Nice to Paris

[aloha123]

Hello everyone,

 

We are thinking of heading to Paris for a couple of days once we disembark from our ship. We disembark at 6am. Can anyone tell me the easiest way to get to Paris from Nice? And also, if we take the train what time should we book it for if we disembark at 6am? Is it a long process to disembark? Thanks so much....again.... Lily

[ellbon]

Why are you leaving the ship,so early? I just flew to,Paris from Nice.  I found it easy..went Air France.

[aloha123]

That's the time listed to disembark. 6am.

[ellbon]

3 hours ago, aloha123 said:

That's the time listed to disembark. 6am.

Means it is the earliest. I got off around nine or later if possible.  AZ tends to empty their ships by 9. Bigger ships a bit later.

[uktog]

A great way to see France is by train.  There are direct trains between Nice and Paris, they take about 5 hours and avoid the hassle of airports, liquid restrictions etc. 

You can book ahead etc, a train around 10am would be ideal, though you could go earlier. Docking in Nice is about a 15 minute max taxi ride to the station. 

 

https://en.oui.sncf/en/tgv/route/nice/paris

[excitedofharpenden]

11 hours ago, aloha123 said:

Hello everyone,

 

We are thinking of heading to Paris for a couple of days once we disembark from our ship. We disembark at 6am. Can anyone tell me the easiest way to get to Paris from Nice? And also, if we take the train what time should we book it for if we disembark at 6am? Is it a long process to disembark? Thanks so much....again.... Lily

Lily, we arrive in Nice at 6am. Disembarkation usually starts at 6.30 with those who want to walk their own luggage off. Last time to disembark is usually 9.30am. I'd agree with uktog that the train is a nice way to see the countryside, but check the prices. Train is often quite a bit more expensive than flying and depending upon how much luggage you have can be more of an exercise. Literally!

 

The airport in Nice isn't too far from where we dock and you will be able to book a transfer to there with the ship (depending of course on what time your flight is).   If flying, personally I wouldn't book a flight before 11. 

 

Phil 

[snowglobe]

Both the train station and the airport are a quick taxi ride from the port. I agree with Phil about scheduling a flight for 11am. Train from 9am onwards.

Check out RailEurope.ca for the TGV fast trains schedule to Paris - you could easily book through them, or directly through the French train website SNCF.com.

Personally, I would prefer the train because it’ll make arriving in Paris much easier, and as already mentioned, give you a chance to appreciate the scenery on the way.

Edited April 14, 2019 by snowglobe

[tv24]

Train is fine if you enjoy train travel and if your luggage is easy to manage.  It's not easy to move a lot of heavy luggage on and off French trains.  The train is fast and comfortable, but the food on board is not good.  Arrival in Paris will be at Gare de Lyon, which is a nice central location and a short cab ride to a hotel, etc.  A flight might make more sense if you have lots of heavy luggage.  The flight will take a lot less time, but you will arrive at an airport that is 50 to 60 minutes by cab into the city.  Both the Nice train station and the Nice airport are short cab rides from where your ship will dock.  And as Phil suggests, check out the prices.

[aloha123]

11 hours ago, ellbon said:

Means it is the earliest. I got off around nine or later if possible.  AZ tends to empty their ships by 9. Bigger ships a bit later.

Thank you! I did not know this. Thought 6am was the time we needed to be off the boat. 

[aloha123]

10 hours ago, uktog said:

A great way to see France is by train.  There are direct trains between Nice and Paris, they take about 5 hours and avoid the hassle of airports, liquid restrictions etc. 

You can book ahead etc, a train around 10am would be ideal, though you could go earlier. Docking in Nice is about a 15 minute max taxi ride to the station. 

 

https://en.oui.sncf/en/tgv/route/nice/paris

Perfect. Thank you for this information!

[aloha123]

8 hours ago, excitedofharpenden said:

Lily, we arrive in Nice at 6am. Disembarkation usually starts at 6.30 with those who want to walk their own luggage off. Last time to disembark is usually 9.30am. I'd agree with uktog that the train is a nice way to see the countryside, but check the prices. Train is often quite a bit more expensive than flying and depending upon how much luggage you have can be more of an exercise. Literally!

 

The airport in Nice isn't too far from where we dock and you will be able to book a transfer to there with the ship (depending of course on what time your flight is).   If flying, personally I wouldn't book a flight before 11. 

 

Phil 

Thank you Phil. I think we are going to take the train and I appreciate your knowledge and experience regarding this.

[aloha123]

4 hours ago, snowglobe said:

Both the train station and the airport are a quick taxi ride from the port. I agree with Phil about scheduling a flight for 11am. Train from 9am onwards.

Check out RailEurope.ca for the TGV fast trains schedule to Paris - you could easily book through them, or directly through the French train website SNCF.com.

Personally, I would prefer the train because it’ll make arriving in Paris much easier, and as already mentioned, give you a chance to appreciate the scenery on the way.

