Hello, travelers,
I will be traveling through France and Italy this September and I'm seeking train traveling tips, please. What would be the best option in terms of booking train tickets for traveling from Paris to Nice, then a few days later traveling from Nice to Monterosso and then throughout Italy? Is there a recommended website for purchasing tickets? Thanks!
Posted by
Chicago
7811 posts
Use this site for France https://en.oui.sncf/en/
If it defaults to Rail Europe or you can't get your credit card to work then use this site
https://www.thetrainline.com/en/train-times/paris-to-nice-ville
Use this site Nice to Monterosso
https://www.thetrainline.com/en/train-times/nice-ville-to-monterosso
Posted by
Portland, Oregon
5687 posts
You can use Trenitalia's website to book the train from Nice ("Nice-Ville") to Monterosso. (I traveled from Italy to Nice a few years ago and booked my ticket on Trenitalia's site.) You can use Trenitalia's website for booking tickets within Italy as well, but there is a competitor (some routes) called Italo too. Both will show up on the traineline website mentioned above too, but they charge a small commission.
Use Italian city name spellings ("Venezia" not "Venice") on the Trenitalia website. The English version can be viewed by clicking on the British flag in the menu in the top right corner of the page.
Posted by
OP
7 posts
These replies are very helpful. Thanks!
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32198 posts
Marjorie,
You should be able to buy all your tickets for both France and Italy using the Trainline.com website mentioned above. You'll have to register on the site first (including payment details) but once that's done the process is very easy, and they also have a smartphone app. They may add a small surcharge but I don't find that to be a problem.
The trip from Paris to Nice will be from Gare de Lyon to Nice Ville. There are numerous direct departures during the day using the high speed TGV trains so you can choose your departure time. Be sure to allow time to get from your Paris hotel to Gare de Lyon.
The trip from Nice to Monterosso will be from Nice Ville to Monterosso. One of the quickest trips is a departure at 08:51, arriving at 13:54 (time 5H:03M, 2 changes at Ventimiglia and Genova Brignole). Those are all Regionale trains and if you buy tickets online, you won't have to validate them prior to use.
Posted by
OP
7 posts
This is great. Thanks, Ken!
Posted by
Paris
6883 posts
I normally never recommend buses... But they are quite good on the Nice to Genova route. Flixbus plies the route several times a day in less then three hours direct vs 3.5 by train with a change, and stops right by the train station in Genova Príncipe for onwards travel to Monterosso. Cheaper too.