The Top 10 French Riviera Rail Tours W

Twirl back in time aboard our art deco train for a journey of peerless luxury. You can also sunbathe on one of our boats. The views are as beautiful as a watercolour painting. Your journey with us will be memorable, whether you’re sipping Burgundy or enjoying Brittany lobsters. Many budget-minded travelers will opt to travel without the use of public transport and prefer to do so. You can traverse most of the popular towns in the French Riviera using the regional Trains Express Regionaux train system. They are fine as long as they run smoothly (be aware of strikes in French transport). They are a great way to travel cheaply in this area.

To reduce costs, you can also choose to stay in less-visited towns such as Menton or Eze. Nice and Marseille are bigger cities that also offer a much bigger range of accommodation. We count Hertz and Avis, Sixt as well as Budget, EuropCars, National, Thirty, and Sixt among them. These agencies have branches in Antibes and Cannes, as well as Saint Tropez, where you can drop off your vehicle to be picked up in Nice. One of the attractives of the area is certainly to rent a convertible vehicle and ride along the seaside with the hood down feeling the cool fresh air of the mediterranean sea brush against your hair. Renting a vehicle allows you to stay independent from public transportation.

Trains run about every 30 minutes and most of the stations sit within walking distance of the town center, or offer a bus service from the station. You can purchase tickets from machines at each station, just be sure to stamp your ticket in one of the validation machines before hopping on board. See the best of beautiful Provence during a small-group day trip from Nice. Spend time visiting coastal Cannes, home of the world-famous film festival.

Several stone bridges criss-cross the brooks and rivers which snake under the trees, and our charming little locomotive takes us to sections of the gorges which no other form of transport can access. Later, the ship continues its journey to Avignon’s ‘White City’. The city’s elegance is evident in the beautiful pinks, oranges and reds of the buildings along Lyon’s riverfront. The Old Town is a UNESCO World Heritage site, and many of the small shops and traditional businesses lend a truly French fl air to our surroundings. Deep in the heart of the wine region of Burgundy, Beaune is a classic French medieval town with impressive town walls, terracotta roofs and fascinating historical buildings.

It also operates international routes including Eurostar and Thalys, as well as the low-cost, long-distance Ouigo services that run on limited routes across France. The total length of the railway network is approximately 32,000km. 1800 km are high-speed lines, and 14,500 km are electrified. This half-day trip departs and takes you to the French cultural highlights and natural beauty. It’s the perfect tour for travelers with limited time, who want to save time researching things to do, and enjoy a well-planned, action-packed itinerary instead.

• Soak in the scenic beauty of the road that snakes between cliffs and towns and the Mediterranean Sea.
• French train tickets are available for print at home from the official websites of French Railways – Oui.SNCF andRailEuropebut Trainline is often much simpler to use.
• Home of the Rothschild banking family
• The Ticket Azur (EUR1.50) allows you to hop on buses linking Nice to nearby towns such as Grasse, Saint-Paul de Vence and Eze Village.
• Deep in the heart of the wine region of Burgundy, Beaune is a classic French medieval town with impressive town walls, terracotta roofs, and fascinating historical buildings.
• We start the day with a guided tour through Arles, where many of Vincent Van Gogh’s most famous paintings were inspired by its charming streets.

However, if you’re looking to visit the amazing medieval village of Eze, you want to take a bus that drops you off right there. The climb from the Eze train station to the village is very steep. Train travel is the most economical way to reach this area, which is well-known for its port and vibrant night scene. The station is walking distance from the port and old town of Antibes and and city center of Juan-les-Pins and a round-trip ticket will cost $11 (10EUR). Nature lovers will find this a wonderful place to enjoy. The wetlands and park area house nearly 400 species of birds, including a readily-recognisable flock pink flamingos. Your second option takes you to the iconic arches of the Pont du Gard, an ancient Roman aqueduct of astonishing size which spans the Gardon river.

Many other airlines, including British Airways and Air France offer daily connections to Nice with stops in cities such as London, Geneva, and Paris. Check out our guide to the Nice airport and transportation options from there. France’s state-owned railway company offers fast and efficient travel around the country with more than 14,000 trains daily. SNCF runs the country’s extensive rail network, including the high-speed TGV network, regional TER trains and local Intercites.