How To Travel From Girona to Nice, FR (Train, Plane, Car?)

Many years ago my mom and I took the train from Girona to Avignon, then after a couple of nights, we took the train to Nice (then continued onto Italy)

Where are you planning to go after Nice?

I considered an overnight stop for a day or two, but am trying to limit the number of overnight locations. After Nice, to the Italian Lakes Region, Swiss Alps, Bavaria, Paris

The train route takes 8:23 and involves a couple changes of trains with plenty of time scheduled in to make the change of trains. There is a TGV Inoui train departing from Girona for Nimes Centre, at 11:13 am. There’s a change of trains at Nimes Centre with the next change of trains at Marseille St-Charles. Nice Ville is the final stop.
I agree that a car would be an asset for a few days in Girona. You could more easily get to Figueres, Besalu, Lloret De Mar and Tossa de Mar with a car. To get to Nice from Girona the trains look like the best bet.
www.TheTrainline.com has ticket and scheduling information.

Back track to Barcelona airport (1 1/2 hours you say), 2 hour check in time, 1 1/2 hour flight. You're in Nice in 5 hours, which beats driving.

When is this trip? Renfe has mentioned that the Barcelona-Marseille trains will return before the summer, an they would make the trip very easy by train.

If you want to go to multiple coastal towns/villages around Girona, I'm sure a car would help (and might be essential), but there are frequent trains to Figueres, and I took buses to and from Besalu. The coastal town of Cadaques can be reached from Figueres by bus. I'm not sure you'd have time to go to more places than that with only 6 or 7 days and Barcelona also in the mix.

There are a few French TGV trains linking Girona to Perpignan (France) in 41 minutes. I assume you could pick up a French rental car in Perpignan and later drop it off in Nice.

The trip is in July. Train to Perpignan and one day rental to Nice is a very interesting option!

To shorten that drive, maybe stay on the train until Montpellier or Nîmes and rent a car there.

Barcelona to Montpellier is 3 hours, to Nîmes it’s 3.5 hours. The train along the cost from Marseille to Nice is slow, 3 hours because the tracks aren’t TGV. Montpellier to Marseille is 2 hours. The drive from Montpellier to Nice is 4 hours, plus administrative time picking up the car. The whole thing is miserable. Go back to BCN and Fly.

Thank you for the suggestions.

Regarding the train from Girona to Perpignan: There a few trip durations that are approx. 2.75 hours and one that is 41 minutes. This makes me wonder if the 41 minutes is accurate. How can I confirm this trip time?

A rental car from Perpignan to Nice is $300 and a 4.75 hour drive.

This makes me wonder if the 41 minutes is accurate. How can I confirm this trip time?

Easiest way is to look it up on Bahn.com. Click on "further details" and you will see that the TGV makes only 1 stop between Girona and Peripignon. Click on the others and you will see they make 12 stops between Girona and Cerbere, then you change trains with a 30 minutes wait, then 5 stops before it gets to Peripignon.

Difference between the express train and the milk train. The TGV is running on dedicated high speed tracks. The milk train runs on regular old tracks. Like the difference between an Interstate, and a county road.

BTW. the milk trains are between 2 hours and 5 minutes, and 2 hours and 15 minutes, NOT 2.75 hours.

Thanks Sam,
Do you know why they are called "milk" trains?

Rick calls them "milk" trains after the old USA nick name for local trains that stop at every single station on the line. Formerly to pick up the farmer's daily supply from the morning milking.