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Coastal Train from Nice to Sete to Barcelona May 2015

Hello Fellow Travelers!
I am traveling with my daughter and , we want to experience as much of the coastline from Nice to Sete, then onward to Barcelona. We are experienced travelers, but I cannot find the link on TGV or TER trains that show this line- so we can relax and experience the coast! So looking forward to any and all advice.
Best~ Es

Posted by
8889 posts

There is no direct line from Nice to Sete. You have to change, at Marseille or Avignon, and the route loops inland round the Rhône estuary (The large marsh called the "Camargue").
I am not sure which website you are referring to when you say "I cannot find the link on TGV or TER trains". I looked on: www.bahn.de and that showed several connections each day taking 5-6 hours.
Sete to Barcelona takes 3 hours on a TGV, a lot longer on a non-high speed trains.

For fares info and booking, use http://voyages-sncf.com or https://www.capitainetrain.com

Posted by
7 posts

Thanks for that info!
However, on Rick's Video of Cote d"Azur... he shows a coastal train that goes along the coast. That is the TGV or TER I am refering to.
I have seen the trains you are refering to~ however there is a map that shows the TGV..http://en.voyages-sncf.com/en/train-europe.
And as you can see - following the blue lien along the coast, there seems to be a train. I am hoping to see the beautiful coast!
Thank you

Posted by
8889 posts

Just because it is the same colour on a map, doesn't mean there is one through train.
The Côte d'Azur is the section of coastline east of Marseille, from Toulon to Nice and onward to the Italian border. It is hilly and the train hugs the coast.
From Marseille westward is the Camargue, and you have to go inland round it, the line then returns to the coast but is a few Km inland.
On the map you posted, you can see the line goes inland from Marseille to Avignon.

I found a more detailed map: http://www.preprod.croisieurope.fr/sites/croisieurope.fr/files/carte-sncf.jpg
(click on it to expand it). But, remember, this is still not showing you all lines and stations, it is only showing lines and stations used by long-distance trains.

Changing trains is no problem, why is it worrying you?

Posted by
7 posts

Again- Thank you for your input.
Let me be clear- I am not "worrying" about changing trains!
As you can see on the map you graciously provided- the "Green line" is considered an "Intercity" train... and I am simply wondering the name of that line. It hugs the coast... according to the map....
On the map you sent it appears we would change in Nimes- no worries there. As we are traveling for 2 months- just nice to get input! And Thank you for yours
Again- just trying to share the beauty of the coast with my daughter.
Best

Posted by
8889 posts

Railway lines do not always have official names, they are just called "the line from A to B". And, any line can have a mixture of TGV and/or Intercity and/or TER trains on it.

I have just found the map I was looking for earlier: http://www.rff.fr/IMG/reseau-existant-2009.pdf
This shows all lines in France, but only main stations (Sete is not there). But it is geographically accurate, so you can see where the line follows the coast. Basically it is the section from the Italian border to west of Cannes.
South of Sete, the line runs between a lagoon and the sea.

Posted by
4151 posts

You may find that you must put together your own route along the water, because merely putting in your starting and ending points will route you the most efficient way. That may not be the most scenic one.

I think using the DB Bahn site already mentioned is the best way to noodle around with that by adding in places using the "enter stopovers" option that appears after you put in your starting and ending locations. Ignore the box for the amount of time you want for the stopover unless you do want to get off the train, leave your luggage at the station and explore a bit before getting back on.

After you have a cool route, which you can verify is what you want by clicking on the "show map" link, transfer what you learned to the French ticketing sources to see about buying tickets.

Note that the DB Bahn results you get can include TGV trains, regional trains and buses.

We did something similar for a train trip from Rome to Antibes. It was a lot of work to figure it out, but we were able to get as close to the water as we could and the scenery was well worth the effort.

Posted by
7 posts

Hi!
Yes- it is always work to see life through different eyes! You made me laugh... I just read " the dress"... so I actually knew what you were talking about...What color is it to you? I see white/gold- haha!
Thanks for your input again- Much appreciated!

Posted by
10176 posts

Oh, I deleted my post where I mentioned that the different train lines on the map were colored and you should be able to see them the same as I was, unless we had another "the dress" situation going on. But I saw that you understood how the train lines worked, so I deleted my post. Now others will know what you are referring to. Have a good trip.