The French Riviera by train: the TER coast line explained

One line, the whole coast

The French Riviera has a coastal spine, and it is not a road. A regional train line, run as part of the TER network, follows the Mediterranean almost the entire length of the Côte d’Azur, from Cannes in the west to Vintimille (Ventimiglia in Italian) just across the Italian border in the east. In between it stops at Antibes, Nice, Villefranche-sur-Mer, Beaulieu-sur-Mer, Èze-sur-Mer, Monaco, Roquebrune-Cap-Martin and Menton. For a visitor without a car, this is the single most useful fact about getting around the region: almost everything worth seeing on the coast sits within walking distance of a TER station.

This is a different network from the things you may have already read about. The Nice tramway (lines 2 and 3) is a separate, urban system that connects the airport, the city centre and the port; it does not leave Nice. The Lignes d’Azur and Zou! bus networks fill in villages and inland routes the train does not reach. This guide covers the train only, and treats it as a method rather than a timetable — station names and how they sit relative to what you want to see, since exact departure times change too often to print here and are best checked on the day.

The main hub is Nice-Ville, the city’s principal railway station, roughly at the midpoint of the whole line. Most journeys along the coast pass through it, whether you are heading toward Cannes or toward Monaco and Menton, which makes Nice a natural base for day trips in either direction without changing trains more than once.

Why the train beats a car on this stretch

Two things make the TER unusually good for this particular coastline. First, the Basse Corniche road the train roughly parallels is narrow, slow in season, and short on parking in every town it touches — Villefranche, Beaulieu and Monaco in particular have very little space for visitors’ cars. Second, the stations themselves are close to what people come for: in most of these towns the old town, the harbour or the main sight is a 5 to 15-minute walk from the platform, not a bus ride away.

The trade-off is frequency and flexibility. Trains run often by day but thin out in the evening, and the line can be disrupted by strikes or engineering works, which are not rare on French regional rail. Anyone building a day around a single train back to Nice should have a fallback (a later train, or a bus) in mind rather than cutting it close.

Reading the line west to east

Rather than a timetable, here is what each stretch of the line is for.

Cannes to Nice: Antibes in between

Coming from Cannes, the train calls at Antibes on the way to Nice. Antibes’ station sits a short walk from the old town, the ramparts and the musée Picasso; it is a natural stop to break the journey rather than a detour. The whole Cannes–Nice run takes well under an hour, making a Cannes day trip from a Nice base straightforward by rail. For depth on that leg, see the guide to visiting Cannes as a day trip from Nice and the one on Antibes as a day trip from Nice.

Nice-Ville: the hub

Nice-Ville is where most coastal journeys start or connect. It sits north of the old town and the Promenade des Anglais, close enough to walk into the centre in 15 to 20 minutes, or to connect onto the tramway for the last stretch. Anyone building a multi-town day — Monaco in the morning, Èze in the afternoon, say — will almost always pass back through here.

Nice to Villefranche and Beaulieu: the first corniche towns

East of Nice, the first two stops are Villefranche-sur-Mer and Beaulieu-sur-Mer, both barely ten minutes out. Villefranche’s station drops you a short walk above the old port and the Cocteau-decorated Saint-Pierre chapel; Beaulieu’s is close to the Villa Kérylos. Both towns are compact enough to see on foot in half a day each, and both are realistic as a single stop rather than a rushed add-on to a longer itinerary. See boat trips from Villefranche and Cap Ferrat for how to combine the town with time on the water, and the dedicated guide to Villefranche and Cap Ferrat as a day trip for the walking route to Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, which the train does not serve directly.

Èze-sur-Mer: the stop for the perched village

This is the one where the station name is misleading if you don’t know the geography. Èze-sur-Mer sits at sea level; the famous perched village of Èze, with its Jardin exotique, is around 430 metres up the hillside above it. From the station, a steep footpath (often called the Nietzsche path locally) climbs to the village in roughly 45 minutes to an hour of uphill walking, or a shuttle bus makes the same climb by road in season. Either way, budget real time and, in summer, real heat for the ascent — this is not a stop to make on a whim between trains. The full route and alternatives are in the Èze day trip guide.

Monaco: an underground station in the middle of the principality

The train continues into Monaco, where the station, Monaco-Monte-Carlo, is built into the rock and largely underground — a detail that surprises first-time visitors expecting a coastal platform with sea views. Exits lead up toward the Casino and Monte-Carlo district on one side, and toward the port and Monaco-Ville (the Rocher, with the Palace and the Musée océanographique) on the other, a longer walk or a short local bus ride. It’s worth remembering that Monte-Carlo is a district of Monaco, not the capital — Monaco-Ville, on the Rocher, holds that role. Since Monaco has no airport of its own, this station is also how most visitors arrive by land from Nice, alongside road transfers; see the Monaco day trip guide for what to do once you’re up from the platform, and the comparison of travelling to Monaco by train versus by bus if a bus fits your plans better.

Roquebrune-Cap-Martin and Menton: the last French stops

Past Monaco, the line calls at Roquebrune-Cap-Martin before reaching Menton, the last French town before Italy, known for its citrus gardens and pastel old town. Menton’s station sits close to the centre, an easy walk to the seafront and the Jean Cocteau museum. This stretch is short — Monaco to Menton is a matter of minutes — which makes it realistic to combine both towns in one day if you start early.

