Paris-Turin-Nice by Train (1/2): Paris-Turin by TGV Through the Alps
Traveling by train from Paris to Nice in a different way.
The journey begins when you close your front door. For that to be true, you still need to know how to create the right conditions!
I had to get to Nice from Paris, and I had five days to spare. I had heard about the Train des Merveilles (the wonder train in English), whose name was captivating. It runs from Cuneo, a small Italian town on the edge of the Po Plain at the foot of the Alps, to the Mediterranean, with two branches: one to Nice and the other to Ventimiglia.
Rather than the classic day trip from Nice, I designed a custom itinerary via Turin, a city I really enjoy. After a Paris-Turin TGV and a day's stopover in Piedmont, I took a regional train to Cuneo to board the Train des Merveilles line. Two nights in Tende allowed me to explore the Roya Valley, before concluding this rail journey to Nice.
This article is the first part of my five-day rail itinerary between Paris and Nice, via Turin and the Roya Valley. It recounts my journey from Paris to Turin, then my visit to Turin for a full day.
- From Paris to Turin with SNCF, the French railways company
- Turin: The Royal City of the House of Savoy
The continuation of my journey from Turin to Nice with the Train des Merveilles is presented in my article: " Paris-Turin-Nice by Train (2/2): The Train des Merveilles and the Roya Valley ".
After telling you about this journey, I'll give you all my practical tips to help you organize your own, whether it's Paris to Nice via Turin or just part of the route, such as Paris → Turin, Turin → Nice, or simply the Train des Merveilles.
Paris-Nice via Turin in 5 Days: My Itinerary
Day 1: Paris → Turin by TGV
Day 2: Discovering Turin
Day 3: Turin → Cuneo → Tende aboard the Italian version of the Train des Merveilles
Day 4: Discovering the villages of the Roya: Tende → La Brigue → Saorge → Tende by electric mountain bike
Day 5: Tende → Nice aboard the French version of the Train des Merveilles
Paris-Turin by TGV: The Journey Through the Alps
I had the choice between traveling with Trenitalia or SNCF. Having used the Italian company on my last two trips, I chose the French carrier this time to compare the two services.
The Paris-Turin TGV: Comfort and Atmosphere on Board
I arrive at Gare de Lyon, and it's crowded. It's late July, and it's peak summer travel season. The TGVs heading to the Mediterranean—Marseille, Montpellier, Nice, or Toulon—are completely full. Passengers are mainly families who look a bit lost and young people with backpacks enjoying their first vacations without their parents. Some trains are announced with delays. SNCF's resources are being heavily tested.
My train to Milan, with a stop in Turin, is no exception. According to the official explanation, our delay is due to a late positioning of our train set, following a late arrival on the previous journey. We depart 45 minutes late, at 3:35 PM instead of 2:48 PM.
The TGV has a vintage feel. First, it has only one level, which distinguishes it from the TGV Duplex trains that have become the norm in France. Second, Christian Lacroix designed its interior around 2005. This decoration has become very rare, but it has been preserved on the small fleet operated between Paris and Milan, specially designed to adapt to French and Italian electrical and signaling systems.
However, the TGV shows its age, and you can tell that the seats have already seen a lot of use. The Lacroix design also seems a bit dated today, especially with its very flashy colors in second class.
On the Paris—Turin—Milan line, SNCF offers its two standard classes: first and second. The staff is, of course, bilingual, French and Italian. The dining menu has been enhanced to satisfy travelers from both countries, both renowned for their gastronomy. In first class, you can even have a steward serve you at your seat.
A Journey in Two Tempos: At 300 km/h, then at a Mountain Pace
The landscape flies by at full speed, at nearly 300 km/h, and I barely have time to observe the lovely Burgundy countryside with its summer colors. The fields are quite dry, and the harvests have already taken place. The weather is stormy.
But after Mâcon, our TGV branches off toward Chambéry and our speed drops abruptly as we join the conventional network. The terrain gradually becomes more pronounced, and we see the Chartreuse massif on our right.
After Chambéry, we climb up the Maurienne Valley. The landscapes become increasingly spectacular. Moreover, the weather is beautiful again.
The Fréjus Line: A Historic Crossing of the Alps
Fréjus is the name given to the railway line that connects Chambéry to Turin, climbing up the Maurienne Valley to Modane, then descending on the Italian side through the Susa Valley.
Given that the line opened in 1871, it's hard to imagine the technical feat its construction represented in the mountains, including a 14-kilometer-long tunnel that remained the world's longest railway tunnel for a long time. Another remarkable innovation: as early as the 1920s, it was one of the very first mountain lines to be electrified.
