Has anyone booked travel from Milan to Nice by train? I looked at the Trenitalia site and found the train route. It has a change in Ventimiglia, from an Italian train to a French train. Even though the site provides all the information, it does not actually booking/buying tickets. Is this because the tickets have to be purchased separately from Trenitalia and then SNCF?
Posted by
Atlanta, Georgia
215 posts
I've done Florence to Nice a couple of times and also changed trains in Ventimiglia. (And actually, I'm thinking you also have to change trains in Genoa as I did.) But I'm trying to remember whether I had to buy the tix separately, and I can't remember for sure, but it sounds right to me that you have to book the tix on SNCF going into France.
Posted by
Citizen of the World
3044 posts
It’s Milan to Nice in 5 hours with one change of train on the border at Ventimiglia.
You can book the tix separately on Trenitalia and SNCF websites, or on the third-party site of www.TheTrainline.com which may charge a small commission.
Posted by
Wengen
3134 posts
Booking train travel in/out of France is a bit problematic at the moment, due ot gross negligence of the part of the SNCF.
(France is about the only country in Europe where the railways are regressing, in stead of progressing...)
So yes, book this on Trainline, or Rail Europe. Best is to book an IC to Ventimiglia. For the short hop across the border to Nice your ticket will be good for any train, not just the one you selected, so basically once in Ventimiglia you just hop on the next train to France. These run every half hour.
Posted by
Arctophilia, Northamptonshire, England
35219 posts
sit on the left, preferably upstairs on the French one, for great views of the coast and Mediterranean
Posted by
OP
Issaquah, WA, USA
16 posts
Thank you all for your replies. They have been very helpful.
Posted by
martinez, ca, usa
2625 posts
hey hey Sam
you've gotten a few things you have to decide on and what's best. i have used trainline.com for years, when it started off as capitaine train/captain train. it was so easy to use and still is, even now with a small commission fee. there is also a box if you are 60+ senior. once i booked for 4 of us it was easy peasy with all contented. 2 friends were new "european visitors" and happy all was planned. i do the research and planning, run it by them, opinion what they wanna see & do and so so happy.
few experiences we went through may help or may not.
picking train car/carriage number, take a good look. we ended up in a "family car" (annecy to paris 4 hours), fussy/crying newborns, toddlers with hissy fits, running up and down aisle screaming, can't sit still. it was not happy comfortable ride
look at seating chart, we liked facing direction train going (other direction got nausea at times. (2 seats, 4 seats with table, first class?? was no biggie just cost more), we sat on top floor
we packed a picnic bought earlier at shop or train station (baguette, meats, cheese, butter/olive oil, bottle wine (bring a corkscrew we always carry one or sandwiches. stop in dining car for anything else & ice. enjoy the long ride
validate you ticket if you need to. we left on later morning train since check into hotel was 3-4pm in paris. we got carriage further down the platform to have room for our bags instead of rushing plus walking down the car aisles, everybody in a hurry, some get grumpy/pushy, RELAX you're on vacation!!! have a great trip
aloha