Nice to Paris by Train or Car?

Hello all. My wife and two girls will be travelling from just north of Nice to Paris. We have rented a car, but only have one night on the road before checking into our Paris apartment. Not sure we will, because of the driving distance, be able to dally around on the way. Therefore, we are now debating the rental car vs. taking a train. At present, we have reserved a car that we will drop off at Orly on the way in, then take a taxi for the four of us to the 4th arrondisment. If we do drive, does anyone have a suggestion for where we would stop halfway there for the night? Or, is there overall consent that we should just skip driving and take the SNCF? If so, where would we get that train as we will be staying near the towns of Tourettes and Grasse, which are about 25 mi from the Cannes train station. Thanks for any advice. PS the kids are pre teens.

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I would definitely recommend that you take the train. Not only will it be quicker, but you will probably find it less expensive with advance purchase discounted tickets. It%26#39;s not actually a great drive unless you have time to get off the highway and explore which it appears you do not. And, depending on the time of year you are travelling you can hit some pretty heavy traffic. You can see the passing scenery just as well from the train IMO, even at 180mph.

The TGV from Cannes will take about 5 hours. Go to www.voyages-sncf.com to research timetables and prices. You should be able to find fares as low as 35€ each or even lower if you purchase as far ahead as you can — up to 90 days. This page by MorganB will help guide you through the process: http://tinyurl.com/qpdef

The other option — even quicker and possibly almost as inexpensive as the train — would be to fly from Nice to Orly with EasyJet www.easyjet.com

Good luck!

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BTW I really like the area round Fayence and Tourettes. There are great places to explore on the other side of Grasse too, including Gourdon and the Loup gorges.

Enjoy!

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Perfect. Many thanks.

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I have gone to SNCF. Should I choose Cannes Gare or Cannes Station...both have the TGV. What is the dif between the ITGV and the TGV? Thanks once again.

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PS Hey Rover. EasyJet is a steal. Thanks so much for the great tip.

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