The most beautiful tourist trains to take in France

There are TGVs that take us to the other side of the country in a few hours.

And there are these trains from another era which interfere in the remote corners of our regions, spitting out a plume of steam.

Taking a seat aboard a diesel railcar or a wooden wagon is also like stepping back in time and reliving the golden age of the railway.

Restored and operated by associations of rail enthusiasts, these trains are now intended solely for tourist use.

In order not to rush machines that are sometimes centenarians, the speed rarely exceeds 30 km/h.

Time to enjoy the seaside or mountain scenery.

France has 1,200 km of railways intended for tourist use, according to the Union of Tourist Railway Operators and Railway Museums (Unecto).

Each year, the hundred or so networks identified generate 3.7 million visits.

has selected a tourist train to discover in each region of metropolitan France.

To discover

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Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes: the Mont-Blanc Tramway

The “TMB” stops its course at the Nid d'Aigle (2372 m altitude), the main starting point for the ascent of Mont-Blanc.

Tourist Office Chamonix

It is a train well known to hikers and mountaineers.

Thanks to its cogwheel, the Mont-Blanc tramway (or "TMB") easily overcomes the height difference between Saint-Gervais-les-Bains - Le Fayet station (580 m above sea level) and the Nid d'Aigle (2372 m, Haute-Savoie), main starting point for the ascent of the highest peak in Europe.

The line, 11 km long, is managed by the Compagnie du Mont-Blanc, which also operates the Montenvers railway and the ski lifts in the Mont-Blanc massif.

The Mont Blanc Tramway.

Access: Saint-Gervais-les-Bains-Le Fayet SNCF station.

Price: €39.20 Le Fayet-Nid d'Aigle round trip per adult, €33.30 per child aged 5 to 14 and per senior;

access included in the Mont-Blanc Multipass.

Open from June 11 to September 18, 2022.

Read alsoIn Isère, the tourist train of the “most beautiful line in the Alps” restarts

Burgundy-Franche-Comté: the Coni'fer

The Coni'fer runs on an 8 km portion of the old line from Pontarlier to Vallorbe, in the forests of Haut-Doubs.

Jean-Claude Lengacher

Of the old Franco-Swiss Pontarlier-Vallorbe line (27 km), there remains only an 8 km section still in operation.

This is the distance traveled by the Coni'Fer between Hôpitaux-Neufs and Fontaine-Ronde (Doubs), in the Jura Massif.

The trip (1h45 round trip) is provided by steam train in summer and by diesel train in winter.

The association has an authentic restaurant car of the Orient-Express-Simplon in which it is possible throughout the year to enjoy a fondue, a raclette or a meal from Franche-Comté (42 € per adult) .

The Coni'fer.

Access: Hôpitaux-Neufs station.

Such.

: 03 81 49 10 10. Prices: €10 per adult, €5 per child from 6 to 12 years old.

Departure every day at 3 p.m. from July 3 to August 28, every Sunday in May, June and September.

Read alsoFrom Nièvre to Mâconnais, ten original ideas for (re)discovering Burgundy

Brittany: the Steam of Trieux

Closed in 2021 due to the epidemic, the Vapeur du Trieux is back in 2022. This centenary locomotive surviving the two World Wars takes travelers from Paimpol to Pontrieux (Côtes-d'Armor).

During the 1h20 outward journey (35 minutes return), passengers can see several remarkable monuments: the Château de la Roche Jagu, the Lezardrieux suspension bridge and the Frynaudour bridge, designed by Gustave Eiffel.

A walk along the Trieux estuary with commentary by hostesses in period dress.

The Trieux Steam.

Access: Paimpol SNCF station.

Such.

: 02 96 20 52 06. Price: €23 return trip per adult, €13 per child aged 4 to 13, €62 family pass (two adults, two children).

Read alsoFrom Paimpol to the Bréhat archipelago, a charming Brittany along the water

Corsica: the Balagne line

The Balagne line connects Calvi to Ile Rousse along the coast.

jeanphilippe delisle - stock.adobe.com

"Balagne tram", "beach shuttle", "

" (the "little train" in Corsica)... So many nicknames that define the railway line that connects Calvi to Île Rousse (Haute-Rousse) in 40 minutes. Corsica).

