Night train - Paris to Nice - anyone done it?

Don't miss Old Town in Nice. Very picturesque, lots of interesting shops and restaurants.
I would stay near there, though I stayed at the Best Western Roosevelt hotel, which was in a good location, within easy walking distance of a lot.
Walking along the Promenade des Anglais -- a lovely, long stroll on the beach is not to be missed, and should be wonderful in Sept. You can do a short hike up to Le Castel -- a high point on the coast and get a fantastic view of the city, and the harbor. I could not take enough photos up there... Lots of nice scenery here, you will love it.

The Man in 61 - follow this link: http://www.seat61.com/France-trains.htm#Intercites de Nuit has some good information on that train. I nearly took it when it was branded Teoz to Monaco or Nice but my wife and I have taken our last night train.

culpeps,

To begin with, I wouldn't bother taking a night train. There are direct departures (no changes) from Gare de Lyon to Nice Ville with a travel time of 5H:37M. Those will be via TGV, which travels at up to 300 kmH, which is quite an experience! Travelling in the day time will allow you to enjoy the scenery.

OTOH, the night trains will take about 11 hours, which is longer than I'd want to spend on the train. Some people can get a good rest on trains, while others don't so they arrive tired and it takes some of their valuable time in the new destination to recover from the trip.

For accommodations in Nice, I would highly recommend Hotel Suisse which is located at one end of the Promenade des Anglais and an easy walk from the "old town". Some of their rooms overlook the Promenade, and it's wonderful to open the curtains in the morning and see the turquoise waters of the Cote d' Azur and the beach in the sunshine!

Regarding things to do, I'd suggest having a look at one of the GUIDEBOOKS for that area, either the France 2014 or the Provence & French Riviera version. That's the best way to find activities that fit your criteria. However, a few things you might consider....

• Visit the Chagall and/or Matisse Museums in Nice.
• Visit the Rothschild Villa
• Take a day trip to Monaco and Monte Carlo (Changing of the Guard at the Royal Palace happens at 11:55 as I recall - be sure to get there early to get a good vantage point!). The Oceanographic Museum in Monaco is excellent, and you may also want to visit the Church where Princess Grace and Prince Rainier are interred. It's an easy walk to Monte Carlo (or take the Bus), but note that famous Casino has a dress code. Last time I checked, the Bus fare from Nice was only €1 each way. When you arrive a the bottom of the hill in Monaco, you can either walk up to the town or spend another €1 and take the Bus. Details on transportation are listed in the Guidebooks.
• Take a day trip to Villefranche
• Take a day trip to Eze (Note that there are two parts, Eze-sur-Mer closer to the ocean and Eze-Village which is up the hill).
• Enjoy some beach time. As I recall, the beach is a bit rocky and you may have to rent a chair and umbrella.
• Enjoy exploring the many shops and restaurants in the old town (where you'll surely be able to sample some WINE). There will likely be some excellent street performers putting on a show while you're there.

I don't think you'll have ANY problem figuring out things to do with only a very short three days.

Bon Voyage!

We took the daytrain to Nice.. 5 hours and 40 minutes.. and I would not care to spend anymore time on a train then that myself. The train was lovely ,, we were in 1st class.. but is still confining.. and there is no nice dining car like you see in movies.. just what we would call an "concession car"..
The train cost us a whopping 40 euros.. because I purchased months in advance.. ( the exact day tickets for our dates became available.. the cheap ones sell out first) and I booked through iDTGV which is the french discount website for TGV. We like our seats ( we would have gone 2nd class but since 1st was only 10 euros more we snapped them up ) and we really liked it when after befriending the folks in the seats across from us they told us what a deal they had got purchasing their tickets two weeks ago.. only 200 euros.. they simply did not believe how little I paid and I had to show them our e-confirmation.
Buy early !

Night trains would be nice if they were like the Orient Express of days gone by.. however. they are not..

Thanks so much for the thoughtful replies, everyone!
I'm a pretty seasoned train traveler (including night trains throughout Southeast Asia and a "night bus" that has to be seen to be believed), so I thought the night train with bunk beds would be a fun option that would save us daylight hours and the cost of a hotel. But maybe it's not such a great idea? Sounds like some of you have done it and not been impressed?
Ken, the day trips you suggested sounds lovely! We were thinking of stopping in Monaco on our way down to CT...

Culpeps, We used to do the night train between Paris and the south of France before the TGV when all trains were 12 hours (ie. in the 1970s) and you are right that it saves daylight hours for other activities, as well as a night in a hotel. If you are up for it, enjoy.

