Best Day Trips by Train from Nice: Easy French Riviera Towns You Can Visit Without a Car
With its international airport, major train station, and frequent regional connections, Nice is the most practical home base for planning French Riviera day trips by train.
Several of the French Riviera’s most memorable destinations and beautiful towns are close enough for half-day outings from Nice, long seaside lunches, coastal hikes, or even romantic overnights along the coast.
And it sits at the center of the region’s coastal rail line, making it the easiest home base for exploring the French Riviera on the rails.
Within minutes of leaving the station, trains pass colorful harbor towns, Belle Époque villas, rare sandy beaches, and medieval villages perched high over the Mediterranean Sea.
Tickets in hand, the French Riviera is suddenly very close. No car required!
Allons-y!
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Do you need a car on the French Riviera
I’ve spent years renting cars on the French Riviera, and the cost, parking, and traffic have gotten a little bit worse each time.
No doubt it’s nice to have a rental car when you want to explore further afield, but with a little advance planning, it’s easy to travel the French Riviera by train, and rent a car for just a day or a weekend when needed.
One of the biggest surprises for first-time visitors to the French Riviera is how easy it is to get around without a car.
Nearly all of the major coastal towns sit on or near the regional rail line, with short walks, local buses, and taxis making it simple to reach places just beyond the stations.
Skipping the rental also means avoiding narrow old-town streets, limited parking, and peak-season traffic along the coast road, as well as toll booths dotting the A8.
The train is often faster, especially during peak travel seasons, too, and a far more relaxed.
Why the Train Works So Well on the French Riviera
The local TER coastal rail line connects most major towns along the French Riviera, from Cannes to Menton, in a single scenic corridor.
I like to use an app called Omio or Trainline to book. They keep all my tickets in one place so I can just flash the bar or QR code when asked.
Trains run throughout the day, and stations are, on average, about a 5 to 15 minute walk to the center of each town. Where that’s not possible, there are taxis, buses, and ride shares.
One of the highlights of day trips by train? The tracks hug one of Europe’s most beautiful stretches of coastline— the fabled Côte d’Azur! Oh! La! La!
Why Base Yourself in Nice to Travel by Train
For first-time visitors, Nice is the best hub for air travel and day trips by train because the French Riviera splits naturally into two directions from here:
East toward
Villefranche-sur-Mer
Beaulieu-sur-Mer
Èze-sur-Mer
Monaco
Menton
Sanremo / Italian Riviera
West toward
Antibes
Théoule-sur-Mer
Cannes
Saint-Tropez (via Saint-Raphaël)
Most trips take under 40 minutes, which means you can comfortably and strategically plan a mix of touring Nice and its historic Old Town streets and taking French Riviera day trips.
Which Train Station in Nice Should You Use
Most Riviera day trips begin at Nice Ville, the city’s main rail station. It has the most frequent departures along the coastal TER line.
Vocabulary Lesson: Train Station = La Gare (rhymes with car)
Depending on where you’re staying in the city, two additional stations might save you time:
Nice Riquier
Best if you’re staying near the Port of Nice or eastern neighborhoods. Trains toward Monaco and Menton stop here.
Nice Saint-Augustin
Convenient for airport-area hotels and western Nice. This station is also closest to Nice Airport Terminal 1— less than a half-mile walk.
For most visitors staying in central Nice or the Old Town, Nice Ville remains the easiest departure point.
👉 Always check schedules ahead. Sometimes they change. Sometimes there are strikes. It’s France.
Below, I’ve detailed:
🗺️ French Riviera destination
🚏 Departure and arrival stations
🚅 Train travel time from Nice
👣 Estimated walk time to town centers
Closest Day Trips by Train from Nice (Under 15 Minutes)
These are the easiest French Riviera excursions you can make from Nice — ideal if you want a slow morning, a harbor lunch, or a spontaneous swim stop.
