Summer 2025: New Rome - Marseille Night Train Connection

Written by Sophie Renassia

Published on May 13, 2025, modified on July 16, 2025

Summer 2025: New Rome - Marseille Night Train Connection

Calling all lovers of Italy AND train travel enthusiasts: this summer 2025, the Espresso Riviera - the vintage and upscale tourist night train that we told you about in this article - will connect Rome to Marseille every weekend from July 4th to August 30th, 2025. A unique rail experience, combining retro comfort and breathtaking Mediterranean landscapes! If you've ever thought about going to Rome by train, this might be the opportunity to make the journey even more unforgettable. We'll explain everything.

An Alternative to Classic Connections Between Marseille and Rome

Unlike traditional connections between Marseille and Rome, which usually require transfers, the Espresso Riviera offers a direct journey between the two cities.

But beyond its practicality, this night train stands out from high-speed trains (such as Trenitalia's Frecciarossa or SNCF's TGVs) with its unique travel experience, focused on comfort and discovery.

A Vintage Tourist Night Train

After Nice-Milan in 2024, Marseille-Rome in 2025! Operated by FS Treni Turistici Italiani, the Espresso Riviera invites travelers to relive the golden age of great international trains. With its beautifully renovated vintage carriages, this night train feels like a journey back in time.

And its retro ambiance doesn't compromise its modernity: the experience is quite upscale, and most of the locomotives used by the company are electric.

Marseille-Rome by Night Train: Period and Frequency

In practice, the train will run from Friday, July 4th to Saturday, August 30th, 2025, with one round trip each weekend.

From Rome Termini: departure every Friday evening, with stops in Genoa on Saturday morning, then in Nice and Marseille.
From Marseille: departure every Saturday evening, arriving in Rome on Sunday morning.

How to get to Marseille by train for the departure? If you want to reach Marseille from Paris or Lyon, Trenitalia now offers a direct Paris-Marseille connection, via Lyon, Avignon, and Aix-en-Provence (since June 15, 2025)!

Which Cities are Served by the Espresso Riviera?

The first part of the journey - from Rome Termini station to Genoa Piazza Principe station - is in "night" configuration, with sleeping cars and couchette compartments.

From Genoa, the next morning, the train switches to "day" mode, with first and second-class carriages, and serves the following stations:

Italy: Savona, Alassio, Imperia, Sanremo, Ventimiglia
France: Menton, Monaco Monte Carlo, Nice, Cannes, Saint-Raphaël Valescure, Toulon, Marseille

What is the Comfort Like on Board the Espresso Riviera?

The Espresso Riviera offers different accommodation options:

Sleeping cars: cabins for one or two people,
Couchette compartments: spaces for four people, convertible into seats in "day" configuration.

Makes you want to eat there, doesn't it?

For dining, a restaurant car and bar service are available during the journey. Meals (dinner and breakfast) are included for night travelers, and lunch is offered to first-class passengers on the daytime portion between Genoa and Marseille.

And if you plan to explore Rome by bike, good news: the train accepts bulky luggage, including bikes and sports equipment.

How Much Do Tickets for the Espresso Riviera Marseille-Rome Cost?

To travel aboard the Espresso Riviera, you can expect to pay:

€94.90 for a berth in a 4-person couchette compartment
€214.90 for a single sleeper compartment
€184.90 per person for a double sleeper compartment (make sure to book two tickets)
€284.70 to privatize a couchette compartment

Please note that breakfast, bed setup, and a travel kit are included.

When and Where to Book Tickets for the Marseille-Rome Night Train?

Reservations are open since May 24, 2025 on the FS Treni Turistici Italiani website, by email (info@fstrenituristici.it) or by phone (+39 337 1481776) from Monday to Friday between 9 am and 1 pm.

Marseille to Rome by Night Train: Our Reporter’s Experience

Update – July 10, 2025: Good news – we were there for the inaugural journey, and we got to test it out! Alexandre, one of our reporters, went to Rome with the Espresso Riviera for the Partenariat Mobilité Durable event, co-constructed by BNP Paribas and the Académie de France à Rome - Villa Médicis.

According to him, the experience felt straight out of a movie:

“Right from the start, you know you're about to experience something special. As the train pulls into the station, it honks like the old trains from back in the day. Staff dressed in traditional hotel porter uniforms step off to welcome us. It really feels like we’ve stepped into The Grand Budapest Hotel.”

Onboard, the vibe is a charming mix of vintage and modern: “The interior décor is retro, but you also get all the practical features of modern trains.”

In the dining car, the journey takes on a real dolce vita atmosphere:

“Inside the train’s restaurant, you’re fully immersed in Italian ambiance. The menu is local: pasta served with poultry and vegetables, and for dessert, a marble cake. On every journey, the company hires a musician to play traditional Italian tunes on a melodica (a small keyboard instrument you blow into). The music sets the tone during dinner – it’s magical.”

As for waking up in Italy, Alexandre gives it a big thumbs up:

“After traveling along the stunning coastal routes of the French Riviera the night before, you wake up facing the Italian coastline — it’s pretty incredible. At breakfast, with the landscape rolling by, a very elegant waiter offers different options: coffee, tea, or cappuccino, served with a croissant.”

In short: the Espresso Riviera isn’t just a convenient and fairly affordable way to get to Rome without a single transfer — it’s a travel experience in its own right. If you get the chance, we highly recommend it!