Best way to get to NIce from Florence...
Sep 23rd, 2010, 03:57 AM
#1
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Best way to get to NIce from Florence...
hi friends! my husband and i are from india and taking a trip to the 3 big cities ROME,VENICE,FLO n also France,London in early DEC..,...but still getting our final itinerary ifinalised.Can anyone plz advise me about trains (whether day or night) to NICE from FLORENCE...i want to book in advance...or is it really necessary for advance booking? as it will be not a peak season.What is the duration of the journey to Nice?Is a flight better although more expensive?
Also,which websites or trains are recommended?? im a first time traveller to Europe .Our plan is...... mumbai to london.London to rome,stay 3 days...rome to venice(flt) stay 2 days ,venice to flo(train)...2 days,flo to nice(train) 1 day...nice to paris (flt) stay 2 days...paris to london (tain)...on to mumbai.
Any advice is welcome.
Also,which websites or trains are recommended?? im a first time traveller to Europe .Our plan is...... mumbai to london.London to rome,stay 3 days...rome to venice(flt) stay 2 days ,venice to flo(train)...2 days,flo to nice(train) 1 day...nice to paris (flt) stay 2 days...paris to london (tain)...on to mumbai.
Any advice is welcome.
Sep 23rd, 2010, 04:17 AM
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Did this in May down the Med Coast
with stops along the way best...
first nice Ville to Ventimiglia
then InterCity train from 5 euro per hour just buy and hop on
no need to book difficult to do from abroad.
stop at PortoFino Cinque Terre Lucca Pisa if you like
for the Tower than Florence...
Better done with stops can be done in 1 long day but not ideal
Have fun,
with stops along the way best...
first nice Ville to Ventimiglia
then InterCity train from 5 euro per hour just buy and hop on
no need to book difficult to do from abroad.
stop at PortoFino Cinque Terre Lucca Pisa if you like
for the Tower than Florence...
Better done with stops can be done in 1 long day but not ideal
Have fun,
Sep 23rd, 2010, 06:43 AM
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I see you chose to fly from Rome to Venice, where a train would only be less than 4 hours and lands you right in the place where you want to be rather than out there at the airport.
Suggestion: If you use the train, book this Rome-Venice trip in two halves, and spend a few hours in Florence, it is on the direct train line anyway, and you will not be sorry you did it! (Example: Lvg Rome 9:15 arr. Florence SMN 10:50, lvg Fl.SMN 14:30 arr. Venezia Santa Lucia 16:33 - or 15:30 / 17:33 or one of the many other possibilities).
Florence to Nice is a heck of a lot longer by train, about twice as long as Rome-Venice, the train connections along the coast to France are not among Europe's fast ones.
Flying on that route would be advised (as per your header "Best way...").
You have Florence airport, Pisa airport, and even Bologna as options from Florence. Look up www.skyscanner.com and www.whichbudget.com and www.kayak.com and www.mobissimo.com if you're interested.
Trains take at a minimum 7:36 hours and require two or three or four changes en route.
In Italy you cannot board just any train even if you have a railpass - all tickets on fast city-to-city trains come with mandatory seat reservations, a carriage number and a seat number and a train number are printed on your ticket and that's where you have to sit... If you have a railpass, then you still have to book seats and pay the booking fee out of pocket.
So when you book a long train trip like that, study the timetables ahead of time and book the portions with enough time for a leg stretch and a meal in between, then it becomes manageable. Don't always book the most immediate connection if you can spare an hour or two in between.
In your case for example, you could leave Florence at 8AM on the EuroStar for Torino Porta Nuova (arr. 11AM), then break the journey, stash your bags at the train station's luggage counter, walk about, have lunch, then carry on with the 14:35 departure, a slower connection that requires only one more switch of trains, in Cuneo, then it goes all the way to Nice-Ville, arr. 19:17. Not the fastest, but they all pretty much take up most of your day, and this one is at least comfortable with the long lunch break.
You don't give your travel dates - this one may not run on your dates, always check.
Other connections require changes in Milano, Ventimiglia (the border stop, although the border is open these days), and again in Monaco-Monte Carlo.
Look them up at www.ferroviedellostato.it, at www.bahn.de, and at http://plannerint.b-rail.be/bin/quer...ld=IA&L=profi&
You can book them all when you first get to Rome - write down the dates and departure and destination cities and take that list to an agent who can do it all for you. Write down any breaks in journeys you require so the agent books the portions separately.
If you wish to take advantage of some advance discounts, spend a little time on the Italian website I just gave you, it has its quirks, and make sure that your bank knows you're about to use your credit card for purchases in Italy so that the transactions will not be rejected (leaving you in the belief it was the Italian train website that was at fault...).
After you begin your research, if you have specific questions, on this website click on your name, this discussion will come up, you add a new post and it goes back up to the top where we'll all see it.
