Cheapest way to travel?

If you buy discounted tickets about 92 days in advance, train travel would be the least expensive, IMO.

TGV is a high speed train traveling mainly between big cities.
You may take the TGV from Paris to Nice for as little as €25 pp when booked way in advance.

You may find the man in seat 61 a very helpful website, as it will explain everything you need to know about train travel in France, or elsewhere.

Have a wonderful trip!

Also, a "family of 4" needs more detail. If the family includes small children, they may be able to travel for reduced rates or free if very young. Often, super-discounted advance purchase will be even lower than children's tickets. You can set up a price alert at www.sncf.com/en/passengers, or get a month calendar of cheapest tickets.

ViaMichelin estimates the driving time at about 9 hours with no stops whatsoever, and tolls at about 76 euros for the fastest route, to which you'd need to add the very high cost of fuel. And of course the cost of the car rental itself.

Train time can be under 6 hours. It appears that a party of two adults and two children between 4 and 11 years old could often make the trip for 144 euros if the tickets were purchased soon after they go on sale. Fares tend to be higher on Fridays and in mid-summer. Check schedules and fares on the SNCF website. You can save a lot of money by getting this train leg pinned down early.

If you are unable to commit to a specific date and time far in advance, a bus will likely cost much less than last-minute train tickets, but that would be a very, very long ride (most scheduled to take at least 15 hours), and it seems that most of the buses run overnight.

And let's not forget that EasyJet.com flies to Nice from Paris de Gaulle Airport AND Orly Airport very cheap--and fast.

Regarding David's response about flying to Nice...

You may be interested in reading Nigel's response to this thread: https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/general-europe/train-or-plane-paris-to-florence

Nigel's reply does not pertain to your route, but he explains the advantages of train travel vs plane travel, in great detail ;-)

You must take into consideration the time it will take you to get to the airport, waiting at the airport, plus the transfer (& cost) to your hotel upon arriving to your destination.

Have a wonderful trip!

pshapard.. take the train.. its so fun for kids.. much more fun than the stress of airports and flying. waiting in lines, going through security, waiting to board.. etc etc..

On the train.. it takes 5 hours and 50 minutes.. during this time, your children can walk about.. you can enjoy the lovely picnic lunch you bring on the train,, including your own drinks ( no restrictions like when flying ) ..

I priced my tickets out on the TGV site.. and the iDTGV site and found them cheaper on the iDTGV.. its weird.. its the exact same train, just different cars... but cheaper.

Buy as soon in advance as you can.. I literally counted back from my travel date and bought mine like the first day the tickets for my date were available. .as that's when they are cheapest. We met folks in our train car who paid three times what we did.. because they bought their tickets so close to date.

Whenever feasible I travel by train within Europe. Watching the countryside go by, having my "picnic" in my seat, being able to get up and walk about when desired, no airport stress/hassles, and cheap when booked in advance. To me there are no negatives to European train travel.

As Tom says, only rent a car if you want to stop over at places on the way. Don't rent one just to get from Paris to Nice.

I'd compare via michelin costs, plus rental costs as one option. Best train price you can get (with an understanding that you have to be certain to make that train) as a second option. Flight on a low cost carrier as a third option. I find on the longer trips, the plane might be both quickest and cheapest but it depends on how good of discount you can get on the train.

Edit: You don't always have to pay tolls. There are non-toll roads that are nearly as fast. I generally check the route with and without tolls. An 8 euro toll to save an hour and a half maybe worth it but saving ten minutes isn't.

As I mentioned we decided to fly. It was quicker and cheaper overall. Thank you for the suggestions.

If anybody else is considering a similar trip, SNCF is running a sale for €25 Paris to Nice.

Hi everyone, thanks for sharing this article.