Cannes to Ventimiglia Train, The Riviera Railway
The ‘Riviera Railway’ is easily one of the most scenic railway journeys in the world, journeying from glitzy Cannes on the French Riviera to the terracotta town of Ventimiglia in Italy’s Liguria. It’s an adventure of pastel-hued ports and incredible sea views, as the train hugs the Mediterranean coastline stopping at some of the most famous ports of the Cote d’Azur.
On a journey of just 1 hour, 43 minutes, passengers will see Nice, Monaco and Villefranche Sur Mer before crossing the border into Italy. You will travel on SNCF’s clean and reliable TER train and no reservations are needed. The railway is the perfect way to combine a French and Italian Riviera adventure.
Prices from: €13
Departing from: Cannes station
Journey length: 1 hour, 43 minutes
Whizz past Nice 
Arrive in pastel-hued Ventimiglia
Cannes to Ventimiglia route
The average train time between Cannes and Ventimiglia is 1 hour, 43 minutes, but there is a shorter route which takes 1 hour, 25minutes. The first train departs from Cannes at 05:15 and the last at 23:10. As the journey is a popular rail route amongst locals and tourists there are 44 trains a day, leaving around every 28 minutes. The journey is 69.5km in total and the train makes 18 stops, including popular tourist hotspots like Nice and Monaco and more laid-back Riviera towns like Villefranche-Sur-Mer and Menton.
Cannes to Ventimiglia train
The train is operated by France’s national rail service SNCF and passengers will travel on the regional TER train, which stands for ‘Transport Express Régional’ in French. Seat reservations are not mandatory so passengers can just hop on when they want and passengers can choose from 1st or 2nd class. In 1st you’ll get more legroom and an ergonomic seat.
Why we love it
What better way to combine both the French and Italian rivieras than by train, especially one with so many big-hitting stops. The scenery is stunning, and it’s also a perfect way to suss out which stops you like the look of and plan your return. No seat reservations and economical tickets mean there’s no serious planning involved and you can just hop on and off.