We are planning a trip to London/paris (tour) and would like to extend the trip to provence and then onto the frence riviera. We were thinking about traveling by train. Does anyone have any experience taking trains from paris onto provence and then to nice. Also any suggestions as to hotels in aix and nice.
Thanks
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Hi
we are taking the train to Avignon and then renting a car to drive aound for 5 days and then drive to nice. if you plan on making Aix your home base , just transfer trains in Avignon to Aix and rent your car there. I hope this helps.
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Hi rikmik
I have been from Paris to Avignon and to Nice by TGV and vice versa a few times. I enjoy the TGV. Depending on whether the TGV goes via Lyon or direct to Aix, the trip takes 3 hours, or almost 4 hours on some trips via Lyon. There is a TGV service from Aix to Nice that takes about 2 hours 40 minutes.
My favourite hotel in Nice is the Hotel Windsor. It is an annoying website that tends to send you back to the start if you press the %26quot;back%26quot; button on your computer. I had a room with balcony overlooking the garden both times I stayed there and thought it was worth the extra price (between 150 Euros low season and 170 high). It has a nice little dining room for guests only (I think - it seemed only to have guests at dinner) where you can also have breakfast.
http://www.hotelwindsornice.com/
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Basically TGVs (high speed trains) from Paris to Avignon or Aix-en-Provence take about 3 hours, to Nice about 5.5-6 hours. You do not need to change trains in Avignon to get to Aix nor will you need to change trains inb Lyon on most routings. Advance purchase fares are very reasonable, as low as 25€ one way in second class to Avignon, 35€ to Nice. You can look at timetables and book travel at the SNCF site www.voyages-sncf.com but read this page by MorganB with detailed instructions about how to get the lowest fares *before* you try to book your tickets: http://tinyurl.com/qpdef
There are many threads on the Nice forum about hotels in the area and also people on that forum who will be happy to help. There is less info about Aix but you can certainly look at reviews of hotels in that area by going to the Aix forum and then using the search box on th upper left side of the page.
Just BTW i do not think Aix is a particularly good center for exploring western Proivence unless you have a particular reason for choosing it. It is really too far east for most of the places you will probably want to see and you will spend a lot of time driving back and forth unnecessarily.
if you are not planning to rent a car (and you really need one in western provence though not in Nice) Aix would be a very poor choice as a base.
if you are returning to Paris to fly home you might wan tto consider flying from Nice with EasyJet. www.easyjet.com
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I%26#39;ve always wanted to take a train trip to either Lyon or Aix. I read about them in my Rick Steves book and Aix is really too beautiful in my opinion to ignore. But first I%26#39;d like to visit Lyon as I hear it%26#39;s similar to Paris, but being the gastronomic capital of France, well, that%26#39;s more of a reason to visit.
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Paris 1204 and OP : We have done this trip many times! I love Lyon we stayed there twice and another time Bress and then Dijon and several other towns we stayed in and visited.! There is so much to see and do. Lyon has the most fantastic foods!
We stayed in the city of Aix as we love it and my cousins live near.
I do not know when you are going to Aix but if you are there for the wine fair it is just wonderful! We loved driving the hills of the painter Cezanne! The Santon factory is an interesting tour.
Nice is a lovely place and the museums are so wonderful. There is so much to see and do.
We drove from Paris and back!
Have a wonderful trip!
I will try to find the name of the Aix hotel I really loved it! We took a bus ride to and from Marsaille and toured there for a day.
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Discover, thank you for confirming that Lyon and Aix are two very pretty places to visit. I hear all the time about the excellent dining experiences to be had in Lyon that it sure is tempting to make a an overnighter or two day trip from Paris. For sure Aix seems special, very old-world still, and has lots to offer. Now if I could only take off for just two weeks straight I%26#39;d be very happy and do these trips!
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Thanks all for your replies. I was wondering if renting a car from Paris and then driving to aix and then to nice might be an alternative. What are road conditions, highways or secondary? It would be nice to have a car and go where we please.
Rikmik
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