We need to arrive in Venice for a tour that begins Oct 25, 2015. We plan to land in London, spend a couple of days in London, Eurostar to Bruges for a couple of nights, then take a train to Orly, rent a car and drive from Orly to Nice. Yes, I know it's ambitious - that's not my issue.
My problem is that there appears to be no direct flight between Nice and Venice. We're happy to take a couchette overnight but this would be the only train ride we need, I don't want a multi day ticket. I'm pretty web savvy (with Rick's help) but have to admit I'm stymied. Best I can come up with is putting Bruges at the end of the trip as BrusselsAir is reasonable from Nice to Brussels, then Brussels to Venice. I'd rather see Bruges earlier in October. Any help?
Posted by
San Francisco Bay Area (USA)
16054 posts
Well actually AirFrance does fly from NCE to VCE with one direct non stop (departs at 6am currently).
I doubt it will be cheap, but it will be definitely faster than any other way.
If flying doesn't work, for whatever reason, there is always the train.
You would need to take a Regional train to Ventimiglia (Italy) first, just across the border.
From Ventimiglia then you would proceed by train to Venice (with change in Milan Centrale).
It's not a short journey (~8 hours), but probably cheaper than AirFrance. But I would check both options. Sometimes time is money.
For train schedules use:
www.trenitalia.com
or also the German Rail company (which is good on cross border schedules)
www.bahn.com
The Nice station is called: Nice Ville, the Venice station is called: Venezia Santa Lucia.
The best options are departing from Nice Ville at 7:50 am or also two hours later at 9:50am. Two changes: the first at Ventimiglia the second in Milan, as I said earlier. Almost 8 hours later you are in Venice.
Posted by
Los Angeles
1825 posts
Easyjet has a direct flight and booked this far in advance you should still get a really cheap fare. It is at least four trains and to do it in less than 12 hours you will have one or two 20 minute or less transfers. Miss one and you could have an unintended overnight stay making the train way more expensive. Even with the train travel going as planned I bet it is still more than flying.
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32351 posts
Karyn,
EasyJet does offer direct flights from NCE to VCE, but only on Monday / Wednesday / Friday / Sunday. If you don't mind arriving in Venice a few days before your tour starts, you could book a flight on 23 October (current price €71.87 PP, depart 11:20 & arrive 12:25). That will be a much easier, quicker and cheaper option than a long rail journey.
If you book with EasyJet (or any of the other budget airlines) be sure to read their Terms & Conditions carefully, especially related to luggage. Tickets for the cheapest seats are often non-refundable and non-changeable. If your budget will allow, I'd recommend paying for "Speedy Boarding" and seat selection with EasyJet. Also note that they allow only ONE carry-on item per passenger (and they do enforce that).
Posted by
Rick Steves' Europe
16895 posts
There has been no overnight train from Nice to Italy for several years. Daytime train schedules are as Roberto mentioned, so flying EasyJet sounds like a fine alternative.
I don't understand the purpose of the train to Orly (other than to avoid 2nd-country car rental fees) or of driving to Nice. Are you stopping to visit Paris and/or other towns on the way? If not, then flying from Brussels to Nice or Venice would be simplest and probably cheapest. See www.skyscanner.com to explore other flight options
Posted by
Northamptonshire, England
33821 posts
I also don't understand Orly.
If you want to get a car in France, why don't you get it in Lille (on the French Belgian border) which is very close to Bruges?
Posted by
OP
Tucson, AZ, US
13 posts
Excellent input. Many thanks to those who took the time. I looked into Easyjet before I posted and saw that they evidently don't fly this route after October 23rd, so we just may have to spend 2 extra days in Venice. Such a hearbreak. lol Thanks for the car rental advice out of Lille. I'll look into that! Air France is ridiculously expensive and the train a time drain and complicated.
Merci beaucoup, mes amis!
Posted by
OP
Tucson, AZ, US
13 posts
Ken - what is the "speedy boarding" selection? Just picking your seats? We've flown Ryan so know about weight/luggage restrictions and plan to pack very lightly in smaller valises and carry little. I think I'm going to book for Oct 23. Thanks again.
Posted by
OP
Tucson, AZ, US
13 posts
Nigel - thanks for the car rental suggestion in Lille from Bruges. Makes much more sense than Orly. I'm feeling my way here, sorting out options and appreciate the common sense input. I'm going to look into it.
Posted by
victoria, Canada
11507 posts
Honestly I have never paid extra for the speedy boarding.. or seat selection.. or anything.. the only thing we always pay for up front online is one checked piece of luggage. I like Easyjet and have no issues with following the rules.. but we also have used Vueling ( which allows TWO carryons.. unlike Easyjet) and have also used Ryanair with no complaints at all.
Posted by
London, United Kingdom
4684 posts
"Speedy boarding" just means getting on first. Some airports enforce it more effectively than others.
This was more important in the days when Easyjet didn't have assigned seats and it was a free for all. Nowadays Easyjet does assign seats when you check in, with a charge to pick a specific seat in advance.