Villefranche-sur-Mer
Departure station: Nice Ville (or Nice Riquier)
Arrival station: Villefranche-sur-Mer
Train time: about 7 minutes
Walk to town: 1–2 minutes
Best for: harbor views, swimming from a sandy beach, relaxed waterfront dining, narrow lanes and streets to explore
Villefranche-sur-Mer may be the French Riviera’s most convenient train stop.
The station opens directly beside Plage des Marinières, a wide sandy beach minutes from the village.
From the station, it’s a short stroll into the pastel harbor where cafés line the waterfront and fishing boats bob just offshore.
This is an ideal lunch or half-day trip from Nice, though you’ll find plenty of reasons to linger here longer than planned.
Beaulieu-sur-Mer
Departure station: Nice Ville (or Nice Riquier)
Arrival station: Beaulieu-sur-Mer
Train time: about 10 minutes
Walk to town: about 8 minutes (flat)
Best for: Belle Époque architecture, villa visits, quieter beaches
Beaulieu’s station sits right inside town, making it one of the simplest and shortest French Riviera day trips by train from Nice.
Beaulieu-sur-Mer feels quiet and the waterfront promenade is wide and calm. You can visit Villa Kérylos, a reconstructed ancient Greek seaside residence.
Or walk toward Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat to visit another one of the French Riviera’s beautiful villas: Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild.
If a French Riviera Beach Club is on your agenda, try Baia Bella Beach Club in Beaulieu-sur-Mer. Advanced reservations recommended.
Best Eastbound Day Trips from Nice by Train
Heading east from Nice brings you toward Monaco and Italy.
The coastline becomes steeper, villages cling to the hillsides, and the scenery becomes delightfully dramatic.
Èze-sur-Mer (for Èze Village)
Departure station: Nice Ville or Nice Riquier
Arrival station: Èze-sur-Mer (FYI: the train stops at Èze-sur-Mer, not Èze Village)
Train time: about 12 minutes
Walk to village: (steep climb 60-90 )
Best for: hilltop views, gardens, one of the Riviera’s most iconic villages
To reach Èze Village, you can:
- hike the Nietzsche Path (steep but memorable)
- take the local bus Lignes d’Azur Line 83 departs from the station and takes approximately 15-20 minutes to reach the village
- grab a taxi
Once at the top, Eze Village is the reward.
Narrow stone lanes wind up, up, and up past small galleries and viewpoints overlooking the coastline, culminating at the Jardin Exotique, where you’ll find one of the best panoramic viewpoints on the French Riviera.
Monaco
Departure station: Nice Ville or Nice Riquier
Arrival station: Monaco Monte-Carlo
Train time: about 25 minutes.
Walk from station to main sights: It’s easy to walk down to Monaco in 10–15 minutes, but the climb back up will get you. Luckily, the entire principality is laced with elevators and escalators to help navigate elevation changes.
Best for: glamour, haute-couture shopping, 5* hotels, posh lunches and dinners, and the Monte Carlo Casino
Monaco’s train station sits inside a mountain, with multiple exits leading to different parts of the principality.
Choose your exit depending on which district in Monaco you’d like to visit:
Casino Square / Monte Carlo district
Port Hercule (the marina)
Monaco-Ville (the historic old town and location of the royal palace)
👉Monaco is small and surprisingly navigable. The principality also has air-conditioned public buses for just €2 a ride that connect you to every part of the city-state.
Menton
Departure station: Nice Ville or Nice Riquier
Arrival station: Menton (recommended)
Alternative station: Menton Garavan (closer to the Italian border)
Train time: about 40 minutes
Train time from Nice: about 40 minutes
Walk from Menton Station to Old Town: about 10 minutes
Best for: gardens, architecture, Italian-influenced Riviera atmosphere
Set just minutes from the Italian border, Menton feels distinctly different from other Riviera towns. Pale yellow and pink buildings rise above the sea, citrus trees fill beautiful French Riviera gardens, and the pace feels softer than Monaco or Cannes.