Into Italy: Vintimille as the end of the line

The TER does not stop at the border. It continues to Vintimille (Ventimiglia), the first town across the frontier in Italy, roughly an hour from Nice by train. This is the standard way to reach the Friday market there, and the line continues on to Sanremo further along the Italian coast. This guide is about the French side of the tracks; for the market days, what to expect crossing into Liguria and how to extend the trip toward Sanremo or Dolceacqua, the Monaco, Menton and Italian Riviera itinerary and the dedicated day-trip guide to the Italian Riviera cover it properly rather than repeating it here.

Planning a day around the line

If you want to see	Get off at	Rough time from Nice-Ville
Antibes old town and the Picasso museum	Antibes	20–25 min
Villefranche old port and Cocteau chapel	Villefranche-sur-Mer	8–10 min
Villa Kérylos	Beaulieu-sur-Mer	12–15 min
Èze perched village (via uphill walk or shuttle)	Èze-sur-Mer	15–20 min
Monaco, Monte-Carlo, the Casino district	Monaco-Monte-Carlo	20–25 min
Menton old town and citrus gardens	Menton	30–35 min
Vintimille Friday market, Italy	Vintimille	around 1 hour

These figures are for orientation only and will drift with the timetable in force on the day; always check current departures before building a schedule around them, especially around the Monaco Grand Prix or the Cannes Film Festival, when both trains and roads get busier and prices on everything nearby climb.

What the train doesn’t reach

The line is a coastal spine, not a full transport network. It does not climb to Saint-Paul-de-Vence, Grasse, or any of the other perched villages away from the shore, and it does not reach inland toward the Mercantour or the Verdon. For those, a bus, a guided day trip or a rental car is the better tool; the general guide to getting around the French Riviera lays out how the train, the Nice tramway and the regional bus networks fit together, and the guide to renting a car covers when driving genuinely earns its cost and hassle. Cap Ferrat itself, sitting on its own peninsula off Beaulieu and Villefranche, is also a walk or a short bus from the nearest station rather than a stop on the line.

Combining the train with a guided day out

Some visitors prefer to cover several of these towns in one organised day rather than piecing the train journey together stop by stop, particularly if time is short or the goal is a single relaxed day out rather than several separate ones. For that, a private full-day tour such as the private full-day trip through five towns of the French Riviera covers a similar geographic spread — Monaco, Èze, Cannes and more — with a driver rather than transfers between platforms.

A shorter version, the private half-day tour along the Riviera, suits an afternoon rather than a full day. For something with a bit more occasion built in, the French Riviera day trip that includes a champagne stop covers similar coastal ground at a more leisurely pace. And for an open-top way to see the corniches themselves rather than just the towns along them, the guided tour of the Riviera in an electric Moke departs from Nice.

None of these replace the train for a simple point-to-point journey — buying a ticket and getting off at Villefranche or Menton for the day remains cheaper and just as direct — but they suit a day when covering several towns without changing trains, or with commentary along the way, matters more than the saving.

Practical notes for using the line

Tickets for these short regional journeys are inexpensive and bought at the station or via the national rail app; for the distances involved (Nice to Menton, for instance) advance booking is rarely necessary outside major events. Trains run frequently through the day but space out in the evening, so check the return time before heading out rather than after. Stations along this stretch are unstaffed or lightly staffed outside Nice-Ville, Cannes and Monaco, and platforms can be busy with commuters as well as visitors at peak hours, especially weekday mornings and early evenings. As with any crowded train in a tourist region, keep bags in view, particularly on the Nice–Monaco–Menton stretch in summer.

Frequently asked questions about the French Riviera train line

Is the TER coast train the same as the Nice tramway?

No. The tramway (lines 2 and 3) is Nice’s own urban network, running to the airport and the port. The TER is a regional train operated separately, with its own stations, that connects whole towns along the coast from Cannes to Vintimille.

Where do TER coast trains start and end?

The line runs along the Mediterranean from Cannes in the west to Vintimille, just across the Italian border, in the east. Nice-Ville is the main hub roughly in the middle, and most journeys along the coast pass through it.

Do you need to book TER tickets in advance?

For most day-to-day journeys along the coast, no advance booking is required outside peak summer weekends and major events such as the Monaco Grand Prix or the Cannes Film Festival, when trains fill up and buying earlier is safer.

Which TER stop is best for Èze village?

Èze-sur-Mer, on the coast below the perched village. From the station, a steep path (sometimes called the Nietzsche path) climbs to the village in around 45 minutes to an hour on foot, or a local shuttle bus covers the same climb in season.

Does the TER go all the way into Monaco?

Yes. Monaco has its own underground station, Monaco-Monte-Carlo, served by the same coastal line. It sits close to the harbour and the Casino district, with the Palace and old town a walk or short bus ride further on.

Can you take a day trip to Italy on this train?

Yes, the line continues past Menton to Vintimille, just inside Italy, in around an hour from Nice. It is the standard way to reach the Friday market there or to continue toward Sanremo; see the dedicated guide to that day trip for the details.

Is the TER cheaper than joining a bus tour of the Riviera?

Generally yes for point-to-point travel between towns, since tickets are priced per journey rather than as a package. A guided minibus or private tour costs more but adds commentary, door-to-door pickup and a fixed itinerary, which suits a single day trying to cover several towns.