RT20 - Part One

The scenic railway is called the "Train des Merveilles" and it runs from Nice Ville to Tende.

Train of Marvels

So how do we get there?

My plan is to leave early on Sunday and head south on the motorways as far as Nuits-St-Georges. This will be the longest day to kill off miles in Northern France.

Next stop Annecy. It's not a long day and I have set the routes from here to be "no tolls".

I don't see the point in spending all day on the road and arriving with no time to see anything.

The no tolls route takes us along Lac Annecy and then down to Albertville, then alongside the A43 to Modane. 

From there you can take the Fréjus Tunnel or take the D1006 over the first pass of the trip over the Col du Mont Cenis at 2083m.

This route joins the same route at Susa that would have come through the Fréjus Tunnel.

From there it is into Italy. The route loops down and around Turin ending in Cuneo.

I have booked an overnight here. This is the former end of the Train des Merveilles. We should be there in time to see the sights.

The last part of the "outward" section is the run down to Nice.

I know I said before that I didn't fancy Nice. But. It is where the train goes from. On the North/South route the train has a commentary from the conductors. So we need to be on the 0917 departure. Luckily the hotel I have booked is near Nice Ville station and has parking! 

So where from here?