We are trying to decide how to get from Venice to Nice this summer.
By train or by car ?
According to Yahoo maps, it takes about 5 hr 44 min to drive 571 Km.
Is it worthwhile to drive from Venice to Nice?
We usually prefer to drive because we get a chance to stop in small towns,
look around, ....
Has anyone driven this route?
Is it pretty?
Any suggestions?

It could be interesting but not if you take the autostrade which you'd be
taking if you plan to do the trip in 6 hours.
It's not the "prettiest" part of Italy, in my opinion.

I'd opt for the train. Relax and look out the window.

Also, you're planning to rent a car in Venice for just this trip and return it
in Nice? Check the drop-off fee for doing this.

    > I'd opt for the train. Relax and look out the window.

Absolutely. Plus, you could always leave early, get out in Milan and check
the bags at the station, and see the cathedral and the city center, before
moving on to Nice.

On Tue, 29 Apr 2003 14:18:12 -0400, "Roberto Kohler" wrote:

    >We are trying to decide how to get from Venice to Nice this summer.
    >By train or by car ?
    >According to Yahoo maps, it takes about 5 hr 44 min to drive 571 Km.
    >Is it worthwhile to drive from Venice to Nice?
    >We usually prefer to drive because we get a chance to stop in small towns,
    >look around, ....
    >Has anyone driven this route?
    >Is it pretty?
    >Any suggestions?

If I just wanted to go straight through, definitely by train. The superhighway
is just a hassle and not worth the lovely last hour of the drive. I would
strongly suggest a two (or three) day trip by car, though, as you are bypassing
some of the world's greatest tourist sights.

From Venice, take the S11 down the Brenta Canal. Take an hour to see a villa.
Pick up the autostrada east of Padua and drive to Bellagio to spend the night.
If you have time, circumnavigate Lake Como (or Lago di Garda and spend the night
in some little spot like Gardone).

In the morning, climb back on the autostrada via Piacenza towards Genoa. Get
off and take S35, then back on the autostrada until you are west of Genoa. Hop
off just after you pass through the big tunnel and take the parallel shore road
until you hit Savona, then get back on the autostrade for Nice. The French part
of the superhighway is very nice.
--
"If this is coffee, please bring me some tea. If this is tea, please bring me some coffee."
- Abraham Lincoln

bonjour
it is a nice drive and much faster than by train
if you are looking for places to stop on your way; check on
http://www.grande-riviera.com

have a nice trip

michel

Roberto Kohler wrote:
    > We are trying to decide how to get from Venice to Nice this summer.
    > By train or by car ?
    > According to Yahoo maps, it takes about 5 hr 44 min to drive 571 Km.
    > Is it worthwhile to drive from Venice to Nice?
    > We usually prefer to drive because we get a chance to stop in small towns,
    > look around, ....
    > Has anyone driven this route?
    > Is it pretty?
    > Any suggestions?
    >
    >

Hello Roberto,

On Tue, 29 Apr 2003 14:18:12 -0400, "Roberto Kohler"
wrote:

    >We are trying to decide how to get from Venice to Nice this summer.
    >By train or by car ?

It is up to you.

    >According to Yahoo maps, it takes about 5 hr 44 min to drive 571 Km.
    >Is it worthwhile to drive from Venice to Nice?

OK, but you have to assume that you should do it in that time if you
go using the autostradas (motorways), not normal roads.

    >We usually prefer to drive because we get a chance to stop in small towns,
    >look around, ....

If you drive using normal routes, by the road from the coast from
Ventimiglia and Genova, it is very beautiful, but very very slow, the
same if you do from Nice to Ventimiglia by national route instead of
paying motorway.

    >Has anyone driven this route?

Yes.

    >Is it pretty?

Yes, especially the more overclowed place that I wrote before.

Going by train you will see more or less the same view of the Italian
Riviera from Ventimiglia to Genova because the train goes by the
coast.

Surely you can buy a ticket from Nice to Venice directly, but I don't
know if it can be more expensive than buying Nice-Ventimiglia (there
are local trains that do that with quite frecuency) and from
Ventimiglia (the first Italian city) to Venice seperately. Note tha
the local train from Nice to Ventimiglia has a stop in Monaco also if
you pretend to visit it in the way.

    >Any suggestions?

Ask me if you have any other doubt.


Regards,

Aitor
http://w3.to/travellers