A unique experience by mountain Railway through the Alps, beyond canyons, viaducts and tunnels discovering new treasures unknown by most of the visitors of the French Riviera.
We will stop in the most picturesque villages, very surprising hidden treasures, being astonished as well by the landscapes, as by medieval villages & baroque treasures of the Baroque Route, also called Salt Road for the Trading Route back in centuries.
The Valley of Roya is surrounded by Alps Mountains and is the main door of the very preserved National Park du Mercantour, well known for his several lakes, and his mysterious engraving stones on the Valley des Merveilles.
Attention: A good physical condition is required for this tour (includes between 7km to 15km walk/hiking)
Posted By : Andrew_P
This was a wonderful experience to visit towns that you would never know of otherwise. The tour guide was fabulous and the sites were incredible.
Rating :
Posted On : 2024-06-28 06:50:08 
Posted By : Pankaj_K
This was the most memorable tour we had which had everything a tourist expects, beautiful scenic train ride, Mountains, visit to medieval towns and lot of walking. Carmella , our guide was super nice and explained lot of historic details of all the places we visited.
Rating :
Posted On : 2024-06-24 15:57:57
Posted By : TJK808
We took this trip because we wanted to get into nature and away from the city; wish we'd picked something else as most of the time was spent on a very slow train ride. Entire trip was 10-hours. Wear athletic shoes (a must!) and bring water & a small snack to eat at the end of the day.
Pros: our small group guide was great, lunch at the small local cafe in Tende was fabulous.
Cons: the loud, distorted voice commentary over the train PA system coming from the larger group guide was unbearable and made the first half of the trip grating (bring ear plugs).
Rating :
Posted On : 2024-06-24 13:48:28 
Posted By : Joan_F
Cyril was our guide and he was like an open history book, describing everything that happened from the previous 1,000 years. He knew every village and the people who lived there. The events in history were a great refresher from what we had learned in school decades ago. The air and water were so fresh and clean. The train ride was scenic and comfortabel. The long day was so enjoyable and truly left us with so many wonderful memories!
Rating :
Posted On : 2024-06-24 07:12:46
Posted By : Maya_C
Thanks Cyril your knowledge agility professional manner and great sense of humour was fabulous thank you!
Rating :
Posted On : 2024-06-23 12:51:04
Posted By : Robert_K
Amazing frescoes in Soarge chapel which we hiked to. Very knowledgable and charming guide in Cecile - he helped bring the history and culture alive.
Rating :
Posted On : 2024-06-23 12:48:44
Posted By : Zhuangli_Y
I felt like I was indeed on holiday with our tour group, led by Carmela. Everyone got along well, and we shared many stories and laughter during the train trip, sumptuous lunch, and long hike. The views were terrific, and Carmela made the experience even better for us. Everything went smoothly. It was my pleasure to join this trip. It was very relaxing.
Rating :
Posted On : 2024-06-23 09:26:01
Posted By : Cat_M
The tour lasts a full 12 hours.
Meeting point is easy to find and convenient.
Alex was our tour guide and was lovely, patient and accommodating to all questions.
The train leaves at 9.15am So the start of the tour involves sitting down on the train (togetherish) for 30mins while Alex gives us some info.
There is a lady who provides detailed tour information (live) during the 2 hour train trip (in French and English) but she was not loud (despite over the tannoy) so it was hard to hear her. The train is comfortable and had air con. There one seaters on the right hand sight and two/four seaters on the right.
The views from the train are really beautiful and you are constantly looking to your left and right. It is a delight. Be warned there are a fair few tunnels that pop up just as you are trying to get a photo. But this does not take away from the experience.
My issues with the tour are:
The restaurant for lunch is disappointing. Do not pick the duck (everyone said it was very tough).
Our options were 2 pasta dish (mushroom, sausage sauce aka bolognaise), duck or pork.
Portion size for pasta were ok. Should have bought a pack lunch. The village we stop in for lunch is very small (so bring food with you) but it has a lovely bar and a local shop.
The tour got a bit strange after lunch.
There was the option to hike 5km up to the castle/church (with supposed beautiful photos) and 5km back. The day we went on the tour it was 28 degrees and with little shade on offer people were concerned about this hike.
We were a group of around 20 plus of us. This is when the tour became a little disappointing.
There was one small car that could accommodate 4 to the top and back down again. And a mini van that could fit 11 which was only available for the way back down.
This meant 8 of us were left to to hang about the river or drink beer. Bit odd.
Asked those who were able to go in the transport how their adventure was. They explained the walk up felt quite rushed. There was another group in the venue above meaning there was only 2 minutes to pop your head in before having to rush back down in the transport.
Make of that what you will.
We then took a bus, enough seating for all, to the next train station, which permitted a more scenic route by the lake, which was lovely. Beware of the tight turns. An adventure for sure.
We then spent far too long at the next stop. This was unnecessary and everyone didn't know what to do with themselves. There was a monastery (which you would have to pay 5 euros for entry) - no one in our group did this.
You could try some honey in a local shop.
Most of us congregated by the coffee shop where you could have some lovely icecream. We had a long break here (far too long) for around an hour.
We then had the option to take the bus to the next train stop or walk 1 km (which involved walking on a non busy road and walk through a tunnel). It was unusual but allowed for some lovely photos.
It was a long day, which dragged on after lunch, a bit of an odd experience.
Would have prefered the tour to explain the latter clearer.
Alex was a lovely tour guide, comfortable speaking in a number of languages and did his best to help despite the heat, language barriers from other attendees.
Rating :
Posted On : 2024-06-20 17:03:53
Posted By : Jennifer_W
We had a wonderful day with Carmela. She was fun and informative. It was very special travelling through the mountains and medieval villages. There is a lot of walking so I would not recommend this tour to people with impaired mobility.
Rating :
Posted On : 2024-06-19 12:35:29
Posted By : Milldeans2018
This was the absolute highlight of our trip. The train journey was good to sit back and relax and take in the views. Stop offs at the little villages were so very interesting, and being outside in the warm breeze was fab. Lunch was fantastic in a rural location! I can’t express how much we enjoyed this, I would 100% recommend to everyone. Not to mention our guide who was fantastic, down to earth and very knowledgeable. I hope to go back one day!
Rating :
Posted On : 2024-06-19 06:00:27
