Looks like a long long ride 10hrs+! I was thinking of 3 nights in Avignon and then onto Monterroso in Cinque Terra. Should I stay a night in Nice to break it up?
If I want to see the South of France and then go to Cinque Terra it looks like Avignon to Monterroso is my only option without spending a night in Nice to cut off a few hours of train travel.
Nice is worth a few nights for its own sake. If your main purpose of stopping over is to break up a long train ride, then one night in Nice is better than none.
The shortest daytime route I found at www.bahn.de takes 9hr19min, departing from Avignon TGV (a little longer departing from Avignon Centre). The positive side of the long ride is that it is a scenic one.
We did that trip by train and stopped in Nice to spend the night. The beach was beautiful and the water very warm in the summer. We were really glad we spent time in Nice.However,since the train passes through so many tunnels in that area we didn't get as good a view of the coast as we were hoping. To save time and money you might be able to take an overnight train.Anyway,once you get to there hiking in the Cinque Terra is amazingly fun and the scenery is breathtaking. Enjoy!
I have stopped overnight in Ventimiglia a few times on my travels from Italy to Paris. There are a few low-cost hotels there. It is a pleasant small city at the edge of Italy.
