Ffestiniog Travel · Escorted tour

Les Petit Trains de France

Les Petit Trains de France, a rail journey with Ffestiniog Travel

Journey through the Somme and Burgundy, sampling the railway delights en route. Our destination is southern France, known for its famous little railways

Day by day

  1. Day 1railovernight: Abbeville

    London to Abbeville

    Depart St. Pancras on a lunchtime Eurostar to Paris and onwards to Abbeville for a 3-night stay.

  2. Day 2railovernight: Abbeville

    Baie de Somme Railway

    Private transfer this morning to St. Valery for a full day on the Baie de Somme Railway. This charming railway serves both sides of the Somme Estuary, with its profusion of wetland birds and plants. We ride the train to Noyelles and on to Le Crotoy for some leisure time before the return journey.

  3. Day 3railovernight: Abbeville

    Froissy Dompierre Railway

    Morning visit by private coach to the 1916 Museum in Albert. We continue to Froissy for an afternoon journey on the WW1 line ‘petit train de la Haute-Somme’. This line is the last remaining section of the extensive military railway network built for use during the war. Froissy station also houses an excellent narrow-gauge railway museum, the largest of its type in the world, and we have plenty of time to explore it.

  4. Day 4railovernight: Beaune

    On to Beaune

    We leave Abbeville after breakfast and journey by rail via Paris to Beaune for a 2-night stay.

  5. Day 5railovernight: Beaune

    Chemin de Fer de La Vallée de l’Ouche

    A full day spent at the Chemin de Fer de La Vallée de l’Ouche running out of Bligny-sur-Ouche. We are able to ‘run the railway’ all day long and enjoy a French-style lunch break (included). We take several trips over the 60cm gauge line, with engines hauling both passenger and goods trains.

  6. Day 6railovernight: Alès

    Alès via Nîmes

    Leave Beaune on a morning train to Lyon Part Dieu, changing for Nîmes and then on to Alès for a 2-night stay.

  7. Day 7railovernight: Alès

    Train á Vapeurs des Cévennes

    Bus to St. Jean du Gard to travel the length of this standard gauge preserved line to Anduze and return. This afternoon, we visit the superb Roman aqueduct at Pont du Gard for an insight into the impact the Romans had on Southern Gaul.

  8. Day 8railovernight: Perpignan

    Alès to Perpignan

    Morning departure from Alès to Perpignan for an afternoon at leisure and 2-night stay. Our hotel is close to the railway station and there are regular buses running into the city centre.

  9. Day 9railovernight: Perpignan

    The Pyrenees

    An early morning start along the standard gauge to Villefranche where we connect with Le Petit Train Jaune, a metre gauge line in the Pyrenees boasting some fine viaducts and a suspension bridge. Journey’s end is at La Tour de Carol which is one of the few places served by railways with 3 different gauges. We retrace our steps back to Perpignan (or there is the option to return via Toulouse, completing a circuit with evening arrival).

  10. Day 10railovernight: Nice

    French Riviera by Rail

    Departing Perpignan by train, we change at Narbonne and Marseille, before travelling onwards along the renowned French Riviera coastal line to Nice where we enjoy a 2-night stay.

  11. Day 11railovernight: Nice

    Monte Carlo & Train des Merveilles

    In the morning, we ride the Train of Marvels along the Italian border to Tende, travelling through a breathtakingly beautiful railway panorama. Return to Nice late afternoon to ride the coastal line to Monte Carlo.

  12. Day 12overnight: Tournon

    Chemin de Fer de Provence

    Depart Nice after breakfast on the Chemin de Fer de Provence to Digne-les-Bains. Continuing onwards by coach, we travel through the Alpes-Maritimes and make our way towards Valence. We stop off in Soyons, the home of ‘Le Jardin des Trains Ardéchois’. This realistic representation of ‘Le Mastrou’ and other features of the Ardèche region is a wonderful introduction to the Vivarais network. Late afternoon, we then drive to Tournon for a 3-night stay.

  13. Day 13railovernight: Tournon

    Velay Express

    A day spent on a remaining but no longer connected part of the Vivarais system. We board the Velay Express and steam our way from Racoules to Saint-Agrève. The line runs for 27km around some tight curves, up steady gradients and through the meadows and forests at the foothills of the Massif Central.

  14. Day 14overnight: Tournon

    Final Day on the Vivarais

    The trip from Tournon St. Jean to the city of Lamastre has long been known as ‘Le Mastrou’. Our journey takes us through the Gorges of the Doux, a tributary of the Rhône, before it ascends into the Ardèche hills through chestnut groves to Lamastre. We have time here to explore the city before our return journey back to Tournon.

  15. Day 15rail

    Homeward Bound

    We leave Tournon by coach for Valence TGV station where we take a direct train to Lille Europe and connect with the Eurostar, arriving London late afternoon.

Included

  • All rail travel as stated in Standard Class (using InterRail Pass)
  • All transfers as stated, including Paris on Day 4
  • All excursions as stated, including heritage railways
  • Accommodation in good quality hotels on a bed and breakfast basis
  • Services of a tour leader from London and throughout the tour

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