Paris to Nice - train or plane?
 

Two of us will be traveling from Paris to Nice a few days after Christmas. We're trying to decide whether to fly or take the train. We've taken trains in Europe many times before but usually for shorter rides than this one.

The flight is obviously shorter at 1.5 hours vs about 5.5 hours on the train. We would do 1st Class on the train (not on the plane) so it would be more comfortable. And on the train we wouldn't have to check luggage, go through security, get from the airport, etc.

What do folks here recommend? Is the scenery on the train worth seeing? In other posts driving has been suggested but that is not something we are considering.

Where in Paris are you staying -- are you closer to Gare de Lyon (train station) than the airports? Are you checking in any bags?

If yes to both, I would definitely take the train as time savings on airport transit, checking bags, and security could end up making the door-to-door journey times of both pretty close. Also, you would have more space to walk around to boot!

Yes to both. We're staying about 4 miles from the train station and checking bags.

I understand that the airplane procedures could add a couple of hours to the transit time it takes by air. Still, the travel time difference is 4 hours (1.5 hours vs 5.5 hours), meaning that the plane would could still save 2 hours.

I would fly. The scenery onboard the train is no bad at all, specially between Marseille and Nice, but the duration of the journey is a showstopper IMO.

Use the extra time you get by flying to visit either Nice or Paris.

The plane will be faster - and Nice airport is pretty compact and close to the centre. Nice is, for the time being, past that sweet spot where train beat plane door-to-door.

The train is a much more relaxing experience - particularly in 1st. The scenery is interesting, partly in the way it changes so rapidly, given the speed you're travelling at. And you can always start your journey with a visit to the wonderful Train Bleu at the Gare de Lyon.

So it's a trade-off. With those two hours, you could get a rental car, head up into the hills and see the Chapelle de la Roseraie and wander round St Paul de Vence. Or maybe the stress of flying will make you just want to sit and do nothing for a couple of hours...

If you have the time… then TRAIN. A beautiful ride. Hands down.

If I could add just two hours to a trip and avoid having to go through an airport... almost any airport... that would be a no-brainer. The crowds, the lines, the waiting for no good reason... there is so much less stress involved in train travel!

And as noted by the OP, it's far more comfortable, plus you've got power available at your seat, so if you've been taking photos you can go through and edit them, maybe catch up on emails (assuming you have a simcard for your phone with cheap data), or just take a nap. If you're REALLY bored, you can download an app that gives your speed.

The only reason I'd fly would be if I were connecting from another flight.

I fully agree with you. I'd fly too. The scenery from the train worths it only between Aix/Marseille and Nice. And the travel time is no brainer. And what I read here in this thread is the usual mistake : people compare the train trip duration (5.5 hrs here) to the total travel time by plane (flight duration + travel time to/from airport + waiting time at departing airport). But with the train, you also need to arrive at the station, wait a bit (unless you always want to board your train 1min before departure) and travel from the arrival station to your final destination. Applied to the OP's case, it will result in a total travel time of approx 7hrs by train and 4h15 by plane. I'm not saying that the train is a bad option but we have to compare options correctly. And remember that NCE airport is downtown (so no benefit compared to the train station on the Nice side) and that landing in NCE is one of the nicest I know (seating on the left side).