Cote d'Azur to Italy from €15...

Three direct trains link Nice & Monte Carlo with Genoa & Milan every day, with one extending beyond Nice to & from Antibes, Cannes & Marseille.  They are run by Thello, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Trenitalia (Italian Railways).  They enter France on an open access basis under the EU's open competition laws with no SNCF (French Railways) involvement, which is why you won't find them listed on SNCF websites.  But they can be booked at Raileurope.co.uk, which can book both Italian and French trains, as well as www.italiarail.com, www.thello.com or www.trenitalia.com.

  What are the trains like?

  Route map

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

  How to check train times, fares & tickets

  Scenery along the coast...

Regular French domestic trains link Nice, Antibes, Cannes, St Raphael, Toulon & Marseille.  If the once-a-day direct train doesn't suit you, you can of course take the 07:10 from Milan to Nice and change onto one of these for stations to Marseille.  Or travel on an early train from Marseille, Toulon, Cannes etc. to Nice to pick up the 18:06 from Nice to Milan.  You can check times at Raileurope.co.uk, it means buying a separate ticket either side of Nice, so I'd allow at least 45 minutes between trains to allow for any delay.

What are the Thello trains like?

These Thello trains use Trenitalia Frecciabianca carriages, painted in Thello's distinctive colours.

A Thello train about to leave Milan Centrale for Monte Carlo, Nice, Cannes & Marseille.

Table for two in 1st class, ideal for couples...		1st class seats, 2+1 across car width.  See larger photo.

Cafe counter selling tea, coffee, drinks & snacks...		2nd class seats, 2+2 across car width.  See larger photo.

The Thello train to Milan Centrale boarding at Marseille St Charles...

Route map...

Travel tips...

• Should you go 1st or 2nd class?

  2nd class is absolutely fine, there's no need to pay extra for 1st class unless you want to.  1st class merely means more leg and 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 with more laptops tapping, 2nd class is often busier than 1st class with more families and kids.

  All seats can be moderately reclined and all seats are either at a fixed table or have a drop-down table attached to the seatback in front.  All seats have an individual reading light.

• Boarding your train...

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

• Luggage...

  Like any European train, you take your luggage in with you.  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, see the photo below.

  There is easy level access between the concourse and all platforms at Marseille St Charles & 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...

  The cafe counter serves tea, coffee, alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks and snacks.  You are of course free to bring your own food and drink along to eat & drink in your seat, even a beer or bottle of wine if you like.

• WiFi & power outlets...  There are power outlets at all seats, but no WiFi on these trains.

• Baby changing table...  There's at least one on every train.

• 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.

• Marseille St Charles...

  If you're going to Marseille, see the Marseille St Charles station & city page.

• Enjoy the scenery...

  Between Marseille and Nice the train runs along the coast, past rocky headlands, millionaires' villas and yacht-filled harbours.  There is also more coastal scenery between Nice and Genoa along the Ligurian coast, through places like San Remo, Diano Marina and Savona, although in recent years some difficult coastal sections have been rebuilt a little further inland with the occasional tunnel so it's not quite as dramatic as it once was.

• InterRail & Eurail passes...

  Passes aren't valid on these Thello trains because Thello is a separate company from Trenitalia or SNCF (even if it's a subsidiary of Trenitalia!).  Thello offer a special passholder fare which saves money over the most expensive full-flex on-the-day fare, but usually costs more than a cheap advance-purchase ticket if you are able to pre-book.  See the Eurail Pass page or InterRail pass page.

• There's more information about these trains at the Thello website www.thello.com.

Times, fares & tickets...

• Nice to Milan start at €15 in 2nd class, Marseille to Milan at €30.  These are advance-purchase fares branded which vary in price dynamically like air fares.  The standard price bought on the day is higher, for example Nice to Milan is around €45.

• All tickets are valid only for the specific train you book and come with a seat reservation included.

• You can buy tickets for these trains at Raileurope.co.uk, easy to use, in £ or €, international credit cards accepted.  Raileurope.co.uk connects to both Trenitalia's and SNCF's ticketing systems so can sell journeys between anywhere in France and anywhere in Italy.  A small booking fee applies.

• Alternatively, you can book these trains at www.italiarail.com (their €3.50 booking fee will be refunded if you email them after booking at seat61@italiarail.com), www.thello.com or www.trenitalia.com (a little fiddly, requires Italian place names).

Thello car at Marseille showing entrance steps...		2nd class seats showing luggage space between seats...

Scenery from the train...

The Thello train from Nice to Milan runs along the French and then Italian Riviera, through Monte Carlo, Menton, San Remo, Diano Marina, Savona and Genoa.  You'll pass bays, hillside villages, yacht-filled harbours and rocky headlands.  Grab a coffee, beer or glass of red from the cafe-bar, sit back and enjoy the ride!

Photos courtesy Lucas Martin.  If you get any great scenery photos along this route, let me know!

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