september from Nice, Cinque Terre, Florence and back to Nice in 10 days

Try looking for flights to Nice from Pisa. Easyjet flies that route. I'm afraid getting from Florence to Nice will eat up a large chunk of one day. It can be done by train or plane. If you stay in Florence you can take a train or bus to Pisa airport to fly from there.

. You could stay in Pisa and day trip to Florence (and Lucca). I think the best part of the Italian Riviera is around Santa Margherita and the Cinque Terre, so I suggest you take a train to that area directly rather than gradually working your way there. Your time is too short for lingering.

After a few days in CT, take a train to Florence. Around Florence there is a lot to do: there's Florence itself and several great places for day tripping. I recommend you plan to spend the night in Nice at a hotel near the train station, then take the public bus or taxi to the Nice airport the day of your flight.

Will you have a car or do you plan to use public transportation during your trip?

You're correct in saying that it will take almost all day to travel from Nice to CT or Florence.

You may also want to check flights into Pisa or even Milan then take train to Florence/CT from there.

Check this website for flights:http://www.skyscanner.com

You may just want to concentrate/ explore the south of France & save Italy for the next trip.

Not aware of any non stop flights from Nice to Pisa. Checked both Psa airport website and Easyjet and saw nothing at the moment. The only options is train or rental car. The rail line along the Ligurian coast is slow, and the trip from Nice requires multiple changes, therefore a car to go from place to place will be faster. However a car is not of much use while at the Cinque Terre or in Florence or even Pisa. It's up to you.
I would stay 3 nights in Monterosso for the Cinque Terre and Portofino area. Then I would go to Florence for at least 3 nights. You could add 2 nights in Lucca. Pisa you can visit on a lunch break between train changes. Actually I would do the furthest place (Florence) first then make my way back.

I presume the 10 days are for Italy in addition to the period in southern France. If you have 10 days in Total then you should stick to the French Cote Azur and Provence only, and leave Italy for another time.

If the return flight from Nice to your home is not yet booked, then you could look at returning from an Italian airport, instead, with a connection wherever your airline has a hub.

A train ride from central Florence to central Nice with one connection in Milan does take 7 hours, but is otherwise a simple procedure. If you choose train, you can buy reserved, advance-discount tickets at www.trenitalia.com.

cf,

That trip shouldn't be too difficult, and you could perhaps arrange it something like this......

• D1 - Train from Nice to the Cinque Terre. If you don't mind getting an early start, there's a departure from Nice Ville at 06:29, arriving Monterosso at 12:41 (time 6H:12M, one change at Ventimiglia), just in time for lunch. This particular solution is a bit better than the next departure at 08:09, as the later departure has a layover in Genova of over an hour.
• D2 - C.T.
• D3 - C.T.
• D4 - Train to Florence (about 3 hours with one or two changes - numerous departures. That route typically uses a combination of InterCtiy, Freccia and Regionale - the first two types have compulsory seat reservations which will be provided with the ticket, and with Regionale trains you MUST validate the ticket prior to boarding on the day of travel or face hefty fines!).
• D5 - Florence
• D6 - Florence
• D7 - Florence (possible day trip to Siena, Lucca or Pisa?)
• D8 - Florence
• D9 - Return to Nice (allowing one night prior to your return flight to the U.S.) While Vueling offers flights from Florence or Pisa to Nice and easyJet offers flights from Rome, the timing and pricing of the flights is not always favourable. Some don't operate every day, some are evening flights requiring an overnight stopover in places like Barcelona and some are a bit pricey. Therefore train is probably the best option. The quickest and easiest choice is probably a departure form Florence SMN at 09:00, arriving Nice Ville at 15:51 (time 6H:51M, one change at Milano Centrale, 30 minute layover at Milano). You'd be back in Nice in time to have a fine dinner and perhaps a relaxing stroll along the Promenade des Anglais in the evening.
• D10 - Flight home

You didn't say when in the summer you'd be travelling, but I'd highly recommend getting some hotel reservations locked-down in the Cinque Terre as soon as possible. It will be busy in that area, and vacancies may be hard to find. I'd suggest looking in Monterosso first, as that's the largest of the five towns and has the greatest number of accommodations, as well as restaurants and other amenities. It also has the nicest beaches of the five.

Thank you so much! I am not renting a car and have 12 days total for both France and Italy. More interested in Cinque Terre and Florence than south of France, always wish I had more time!! I did find a flight that is 3 1/2 hours from Florence to Nice, seems you have to buy a round trip ticket to get the better price...its half of a one way!! Do you just throw the other half away? Has anyone ever done that?
I appreciate your imput, lots of great suggestions!

I did find a flight that is 3 1/2 hours from Florence to Nice, seems you have to buy a round trip ticket to get the better price...its half of a one way!! Do you just throw the other half away? Has anyone ever done that?

I'm confused by your comment above...

Since you will be traveling to Florence then returning to Nice, why not buy the round trip ticket?

You'd fly from Nice to Florence, then train to CT, then return to Florence & fly back to Nice.

Have you visited the south of France in the past?

cf,

Using flights may not save you much / any time when all is considered (travel to and from airports, check-in and waiting times, boarding and deplaning, waiting for luggage, etc.). Trains will take you right to the desired destination and are a much more pleasant and relaxed form of transport. If you fly into Florence, you'll still require about 3 hours each way to and from the Cinque Terre.

I agree, the flights seem just as long and such a hassle!
I was going to take the train from Nice along the coast to Cinque Terre, stay there for a couple of days, then head over to Florence for a couple of days as well. Maybe catch the fast train from there back to Nice for the flight home.
Am I being too optimistic to see all of that? We have been to Florence before and have never seen the south of France or Cinque Terre which looks incredibly beautiful!

cf,

The excursion you mentioned is certainly possible, and with 10 days you'll be able to travel at a more relaxed pace. With that much time, you could reduce the time in the Cinque Terre and Florence by a day or two each, and use the extra few days for exploring around Nice prior to your flight home. There are MANY possibilities.....

• Chagall & Matisse Museums
• Villa Ephrussi di Rothschild
• Villefranche
• Eze
• Monaco (Royal Palace, changing of the guard, Oceanographic Musuem, etc.)
• Monte Carlo (note that the posh Casino has a dress code, so keep that in mind)