Marseille to Nice: By Car or Train?
 

Hello Fodors Friends,

We are leaving for Provence in about a week! We will be in Avignon, St Remy and the Luberon area and will spend our last three days in Nice.

We will be renting a car for the first part of the trip, and I am wondering about getting to Nice. Should we keep our car and drop to at the TGV Station or airport, or should we drop the car in Marseille and travel by train to Nice?

We think that we will not need a car in Nice as there is no parking at our airbnb and we can walk or take transit most places.

Your advice is much appreciated. We will be celebrating our daughters wedding and our 35th anniversary!

Thanks so much,
Randa

You certainly don't need a car in and around Nice. I thought the train trip from Marseille quite scenic, but if you want to stop on the way, a car would be more useful.

It's a lovely drive along the coast with lots of places to stop.

Naturally, the train would be much faster.

I'd go with the train unless you have time to spend stopping along the way.

Side note, are you aware that many of the properties listed on Airbnb are illegal rentals? Airbnb does not screen listings and that means it is your responsibility to insure that the property you are renting is a legal rental.

Train. Very nice train ride after Frejus

thursdaysd: you can stop at a good number of places: St Raphael, Boulouris, St Juan des Pins, Cannes, Antibes, Cagnes......

Book your TGV tickets far in advance to score nifty discounts -www.voyages-sncf.com - French rail site you can book on. Or take regional trains with about a flat fare and which you can buy in Marseille
- for lots on French trains check www.seat61.com -www.budgeteuropetravel.com and www.ricksteves.com.

Aix-en-Provence also has a TGV station if not going to Marseille.

As an FYI, direct trains Marseille-Nice may use TGV equipment but they do not operate at ultra-high speed. The tracks can't support TGV at peak performance.

@menachem - but do those stations have somewhere to store luggage?

you could check on the sncf site...

I could, but you are the one advocating getting off the train and sightseeing.

whatever, mate. and: you're welcome.

@menachem - but do those stations have somewhere to store luggage?>

Probably not - very few stations -due to security concerns - have left luggage in France and have not for some years.