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Train des Pignes itinerary from Nice

Hi all,

We are planning a day trip on the Train des Pignes from Nice on Saturday September 21, 2024. From what I've seen online, this is Heritage Weekend, so it seems that the steam train will be running on Saturday.

We could use some assistance in planning out the details of the day. It sounds like Annot and Entrevaux are the best stops. We don't care so much about the steam train itself, but are interested in seeing the scenery and the towns (so we'd be fine taking the regular train as opposed to the steam train if needed).

Can anyone offer guidance on planning the day? I have downloaded the timetable, but having trouble figuring out all of the timing/logistics. We are happy to work with a local travel agent for an hour or two of their time if anyone has recommendations.

Many thanks!

Posted by
27591 posts

I took the train in 2017. It was an extremely rainy day, and I'm not an early riser, so my plan was to hop off in Entrevaux and spend a bit of time at Digne-les-Bains, the termination point (not necessarily in that order). Not taking the first train of the day made scheduling even that much difficult, so I saw very little of Digne. I don't remember Anmot at all, but that means nothing, because I might not even have been able to see it from the train due to the downpour.

Entrance is very picturesque. I have a feeling it may get a lot of visitors, but my day was so dreadful there was no one else out on the street; even the locals had taken cover. Photos of Annot also look great, but perhaps it's a bit less touristy than Entrevaux since it's farther from Nice.

All I can suggest is looking at the schedules in both directions to see what sort of time you'll have in each of the villages you're interested in if you hop off the train heading in whichever durection. You might decide you'd rather have a bit more time in those two villages than go all the way to Digne.