Having a week in Juans Les Pins this summer and thinking about doing a second week in chamonix (No bike 🙁 ) as some freinds of ours will be there. I’m sure a flight from Nice to Geneva would be the quickest but would prefer to see some countryside (poss through Italy and Mont Blanc). I think I know the answer, but is there a train that goes this way?
Anybody done this by car? Google reckons about 5.5 hours but considering splitting the journey with a visit to relatives in Liguria.

Yes, done it by car. Cham to Finale is about 3.5 hours. Can’t remember how much longer it took to Nice. Incredible number of tunnels along that Italian coast road.

Incredible number of tunnels along that Italian coast road.

I know… we used to count them down as kids until our turn off into San Bartolomeo
This one meant we were nearly there!
#nostalgia

bump….

Cycled the reverse a couple of years back, I take it you are with family & don’t have a motorbike licence 😉 in which case I guess a car has to be the only option, soft top of course

Yes…. family included. Car rental looking about £1000 for the week. Allthough Im not sure how much we’d use it when we got there, apart from getting us back to geneva at the end of the week.

Donkeys years back I’ve gone from Cham to the South via Grenoble and Gap (it’s not Italy though!).

Train will be your best bet, TGV via Lyon then possibly Geneva.? Taxi/transfer link up for last bit. Go on the sncf website. Bike hire possible in Chamonix 🙂

Edit2: quick search – Nice Geneva or Annecy 7hrs and £70pp (family tockets available too I would guess), Nice Lyon 4.5hrs £55pp

As an aside its further to drive than you think, if you look at a map Chamonix is as far from Nice as is Paris (so a 7hr drive). We’ve driven Paris to South coast a few times and we generally stop overnight.

Edit: just seen its for a family .. hum, more tricky as cost of multiple tickets quickly adds up. A car in Chamonix can be useful, depends on what you’ve got planned. The train can get you around the valley and is free with accomodation, not fast and shuts for 2hrs at “lunchtime” mind. If you are staying centrally you can walk to most of the things you want to do. when bikingbthere we used the car a lot as some routes / places are much easier / faster to get to (eg Les Hoiches)

Lots of options

I’d take the bus via Turin as per your opening post.

Lots of options

I’d take the bus via Turin as per your opening post.
Liking that website!

The prices are usually a little optimistic but it’s pretty accurate on what runs where and when.