Réductions exclusives ☺️

🕑 Horaires européens

Get our app

J’ai testé pour vous : le train de nuit pour aller à Nice

Written by Louise Sevin

Published on November 30, 2023, modified yesterday

In September 2023, I was invited by SNCF to ride the night train running from Paris Gare d'Austerlitz to Nice Ville. Relaunched in September 2021, this service is a real success and keeps expanding the offer of French night trains. But why spend 12 hours on a night train when the TGV connection takes half the time?

Sleeping in a moving cabin is a unique, almost dreamlike experience — not to mention a great money-saver! A look back at 12 hours out of time.

8:52 p.m.: departure time, bring out the tissues!

The Corail train running from Paris to Nice operates every day. Departure times are particularly well suited to the rhythm of a workday. What's more, 53% of passengers on this line travel outside the holiday season for professional reasons.

As for me, I had time to head home and pack my bag to arrive at the station around 8:15 p.m. Just in time to enjoy a sandwich or a salad!

If you'd rather eat on board, know that it's entirely possible: SNCF Intercités offers an on-board dining service to be booked online before 2 p.m. on the day of departure.

There are 3 levels of comfort on the train:

• second-class sleeper cabins with 6 beds;
• first-class sleeper cabins with 4 beds;
• reclining seats;
• and (no less important) fully equipped bike spaces to welcome your low-carbon means of transport.

Unlike on a TGV, your bike doesn't need to be disassembled to be brought aboard an Intercités. It will cost you the modest sum of €10.

10 p.m.: lights out, everyone to their bunk!

Let's be clear, the night train won't tempt you to go wild.

There's no common area where you can gather for a beer or a card game. You can hang out in the corridors, but you quickly run out of ideas (not to mention blocking the way).

No, you'll just have to make do: your best ally for the evening will be your bunk, a real little cabin on wheels to shelter you from the outside world. Stuck in a horizontal position, you fall asleep much earlier than usual, rocked by the swaying.

The night train creates a new space-time. Are there other places where you can both dream of the whole world and cross it?

That's the poetic vision of the journey. The one we tell ourselves before falling asleep. But if you're on team light sleeper, the night is sometimes crossed with wide-open eyes. Falling asleep can be difficult, and the dreams are restless.

Around 2 a.m., I part the curtain of the large window and glimpse a field plunged into darkness. Where are we? Where are we going? Traveling through these sleeping lands opens the door to the most existential late-night questions.

Insomniacs, good evening — this time, we have a good reason to stay awake: the world is streaming past our eyes.

2 a.m.: and then there are those who snore…

Heavy sleeper or not, SNCF has thought of everything to ensure a good night's sleep. Each passenger receives on arrival in their bunk a kit consisting of:

• Quies earplugs;
• blanket;
• eye mask;
• tissues;
• refreshing wipes;
• chewable toothpaste pellet;
• …. and the traditional plastic water bottle, not very eco-friendly.

the night train traveler's kit

Insomnia aside, I find you sleep just as well in first class as in second class. The level of service is the same, as is the mattress.

The real difference? You notice it mostly when you don't sleep.

In first class, you can sit up on your berth, which isn't possible in second-class compartments.

Overall, you feel much less crowding in first class and it's easier to stow your belongings.

SNCF has also thought about solo travelers and groups of friends: there are compartments reserved for women for added safety. Note that all compartments, women-only or mixed, can be locked from the inside.

Currently, SNCF is considering assigning train seats only a few days before departure to better meet all requests. For example, the number of women-only compartments would be determined by how many women have requested them. Stay tuned…

6:38 a.m.: first stop in Marseille

The first stop in Marseille takes place at the first light of morning.

A quick stat: about 18% of passengers on the Paris-Nice night train get off in Marseille. Yet there are 17 TGVs a day covering the same route in just 3 hours 20 minutes. This enthusiasm is explained by the schedules, which remain convenient for business travel, and the low cost.

From Marseille on, the landscape becomes enchanting and the stops multiply: we hug the Mediterranean and cross stunning bays, all with a little SNCF brioche within reach.

What a privilege to watch this sunrise in motion!

9:40 a.m.: terminus, everyone off!

The journey is coming to an end: we arrive in Nice around 9:40 a.m. after a beautiful odyssey. The arrival time is a bit late compared to other night trains, but it's still earlier than the first TGV of the day, which arrives around 11:30 a.m.

We have the whole day to enjoy Nissa la Bella after a night spent crossing France.

So, how was the trip?

I love night train journeys.

They have that little taste of exoticism and adventure that makes us feel like we're already traveling.

Anyway, even if you don't sleep like a baby, it's an experience that's at once unusual, practical, and affordable. Beat that!

Hourrail! is a community media!
If you have a train or low-carbon travel story, write to us at 📮 media@hourrail.voyage

It's together that we'll manage to change the way people imagine travel! 💪