Up to six times a day in each direction, the railcars of the Corsica Railways stop a few meters from the beaches and campsites.

At Île Rousse station, trains continue towards the main towns of the island of Beauty, including Ajaccio, Bastia and Corte.

Railways of Corsica.

Access: Calvi and L'Île Rousse stations.

Such.

: 04 95 32 80 57. Price: €6 one way between Calvi and L'Île Rousse.

Open all year.

Read the fileCorsica: the

Centre-Val de Loire: the Loire Valley Train

The Loir Valley Train travels 36 km (round trip) in 2h45.

ADT41

It is aboard a railcar from the 1950s that you travel the 18 kilometers that connect Thoré-La-Rochette to the troglodyte village of Trôo (Loir-et-Cher).

The trip, including visits, lasts 2h45 round trip.

The train, moving at 30 km/h, stops above the Atlantic high-speed line, at the exact spot where the speed record of 515.3 km/h was set on May 18, 1990.

Loir Valley tourist train.

Access: Thoré-la-Rochette station.

Such.

: 02 54 72 95 03. Price: €15 return trip per adult, €8.50 per child from 5 to 16 years old.

Open until September 22.

Read alsoGetaway in Touraine Angevine, the Loire Valley off the beaten track

Grand Est: the Abreschviller forest train

Until 1939, the forest railways of Abreschviller (Moselle) accumulated 73 km of tracks.

It was one of the largest forest rail networks in Europe.

Since 1969, only a 6.1 km section is still operated by tourist trains.

Led by a steam locomotive dating from 1906, the convoy, made up in particular of a few Orient-Express cars, advances at 15 km/h in the valley of the Red Saar.

At the Grand-Soldat terminus, while the locomotive is refueling, passengers are invited to visit a high-iron sawmill.

Allow 1h30 round trip.

Abreschviller forest railway.

Access: 2 place Norbert Prévôt, 57560 Abreschviller.

Such.

: 03 87 03 71 45. Price: €14 return trip per adult, €10.50 per child.

Open from April to October (see calendar).

Read alsoIn Alsace-Moselle, five exceptional sites to visit to rediscover the region

Hauts-de-France: the Somme Bay Railway

Created in 1887, the Baie de Somme railway now serves four stations over a 27 km route.

Olivier Leclercq

This is the best way to go around the Bay of Somme without getting tired.

The former Somme sea bathing network, created in 1887, now serves the seaside resorts of Cayeux-sur-Mer, Saint-Valery-sur-Somme and Le Crotoy, departing from the Noyelles- sur-Mer (Somme).

A 27 km course through fields, marshes and salt meadows.

Somme Bay Railway.

Access: Noyelles-sur-Mer SNCF station.

Such.

: 03 22 26 96 96. Price: €15 return trip for an adult, €11 per child from 4 to 16 years old, €46.50 for the family pass (two adults, two children).

Open from April to November (see calendar).

A combined TER + historic train ticket

The Hauts-de-France region offers a “TER Chemin de fer de la Baie de Somme” package including a round trip by TER (including from Paris-Nord) and two days of unlimited travel on board historic trains.

€27.50 per adult, €11 per child under 12.

Read alsoFrom the Bay of Somme to the Château de Chantilly, Hauts-de-France in twelve unmissable sites

Ile-de-France: the Longueville steam train

The Living Railway Museum occupies the former Longueville railway depot.

Provins Tourism

One hour by train from Paris, the Living Museum of the Longueville Railway (Seine-et-Marne) will appeal to lovers of old locomotives.

Open all year round, it occupies a former railway depot whose wooden rotunda created in 1911 is listed as a Historic Monument.

The association that manages the place, Ajecta, also runs its steam trains and passenger cars from the 1930s on the SNCF network for a few days a year.

During “steam days” (September 17 and 18, 2022), Halloween (October 29, 2022) and Christmas (December 18, 2022), trips are organized between Longueville and Villiers-Saint-Georges.

Ajecta, living railway museum.

Access: Longueville station.

Such.

: 01 64 08 60 62. Price: €4 per adult, €2 per child from 6 to 11 years old for the museum;

from €15 to €30 for a round trip during steam days.

Read alsoDo you know the last steam train in Europe?

Normandy: the Eure Valley Railway

Counter, furniture, advertising posters… At Pacy-sur-Eure station (Eure), the decoration takes us back to the

.

