Has anyone taken this steam engine train from Nice during July's lavender festival season?
I need the 6:55 am train - but I cannot figure out from any reading what time we should be at Nice's Gare du Sud to catch this early train. If you went in July, how long did it take you to get tickets for the 6:55 am departure? Merci!
I understand from someone at RSE (merci!) that no advance tickets are sold.
Most of the trains on that rail line are not steam-driven. I thought steam was only used for some short segments, and only on rare occasions; I saw a brochure at the tourist office (the one in front of the main RR station) about special trips when I was in Nice in early May, and I believe steam was mentioned. I may be mistaken about how much of the trip is sometimes done with a steam engine, but I know for certain that the trip I took wasn't on a steam train. I'd be surprised if they ran a steam train starting so early in the morning.
I enjoyed the trip a lot; I just don't want you to be disappointed if you end up on a regular train.
Thank you for your reply; the website for this Provence train is confusing to say the least. My original impression was we would get on the steam train at some point, but probably not from Nice. So, thank you for confirming that impression.
I forgot to add: the steam trains are on Sundays only during warm months. bg
Clearly I struggle with French spelling. Digne-les-Bains, I believe is correct. bg
The website in English is here and pretty clear as I can see. You need to get the 0925 normal departure from Nice to connect on to the steam train. It also makes clear that you DO have to book in advance by telephone on the number given there.
Thank you for your kind reply, but I believe what you referenced is not the one, I need to take Train des Pignes from Nice Gare du Sud to Digne-les-Bains, not the train to Annot or elsewhere. The ending stop I am looking for is Digne-les-Bains.
www.beyond.fr/travel/railpignes.html
"This 1-meter gauge railway runs between Nice and Digne-les-Bains, 151 km, and takes about three hours. The track follows rushing rivers and steep-sided mountain valleys, many not accessible by car, and the view is magnificent. The ride is an adventure. The stations are old, tiny and personal, with everything on a human level. The name Train des Pignes comes from the pinecones, once used for tinder to start the steam engines."
I'm trying to figure out what time to be at Gare du Sud to catch a 6:55 am train that will not issue advance reservations. I think I will just stop in at Gare du Sud upon my arrival in Nice.
Merci!
The ordinary trains do not need a reservation and you can't book in advance.
Philip has given you the correct website; you just need to dig a little deeper to find the correct timetable. Train #1 leaves at 6:55, while train #3 leaves at 9:25. Your idea of going by the station a day early is a good one.
Thank you, Philip and Bets, for your responses and clarifications. I will stop in at Gare du Sud before the day we wish to take this particular train excursion.
Philip, USA mourns with England over recent events there.
If you don't have time to check at the tourist office in Nice, ask someone at your hotel to write out a question about where and when the steam train runs so you can take it to the station in case the staff there don't speak English.. The language you quoted does not imply to me (I could be misinterpreting) that today's trains have steam engines, though I did see references to the much shorter steam itineraries.
The old steam train only runs on Sundays for certain summer months. The national railroad could not help, since the steam train is what he called "privately owned" whereas the site says "Provence regional." Thank you for the excellent idea about writing it down. In this instance, my travel friend is a French teacher. (You probably know there are 2 train stations in Nice; main station is Nice-Ville, and the one at which we need to catch the steam train line, Gare du Sud.) It's an adventure to go on this adventure!
