I love train journeys, and every year I dedicate one holiday to be around train travel. Whether that’s taking the Eurostar, or going on the iconic Glacier Express, and this year it was time to travel on the little trains of the Pyrenees. Is there anything better than being sat on a train, surrounded by history and stunning mountain views? I think not. Our trip took in three of the most iconic historic railways – the Yellow Train, the Red Train, and the Núria Valley Rack Railway – and it was the perfect way to explore the French and Catalonian area of the Pyrenees.
Our base for the trip was in Roses, on the Costa Brava, which admittedly was actually quite a trek to all three railway journeys. However, it was brilliant to be by the sea with the mountains as our backdrop, and we were actually on a coach trip so I didn’t have to worry about logistics at all, and just enjoyed the journey.
The trains took us through the Pyrenees region, and honestly the views were absolutely incredible – and so different – on each journey. The Red Train and the Yellow Train are those colours to represent the Catalunya flag. Whilst the trains are in France, it was historically part of Catalan and still has very strong ties with the region, and according to our guide on our trip, over a third of people living in the French area still speak Catalan.
During our 5 days, we did 3 scenic railways (and one very fun land train), and I’d recommend every single one of them. And this is exactly why…
The Yellow Train
aka Le Petit Train Jaune
Our first train of the trip was The Yellow Train, and is apparently called Canary by locals because of its brilliant bright yellow colour. We boarded the train at Mont Louis and rode all the way to Villefranche de Conflent – a gorgeous historic walled village which is actually my favourite place we visited on the whole trip (but more on that in a bit).
Hopping aboard the train, we were in one of the covered vintage carriages (there was only open open air carriage which filled up very quickly and there’s only one word to describe the carriage – charming. They were utterly charming and it really did feel like you were walking into an episode of Hercule Poirot with its luggage racks, orange curtains around the window and neat vintage seats. It was beautiful, as was the scenery on the outside.
We went at around 30kmph on the journey, which gave you ample time and opportunity to take in the views and get all the photos and videos. There are two standout moments on the journey – one when you go over the Séjourné Viaduct, and one where you go over the Pont Gisclard, an 80m high suspension bridge. Both of these sections really do take your breath away, and were equally as stunning when we drove past them on our way to the train station.
Both the Pont Gisclard suspension bridge and Séjourné Viaduct were built between 1905 and 1909 with the Pont de Gisclard being the first metal railway bridge in France. You can really feel the history as you travel on this line. You’ll also notice as you travel on the train, the track feels a lot narrower, and that’s because it’s a narrow gauge railway, and as you travel to the highest railway station in France, Bolquère-Eyne, it’s one of the highest railway lines in Europe.
This journey takes you up high, and as the train tracks cling to the side of the mountains, and you see the big ravines below you really get an incredible sense of perspective of the nature you’re surrounded by.
Our journey ended in Villefranche and it was the perfect place to explore (and have some lunch) after a beautiful train journey.
Exploring Villefranche
Villefranche de Conflent is an 11th Century medieval walled village, and is one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever visited. With narrow streets with quirky independent shops, cafes and restaurants, you can have a lot of fun wandering around here. The streets surround the quaint little square, with a stunning church, and it really is the perfect place to slowly wander.
You can even walk the town walls – however we only had 2 hours, it was 32 degrees and the middle of the day so we passed on doing this (although I would love to go back and actually do it!)
Whilst you’re wandering, you may notice a lot of witches (and magical things around the shops) and that’s due to a local legend. Our guide briefly told us about the legend that on summer and winter solstice, the witches would come down from the mountains to celebrate with the villagers, and they were seen (and still are) as a symbol of good luck and protection.
We had enough time for a delicious (slightly hectic) lunch here. We did that thing where we just stumbled into a restaurant, Le Relais De Villefranche and whilst it did feel slightly like a tourist trap, I really enjoyed my meal here. I had mussels which had a kind of baked aioli on top – it’s unlike anything I’ve had before but oh so tasty. It was very busy with lots of big groups, but we had a quick service and it was a traditional Catalonian menu as well.
You know when you visit a place and it just feels right?? Well that’s how I felt in Villefranche de Conflent and is somewhere I would definitely like to come back and visit.
The Red Train
aka Train du Pays Cathare et des Fenouillèdes
I should probably amend the subheading to The Red Trains because I didn’t realise that on this journey, you swap trains half way through.
Journey one started in Rivesaltes and took us to St-Paul-de-Fenouillet, where we then boarded our second (open air) train that took us to Axat.
The first part of the journey had me questioning how ‘scenic’ it was actually going to be, as you go through a quarry and manufacturing factory. It wasn’t giving ‘scenic railway journey’ and whilst the train was a very cute vintage train, I was slightly concerned.
But need not worry, because the views started delivering not long after as you go through the countryside, and start castle and bridge spotting. The views aren’t the only thing that are incredible on this journey though; the train is pretty spectacular and you can actually go and sit next to the driver, and get the best view in the train. Warning that it can get a bit crowded by the cab, but there’s plenty of time to take in the views.
I was so excited to get onto our second train, as it was the first time I’ve ever been in an open air train carriage, and it was so much fun. This journey wasn’t at a high altitude, like the Yellow Train, and so the open air carriage meant you could see the Pyrenees above you, and it was stunning. We went over some beautiful viaducts, saw some incredible castles, and even went through woodland areas.
There had been wildfires in the area over the summer, with the latest one only ending two weeks prior to us being there, and you could still smell the burning as you went through, and the charred black trees were an eerie reminder of what had occurred.