I recommend wandering through the Marché des Halles de Menton. It sits just behind the waterfront near the edge of the Old Town, and is open year-round, and stopping for coffee and croissants.
If your schedule allows only one longer eastbound train day trip from Nice, Menton is an excellent choice. You could also continue on to Sanremo in Italy from here.
Menton is also home to the famous Fête du Citron each spring, usually in February.
Roquebrune-Cap-Martin
Departure station: Nice Ville or Nice Riquier
Arrival station: Roquebrune-Cap-Martin station
Important note: this station is along the coast, not near the medieval village
Train time: about 30 minutes
For the hilltop Old Town, the closest station is actually Carnolès, followed by a bus or taxi uphill.
Best for: coastal walking paths, quieter scenery between Monaco and Menton
Like in Eze-sur-Mer, the train station here sits along the coastline and not near the medieval hilltop village.
However, it provides access to one of the Riviera’s most scenic seaside routes: the 5-kilometer Le Corbusier coastal path, which connects Roquebrune with Monaco along the water’s edge.
👉If you walk down (a lot of steps) from the train station parking lot toward Plage du Buse, you’ll find the cutest little beachfront restaurant called Le Cabanon du Buse.
Best Westbound Day Trips from Nice by Train
Heading west from Nice brings slightly flatter coastline, sandy beaches, and towns that feel more classically “Resort Riviera.”
Antibes
Departure station: Nice Ville
Arrival station: Antibes
Train time: about 20 minutes
Train time from Nice: about 20 minutes
Walk from station to Old Town: about 12 minutes
Best for: markets, sandy beaches, coastal walks, balanced Riviera atmosphere
👉Juan-les-Pins station is closer to sandy beaches but farther from Antibes Old Town.
Antibes is one of the French Riviera’s most appealing all-around stops. The Old Town is compact and walkable, the Marché Provençal anchors the historic center, and the Picasso Museum overlooks the sea from the old city walls.
Unlike much of the French Riviera, Antibes also offers several sandy beaches.
If you’re deciding between multiple westbound day trips from Nice, Antibes is one of the easiest to recommend.
Théoule-sur-Mer
Departure station: Nice Ville
Arrival station: Théoule-sur-Mer
Train time: about 45 minutes
Walk to beaches and harbor: about 5–10 minutes
Best for: dramatic coastal scenery, quieter beaches, Esterel mountain views
Théoule-sur-Mer is often overlooked on the French Riviera.
Known for its dramatic red-rock landscape of the Esterel mountains, rust-colored cliffs, and turquoise Mediterranean cove, Théoule-sur-Mer has an instant wow factor.
The train station is small but well placed within walking distance of the harbor and several beaches, including Plage de l’Aiguille, one of the most scenic swimming spots along this part of the Riviera.
Hiking is also a popular activity in this area, including along the Sentier du Littoral (Coastal Path) or more serious hikes in the Massif de l’Estérel above Théoule.
Compared with nearby Cannes, Théoule-sur-Mer feels more natural. If you’re looking for a slower coastal outing or a beach-adjacent hike between larger destinations, this is your spot.
Because trains continue directly onward to Cannes and Saint-Raphaël from here, Théoule-sur-Mer works as part of a multi-stop westbound train journey.
Cannes
Departure station: Nice Ville
Arrival station: Cannes
Train time: about 30–35 minutes
Walk to Croisette: about 5 minutes
Best for: La Croisette promenades, 5* hotels, historic old quarter, ferry and kayak trips to the Lérins Islands
The Cannes station is just a few blocks from the waterfront and the red carpet of the town’s famous film festival, though I seriously doubt any movie stars take the train from Nice.
Walk toward the Croisette to see the palm-lined promenade, grand hotels of Cannes, and the beach clubs overlooking the bay.
I recommend a visit to Le Suquet, the historic quarter overlooking the harbor, where you’ll find small cafes and restaurants. You can also join a walking tour to learn more about the city’s history, beyond its film festival persona.
