Marseille vs Nice

You have to go through Marseille to get to Nice. Second, I would do 4 days Nice and 1 Marseille. Personally don't think Marseille has much to offer. Mostly a gritty, seaport. You have the hills towns behind Nice that are great for day trip from Nice. Neither, buy your tickets from voyages-sncf.com -- the French rail site. If you buy early enough you can get some discounts.

Thank you Frank, let me see if I got it: I take train from CDG to Marseille for 1 night than staying in Nice for 4 and than go back to Paris . I wanted to visit Aux de Provance (that is why my stay in Marseille was originaly longer). Any suggestions?
Thank you!

I have spent only one night in marseille. I didn't find anything that appealed to me. Unless there is a specific reason why you want to stay in Marseille - why dont you just spend the one or two nights in Arles or Aix or Nimes. I would probably also only want to spend one night in Nice; the hill towns, Grasse and Monte Carlo are much more interesting

Study up a bit on Marseille before you chunk it. It's the largest city in France by square whatevers and has a lot more to offer than just the old port and the industrial port.

Although I like Marseille very, very much, having stayed near there for six months, I think Aix-en-Provence is a better place to spend those nights. You can visit Marseille from Aix, or go to Avignon, Orange, or Arles. It's more relaxied. Marseille has a different atmosphere that even the French consider "unusual". To get to Nice, you have to go through Mareille anyway. The reference to the train above had a typo; it's sncf.com.

Marseille is OK but in the context of the original question I would spend more time in Nice than in Marseille. That was the question. I will change the typo, sorry about that.

Thank you everybody! I have to rethink my plan. My husband has a very short time off work and we will spend 5 nights in Paris later on. I wanted to go south just to make him relax and enjoy beech for few days. When I am traveling alone- I am going crazy with sightseeing and different cities and train hopping. Here is my Tierney for us both: 1) Arriving to Paris CDG on May 27th and getting train to Marseille. Since we will arrive late afternoon, it will be not enough time to see the city, so we will stay one extra night and live early morning May 29th for Nice. 2) Nice – May29- June 1 (3 nights). Probably a day trip to Monaco. Letting my husband to relax and catch his breath. 3) Paris - June1-6. I have 2 more questions: 1) If I get train tickets on website, do I have to stop by in ticket office at CDG to pick them up? Or I will be able to print-out boarding pass like in German trains? We are lending at CDG terminal 2 at 10.30, but CDG is a huge airport and there from my experience could be lots of delays. I wanted to take 11.40 train, but am not sure if we would have enough time to arrange tickets and such. How far is a train station from Terminal 2? 2) Is late may too early for swimming in Nice? I went to the beach at the same time in Sorrento last year.
I very much appreciate all your help!!!

I also agree is spending little time in Marseille. There are things to see and do there, but if relaxation is what you want, that is not the city for you. You may also not be aware that Nice is not know for its beach, which is made up of large rocks. If you want sand, look elswhere along the Cote d'Azur. Nice itself is a nice city. Eurorail tickets will always have a markup so it'd be cheaper to buy at the station or from the SNCF online.