Thanks to brand-new rail connections, it’s never been easier to travel sustainably between Europe’s cities – just recently, we’ve had news about a new Belgium to Slovakia route and the extension of the European Sleeper route to Prague next month.
And now it looks like two more of Europe’s most popular destinations will be connected by train, as FS Treni Turistici Italiani Passenger Hub has its sights set on more tourist train routes following the success of the Paris-Lyon-Milan line, which launched in 2021.
The company announced at a conference last month that it wanted to introduce two tourist railway routes between Italy and France’s Côte d'Azur, which could launch as soon as this summer, according to France 3.
The exact routes aren’t quite clear. Proposed routes will definitely be launching from Milan, and there will potentially be daily round-trip services from the northern Italian city all the way to Marseille, with stops in Monaco and Nice possible as well, according to Travel Off Path.
Luigi Cantamessa, general director of FS Treni Turistici Italiani (which is a new company set up to provide sustainable rail travel for tourists), told France 3: ‘[The new routes] will not be on a high-speed line but rather an intercity line. This should probably be put into service for the summer of 2024 with one Milan-Marseille round trip per day.’
Milan and Nice are about 315km apart, and to Marseille from the Italian city it’s around 517km. Given that they’re not so far, it makes sense to create a service connecting them.
The services will be run in collaboration with SNCF, France’s state-owned railway, and according to Cantamessa, now is the perfect time to launch such a route.
‘We are convinced that, taking into account the traffic situation, particularly in the Liguria region, and the growing sensitivity towards the environment, the market conditions are now ripe to operate a route daily seasonal focused on tourism needs,’ he said.
The other thing that isn’t quite clear yet is the price, but given we know the Paris-Milan service starts from around €55 (£47, $60) when booked in advance, these new services might be a bit cheaper as the distance is much shorter.
There’s also no launch date yet, so stay tuned for some more updates on this exciting new service. And while you’re here, these are the best things to do in Milan, and the best places to stay in the French Riviera.
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