Mont Blanc towers over the Alps, its eternally snow-capped peak providing a majestic vista from afar.
Le Train du Montenvers will get you up close to a glacierĬhamonix–Mont-Blanc to Montenvers 5km (3 miles) Make the most out of every adventure with help from our weekly newsletter delivered to your inbox. Tip: Maintenance work is often carried out in the spring, when SNCF buses replace trains. The highest point is La Bastide Puylaurent at 1018m (3340ft), while the Chamborigaud viaduct promises a heart-in-mouth experience as you teeter high above the landscape for 409 endless meters (1341ft). Along the way, you’ll cross three historic viaducts, wind through several impressive valleys and traverse 106 tunnels. High above the Allier River, magnificent views open up, stretching far across the gorge. You’ll start off admiring volcanic plugs dotting the landscape before heading through the pièce de résistance: the Gorges de l’Allier. The Cévenol forms part of a longer, cross-country route linking Marseille to Paris, but most riders jump aboard at Clermont-Ferrand, in the heart of volcano country. Le Cévenol (also known as La Ligne des Cévennes) opened in 1870 for both passengers and freight, including coal headed to the Rhône region and wine to Paris. In the mid-1800s, the technology didn’t yet exist to blast through granite and basalt mountains – so in a triumphal feat of engineering, workers used rudimentary techniques to blast out the line’s tunnels. The savage beauty of the isolated Massif Central opens up on one of France’s oldest train routes – and one of the most challenging to build, given the topography of the Gorges de l’Allier.
Le Cévenol is the most remote and wild train rideĬlermont-Ferrand to Nîmes 303km (188 miles) We’ve highlighted the following journeys because they offer scenic beauty, keep up a vintage heritage or are just plan fabulous.Īll aboard for the best train rides in France. Chugging through vineyard-striped hills, clipping through spectacular mountainous backcountry, or zipping along the Mediterranean Sea: there’s no better way to experience France than from the window seat of a train.Īnd France’s superb train network makes it easy to explore the far corners of this rich, varied country.
0 kommentar(er)