Thank you and I agree, the train is our preference so we can take it all in!

[aloha123]

4 hours ago, tv24 said:

Train is fine if you enjoy train travel and if your luggage is easy to manage.  It's not easy to move a lot of heavy luggage on and off French trains.  The train is fast and comfortable, but the food on board is not good.  Arrival in Paris will be at Gare de Lyon, which is a nice central location and a short cab ride to a hotel, etc.  A flight might make more sense if you have lots of heavy luggage.  The flight will take a lot less time, but you will arrive at an airport that is 50 to 60 minutes by cab into the city.  Both the Nice train station and the Nice airport are short cab rides from where your ship will dock.  And as Phil suggests, check out the prices.

I will make sure I manage my luggage! The train just sounds easier to me especially knowing we will be dropped off in a central location. We hope to find a nice hotel in this area.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

Glad you decided on the train, should be fun, we love trains in Europe, especially high-speed ones.   The 5th Arrondisement is close by, across the river, and is charming area to stay, or the 6th, both on the Left Bank.  

[aloha123]

7 minutes ago, Wendy The Wanderer said:

Glad you decided on the train, should be fun, we love trains in Europe, especially high-speed ones.   The 5th Arrondisement is close by, across the river, and is charming area to stay, or the 6th, both on the Left Bank.  

Thank you Wendy. I'm actually excited to take the train! I will look at your recommendations right now. Thanks!!

[ellbon]

For me the flight was easy. I took a private car to airport..took the 1300 hour flight and was in hotel  aboutb1530. With two suitcases and a carry on it was great.

 

i was on a different line and my cruise included limo service.  

Prefect! 

[travelberlin]

I am going by train from Nice to Paris. The train is a duplex TGV and it has first and second class. It takes almost 6 hours but it looks very confortable. I find this way of travel much nicer than taking a plane. Prices are quite reasonable also and you can take as much luggage you wish as long you are able to manage it.

 

this Webpage was very helpful to me when looking for information https://www.seat61.com/Paris-to-Nice-by-TGV-train.htm

[Covepointcruiser]

So sad about the fire at Notre Dame,  hope visiting this wonderful landmark was not part of your plan.   It is heartbreaking.

[hubofhockey]

We love Paris and it's one of our favorite, if not favorite cities.  The loss of the Notre Dame is devastating and I'll assume that it will lead to crowds at the Sacre Coeur, which is beautiful in its own right.  

 

I'll agree on train and the traffic between CDG and the city of Paris can be pretty bad and also pretty expensive.  

[aloha123]

19 hours ago, travelberlin said:

I am going by train from Nice to Paris. The train is a duplex TGV and it has first and second class. It takes almost 6 hours but it looks very confortable. I find this way of travel much nicer than taking a plane. Prices are quite reasonable also and you can take as much luggage you wish as long you are able to manage it.

 

this Webpage was very helpful to me when looking for information https://www.seat61.com/Paris-to-Nice-by-TGV-train.htm

Thank you travelberlin. We have now booked a train also. Nice to have that part taken care of. 

[aloha123]

19 hours ago, Covepointcruiser said:

So sad about the fire at Notre Dame,  hope visiting this wonderful landmark was not part of your plan.   It is heartbreaking.

It is devastating. Yes, visiting this landmark was part of our plan. Yesterday morning I was researching hotels closeby so we could walk there, unbeknownst that at the time it was burning down. So sad. My husband has been before but he was so sad I won't be able to see it now. 

[aloha123]

19 hours ago, hubofhockey said:

We love Paris and it's one of our favorite, if not favorite cities.  The loss of the Notre Dame is devastating and I'll assume that it will lead to crowds at the Sacre Coeur, which is beautiful in its own right.  

 

I'll agree on train and the traffic between CDG and the city of Paris can be pretty bad and also pretty expensive.  

Thank you hubofhockey, I also wonder what the crowds will be like at other sights now that Notre Dame will be closed down. 

[snowglobe]

It should be the same. The only exception that I can think of would be an increase in numbers of people in line to see the nearby Sainte-Chapelle... many tourists chose to visit Notre-Dame over the Sainte-Chapelle, if they did not have time for both.

[myjillian]

Let us hope to all be able to be around to see Notre Dame when it is rebuilt.😘

[hubofhockey]

6 hours ago, aloha123 said:

Thank you hubofhockey, I also wonder what the crowds will be like at other sights now that Notre Dame will be closed down. 

 

I don't think it will have much of an impact on the rest of the sights in Paris.  The city is too big for that.  As it is, the Notre Dame got 13 million visitors and the Sacre Coeur got 10 million per year.  I'd bet that goes up to close to 15 million.  It's also at a real high point in Paris, is beautiful, and has great views.  Montmartre is a great place to visit as it is.  I just wonder how long it will take to repair and reconstruct the Notre Dame.