The viaduct you go over on the Little Red Train is at Lapradelle, and the train does stop here as on one side, you get stunning views of the Cathar castle of Puilaurens, and on the other side, you can see the curve of the viaduct. I definitely recommend sitting on the right side of the train to be able to get the best views.
As you come into Axat, our end destination, you go through three tunnels and let me tell you, there is nothing more fun (and slightly scary) than going in some very long tunnels in an open air carriage.
The Núria Valley Rack Railway
Our final train journey of the trip was on the Núria Valley Rack Railway – a 12km cog railway that takes you 1000m through the Pyrenees. The end destination is Vall de Núria – a car free resort. You can either take the train, or do the 6 hour hike, so obviously we took the train.
This is a really unique train that works on a cog system to gain elevation, and is a really smooth journey. Definitely sit on the right side to get the most epic views across the valley as you head right up into the Pyrenees.
As you come into the resort, you’re greeted by an almost turquoise lake with huge monastery on the shore and it’s a magnificent sight. We hopped off the train and headed straight to the cable car which takes you up another 100m to get an incredible view of the Pyrenees and the valley below. It also gives you a real perspective of just how high you’ve come up on the 45 minute journey.
I’ll be honest with you, I found the resort slightly underwhelming. I can imagine in winter with the snow and everyone skiing it would feel magical, and I can imagine if you went on a hike from here it would be equally breathtaking. However I didn’t want to leave my dad by himself whilst I went off on a big hike, so instead did the loop around the lake which was beautiful, however I found the view of the monastery was quite…harsh and didn’t fit in with the landscape (even though it’s been there for a long time!)
I would also recommend bringing a picnic as the food is mid. We made the (expensive) mistake of eating in the restaurant, which is actually a buffet and one of the worst ones I’ve been to. There was very little choice, the meat that was being cooked wasn’t very appetising and I ended up mainly eating the ratatouille and pasta. I think the food situation is what actually left me feeling a bit deflated about the resort, which probably isn’t fair.
The train journey itself is spectacular and so different than the other journeys we did that week as well.
Your 5 day itinerary for exploring the Little Trains of the Pyrenees
This trip was actually a Shearings coach holiday – which we decided to do as our family holiday with my mum and dad. We do these as it’s an accessible way for all three of us to go away, and get to do the experiences together. Because my dad can’t walk too far, it does mean that we don’t explore too far from the beaten track, but it’s a great when the itinerary is like this, where you have things like train journeys which we’ve all wanted to do!
My only real gripe with doing organised trips like this is that I don’t have a say in the itinerary, so I’m going to share how we spent our 5 days, but I would actually recommend adding an extra day or two to just chill and relax because it was full on!
Day One : The Roses Express
We were based in Roses and on our first day, spent a lot of it relaxing by the pool and beach, before spending the afternoon on the Roses Express land train that took us up to Cap de Creus nature park.
This was so much fun. The ‘train’ was essentially a tractor that had been made to look like a train, and took you along the coast and then up some very steep hills to the nature park, before basically off-roading. It was very hot, so we had a hazy view over the Pyrenees. The take you to the highest point you can get to, where you’re then given a tasting of local wine, which really reminded me of Madeira wine, and local biscuits.
If you’re going to Roses, I would really recommend this as an afternoon out!
Day Two : The Yellow Train
Our second day was the Yellow Train, and in all honesty was my favourite of the three journeys as a complete day out. Make sure to make time to spend in Villefranche, as it’s the perfect place to have lunch either before or after your journey.
Day Three : Figueres
Figueres is best known for being the birthplace and final resting place of Salvador Dalí, and one thing you have to do when you visit is go to the museum. It used to be a theatre, and Dalí himself converted it into the most incredible museum to house his work. It’s actually overwhelming the amount of artwork there is to look at, and I just loved sitting and taking it all in.
We also had some delicious tapas as a restaurant that is basically opposite the museum – Catalunya Amor Meu. It’s down a little alley and the service was brilliant, and it might actually have been my favourite meal of the whole trip. Really recommend the chorizo and tomato bread, and the huge prawns. Delish.
Day Four : The Red Train
The stations at both the start and end of the journey seemed to be quite isolated, so on our way back we stopped in Perpignan. If there’s one thing you need to know about France, it’s that most restaurants don’t serve food after 2:30pm. We arrived at 2:45pm for lunch and definitely struggled, however there are multiple sandwich bars along the canal which is where we ate.
Again, I don’t know if it was the fact I was hungry and couldn’t find somewhere to have a ‘nice’ meal, but Perpignan just didn’t do it for me. We didn’t have long here at all, so there was no real opportunity to explore (espicially due to the aforementioned hangry mood,
Day Five : Núria Valley Rack Railway
The final day has to be the Núria Valley Rack Railway and it truly is astonishing to be on there and the engineering alone of getting a railway there and the elevation it gains is enough of an attraction in itself. Remember to take a packed lunch with you, and take in the beauty around you, ride the cable cars, and spend some time on some of the shorter hikes around the area.
If you love train journeys and beautiful views then this is the one for you. If you’re hiring a car, make time to do some hikes in the area as well, and spend some time by the sea in Roses and just relax. We’re always in go go go mode that it’s so nice to just sit by a pool or the sea and do nothing.
If you’re a fellow train journey lover, you can see more of my train travel guides here, and you can find more trip itineraries here to get inspo for your next holiday. And if you’re looking for ways to make life feel a little bit more adventurous without constantly being on holiday, then make sure to follow me on instagram for daily microadventure inspo.
