare de Lyon before catching the Nice Express?  Or just have a coffee or beer in the bar (above right), which makes an excellent VIP waiting lounge.

TGV train to Nice boarding at Paris Gare de Lyon   Chilling out on the train to Nice

2.  Boarding the TGV at Paris Gare de Lyon.  There's no check-in to worry about, you simply place the barcode on your ticket, printout or phone against the glass reader on the automatic ticket gate at the entrance to the platform and stroll onto your train.  Just make sure you're on board a couple of minutes before departure time.  You place your luggage on the various racks above or near your seat, so it's accessible throughout the journey.  In half an hour you're chilling out in rural France at 186 mph.

Scenery from the train between Paris & Lyon

3.  Paris to the outskirts of Lyon...  The train leaves the Gare de Lyon and joins the high-speed line, accelerating smoothly to 186mph through the Paris suburbs, soon emerging into open country.  Between Paris and the outskirts of Lyon the train runs through undulating countryside with villages and stone-built farms nestling in small valleys...

Scenery from the train along the Rhone Valley

4.  The Rhone Valley...  South of Lyon the train powers down the rural Rhone Valley, past more pretty French villages with picturesque churches and the occasional castle...

Hilltop village in the Rhone Valley seen from the Paris to Nice train

...Watch for hilltop villages & churches

Mountains seen from a Paris-Nice TGV train

...On a clear day you can see the snow-capped French Alps in the extreme distance to the left, and the dark line of the Massif central mountains on the far side of the valley to the right.

Crossing the Rhone with views of the Chateau de Montfaucon

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.

The view from the train as it crosses the Rhone at Avignon

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.

Coastal views from the train between Toulon and Nice

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.

TGV train from Paris arrived in Nice   Nice Ville railway station

9.  The train arrives at Nice Ville station right in the city centre, 15 minutes walk from the Promenade des Anglais (below).

The Promende des Anglais at Nice

Travel tips


Ouigo - the budget airline on rails, Paris-Nice from €19

Ouigo lo-cost Paris to Nice train banner


What is 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 information about these French night trains, including how to book sole occupancy of a couchette compartment.

Intercite de nuit overnight train in Paris

An intercité de nuit sleeper train boarding at Paris Gare d'Austerlitz.  Photo courtesy of Philip Dyer-Perry.

1st class 4-berth couchette from Paris to Nice   2nd class couchette from Paris to Nice   French couchette car corridor

1st class 4-berth couchettes, as recently refurbished.  Courtesy of @Bristol_Phil.  Photo in 2nd class courtesy Dan Chester.

 

2nd class 6-berth couchettes

 

Couchette car corridor.  Courtesy Dan Chester.

InterCite de Nuit 2nd class upper berth couchettes   InterCite de Nuit couchette

Upper berths, 2nd class, showing compartment lighting & temperature controls.  You can see the normal lock & security deadlock on the door.  Courtesy of Dan Chester.

 

Each couchette comes with a pillow, lightweight sleeping bag, bottled water, amenity kit with ear plugs & eye mask, reading light & power outlet.

The Paris to Nice sleeper running along the Mediterranean coast

The Paris to Nice Intercité de Nuit running along the Côte d'Azur in the morning sun.  Photo courtesy of Noam auf Gleis 13.


Hotels in Paris

Hotels in Nice...


Book hotels at Booking.com


Back to home page