Paris to Nice: TGV or Fly?

Might depend on where you board the train. If you are in the city, you’d not have to travel to the airport and go through the airport relay race. And the station in Nice is in the center of the town. I’ve only taken the TGV first-class and found it super comfortable. But, yes, flying is much faster.

We will be in St-Germain. Yes, I am wondering if all the extra time involved with airport (taxi, security, boarding,etc) makes the train time more comparable.

That quick flight ( 1 hr 30 min) turns into 4 1/2 minimum by the time you transfer to the airport, arrive 2 hrs in advance, then transfer into Nice. Emphasis on the minimum. We've ridden the SNCF trains several times in 2nd class. No complaints.

Although the airport in Nice is just outside of the city center. A taxi will get you to your hotel in under 15 minutes, or you can take the tram into town.

Make sure the train you are looking at is not a Ouigo. And the reason it is 6 hours is that the tracks from Marseille to Nice limit the speed of the train, no matter what kind of train it is.

My general threshold is 6 hours - if the train is 6 hours, I take the train. It’s comfortable, scenic, and you end up pretty close to city center.

I’d choose the train over a flight. In addition to not having to drag yourself out to the airport and go through all that is air travel, that route has a really nice bonus - there are several scenic sections between Marseille and Nice that hug the Mediterranean coast.

If it’s within your budget I’d choose 1st class on a TGV INOUI. The seats are just that much more comfortable, the cars are usually quieter and space to stash your luggage is more plentiful than 2nd/standard class. If you reserve far enough in advance, you can often get a very good fare deal in 1st class. All of that said, 2nd class on a TGV INOUI is perfectly fine.

Note: there are two types of TGV trains. Full service = INOUI and budget = OUIGO. I have not yet taken SNCFs low-cost/budget TGV option, OUIGO. OUIGO trains are all 2nd class seating and do have a number of restrictions to consider.

We always buy our tickets directly from SNCF.

I've done both. Both times everything went well. I arrived at CDG 1.75 hours before my flight's departure time and there were no delays. Flying all in took me almost exactly 1 hour and 20 minutes less than taking the train did and that includes some time spent waiting for checked luggage. The flight did arrive about 10 minutes early. So if you want an extra hour in Nice, fly. We use first class for train trips over 2 hours but we are an extremely tall family ranging from 6' tall to 6' 9" so we have people who need the extra leg room.

In addition to the time needed to get out to the airport for departure, there is the expense. €14 euros per person on the RER or metro, or varying rates depending on if you are departing from CDG or Orly. It won't break the bank, but is a factor to consider.

We just flew down then TGVed back. Will do exact same again in January. Mind you, we wazzam (were and will be again) based at a CDG hotel. You'd have to cab from St. Germain to CDG.
I am done. The end.

Do not go to CDG for a flight to NCE. I use ORY and I rarely pay more than 60€ to 70€ for a ticket. Métro 14 will take you quickly to ORY.