As if everything had remained frozen since the commercial closure of the line that once linked Orléans to Rouen.

Since 1993, the station has served as the starting point for two circuits, lasting from 1h15 to 2h30: one to Breuilpont, the other to Cocherel.

Eure Valley Railway.

Access: Pacy-sur-Eure station.

Such.

: 02 32 36 04 63. Price: €10 return trip per adult, €7 per child (4 to 15 years old), €28 family pass (two adults, two children).

Circulation all year round (see calendar).

Read alsoOur ten most beautiful villages in Normandy

New Aquitaine: the Rhune train

Although it dates from 1924, the Rhune train is not lacking in vigour.

Wooden cars with electric traction take 35 minutes to climb the mountain of the same name (905 m) from the Col de Saint-Ignace (179 m), 10 km from Saint-Jean-de-Luz (Pyrénées-Atlantiques).

At the top, the panorama extends from the Atlantic coast to the chain of the Pyrenees.

Once back on earth, travelers can continue their walk in the Basque hinterland towards the prehistoric caves of Sare.

Train of the Rhune.

Access: Col de Saint-Ignace, 64310 Sare.

Such.

: 05 59 54 20 26. Price: €20 return trip per adult, €13 per child (4 to 12 years old), €60 family pass (two adults, two children, not valid in July-August).

Open until September 4.

Read alsoFive typical villages of the Basque hinterland to discover

Occitania: the Cévennes steam train

The Cévennes steam train connects Anduze and Saint-Jean-du-Gard.

Tourism Cèze Cevennes

A 40-minute journey at full steam through the Cévennes National Park.

Operated from 1909 to 1971 for the transport of passengers and goods, the line that connects Anduze and Saint-Jean-du-Gard (Gard) has been, since 1982, the playground of the Cévennes steam train.

A dozen tunnels and viaducts line the 13 km route through scrubland landscapes.

Along the way, travelers can stop for two hours at the Bambouseraie, an exotic garden where 240 varieties of bamboo coexist, while waiting for the next train.

Cévennes steam train.

Access: Anduze and Saint-Jean-du-Gard stations.

Such.

: 04 66 60 59 00. Price: €17 return trip per adult, €11.50 per child aged 4 to 12, €52 family pass (two adults, two children).

Open until October 31.

To read alsoCévennes from mountains to wonders

Pays de la Loire: Vendée railway

The Vendée railway crosses three viaducts during its 22 km route, including that of Coutigny.

CFV

About ten kilometers from Cholet and Puy du Fou, it is a line that weaves its way between the hills of Vendée.

To travel through this rugged terrain, the steam train can rely on a large number of engineering structures.

The round trip between Mortagne-sur-Sèvre and Les Herbiers takes 2h30.

A restaurant train made up of two authentic cars from the Compagnie internationale des wagons-lits makes the same journey several lunchtimes a week.

Vendée Railway.

Access: Mortagne-sur-Sèvre station.

Such.

: 02 51 63 02 01. Price: €20 per adult, €12 per child, €70 for the family pass (two adults, three children aged 5 to 13).

Open from June to September.

Read alsoVélodyssée, Vélocéan, Loire à Vélo… Six ideas for cycling itineraries in Pays de la Loire

Provence - French Riviera: the Train des Pignes

The Chemins de fer de Provence operate the Train des Pignes which connects Nice to Digne-les-Bains.

Michel Royon/Wikimedia Commons

The Train des Pignes invites you to discover the hinterland of Nice and Provence.

This meter-gauge train, which celebrates its 130th anniversary in 2022, connects Nice to Digne-les-Bains (Alpes-de-Haute-Provence) four to six times a day.

A 151 km route between gorges, picturesque villages and fields of lavender and olive trees.

Due to the securing of the Moriez tunnel, the section between St-André and Digne is now provided by coach.

Between May and October, a historic steam train dating from 1923 runs between Puget-Théniers and Le Fugeret.

Train des Pignes - Railways of Provence.

Access: Nice-Ville station.

Such.

: 04 97 03 80 80. Price: from 40 to 49 € per adult for the excursion departing from Nice.

Regular trains in circulation all year round (see timetables), steam train on certain days until November 5, 2022 (see timetable).