Please help! I've searched raileurope and Voyages sites and still don't get it. Are all the trains from Nice to Paris NIGHT trains? What about Paris to Nice (if I decide to start in Paris?) Also getting conflicting info on travel time. Is it 6 hours or 9 hours? (I assume it's how many stops, but what is the 'norm'?..If there IS a norm.) <BR>We need to get from Nice to Paris, or Paris to Nice. That's all. Does not matter which comes first .I was set on renting a car and spending a couple days making the trip, but my Husband's Uncle says it 'would be fun to take the train''. I agree, as I've never traveled on a train, BUT, I don't want to take the train if I won't be able to see anything because it's night/dark out! Also, as the web sites are a little confusing to me, do I need to purchase online before I go or can I expect to be able to buy a ticket on the day I travel between the two cities? I'll be there mid May. I thought I was real good at this internet thing after doing everything for my South Pacific (Hawaii, Fiji, Whitsundays, Austrailia and Bali) Honeymoon in '98, but this Europe train travel sites have me stumped!

Hi, <BR> <BR>For the train from Paris to Nice and vice versa, just go to the SNCF site, the French Railways. Night trains used to be the way to go along time ago, but the TGV gets you there in about 6 hours or so. You get on in Nice and can have a day ride, through the Lyonnais and Burgundy, and arrive at the Gare de Lyon (or the reverse). Second class is comfortble, and be sure to request non smoking in either class. <BR> <BR>The discounts for prior purchase tickets are not usually available if you buy them from overseas, but you can do all this through a travel agent or on the phone -French National Railways has a number in NYC. <BR> <BR>There are TGV trains that make very few stops. The web site is good, just click on the British flag for the English version: <BR> <BR>http://www.voyages-sncf.com/ <BR> <BR>

You could also stopover in Lyon, Dijon or Avignon for a few hours, or even overnight if you want to break up the trip. <BR> <BR>On a long daytime trip, I recommend the first class accommodations. I usually do second class, but on a long trip, the extra legroom is invaluable. If you break up the trip, you probably could do second class.

Jack, I DID try the SNCF site and I did click on British Flag for English. That was no help at all )other than that I could read it). <BR>When I went to the 'Timetable' section and put in my info, I got two Itinerarys. One leaving (I presume) Nice at 19:07 and one at 20:49. Did not show arrival times or stations, but both are night flights. When I went to another section, I was given more choices, but it was asking me if I was departing from Rue De Nice Paris or Rue Nobel Paris. I have no idea, but in any case it showed all those schedules as being less than 40 minutes! Now, I may be stupid when trying to work this site, but I'm NOT so stupid that I would believe you can get from Nice to Paris in 40 minutes. I give up. I'm renting a car. If my husband wants to take the train, he can call a travel agent himself, or figure out SNCF site himself...but that's a joke as he has never even booked a hotel himself. Thanks anyway.

Try the German rail site: <BR> <BR>http://reiseauskunft.bahn.de/bin/query.exe/en <BR> <BR>It's easier to use, and will give you the info you need.

I see one of the problem. TGV only runs during the day, so by specifying 19hr departure, you are restricting yourself to the night trains only. <BR> <BR>I don't know how you got "Rue de Nice Paris," unless you put both NICE and PARIS in the same departure box.

I always use the French site, and it asks for "train partant entre" with a four hour opening. If I type in 8:00 and 12:00, I get several trains, depending upon whether I use direct or a via station. If I do 12:00 and 16:00, I get a couple of more, etc., etc.

Ally, <BR>Another problem you may be having with the Voyages et al sites is the default time & the time difference. When you access it at, say, 11 am in the US, it is 5 pm there so will give you train departures at that time. When you access the sites, be sure you specify 09.00 or so for departure times. <BR> <BR>s

I've never had trouble using the SNCF website, although sometimes it takes too long and has too many pages. It sounds like you aren't filling the boxes out correctly -- either for place or time. If it asks you if you are departing from rue de Nice, Paris, that doesn't make sense -- sounds like you put Nice in some box about where you are departing in Paris? I just did it and put Paris in the departure station and Nice in the arrival station and it returned a route with no problem (9:34 am - 15:35 pm). You do have to specify time correctly as others have noted, and change the date if necessary, it only gives results within a two hour frame, I think (which is why I don't like it, you have to keep repeating it several times to get all options for a day). However, if you have trouble using that, just use www.raileurope.com, that is very simple and it gives about 8+ routes a day from Nice-Paris, for example, starting early in the morning, each taking about 6 hrs. Raileurope doesn't list all routes, only common ones tourists might want, but it does list a lot of routes between Paris and Nice and back. I don't know why you would only get night trains on Raileurope, maybe you didn't look beyond the first listing, they give lots of routes on the same return page of data (also be sure you put correct date on it). All trains don't take the same time, it ranges from 5:30 hrs up to 9 or more. I don't recall what all people told you above, but you certainly can buy a ticket on site rather than ahead of time online.

