It may seem an odd way to travel to the South of France – surely flying would be cheaper and quicker than going by rail? It’s a question a lot of friends ask when explaining the joys of train travel. But to me, it’s a no brainer. Consider the amount of time it takes to get from your home to the airport; then you have to be there two hours before take off. And once you arrive at your destination, very few airports are all that close to the place you’re actually visiting, so you need to then figure out more transport to get you to where you actually want to be.
By contrast, a rail journey can start at your local station. Yes, there are security checks at Eurostar, but in the end you’re virtually taken from door to door. And it needn’t cost that much either. My Eurail pass gives me five days of travel for just under €300, which means I can get from Nottingham to Turin in one day for €60. Ok, there are compulsory reservations for the trains I’ll be taking today – but that still brings the total cost in at about €115. With no luggage restrictions and no hefty transport costs getting too and from airports.
However, the first leg of the trip has been hit by disaster already. A landslide in the Alps has closed the line between France and Italy. It means that my carefully laid out plan to have breakfast in London, lunch in Paris and dinner in Turin has been scuppered. But it’s not all bad news. There’s an alternative route into Italy via Nice – so instead of mountain scenery, I’ll just have to slum it in the Cote D’Azur. Life is tough sometimes. Though it has to be said, Nottingham Station doesn’t look all that glamorous on a wet Monday morning.
The consolation is that my early morning trip is included in the price of my pass, and being first class, it comes with a free breakfast – of sorts. First class catering used to be a thing of beauty on British trains; a friendly host serving an a la carte menu at your seat. On today’s East Midlands Railway service, it’s a bacon cob, tea or coffee and some nearly fresh apple juice. If I’d had a bit more time I could have travelled via Grantham onto the East Coast Mainline, where LNER’s premier service offers up a much better menu.
But it doesn’t really matter. My stomach is satisfied and we’re at London St Pancras in good time for the 0930 Eurostar to Paris. Despite having a first class pass, Standard Premier seats for this service sold out long before I bought my ticket. Mandatory reservations are required for most international and high speed services. For Eurostar, that’s about €30 at 2023 prices, and it’s still far less than I would have paid for a full ticket.
Less than two and a half hours later – thanks to speeds of over 200 km per hour – and we’re in Paris, where the puzzle of many a traveller begins; how to get to Gare De Lyon, and calculating precisely how much time it will take. This is where most of the trains heading South go from, which means a subterranean transfer across town from Gare Du Nord.
Thankfully, today is a good day – there are no additional customs checks, no strikes and – here’s a good tip – no queues, since I bought my ticket for the RER subway on board the Eurostar buffet. Had I not done so, I would have struggled to make the next important connection.
Gare Du Lyon is basking in late September sunshine. It’s from here that French passengers would have boarded famous trains including the Orient Express. With a bit more time, I might have had lunch in the elegant Train Bleu restaurant, described by a friend as the “world’s poshest station buffet”. But I’ve only got 20 minutes to spare, so it’s sadly a case of club sandwich, event though I’m sitting in club class on the next train.
The TGV InOui service was launched when French operator SNCF upgraded its high speed trains to include Wi-Fi on board. The level of comfort and space is fine, though the age of the rolling stock yo get can vary widely. On a previous trip to Lyon the InOui was a gleaming modern affair with multiple power outlets, lighting for every occasion and a fragrance that suggested the carriage had been recently cleaned. Today’s offering is slightly aged, as are many of the passengers, and the elderly power socket emits a varying amount of current through my USB multi charger. However, the Mandatory Reservation for this leg of the trip only set me back aroun €10. For a First Class seat on a high speed train, that’s not bad.
If the Romans were famous for building their roads straight, then the French took the idea and applied it to their railways. The high speed line has barely a bend in it as we cross through Central France and rattle down the Rhône Valley towards Marseille. Here, about halfway through the journey to Nice, is the first stop for the train. Marseille itself has loads of history – it’s the oldest city in France and the country’s second largest. Unfortunately St Charles railway station isn’t the most histric or attractive place, and for the brief stop here, most passengers (and a fair few of the staff) just get out for a cigarette.
Beyond Marseille, the train takes a slightly slower pace, which is entirely a good thing. Fertile farmland gives way to the Cote D’Azur, and slowly, as the Northern reaches of the Mediterranean Sea start to show, the views get better. The sun is setting, and the beaches around Cannes are closing up for the day, save for a few brave evening swimmers and joggers. As well as the sea, swimming pools glisten in the villas here. You can smell the money. And eventually, we’re in Nice. And someone is happy to be here.
There’s not much time to explore – remember, this was meant to be Turin. “One night is not enough,” shrugs the man at the hotel reception. He’s right of course, but a journey like this is for living in the moment. A speedy tram takes me to the Old Town – bustling tonight because England played in the Rugby World Cup here last night. There are plenty of English accents. And some pretty buildings too, including the Palais du Justice and the Cathedral.
It’s still a warm 20 Celsius on this September evening, and all around the Old Town restaurants are doing a cracking trade. I always enjoy looking for smaller places on my trips, but tonight just about everywhere in full.
I eventually manage to find a space at a bar near the Palais du Justice. Food has been eaten en route, so all I need is a snack – and the Corsican Cheese Plate is exactly what I came for.
Getting here
By train : I took the Eurostar service from London St Pancras International to Paris Gare du Nord. Transfer to Paris Gare du Lyon by RER train (separate ticket needed), then take the TGV InOui service to Nice Ville. The total travel time – including a transfer across Paris – is about 10.5 hours. Tickets for France can be bought via Rail Europe, though for Eurail passes, go straight to the Eurail website.
Practical stuff
Hotel : I stayed at the Hotel Khla Nice, which is just 10 minutes’ walk from the main Nice Ville Railway station. The rooms are a little compact, though this is typical of many hotels in France. Good breakfast buffet for a small extra charge, cheaper if paid in advance. They were able to offer me an early breakfast on departure day.
Eat/Drink : The Old Town in Nice has loads of places ranging from casual bars to upmarket restaurants. The Lou Pastrouil on Rue De Marche – near the Palais du Justice – does a full menu from breakfast to dinner, and is reasonably priced for its location.
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