Nice to Milan by Train
The Riviera Crossing into Italy

The journey begins at Nice-Ville, the Riviera capital's main station a short walk or tram ride north of the seafront. This is where the French coastal line to the border begins, and the first leg is a French SNCF TER - a comfortable regional train, second class only, with no reservations, so you simply buy a ticket and board. Trains to Ventimiglia are frequent, running roughly every 20 to 30 minutes through the day, so there is no need to fix on a single departure for this stretch.

Pulling out of Nice, the train is quickly beside the Mediterranean, and the coast puts on a show from the start. Try to sit on the right-hand side facing forward - the seaward side heading east - and travel by daylight: this first half, along the French and then Italian Riviera, is the scenic heart of the journey.

The stretch from Nice to the border is short but lovely, the line threading the corniche coast where the mountains drop straight to the sea. It calls at Monaco-Monte-Carlo, whose station is buried in the rock beneath the principality, and at the little towns of the Riviera - Cap-d'Ail, Beaulieu, Eze-sur-Mer - before reaching Menton, the last town in France, famous for its lemons and its warm microclimate, with the pastel old town rising above the sea.

Beyond Menton the train runs the final few minutes to the frontier. There is no drama to the crossing: France and Italy are both in the Schengen area, so there are normally no passport controls, and the border passes almost unnoticed as the coast rolls on. Then the line reaches Ventimiglia, the first station in Italy, where the French leg ends and the journey changes trains and countries at once.

The Riviera has drawn travellers along this coast for two centuries; the railway simply carries you past it, from one country to the next, beside the sea.

Ventimiglia is the hinge of the whole journey. It is the first Italian town across the border, a faded but characterful place with a famous Friday market, and its station exists precisely as the meeting point of the French and Italian networks. Here you leave the French TER and board an Italian Trenitalia Intercity for the run to Genoa and Milan. The change itself is easy - a walk across the platforms in a proper station with facilities - but it is a genuine change of train, not a through service, so it pays to understand it.

The key is time. It is worth allowing a comfortable connection at Ventimiglia, particularly heading east into Italy: the French TER can run 15 to 20 minutes late, and the Italian Intercity is a reserved train you do not want to miss. Around 30 to 45 minutes gives useful protection against a delayed regional train and turns a potential scramble into a relaxed break, long enough for a coffee, though it is always worth checking your specific itinerary and ticket conditions. Coming the other way, westward into France, the French train is turn-up-and-go, but the same principle applies - leave yourself a sensible margin rather than assuming a tight connection will hold.

On the Italian side the train sets off along the Riviera dei Fiori, the "coast of flowers", past Sanremo - the elegant old resort of casinos, palms and the San Remo song festival - and a string of Ligurian seaside towns. This is beautiful coast, all headlands, marinas and pastel houses stacked above the water, though it is honest to say the modern line runs through long tunnels for much of it, so the sea comes and goes rather than staying in view. When it opens out, on the right-hand side, it is as good as the Mediterranean gets.

The line runs on to Genoa, the great port city of Liguria - a dense, dramatic place of tall houses and a huge harbour, and the point where the coastal railway ends and the route turns inland for Milan. Genoa is a major stop and interchange, and a fine city to break the journey in if you have time.

At Genoa the journey changes character for the last time. The train leaves the coast and turns north, climbing away from the sea and over the Apennines - the mountain chain that separates Liguria from the plains of the north - through tunnels and viaducts, before descending onto the flat, fertile Po valley. This is pleasant, productive country of farmland and industrial towns rather than dramatic scenery, and the train runs fast across it toward the city.

The final approach brings the train through Milan's suburbs and into Milano Centrale, the monumental station that is the gateway to Italy's business capital. After the long coastal run and the crossing of the mountains, arriving under the great vaulted roof of Centrale feels like a fitting end to a journey that has crossed a border, a coastline and a range of hills.

Milano Centrale is one of the grandest stations in Europe, a vast monumental terminus of stone and steel opened in 1931, and it is Italy's principal rail hub. It is fully equipped and largely step-free, with lifts to the platforms, shops and left-luggage, and it puts the whole country within reach. Arriving here, the city and its connections open up immediately.

Getting into the centre is quick. The station is on metro lines M2 (green) and M3 (yellow): the M3 runs direct to the Duomo, Milan's spectacular Gothic cathedral, in a few minutes, and the centre is a walk of around 30 minutes if you prefer. Trams and buses stop outside, and there are direct trains and the Malpensa Express to Milan's airports. The Duomo, the Galleria and the fashion quarter are all a short metro ride away, and from Centrale the rest of Italy - and Europe - is a change of platform.

This route is really two journeys by two operators, and understanding each makes the whole thing simple. The French leg, Nice to Ventimiglia, is an SNCF TER: a frequent regional train, second class only, no reservations, turn up and go. It is comfortable and easy, and its frequency is a bonus - if you miss one, another is usually along within half an hour. Its job is to get you to the border, and it does so beside the sea.

The Italian leg, Ventimiglia to Milan, is a Trenitalia Intercity: a full long-distance train with assigned, compulsory-reservation seats, running up the coast to Genoa and inland to Milan. It is the workhorse of the Italian conventional network - comfortable, with first and second class - and because it is all-reserved you should book it ahead, especially in summer. Neither operator is better; they are two halves of one crossing, and the trick is simply to treat the French leg as flexible and the Italian leg as booked. For pass holders, both accept Interrail and Eurail, with a reservation needed only on the Italian side.

Milan is the principal railway hub of Italy - the meeting point of the high-speed lines, the international routes to the north, and the regional network of Lombardy - so arriving here opens up the whole country and beyond. From Milano Centrale, where you arrive, fast Frecciarossa trains race south and east, regional trains reach the lakes, and EuroCity services climb north into Switzerland. Most leave from Centrale, which makes onward travel simple, though the fast and international trains need a reservation.

Reach Milan and all of Italy is a platform away: Venice, Florence and Rome by high-speed rail, the lakes and Turin nearby, and Switzerland over the Alps to the north.

Reservations are the thing to get right, because they differ by leg. The French TER from Nice to Ventimiglia takes no reservations - board any train and sit where you like. The Italian Trenitalia Intercity from Ventimiglia to Milan is fully reserved, so your ticket is for a specific train with an assigned seat, and it is worth booking ahead in summer. For pass holders, Interrail and Eurail are accepted on both legs: the TER is reservation-free, while the Italian Intercity needs a compulsory paid seat reservation from a limited quota, so book that early. For the wider picture, see the rail passes and seat reservations guides linked below.

Luggage is easy on both trains - no strict weight limit, carry it aboard and use the racks - though a busy summer TER can get crowded, so board early and keep bags close through the change at Ventimiglia. Bikes differ by leg: French TER trains carry non-dismantled bikes in limited spaces, often without reservation, while the Italian Intercity has a dedicated bike compartment that needs a bike ticket and reservation; a folded or bagged bike travels as luggage on both. On the border, remember both countries are in Schengen, so there are normally no passport checks, but carry valid ID in case of occasional temporary controls.

On accessibility, Nice-Ville and Milano Centrale are large, staffed stations with lifts and step-free routes to the platforms, and Ventimiglia is a proper station too - but the change of train there adds a step, so if you need boarding assistance, book it in advance on both sides (SNCF Assist'enGare in France and Trenitalia's Sala Blu in Italy). Assistance can be arranged for the connection, but it must be requested ahead; accessibility depends on the specific train, platform and station, so plan the help you need before you travel.