Train from Nice to Cinque Terre on May 1

You won't be able to reserve tickets on most European trains until 90 days in advance, so if you're travelling next May you'll be much to early and won't be able to see any tickets.

In recent years train services from France into Italy have been relatively poor, but according to Seat 61 Thello-branded services will be beginning this autumn between Marseille and Milan. Check and book tickets from Nice to Genoa/Genova closer to the time at www.thello.com.

Yes-I know on 90 days.

So I got it that you're saying do book a reservation and pay a higher price from US on this trip rather than waiting and buying tics in Europe like we've always done in the past.

Tks much.

It won't be a higher price nowadays if you use a site other than rail europe. This particular service hasn't started yet but I suspect the cheapest advance prices will be sold directly by Thello from their website, even to USans.

Italian train retailers, including Rail Europe, now offer advance-purchase discounts on the medium- and faster-speed trains, whether run by Thello, Italo, or by Trenitalia/FS, but usually no advance discount for slower, regional trains. Those discounts lock in particular departures and have refund and exchange restrictions. Your question seems to be more about whether the train will sell out, which is hard to predict, but you may also find that only one or two departure times are attractive to you (e.g., have fewer connections). You can get there in one day, and the schedule "can only improve," so I wouldn't spend much time thinking about the issue until real train schedules are published and tickets are for sale next year.

It is not that big a deal. The best way to get from Nice to CT is to take a local, nonreserved train to Ventimiglia, then change to an Italian IC train, changing in Genoa to an IC train to Monterosso. The walk up price is 30.50 euro 2nd class and 39.50 euro 1st class. It takes 4 hours from VM to CT. You can also choose to travel on Regionale trains, takes 1 more hour, all 2nd class for 16.40 euro.

If you buy nonrefundable Super Economy tickets, it is 18 euro, but you can get 1st class for the same price as 2nd.

Remember that in France, May 1 is a huge holiday, Labor Day (i used to work at a place that was only closed 3 days a year: Christmas Day, New Year's Day, and May 1). Therefore the train schedule in France will be on a holiday/weekend timetable (i.e. less frequent service). This isn't necessarily a deal breaker, but just something to be aware of.