During World War II, the line was heavily damaged, both by Allied bombing and by the scorched-earth policy practiced by the Germans during their retreat. In 1945, the line was unusable, with several tunnels and most bridges destroyed. But, given its strategic importance, the military engineers and railway workers did everything possible to make it operational as quickly as possible. It took less than a year, which was a remarkable achievement.
After Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne, the train threads through an increasingly narrow valley. Up to the highest point of the line, located in the Fréjus Tunnel at 1,300 meters in altitude, our train will have climbed nearly 1,000 meters in elevation.
I spot the Orelle cable car, which provides access to the world's largest ski area: Les Trois Vallées. In winter, many skiers now use the line to reach the numerous winter sports resorts dotting the peaks of the Maurienne Valley.
Just before Modane, we pass through La Praz, where a massive landslide in August 2023 closed the line until March 2025—nineteen months. I took the photo below in July 2024.
This duration leaves me somewhat pensive when compared to the time it took to completely rebuild the line after the war. It shows how different the technical, regulatory, and environmental constraints that govern major projects today are from those of the postwar period. Is it really better?
Today, fortunately, the line has been restored and is operating normally.
Modane: The Former Border Station Between France and Italy
Modane is our last stop in France. In the past, it was a major international station where locomotives adapted to the French and Italian networks were changed. It was also where police and customs checks were carried out, well before the Schengen agreements.
Personally, Modane takes me back to my past, in the 1980s, when I was a train attendant on the Paris–Rome night train, the famous Palatino. We passed through this station in the middle of the night and, in the darkness, we saw nothing of the mountains. But we felt their presence through the coolness that contrasted with the milder, even hot temperatures in summer, of the plains on either side of the Alps. I recount this period in the article: "I Worked on International Night Trains in Europe in the 80s".
The Fréjus Railway Tunnel and Finally Italy!
Then we enter the Fréjus Tunnel and emerge on the other side in Italy. The descent is dizzying, as we lose nearly 800 meters of altitude in just twenty kilometers. I'm sitting on the left side of the train, which allows me to enjoy magnificent views of the Susa Valley.
Just before Turin, the contrast is striking. The terrain changes completely and becomes perfectly flat: this is the beginning of the vast Po Plain, which extends to Milan and Venice.
We've increased our delay slightly and it's 9:15 PM when we arrive at Turin Porta Susa station, instead of 8:25 PM. The good news is that SNCF refunds me 25% of my ticket price under its delay policy!
Turin Porta Susa is an ultramodern station with its underground platforms, which give it somewhat the appearance of a giant metro station. I leave my TGV, which continues to its final destination, Milan Porta Garibaldi.
From Porta Susa, I reach Porta Nuova, the historic station in the heart of the city, by regional train in under ten minutes, and my accommodation is nearby.
Enjoy This Line Before the Mont Cenis Base Tunnel Opens in 2033
The journey lasted five and a half hours. Yet, thanks to the diversity of landscapes, time flew by.
A huge project is underway: the Mont Cenis base tunnel. If the schedule holds, high-speed trains connecting Paris, Turin, and Milan will use it starting in 2033. At Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne, travelers will enter a 57.5-kilometer tunnel to emerge directly on the Italian side. Travel time will be reduced by about 1.5 hours.
In return, the magnificent mountain landscapes will disappear from the journey, as will that sense of adventure that accompanies today's crossing of the Alps.
So, you understand: if you want to enjoy this line in all its splendor, now is the time to take the train between Paris, Turin, and Milan.
Paris-Turin: SNCF or Trenitalia, Which Company to Choose?
If you travel in first or second class with SNCF, or in Business or Standard class with Trenitalia, the comfort and service are very similar. Some will prefer the interior design or seat comfort of one company over the other. But honestly, it's mostly a matter of personal taste, and the difference in the travel experience remains minimal.
Trenitalia stands out especially with its Executive class, which is particularly luxurious. I used it on my trip from Paris to Palermo, a journey I recount in my article "Paris—Sicily: The Journey Where the Train Boards a Boat".
In the "My Practical Tips" section, I give you the keys to choosing the company best suited to your journey.
Turin: The Royal City of the House of Savoy
Turin is a destination far less known than Florence or Venice. Yet, I find it not only beautiful but also particularly interesting.
My first visit to Turin was already a few years ago. It was a stop I made during a train journey from Paris to Rome, which I recount in my article " Paris-Rome by Train: Following the Palatino's Route ". I took the opportunity to get my geographical bearings in the city by exploring it on foot.
