travel from Avignon to Vernazza

Taking the train from Nice to Vernazza requires a minimum of one connection in Ventimiglia. (For some departure times two connections will be needed.) A 2nd class ticket for Nice-Ventimiglia on a regional train costs €7.00. A 2nd class ticket for a direct regional train from Ventimiglia to Vernazza costs €17.70.

I would also like advice on the trip I am planning with my family. We have never been to Europe before. We plan to spend 2 weeks in France and Italy, flying in to Paris, spending a couple nights there, taking the train to the countryside (possibly Avignon) and staying there for three nights, then traveling to Vernazza to explore the Italian Riviera for a few days (4 nights), then on to Venice for three nights. Does this sound enjoyable, or is it too much travelling? Our children are 11 and 13. I would really like to include Paris, even though it seems out of the way. And when I look at the train rides, it takes less time from Paris to Avignon, while much more time is spent traveling from there to the Italian Rivierra. Is there a better place to stay besides Avignon that would make more sense with our travel plans? I like less touristy places, getting more of a feel for the culture and hanging out with locals...I'm not set on Avignon, as it does not seem like the countryside experience I was envisioning. If you have recommendations for other places to stay besides Avignon, I would also be interested in places to stay there which would accomodate four people. Thank you for your help!

In my previous post I forgot to say that there is no advantage to booking tickets for regional trains in advance. The price is always the same. For Paris to Avignon (or nearby places like Arles, for example) and for Avignon (or nearby places) to Nice you can get discount fares by booking well in advance (up to three months allowed) on the French Rail site. Consider spending a third night in Paris, even if you have to cut one night somewhere else.

Looking at a map, France and Italy seem so close but yet it is hard to travel between them. The Alps are a big barrier (just ask Hanibal) and that is why they are two distinctly different cultures.

Italy-France and Italy-Austria rail connections are rather bad. There are managements problems, delayed investments and a problem with Trenitalia and SNCF that keep dragging their feet not to allow new private competitors to run services there. The rail line itself from Ventimiglia to Genova is not bad at all, they reconstructed many sectors in the 1990s putting twisting sectors underground in straight tunnels etc. But while DB, ÖBB and other did well with European liberalization of rail market, Trenitalia behaves sometimes like it were 1975.