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Interesting train stops between Paris and Nice

Posted by (Dallas, Tx) on

Last year we visited Paris and used the trains for the first time. We are very familiar with train travel in the UK, but were initially hesitant about doing the same sort of travel in France. Having now discovered that France train travel in general is a non issue, we are planning another trip.

What we have in mind is flying into Paris and at some point taking the train to Nice, from where we would fly out.. As this is something like a 5 1/2 hour train trip we thought we might break up the trip into several segments by stopping overnight at various small towns along the way.

Which brings me to the actual question, does anyone have suggestions for what stops, along the main train routes might be interesting ? Our major interest is photography, which means old quaint villages, ruins, cathedrals, castles, that sort of thing. Not big on museums, reenacted jousting tournaments, or that sort of production. We customarily walk long quite a bit during our sightseeing so that is not a problem.

Posted by
10215 posts

The reason it's only about six hours is because the first three hours the train is going at a high speed. Some stop in Dijon, Lyon, Avignon--but none of those are quaint towns. The high-speed trains stop only in major cities. The train from Marseille to Nice is at "traditional" speed because the tracks aren't configured for high speed. At that point, the train stops along the coast more frequently.

So, if you want t0 stop in smaller places before Marseille, you'll need to take the local trains called TER. These still stop in the largest of the towns in the rural areas, for example: Sens, Auxerre, Joigny, Macon, Valence, Vienne, Orange, Aix, and more along your route. From these stations you can reserve taxis to take you to the smaller towns and villages. It's recommended to find the taxi on line and reserve beforehand in these towns. Unfortunately, train stops in villages have been curtailed greatly over the past twenty years. The scheme for the SNCF to pay taxis to replace the eliminated trains fizzled due to the meager reimbursement. We have to pay the taxis ourselves.

Posted by
107 posts

Ok, let me try a slightly different tact then.

Say we get on a train in Paris and head SOMEWHERE. Any thoughts on how to investigate stringing several interesting destinations together without having to go back through Paris?

Nice was a simple destination, but the idea is to identify a train route along which we can make interesting overnight stops.

Posted by
10215 posts

BJ, Here is the Regional Train website in English. http://www.sncf.com/en/trains/ter
It's divided into regions, so you can use this to string destinations together. You need to have your own detailed map to do it, however. Neither a map, nor a visual of the train lines appear on the website.

Posted by
244 posts

Depending on how many days you have you could stop in Lyon, Avignon, or Arles. Rick Steves Provence guide book is a great resource. We are traveling from Paris to Avignon to Cassis in May. RS has info on this website that may also be helpful. here.
We use Captain train to purchase our train tickets. But we will also be renting a car for day trips.

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