Around France

Traveling by Train to Nice. Nice!


 

Traveling to Nice by trainTraveling to Nice by train for a weekend at the beach is a piece of cake. The low cost train fare makes the trip a “must.”

Low- cost train fare

Now that I’ve learned how easy traveling by train to Nice is, I planning to travel a lot by train in Europe, I’m glad to have the “senior” rail pass. The senior discount on the fare from Avignon to Nice makes the trip incredibly affordable–  roundtrip, first class. Getting to the train station from Uzes, I have two choices. Drive “Lucy” to Avignon and park her with her 4-wheeled friends at the train station; or catch the bus from Uzes to the train station in Avignon. I prefer the first option. Even with paying for parking at the train station, the total cost of transportation is less than driving back and forth to Nice. Plus, I don’t have to worry about parking places in Nice after I arrive.

Traveling to Nice by Train

The TGV train from Avignon to Nice in the first-class coach is a treat. If you’re lucky, you’ll get a seat with no one beside or across from you. You can stretch out as much as you please. 

As you skirt along the Mediterranean from Marseilles to Nice, you get a glimpse of the beaches and the coastline villas.

There’s  a blue-sky sunny day with only a few clouds.

From one side of the train you see sunbathers stretched out on mats and lounge chairs on the beaches. The temperature is in the high 60s.

The view from the left windows reveals town people walking busily down the streets wearing leather jackets.

MarseilleToulon. Sainte Maxime.

Stretches of low forests with cedars, olive trees and pines are interrupted by occasional towns. Beaches appear from nowhere as the train speeds along.

The sea draws closer to the tracks. It darts away again.

Yacht coves appear below rocky cliffs

Cannes. Antibes.

Train stations with familiar names click by alerting passengers that Nice is ahead.

High-rise condos and apartment buildings are beginning to crowd together on the hills to the left of the train tracks. More are packed together towards the sea.

Old and new, unkept and clean; the contrast of tan, yellow, reddish-brown and, occasionally, green stucco and concrete structures seem to blend together in perfect harmony.

 

Traveling to Nice by train

Traveling to Nice by train

 

Arriving in Nice

This is the real deal: The French Riviera


Traveling to Nice by train

The beach in Nice

Traveling to Nice by train

 

Traveling to Nice by train

City of Nice

 

Traveling to Nice by train

The beach — the Riviera

 

 

Traveling to Nice by train

Reliable transportation. Rent a bike.  Nice France

 

More about Nice

Nice is Nice. Marc Chagall Makes It Nicer

Heading for a Beach in France? Nice!

City Side of Nice: Favorite Finds

Uzes to Nice: Nice!

Traveling to Nice by train

8 replies »

  1. Very nice! I’ve never been to the Riviera but hope I get down that way some day!

  2. I spent a summer, during college, in Antibes. Ah, those were the days. I’ve never been so brown. If only I had concentrated a bit more on learning the language! Anyway, it looks heavenly.

  3. Hi Deborah,

    Wonderful and great idea…

    I personally have never been a huge fan of Nice, but maybe you have already done this sometime, but in case you haven’t, continue just a bit further to lovely Villefranche-sur-Mer, it’s beautiful and wonderful…possibly a bit Italien..spent quite a few holidays here, and we’ll get in the car sometime and visit again, once a lot of the tourists have gone…it’s place we like to return to.

    Enjoy whatever you get up to.

    Lis 😉

    Sent from my iPad

    >

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