Nice to Paris

Phil, Whether you travel by rail or air, I suspect the time will be about the same. Travel by air will not be "most convenient" (IMHO). In the same situation, I'd travel by rail from Nice Ville to Paris / CDG. The current schedules show a train departing Nice Ville at 08:55, arriving CDG / TGV at 15:32 (time 6H:37M, one change in Marseille-St.-Charles, reservations compulsory on one leg). Happy travels!

Personally, I prefer to travel by train. Sit back and relax in a comfortable seat, admire the view from ground level, and reduce your carbon footprint. No extra time and expense getting to and from airports and going through security. There is direct TGV service from Nice to CDG, departing at 11:27 and arriving at 17:51. There is another direct TGV that departs at 14:27 and arrives at 21:02. If you book far enough in advance (up to three months allowed) on either the SNCF site or the TGV-europe site, you can get a second class Prem's fare as low as €53.00. If you pick a departure time that requires a connection in either Marseille or Avignon, the fare will be higher than for a direct train. The cheapest way to get from Nice to CDG by train is to take a direct TGV to Paris (Gare de Lyon) and the RER from there to CDG. You can get a Prem's fare as low as €25.00 to Paris. You would need to take the RER D from Gare de Lyon to Gare du Nord and the RER B from there to CDG. The current fare is €9.10, but there usually is a fare increase for the metro and RER starting on 1 July each year. Another option would be to take Air France bus #4 directly from Gare de Lyon to CDG. The current fare is €16.50. In the interest of full disclosure you need to know that easyJet is a budget airline that flies directly from Nice to CDG in 1hr40min. Booked well in advance, you can get a fare as low as €34.99. However, if you exceed their luggage size or weight limits, you'll pay a good deal more.

If you are departing from CDG in another flight same day, try to include tickets from Nice to CDG in the same international ticket. That is often possible if you are flying out with Air France or one of its partners (like Delta, KLM etc). Usually the cost for the extra leg is minimal or non-existent if you can fetch it in the same international airfare (e.g., your are flying out of CDG to United States). That way, the luggage allowance for your Nice-Paris flight will be the same as the international one, and if something happens with your flight from Nice (delays, cancellations), the airline is responsible for rerouting you through. If you can't do that, you need to travel the night before your flight, regardless of you the transportation you are using to reach CDG. I'd, in order, drive, fly or take the train. But opinions vary. Just bear in mind Nice-Paris is only partially high-speed, part of the route is crap, trains limited to 50-80mph until they reach the suburbs of Marseille, which is shockingly slow for trains.

Thanks so much to all three posters -- very helpful. I will depend on your knowledge. Much appreciated