From Italy to France: Milan and Genoa to Nice by Train
It is possible to travel by train from northern Italy to southern France, as there is an affordable train service between Milan, Genoa and Nice.
In this short guide, I’ll show you what it’s like to travel by train on this route linking Italy and France.
Second class seats on an Italian InterCity train. ©AndyBTravels
By train from Milan to Nice
The rail route between Milan and Nice was once served by direct InterCity trains operated by Thello, a subsidiary of the Italian national railway company Trenitalia.
Unfortunately, the train service between northern Italy and southern France has somewhat deteriorated in recent decades.
There are no longer any direct trains linking Milan and Genoa with Nice, and passengers now need to change trains at least once along the way to reach their destination.
Fortunately, even with this now being a one-stop connection, taking the train between Milan and Nice is straightforward, and given that tickets are affordably priced, the train remains the best way to travel.
One-stop connection
The easiest way to travel between Milan and Nice is by taking the Milan–Genoa–Ventimiglia InterCity train of Trenitalia.
Once you reach Ventimiglia, the last Italian town before the border with France on the Côte d’Azur, you need to change to one of the frequent French TER regional trains that link Ventimiglia with Menton, Monaco and Nice.
Alternatively, you can make the journey using only regional trains, which will likely require two connections along the way, in Savona and Ventimiglia.
The fastest train connection will get you from Milan to Nice in roughly five hours.
It’s a highly scenic ride, especially the sections along the Mediterranean coastline in both Italy and France!
Villefranche-sur-Mer, one of the stations on the scenic railway line between Nice and the Italian border at Ventimiglia. ©Paliparan
Booking tickets
You can book your Milan to Nice on the reliable booking website Omio, which can also book all other Italian and French trains.
Use the Omio journey planner below to find the best train connection for your travel date.
Travel tips
Keep in mind that Italian InterCity (IC) trains require compulsory seat reservations, and a ticket for them will automatically include one.
On regional trains, seating is unreserved, and you can take any available seat.
This means that tickets for regional trains can never sell out, whereas InterCity trains can, and therefore should ideally be booked in advance, especially when travelling in the high summer season.
Regional train fares are fixed, while InterCity ticket prices in Italy are variable depending on demand, with prices generally being lower when booked in advance or when travelling during off-peak hours or days.
When travelling from Italy to France, I wouldn’t worry too much about a potentially short connection time in Ventimiglia.
In most cases, you will easily make this connection, and even if you don’t, you can simply take the next regional train from Ventimiglia to Nice, which run frequently throughout the day and therefore do not cause a significant delay.
However, when travelling in the other direction from Nice to Milan and connecting onto an InterCity train at Ventimiglia, it is wise to allow enough buffer time.
A Trenitalia InterCity train. ©AndyBTravels
Conclusion
There are no direct trains between Milan and Nice, but there are easy one-stop connections with a change of trains in Ventimiglia.
First, you take an InterCity train from Milan to Ventimiglia, where you connect onto a TER regional train across the Italian–French border to Nice.
The total journey time is a little over five hours.