Thanks for all the advice, but as I said, I really think I'm giving up on this idea. I just don't understand the web sites. Call me dummy, I don't care anymore. I'm just to frustrated to try anymore. If we decide to take a train, I'll let my husband deal with it, or we'll just wait until we get there, or we'll rent a car instead. Really, I appreciate all the suggestions, I really do, but you can give up on me now..because I sure have! I'm sure I'll be back at some point with more questions, but it won't be about train travel!

Ally, in the possible event that you will still return to check on this post, I am asking a couple of very simple questions. Please don't get angry with me. But first of all, take a deep breath. If a couple of attempts to figure out the train schedule have so frustrated that you want to give up on the whole idea, then I think you need to do some thinking about your trip. How do you propose to set up a car rental? How do you propose to come up with the routes to travel? All of these things can become frustrating and if you don't have the patience for it, then perhaps you really need to find a good travel agent or even a tour that will plan everything for you. I personally never use either, but then I have extreme patience. Don't let your trip become a nightmare because you can't deal with a little frustration. <BR>But to get back to your original question, the train (a high speed and comfortable TGV) from Paris to Nice or vice versa takes just over 5 and a half hours and is a joy! You don't need to transfer, there are a number of times available, and it is even possible to travel right from CDG airport to Nice without changing or vice versa. For example, you can leave CDG at 11:24 AM and arrive direct in Nice at 5:39 PM or you can leave from Paris (Lyon station) at 9:34 AM and arrive in Nice at 3:12 PM.

Hello everyone, <BR> <BR>Ally, if you want to try a different approch, go to the European Railway website, it is very user friendly. The timebable section is located at "www.mercurio.iet.unipi.it/misc/timetabl.html". Instead of using the French railway system, go to the Swiss railway (SBB). All you need to do there is put in your departure city and arrival city and you get a wide range of choises. The trip does only take a little more than 6 hours on the TGV. The trip is very comfortable and the scenery is great. Besides you DO NOT want to drive in Paris! Trust me on this one. e-mail me if you need more specifics. Otherwise have a good trip. <BR> <BR>Greg <BR>

I used to live in Nice and although I have never done that trip I believe you can catch a high speed train from Monaco/Monte Carlo to Paris. Check out Cooks European Train Schedules if you want accurate times.

Hello all. <BR>Patrick, you hit the nail on the head. I was very frustrated yesterday and had NO patience whatsoever. (I was having a bad day at work and my husband was calling every hour about a personal problem he was having, and I just lost my patience.) <BR>I WILL try again, and I WILL be succesful. I've never used a travel agent before and hope I don't have to start now! I also bought my first Travel Book for France yesterday and already feel more comfortable about planning the whole thing myself, as I have always done for all my holidays. And no Patrick, I'm not angry with you for pointing out the obvious! Greg, I'll check out the site you gave and go back to the others a well, but not today. I've gotta run to Jury Duty now. Yuck. Oh, and for sure I have NO intention of having a car in Paris. The car will be used to explore Nice area. Thanks all for hanging in with me!

Ally, <BR> <BR>I'm purchasing rail passes through Raileurope and they will make reservations for you for the tgv trains. It might be less confusing. You can purchase them on line or call their 800 number.

Glad you're feeling better about the whole thing, Ally. Now I'll throw another curve at you. We have spent quite a bit of time in the Nice area. We have done it with a car and without. Unless you really want to get into the country away from the coast, the car is not only unnecessary, but possibly a burden as well. If you are going in season, the traffic can be a nightmare and parking in many of the coastal towns in near impossible. Trains are constant, cheap and easy to such places as Cannes, Monaco, Eze, Antibes, and virtually all the other coastal towns. For these trains, you don't really need to do any planning either, and they are likely to deliver you closer to the center of town than you will be able to park.

I agree with Liz. <BR>The German train website is easier: <BR>http://bahn.hafas.de/bin/query.exe/en <BR>I have rented cars in France many times and is not the hassle some seem to think. True, not for Nice and the large cities, but much more scenic. You really don't see much buzzing along at 160mph in a TGV. I think It is much more pleasant driving from Paris to Nice stopping along the way and then dropping off car in Nice-No drop off charge! <BR>P.s. train rides in Europe are not cheap!