Milan to Nice Train - Suggestions on Venice - Lake Como - Florence: Order?

Posted by Nancy (Sacramento, CA) on 03/20/16 07:14 AM

Hello,
I found a website that state there is a train from Milan to Nice, but I couldn't find anyone who has actually taken this train. Does anyone have any experience taking this train from Milan to Nice?

http://www.thetrainline-europe.com/train/milan-to-nice-ville~8396005~8700171

or via Thello?

Also, we are starting in Venice and would like to go to Lake Como, Florence and Nice. In terms of the fastest to get from each point, which order would you travel? We prefer to take trains and direct buses from each location. We must start in Venice, but we can do any order for the rest of the cities.

Thank you!

Posted by Ken

Vernon, Canada

03/20/16 07:24 AM

32219 posts

Nancy,

I'm assuming you mean "Lake Como"? Have you decided which town on the lake you'd prefer to stay? Many here like Varenna, which is on the east shore in the mid-lake area (about an hour out of Milan).

The easiest route (IMO) would be Venice > Florence > Lago di Como > Nice. Here are some train details.....

Venezia S. Lucia to Firenze S.M. Novella - use the high speed Freccia or Italo trains. Travel time 2H:05M.
Firenze S.M.N. to Lago di Como - use the high speed trains to Milano Centrale (time 1H:40M). After that the train details will depend on which town your destination is.
Lago di Como to Nice Ville - the first step will be to travel from whichever town you chose on Lake Como back to Milan. When you arrive there, connect to the train to Nice. There are many departures with varying travel times and 1 to 3 changes. The easiest and quickest solution will be a departure from Milan at 11:10, arriving Nice at 16:00 (time 4H:50M, no changes).

You can see all the solutions on the Bahn.de website. If you wish to buy advance tickets, I'd suggest the www.captaintrain.com website.

Posted by Nancy OP

Sacramento, CA

03/20/16 08:12 AM

3 posts

Hello Ken,
Thank you for your prompt reply!
We are staying at the Sheraton at Via per Cernobbio 41A Como. I'm not sure which part of Lake Como the hotel is located.

Posted by Zoe

Toledo, Ohio, US

03/20/16 10:23 AM

11613 posts

Your hotel is located in the city of Como, which is good for its own sights and its rail/bus/ferry connections. You can easily take ferries to the other towns on the lake, and the train back to Milano.

Posted by francoise

03/20/16 06:34 PM

616 posts

You could also either take a Florence Milan train at 9.00 arriving some time around 1100 on Milan and getting the Thello train from Milan to Nice. I looked up for 20 June and 2nd class tickets are 24 euros.
Another Solution would be from Florence to go to Genova (is it Genoa in English?) ( might be an opportunity on your way to Genova to visit Pisa, Lucca or the Cinque Terre and also Genova which is a very nice and interesting city and was very powerful in the ancient times).

You leave Genoa at 8.50 and you arrive Nice for Lunch time. price from Genoa to Nice is 15 euros for the same dates.
I once did take this train and it was rather nice.

Posted by Laura

Rick Steves' Europe

03/21/16 06:07 PM

16894 posts

I'm not aware of any complaints or issues particular to the relatively new Milan-Nice Thello departure. It's likely to be considered an upgrade over previous or other options on the route, even if the main benefit is just fewer connections.

There will be a bit of backtracking on your train travel route, regardless of the order you choose. If you don't have time to spend a night or two around the Cinque Terre, then Venice-Florence-Como-Nice is probably the fastest way to connect your destinations.

How to Look Up Train Schedules and Routes Online gives you the DB train schedule link and tips for using it. It's a good search engine for most schedules (not tickets) except not for the Milan-Como route.