Suggestion: If you use the train, book this Rome-Venice trip in two halves, and spend a few hours in Florence, it is on the direct train line anyway, and you will not be sorry you did it! (Example: Lvg Rome 9:15 arr. Florence SMN 10:50, lvg Fl.SMN 14:30 arr. Venezia Santa Lucia 16:33 - or 15:30 / 17:33 or one of the many other possibilities).
Florence to Nice is a heck of a lot longer by train, about twice as long as Rome-Venice, the train connections along the coast to France are not among Europe's fast ones.
Flying on that route would be advised (as per your header "Best way...").
You have Florence airport, Pisa airport, and even Bologna as options from Florence. Look up www.skyscanner.com and www.whichbudget.com and www.kayak.com and www.mobissimo.com if you're interested.
Trains take at a minimum 7:36 hours and require two or three or four changes en route.
In Italy you cannot board just any train even if you have a railpass - all tickets on fast city-to-city trains come with mandatory seat reservations, a carriage number and a seat number and a train number are printed on your ticket and that's where you have to sit... If you have a railpass, then you still have to book seats and pay the booking fee out of pocket.
So when you book a long train trip like that, study the timetables ahead of time and book the portions with enough time for a leg stretch and a meal in between, then it becomes manageable. Don't always book the most immediate connection if you can spare an hour or two in between.
In your case for example, you could leave Florence at 8AM on the EuroStar for Torino Porta Nuova (arr. 11AM), then break the journey, stash your bags at the train station's luggage counter, walk about, have lunch, then carry on with the 14:35 departure, a slower connection that requires only one more switch of trains, in Cuneo, then it goes all the way to Nice-Ville, arr. 19:17. Not the fastest, but they all pretty much take up most of your day, and this one is at least comfortable with the long lunch break.
You don't give your travel dates - this one may not run on your dates, always check.
Other connections require changes in Milano, Ventimiglia (the border stop, although the border is open these days), and again in Monaco-Monte Carlo.
Look them up at www.ferroviedellostato.it, at www.bahn.de, and at http://plannerint.b-rail.be/bin/quer...ld=IA&L=profi&
You can book them all when you first get to Rome - write down the dates and departure and destination cities and take that list to an agent who can do it all for you. Write down any breaks in journeys you require so the agent books the portions separately.
If you wish to take advantage of some advance discounts, spend a little time on the Italian website I just gave you, it has its quirks, and make sure that your bank knows you're about to use your credit card for purchases in Italy so that the transactions will not be rejected (leaving you in the belief it was the Italian train website that was at fault...).
After you begin your research, if you have specific questions, on this website click on your name, this discussion will come up, you add a new post and it goes back up to the top where we'll all see it.
Sep 23rd, 2010, 06:45 AM
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Seats will not sell out. There is no need to book ahead. Your fastest route (a little under 8 hours) is Florence-Milan-Ventimiglia-Monaco-Nice. For detailed timetables use the German Rail site, www.bahn.com/i/view/USA/en/index.shtml. Enter Firenze as your departure point and Nice Ville as your arrival point. After you get summary timetables, click on "Show details for all" to see the connecting points.
There are no direct flights between either Florence and Nice or Pisa and Nice. The train is your best choice.
There are no direct flights between either Florence and Nice or Pisa and Nice. The train is your best choice.
Sep 23rd, 2010, 06:59 AM
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If you look up the German website for timetables rather than the Italian (you cannot purchase from the German rail site but it is a good secondary resource) use the one that's for you, the overseas english version rather than the United Kingdom version:
http://www.bahn.de/i/view/overseas/en/index.shtml
http://www.bahn.de/i/view/overseas/en/index.shtml
Sep 28th, 2010, 08:23 PM
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Hello all, how fun to find these web sites with help. We are staying in Provence then going to Florence, and yes, we thought about renting a car, since the train would take 7 plus hours. Any thoughts on cars? We will be in Florence for 2 days, looking for a place to stay, then train to Rome, fly back November 1st to Denver. So, car and places to stay in Florence and Rome. We are 2 fun adults over 50. Thanks.
Sep 28th, 2010, 09:17 PM
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Sandra,
It might be better to begin a new thread with your question rather than bury it here at the end of another thread.
To answer your question—"Any thoughts on cars?"— in general it can be quite expensive to rent a car in one country and drop it off in another country. I'd look into flights.
Use the search function to find many, many threads with recommendations for hotels in Florence and Rome. If you begin a new thread to ask your question, be sure to mention the rpice you are willing to pay for your hotel room. Words like "reasonable" and "inexpensive" won't get you accurate responses.
It might be better to begin a new thread with your question rather than bury it here at the end of another thread.
To answer your question—"Any thoughts on cars?"— in general it can be quite expensive to rent a car in one country and drop it off in another country. I'd look into flights.
Use the search function to find many, many threads with recommendations for hotels in Florence and Rome. If you begin a new thread to ask your question, be sure to mention the rpice you are willing to pay for your hotel room. Words like "reasonable" and "inexpensive" won't get you accurate responses.