I found accommodation in a small hotel residence very close to the Porta Nuova Central Station. The name isn't very appealing, Loger Confort Residence & Apartments, and doesn't hint at the quality of the place. Indeed, for less than 100 euros, I have a one-bedroom apartment in an early 19th-century bourgeois building, very typical with its high ceilings and double windows, well suited for protection from the heat. Moreover, the apartments have been nicely renovated. I recommend it.
The Palazzo Reale: At the Heart of the House of Savoy
The next day, I sleep in and go for breakfast at a nearby bakery. The cappuccino, accompanied by an almond cornetto, the Italian-style croissant, is excellent!
It's July, and it's very hot, with heavy, stormy weather. I decide to start with a visit to the Palazzo Reale to stay cool behind the palace's thick walls.
The Palazzo Reale is a wonderful surprise, as I discover it's a palace with a real history. Behind a relatively discreet facade with its white walls lies a richly decorated palace.
From the 16th century onward, it was the center of power for the House of Savoy, which gradually extended its influence from a simple duchy to the unification of Italy in the 19th century, with its most illustrious representative, Victor Emmanuel II, the first king of Italy.
One interesting aspect of my trip was learning that Turin and Nice, though now in two different countries, were long part of the same entity: the Duchy of Savoy.
I begin the tour of the royal apartments with the monumental marble grand staircase, which leads to the Swiss Guards' hall. Then the rooms, each more richly decorated than the last, follow one another, culminating in the grand armory gallery, of incredible richness. It's a subtle blend of Baroque, Rococo, and Neoclassical styles. Everything is gilded, with paintings and refined decorations. You can sense that the princes wanted to impress their visitors.
What I love about this place is that it's not very difficult to imagine how the members of the House of Savoy could have lived there in their time. Moreover, tourists are relatively few, and I wander comfortably through this magnificent palace. I almost believe I'm a French prince invited by my prestigious Turin hosts!
The Sabauda Gallery: Masterpieces of the Savoy Court
The visit continues with the Sabauda Gallery, housed in a wing of the Palazzo Reale. It presents Italian paintings from the 14th to the 18th centuries, along with a remarkable collection of Flemish and Dutch masters, which the Savoy court particularly favored.
I'm more interested in paintings that illustrate daily life across these different periods than in the many religious or biblical representations that leave me somewhat indifferent. Here are three paintings I particularly enjoyed.
Strolling Through Turin's Historic Center
It's only in the late afternoon that I leave the Palazzo Reale. I absolutely don't regret this visit. The temperature is now more pleasant, and I can stroll leisurely through the center of Turin.
The city's royal origins are reflected in its architecture, with its wide avenues lined with arcades and its majestic squares. Turin has a sober elegance that gives it great character. Via Roma and Piazza San Carlo are truly remarkable.
Italy obliges, so I stop at the ice cream shop Alberto Marchetti, a local institution. The menu is short, but the products are made with local, seasonal ingredients. I enjoy an excellent fruit ice cream—lemon, strawberry, and peach. A treat!
A little further on, I pass by a small market with fruits and vegetables that look tempting. This is la dolce vita!
You can tell we're in the heart of summer, as la passeggiata- that late afternoon moment when Italians gather in the streets to stroll and chat with friends- is very quiet. In late July, many Turin residents have already left the city for vacation, which makes the center surprisingly calm.
I end my walk at Parco del Valentino, which runs along the Po River. In Turin, we're much closer to its source than its mouth; the river still looks like a small, peaceful stream.
I feel more like I'm in the countryside than in the city, and I find this sensation pleasant.
Turin, a City to Discover by Taking Your Time or Returning Several Times
This was my second visit to Turin. One day is certainly a bit short, but I like the idea of discovering a city over several visits. With each visit, it becomes a bit more familiar, while renewing the pleasure of discovery.
I know I'll return, if only to visit its famous Egyptian museum. It will also be an opportunity to discover Turin in another season.
My way of traveling is not to check off a list of places to visit, but to take the time to appreciate a place at my own pace, for the time I'm given. Contrary to what people think, slow travel is more a philosophy of travel than a question of available time. It's mainly about slowing down the pace and not trying to fill your schedule at all costs.
I end this rich day with a plate of pasta on Piazza Carlo Alberto before returning to my hotel, very close to Porta Nuova station, since my departure the next day is early.
The Train des Merveilles and the Roya Valley
My journey from Turin to Nice continues in the Roya Valley, in the Southern Alps. It's also a chance to discover the famous Train des Merveilles.
To be read in the second article about my journey:
" Paris-Turin-Nice by Train (2/2): The Train des Merveilles and the Roya Valley "
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