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Ffestiniog Travel · Escorted tour

Alsace, Black Forest & Swiss Jura

Nine-day escorted rail tour across France, Switzerland, and Germany through the Jura

Illustration of Alsace, Black Forest & Swiss Jura

Ffestiniog Travel's 9-day escorted tour travels through France, Switzerland, and Germany, starting in Colmar and ending in Freiburg. The journey centres on three countries that meet in the Jura mountain range and showcases rail heritage across the region. A tour leader from London travels with the group throughout. The itinerary combines major attractions: the Cité du Train railway museum near Mulhouse, heritage railway rides on the Mont Blanc Express (a rack railway into the Alps from Martigny), the Golden Pass Express connecting Swiss lakes, and the preserved Wutachtalbahn and Kandertalbahn lines in Germany. A visit to the Swiss Vapeur Parc miniature railway park on Lake Geneva is also included. Accommodation is in three hotels, each a short walk from the station. This tour suits repeat rail travellers and history lovers who want a structured itinerary with expert guidance and curated railway experiences, plus visitors who prefer not to navigate independent rail connections across three countries.

What to know before you look closer

  • Only one departure is currently listed, in June 2027; confirm availability and dates with Ffestiniog Travel before booking
  • Rail fares from Paris onwards are included in the package price, but Eurostar and the Paris connection are part of the tour cost; check whether any rail passes or reservations require separate validation

Day by day

  1. Day 1railovernight: Colmar

    London to Colmar

    Morning departure on Eurostar from London St Pancras to Paris, where we connect to a high speed train to Colmar. Our hotel for the next 2 nights is a short walk from the station.

  2. Day 2railovernight: Colmar

    Cité du Train

    Taking a morning train to Mulhouse, we enjoy one of Europe’s largest railway museums, the Cité du Train. Offering an immersive journey through the history of French rail transport the museum is spread across vast exhibition halls, it showcases an impressive collection of locomotives, carriages, and railway artifacts dating from the 19th Century to modern times. We return to Colmar mid-afternoon for a leisurely evening.

  3. Day 3overnight: Martigny

    Onwards to Martigny

    After breakfast we travel via Basle to the Swiss canton of Valais and our next centre, Martigny. Our hotel for the next 3 nights is a short walk from the station.

  4. Day 4railovernight: Martigny

    Mont Blanc Express

    Other than the main standard gauge railway there are two lines from Martigny. The metre gauge Vallorcine rack railway, more popularly known as the Mont Blanc Express, travels from Martigny southwest up to Vallorcine in the Alps. The second route is the standard gauge Le Chable/Orsieres line – there is the opportunity to ride both branch lines.

  5. Day 5railovernight: Martigny

    Park du Vapeur

    Nestled on the shores of Lake Geneva in Le Bouveret, the Swiss Vapeur Parc is a delightful railway park that transports visitors into a charming, miniature world of Swiss heritage. The park features over thirty miniature replicas of iconic Swiss buildings, from the Castle of Aigle to quaint mountain villages, as well as bridges, viaducts, and tunnels carved into rolling hills and over 2km of miniature railway. We spend the day exploring the 19,000 m² park.

  6. Day 6railovernight: Freiburg

    Golden Pass to Freiburg

    Journey via Montreux on the Golden Pass Express to Spiez, and onwards via Basle to Freiburg. Our hotel is a short walk from the station where we have a 3-night stay. The Golden Pass line was conceived in the late 19th Century to connect Lake Geneva, Gstaad and lakes Thun and Brienz. The plan was to build an uninterrupted railway, but the line was built with two differing gauges requiring a change of train in Zweisimmen. Today’s modern trains, introduced in 2022, have gauge changing technology allowing the journey to be made without changing trains.

  7. Day 7railovernight: Freiburg

    Wutachtalbahn

    Today we visit the Wutachtalbahn, possibly the most spectacular preserved standard gauge line in Europe, or even the world. Built as a strategic railway on the Swiss border, the journey is from Zollhaus-Blumberg to Weizen. The line crosses huge steel viaducts and bridges and loops back on itself several times with even a complete loop in a tunnel giving the route it’s nickname the “pigtail railway”.

  8. Day 8railovernight: Freiburg

    Kandertalbahn

    We head south to Haltingen to ride the preserved standard gauge Kandertalbahn which runs 13km to the pottery town of Kandern. This steam railway has been kept as a historical working museum celebrating the heyday of steam.

  9. Day 9rail

    Homeward Bound

    After a leisurely breakfast we take a morning train via Karlsruhe to Paris to connect with the Eurostar to London St Pancras, arriving early evening.

The moments this trip is built around

  • Day 2Day 2: visit the Cité du Train in Mulhouse, one of Europe's largest railway museums, housed in vast exhibition halls with locomotives and carriages dating from the 19th Century onwards
  • Day 4Day 4: ride the Mont Blanc Express, a metre-gauge rack railway from Martigny to Vallorcine in the Alps
  • Day 5Day 5: explore the Swiss Vapeur Parc on the shores of Lake Geneva at Le Bouveret, featuring over 30 miniature replicas of Swiss buildings and 2km of miniature railway
  • Day 7Day 7: journey on the Wutachtalbahn, a preserved standard-gauge line from Zollhaus-Blumberg to Weizen that crosses steel viaducts and features a complete loop in a tunnel

Included

  • All rail travel as stated in Standard Class
  • Excursions as listed
  • Accommodation in good, quality hotels on a bed and breakfast basis
  • Services of a tour leader from London and throughout the tour

Questions travellers ask

Is train travel included?
Yes. All rail travel is included in Standard Class, including Eurostar from London St Pancras to Paris, the high-speed connection to Colmar, and all named heritage and scenic railway journeys listed in the itinerary.
Is this an escorted tour?
Yes. Ffestiniog Travel provides a tour leader from London who accompanies the group throughout the 9 days.
Which hotels are included?
The tour includes three hotels: Colmar Hotel in Colmar (2 nights), Campanile in Martigny (3 nights), and IntercityHotel in Freiburg (3 nights), all on a bed and breakfast basis.
What is not included in the price?
Meals other than breakfast, 1st Class rail upgrades (available on request), and any activities or attractions not listed as excursions are not included.
Can I upgrade to 1st Class?
Yes, a 1st Class rail upgrade is available upon request, subject to availability.

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