Day trips from Nice to Italy: the Ventimiglia Friday market, Sanremo, Bordighera and Dolceacqua by TER train or car, with 2026 fares, border tips and more.
Italy starts about 40 kilometers east of Nice, and the easiest day trips from Nice to Italy are Ventimiglia for its Friday market, Bordighera, Sanremo and the medieval village of Dolceacqua, all within about an hour to an hour and a half by train or car. The regional TER train runs from Nice-Ville to Ventimiglia in about 55 minutes, once or twice an hour, for €10.60 (about $12) one way in 2026, and Italian trains continue along the coast from there. Genoa and Portofino are possible in a very long day, but we plan them with a night. Our team works from Nice, and this is the Italian day we organize most often.
| Destination | How we go | Time from Nice | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ventimiglia | TER train | about 55 min | The Friday market, the old town on the hill |
| Bordighera | TER, then a Trenitalia regional train; or car | about 1 h 15 min by train with the change; about 45 min by car | Palm-lined promenade, a quiet lunch |
| Sanremo | TER, then a Trenitalia regional train; or car | about 1 h 30 min by train with the change; about 1 h by car | Old town, casino, seafront path |
| Dolceacqua | Car or driver; or bus from Ventimiglia | about 50 min to 1 h by car | Stone bridge Monet painted, castle, Rossese wine |
| Hanbury Botanical Gardens | Car or driver | about 45 min | Gardens over the sea, spring |
| Genoa and Portofino | Train or driver | about 3 h to 3 h 30 min to Genoa by train | One or two nights rather than a day |
Road times assume no traffic, which on a Friday market day or a summer weekend is optimistic.
Carry your passport. France runs checks at the Italian border, on trains and on the road, and they are more frequent on the way back into France.
Ventimiglia's Friday market is the reason most people from Nice cross the border: hundreds of stalls with clothes, leather, household goods, cheese, olive oil and Ligurian specialties, spread through the lower town near the Roja river. It runs every Friday of the year. Arrive around 9 a.m.; by early afternoon stalls start packing up, and the trains back to Nice are full. Watch your bag in the crowds, and be wary of designer labels at market prices.
After the market, climb to Ventimiglia Alta, the medieval town on the hill across the river, with its cathedral and quiet lanes, then lunch on the seafront. On other days of the week Ventimiglia is a calm border town, and we would rather send you farther along the coast.
Between Menton and Ventimiglia, the Hanbury Botanical Gardens at La Mortola descend in terraces to the sea, with plants from around the world. They are easiest by car or with a driver, and best in spring.
Bordighera is the quiet option: a town of palms, villas built for English winter visitors in the 19th century, and the Lungomare Argentina, a long, flat seafront promenade. Monet spent several months here in 1884 and painted its gardens. The old town on the hill is small and pleasant for a walk before lunch. It suits travelers who want a slow Italian day more than shopping or sights.
Sanremo is the largest town on this stretch of the Riviera dei Fiori. Our order for the day: the covered market in the morning, the steep medieval lanes of La Pigna, the old town, then the Russian Orthodox church and the Art Nouveau Casino along Corso Imperatrice. In the afternoon, rent a bike or walk on the seafront path built on the old railway line, flat and car-free along the sea. Sanremo is also the home of Italy's song festival in February, when hotels fill up. Its station is underground, reached through a long tunnel from the town.
Dolceacqua is about ten kilometers inland from Ventimiglia, up the Nervia valley: a stone village with a single-arch medieval bridge, which Monet painted in 1884, and the ruined castle of the Doria family above it. It is the home of Rossese di Dolceacqua, a light red wine we like to taste with lunch in the village. Riviera Trasporti buses from Ventimiglia reach it in under half an hour but are not frequent, so with a driver we combine Dolceacqua with Apricale, a hilltop village a few kilometers farther, and come back along the coast through Bordighera.
Genoa is about 3 hours to 3 hours 30 minutes from Nice by train, with a change at Ventimiglia onto a Trenitalia Intercity; Portofino has no station, so you continue to Santa Margherita Ligure and then take a bus, a boat in the warmer months, or walk about an hour along the coast. As a day trip from Nice, that is seven to nine hours of travel. We plan one or two nights instead: a night in Genoa for its palaces and old port, or in Santa Margherita for Portofino early in the morning, before the day boats arrive. With several suitcases, a driver from Nice to Santa Margherita takes about three hours by motorway. Our French Riviera vs Italian Riviera comparison explains how we combine the two coasts.
The A8 motorway runs east from Nice and becomes the Italian A10 at the border, with tolls on both sides. Count on about 40 to 45 minutes to Ventimiglia and about an hour to Sanremo without traffic. Three things to know:
This is why, for a family or a group, we usually book a driver: door to door from your Nice hotel, waiting while you shop or lunch, and back for dinner. Our drivers are quoted on request, and they can also stop in Menton or Monaco on the way.
The coastal day trips work for many travelers with reduced mobility. At Nice-Ville, SNCF's Assist'enGare service helps with boarding, and we book it at least 48 hours ahead, and RFI's free Sala Blu service helps at Italian stations, Bordighera included: book at least 3 working hours ahead in the SalaBlu+ app or SalaBlu Online, and RFI asks travelers from abroad to send requests preferably 24 hours ahead. The seafront promenades of Bordighera and Sanremo and the Sanremo seafront path are flat. Ventimiglia's market is crowded and uneven underfoot, and the old towns of Ventimiglia Alta, La Pigna, Dolceacqua and Apricale are steep and stepped, so we plan those with an adapted vehicle and viewpoints rather than lanes. Our Accessible French Riviera guide covers the Nice side.
For more ideas closer to Nice, see our day trips from Nice, our Nice to Monaco guide and our guide to Nice. Our French Riviera in 7 Days can include an Italian day, and our Switzerland to Italy by train trip continues across northern Italy. More is on our Italy page.
Tell our Nice team which days you have, and we will build your Italian day from Nice around them.
More guides: Getting aroundPlaces and regions
Yes, easily. Ventimiglia is about 55 minutes by TER train from Nice-Ville, and Bordighera, Sanremo and Dolceacqua are within about an hour and a half by train or car. The most popular day is Friday, for the Ventimiglia market. Genoa and Portofino are too far for a comfortable day trip, so we plan them with a night.
Take a TER from Nice-Ville to Ventimiglia, about 55 minutes, then an Italian regional train to Sanremo, about 15 minutes. There are no through trains, so you need two tickets: €10.60 for the French leg in 2026, plus a Trenitalia ticket bought in the app or at the Ventimiglia station machine. Allow about 1 hour 30 minutes with the change.
Every Friday, all year. It spreads through the lower town near the Roja river with hundreds of stalls selling clothes, leather, food and household goods. Arrive around 9 a.m., before the crowds and the heat, because stalls start to pack up in the early afternoon and the trains back to Nice get full.
Both countries are in the Schengen area, but France runs checks at the Italian border, on trains and on the road, so carry your passport. Checks are more frequent on the way back into France. Travelers from the United States, Canada and Latin America need the same entry documents as for France.
The train is simpler for Ventimiglia, Bordighera and Sanremo, since it avoids traffic, border queues and parking. A car or a driver is better for Dolceacqua, Apricale and the Hanbury Gardens, which trains do not reach. If you drive yourself, watch for Italian limited traffic zones in the old towns, which fine non-resident cars automatically.
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