The French countryside unfolds like a living postcard when viewed from a train window. France’s extensive rail network includes everything from high-speed TGV lines to historic narrow-gauge railways that wind through mountains, vineyards, and medieval villages.
Here are 15 scenic train routes that transform ordinary travel into extraordinary journeys through some of Europe’s most beautiful landscapes.
La Ligne des Cévennes
The savage beauty of the isolated Massif Central opens up on one of France’s oldest train routes, running from Clermont-Ferrand to Nîmes. This 188-mile journey takes five to six hours, but every minute rewards passengers with dramatic gorges and volcanic plateaus.
The line runs through the spectacular Cévennes mountains on a twisting route with dozens of tunnels and impressive viaducts.Workers in the 1800s used rudimentary techniques to blast through granite mountains.
The technology to blast through granite and basalt mountains didn’t yet exist when construction began, making this a triumphant feat of engineering. And the morning mist clinging to ancient stone bridges creates an almost mystical atmosphere.
Le Petit Train Jaune
The Little Yellow Train of the Pyrenees rises through dramatic scenery from 427 meters at Villefranche de Conflent to 1592 meters at Bolquère Eyne, France’s highest railway station. This historic meter-gauge electric railway opened in 1909 and still operates today with its distinctive yellow carriages.
The line includes the remarkable Pont Gisclard, the only railway suspension bridge in France. Perfect for photography. The 39-mile journey takes three hours, allowing time to capture the Catalan Pyrenees in all their glory.
Train des Pignes
From the French Riviera to the Alps in one journey. The Train des Pignes connects Nice to Digne-les-Bains over 94 miles of narrow-gauge track, passing through around thirty municipalities.
The route passes through 25 tunnels, 16 viaducts, and 15 bridges in 3 hours and 15 minutes.During summer months, certain trains offer free onboard commentary about the places you’re passing, from deep gorges to peaceful olive groves.
The name comes from pine cones — legend says the train was once so slow that passengers could hop off to collect them.
Train des Merveilles
The Train des Merveilles winds from Nice to Tende through the rugged beauty of Mercantour National Park, with tunnels and viaducts carved into mountainsides. Ancient perched villages dot the landscape alongside olive groves and terraced vineyards.
The route takes about 3 hours and 15 minutes and offers glimpses of the Mediterranean Alps.But this isn’t just about views. In summer, steam services operate at weekends over a short section of the line.
Paris to Bordeaux
The Paris to Bordeaux route offers a high-speed journey from the capital to the renowned wine region. Rolling vineyards stretch endlessly on both sides as the TGV glides through France’s wine heartland.
Medieval châteaux appear and disappear like scenes from a fairy tale.Timing matters here: • Early morning departures catch golden light over the Loire Valley • Late afternoon trains showcase harvest season colors • Evening services reveal vineyard workers heading home
The speed means you cover vast distances quickly, but somehow the countryside still feels intimate.
Clermont-Ferrand to Béziers
The longest and perhaps most unlikely of France’s long-distance single-track lines runs over 186 miles from Arvant to Béziers. Just a couple of trains operate daily in each direction. This route crosses the Massif Central mountains and is genuinely long-distance and very scenic.
Still threatened with closure periodically. The isolation adds to the adventure — you’ll see parts of France that other transport doesn’t reach.
Little Train of Artouste
Climbing to 2000 meters altitude, this is one of the highest trains in Europe, offering a unique chance to reach mountain summits and discover Artouste lake. Originally built in the 1920s to transport materials for dam construction, it opened to tourists in 1932.
You might encounter sheep moving between pastures during transhumance season. The narrow-gauge line provides spectacular Pyrenean views without the exhaustion of hiking.
Paris to Nice
The high-speed TGV whisks passengers from bustling Paris to the French Riviera in under six hours, showcasing rolling vineyards and the sparkling Mediterranean coastline. As you approach Marseille, the Mediterranean coastline comes into view, revealing turquoise waters, dramatic cliffs, and bustling seaside towns.
The transition from northern French countryside to Provençal landscapes happens gradually, then suddenly. One moment you’re passing through pastoral fields, the next you’re surrounded by limestone hills dotted with olive trees.
Train de la Côte Bleue
The Train de la Côte Bleue connects Marseille to Miramas and provides views of turquoise waters and hidden coves. The tracks wind along cliffsides with a succession of sensational coastal views. This is pure Mediterranean beauty — rocky calanques, pine forests, and that impossible blue sea.
Short but spectacular. The entire journey takes just over an hour, but you’ll want to stop at every station.
Chemin de Fer du Vivarais
This delightful 20-mile line winds through the hills of Ardèche from Tournon on the Rhône to Lamastre high in the Cévennes. Steam services operate during summer season. The line reopened in 2013 after five years of interruption.
Ancient stone viaducts span deep valleys. The climb from Rhône Valley level to mountain heights provides constantly changing perspectives on this rugged landscape.
Paris to Le Havre
The two-hour journey north from Gare Saint-Lazare passes fields, stone houses, ancient farms and viaducts, with glimpses of Rouen Cathedral from Claude Monet’s famous paintings. The train zigzags over the Seine multiple times before reaching UNESCO-listed Le Havre.
Notice the architectural evolution. Medieval Norman buildings give way to Le Havre’s distinctive 1950s reconstruction after wartime bombing.
Baie de Somme Railway
This scenic heritage line runs around the estuary of the river Somme from Le Crotoy to Cayeux sur Mer. Steam trains operate on this narrow-gauge line that once served soldiers during World War I. The restored network includes 4 miles of track that was part of extensive military railways.
The marshlands and bird sanctuaries create an otherworldly atmosphere. Seabirds follow the train, and at low tide, the bay stretches endlessly toward the horizon.
Trieux Estuary Railway
Running between Paimpol and Pontrieux in Brittany, this steam railway follows the river Trieux through areas inaccessible by car. Pulled by a Mallet locomotive, passengers drift along to commentary given by a hostess in period costume. The 45-minute stop at Traou Nez manor in the forest allows time for pancakes and cider.
Pure Breton charm. The thatched cottages and granite chapels look exactly as they did centuries ago.
Paris to Burgundy
The journey to Burgundy takes an hour on TGV or less than two hours on regional trains, passing fields of sunflowers and cereal, hamlets with stone houses, and green pastures with Charolais cows. Medieval villages appear like illustrations from illuminated manuscripts.
Hot air balloon flights over Burgundy’s Climats offer dawn or dusk departures, floating gently over UNESCO-listed vineyard parcels that have been shaped by centuries of human cultivation. But the train provides its own elevated perspective on this wine-making heartland.
Mont Blanc Express
This cross-border alpine adventure runs from Saint-Gervais-les-Bains in France to Martigny in Switzerland, journeying through spectacular valleys, steep gorges, and snow-capped peaks. Every curve reveals postcard-perfect alpine scenery.
The engineering required to build this line through such terrain remains impressive today. Viaducts span impossible gaps while tunnels punch through solid rock.
Soaking up slow travel
Train travel in France is not just convenient but also sustainable and enriching, providing a slower pace that allows travelers to savor the journey and immerse themselves in the French landscape beauty. These routes prove that the journey itself can be the destination.
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