📍From Cannes, ferries depart regularly for the Lérins Islands, making this an especially fun full-day Riviera outing from Nice.
Can You Take a Train from Nice to Saint-Tropez
Short answer: not directly — but you can get close.
The train from Nice runs west along the French Riviera to Saint-Raphaël–Valescure, the closest rail station to Saint-Tropez.
From there, you’ll need to continue by ferry, bus, taxi, rideshare, or private transfer to Saint-Tropez, or to Sainte-Maxime where you can take a boat to the port of Saint-Tropez.
Departure station: Nice Ville
Arrival station: Saint-Raphaël–Valescure
Train time: about 1 hour
Walkability from station: ferry port is walkable (about 10 minutes)
From Saint-Raphaël, the seasonal ferry across the Gulf of Saint-Tropez is often the most scenic and enjoyable final leg of the journey, especially during warmer months when road traffic into Saint-Tropez can be slow.
Buses run year-round, and taxis or rideshares are also available.
Even though this trip takes more planning than other French Riviera train outings from Nice, it’s still doable as a long day trip. Or why not stay the night in Saint-Tropez?
👉 For step-by-step route options, timing strategies, and whether ferry or bus makes more sense depending on the season, see my detailed guide to getting to Saint-Tropez from Nice.
Bonus Day Train Trips from Nice
Italy By Train: Nice to Sanremo
Departure station: Nice Ville or Nice Riquier
Arrival station: Sanremo
Train time: about 1 hour 20 minutes (usually with a connection in Ventimiglia)
Walk to town center: about 12–15 minutes (mostly flat)
My husband is Italian and never passes up a chance to head to the motherland while we are on the French side of the border.
We’ve rented a car and driven over a lot, then discovered how easy it is to get to Sanremo by train.
Known for its palm-lined promenades, Belle Époque villas, and historic old quarter climbing the hillside behind the harbor, Sanremo is distinctly Italian while still sharing the relaxed Mediterranean rhythm of the French Riviera.
Most routes from Nice require a quick connection in Ventimiglia, but the transfer is simple and well-timed.
Once you arrive, walk toward the waterfront promenade or head uphill into La Pigna, Sanremo’s atmospheric medieval quarter filled with narrow passageways and quiet stair-stepped lanes that feel far removed from the hustle and bustle of Nice.
📍A guided two-hour walking tour also makes good use of your time and keeps you on schedule for your next whistle stop.
Scenic Mountain Train Day Trip from Nice: The Train des Merveilles
The Train des Merveilles is one of the French Riviera’s most surprising day trips—and one of its most cinematic.
I took the journey during late spring, so it was cooler than normal, but when the French Riviera is hot and crowded, I can only imagine how refreshing the mountain temperatures feel.
👉 From May to October, on the morning journey only (9:32 a.m., but verify ahead), a guide will tell you all about this exceptional region and railway.
Departing from Nice-Ville, the Train des Merveilles leaves the Mediterranean behind almost immediately, climbing into the wild Roya Valley through a sequence of tunnels and bridges.
You’ll make about six stops to access seven villages on the Nice-Tende route.
Some highlights include the historic town of Breil-sur-Roya for adventure sports, the stunning, vertigo-inducing village of Saorge, the artistic village of La Brigue with its ancient chapels, and the high mountain town of Tende for gateway access to the Mercantour National Park and Valley des Merveilles.
We spent the night in La Brigue and stayed at the very simple Auberge Saint Martin. We opted for the half-board package (less than 100 euros per person for the room, breakfast, and dinner).
It was one of the most phenomenal meals we had: a fresh leek-and-cheese tartlet, homemade pasta, and dessert.
I recommend taking the full trip first thing in the morning, about two hours, to Tende, then working your way back toward Nice.
📍It’s an easy day trip to do on your own. But if you’re a photography buff or want a guide along with you, a guided walking photo tour and lunch in the village of your choice can add a little more context to your day trip.
Ready to go? Secure your train tickets and get ready for a French Riviera rail adventure!