I've taken numerous night trains in Europe and it isn't as wonderful as you might think...it's not romantic. If there are just two of you you'll be in a compartment with strangers most likely (unless you reserve 1st class cabins) and the food is pretty atrocious. It's loud with people out in the hallways and there are often stops at stations along the way which are impossible to sleep through. If you don't have bunkmates at the beginning of the journey they may arrive at one of these stations in the middle of the night after you think you've gotten lucky and have the compartment to yourself. Save yourself a good night's sleep and take the TGV or fly. So not worth it to take an overnight train in Europe anymore unless it's the Orient Express!

Thanks for the replies, everyone! Call us crazy, but I think we're going to give it a shot. We have pretty low expectations on comfort, and no expectations on privacy, but I think it will be a once-in-a-lifetime adventure. The night train is advertised as non-stop Paris to Nice, so it seems like we won't be woken up by station calls. Does anyone have any thoughts on the security of luggage while we sleep? I've only even done a night train with a backpacker's pack that I could snuggle with in my bunk... not practical for a roller bag, even a small one. Do we need to worry about a cabin-mate making off with our stuff, or someone coming into the cabin at night?

Thanks!

We were in Nice about a year ago and they were doing major work on the bus line stops in downtown Nice. It was difficult to find the starting point of the bus towards Eze, for example. Hopefully they've finished the work. If not, allow some extra time to find your bus, maybe get help from the front desk where you are staying.

Be careful planning that train because it doesn't go every day.

In terms of "non stop", it won't be. It is scheduled as
Paris Austerlitz 21:23

Toulon 06:45

Les Arcs Draguignan 07:21

Fréjus Gare Autotrain 07:36

St-Raphael-Valescure 07:41

Cannes 08:05

Antibes 08:18

Nice Ville 08:46

and there will be intermediate unscheduled stops. They have to stop along the way to turn a 5 hour journey into an 11 hour one.

Did you follow the link I shared at the top of the thread for the Man in Seat 61? He is very comprehensive, and will answer many of your detailed questions.

Hi Nigel! Yes, I spent quite a while getting to know the Man in seat 61. What a fabulous resource! Thanks for pointing me to it, and for the detailed information. I really appreciate it!

I don't have additional info for you, but I do have a question of my own. Hotel Suisse in Nice is very $$$! Can anyone recommend a hotel that's a bit less pricey?

I don't have additional info for you, but I do have a question of my own. Hotel Suisse in Nice is very $$$! Can anyone recommend a hotel that's a bit less pricey?

Kristi, we were in Nice as it was the tail end of a RS tour. The hotel we stayed at was indeed Hotel Suisse which has a great location close to the Old Town and right on the water. Prior to the tour we asked the hotel about staying extra nights and were put off by the expense so we found a different hotel in town. The point of all this is that while leaving one of the managers asked if we wanted them to call a taxi to the airport, we said that we were just changing hotels. Asked why we didn't stay at Hotel Suisse we mentioned the cost. The manager then said that they had some non-view rooms available at what turned out to be essentially the same cost we were paying at our other hotel. The other hotel was inland without a view anyway, so it would have been a wash and we would have done it had we known.

So now you know. They don't list those rooms on their website, apparently, nor will they offer them in reply to an email regarding staying extra days after the tour, but if you ask they exist.

Kristi.. we stayed at the Hotel Solara.. and loved it.. Its a bit quirky.. the hotel is actually the top two floors of an apartment building so you have to go up there to check in.. but the elevator is a reasonable size so no worries. lol We had a great room, good a/c , nice staff and a large balcony!
It was on a nice mostly pedestrian street with a great cafe across the street for breakfast. and we walked every where from there. And its cheap.

Google for "reviews of Hotel Solara "

Nigel beat me to it - no transfers doesn't mean no stops :-( Remember - you're making a 5h trip last 11+h...so you'll be sitting in several train stations for an hour here, an hour there...all the while having a bright light shining into your cabin, listening to those monotonous announcements about watching your luggage, being rocked noticeably when passing TGVs blast past at 150+ MPH, etc. My sleeping cabin always seems to be the hangout for the conductors and rail workers to stand around, smoke cigarettes, and argue about soccer scores :-( These stops are usually announced by squalling brakes, and often by a not-so-smooth deceleration. In case you wonder what those nets are for on the upper berths...yeah. Hang on for dear life...

I would absolutely NOT take this over a 5h30m trip! FWIW, this particular train looks really nice, too. And as for saving a night in a hotel - it's gonna cost you around 117€ pp for that privilege. Ouch.