Train holidays in France

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	Walk France by Train via a fabulous Mountain Railway Key Facts Seven-night tour, with arrivals any day from April to October. Self-guided, light or moderately-challenging walking trails to suit. All-inclusive transport tour, which commences and finishes in Alès; Best access airport or TGV railway station: Nimes. Then onwards to Alès by train (35 mins). Possible access via Avignon, Marseille or Montpellier. Those driving can leave their cars free of charge near Alès. Please click the headings below or scroll down. Theme Model Programme: 7-night Train holidays France Accommodation What's Included Prices 2009 Booking 1. Theme If you enjoy train holidays in France, then this holiday is for you. Walk France by Train is a fascinating criss-cross journey across valleys and over viaducts on the "line of 100 tunnels." This is your chance to enjoy one of the most eco-friendly walking tours in France complemented by stimulating short train-rides along a mountain railway line. Le Cévenol is a diesel train linking Nîmes to Clermont-Ferrand. For those that want to get away from the car, there isn’t a better way to do your walking in France than to participate in a hiking tour of a lifetime. Enjoy the picturesque scenery from your modern and comfortable SNCF seat, delight in the changing Cevennes landscape and get a sense of what you are about to experience upon arrival at your next destination - and with hiking options to suit! Built over a century-and-a-half ago to facilitate the transport of wine and coal to Paris, the line bears testimony to man's engineering ingenuity as it wends its way up its course from Alès to Villefort to La Bastide, through innumerable tunnels and across some breathtaking viaducts. Walk France by Train brings you memorable hiking in and around the land linked together by Le Cévenol. As far as participating in train holidays in France is concerned, The Cévenol runs all year round, although walking is best done from April to late October - unless you enjoy hiking with snow shoes! The threat of closure has just been lifted from this national treasure, so enjoy it now while it's still around and cherish the memories for ever. Read our article on Le Cévenol. Read our article on The Cévennes. For a 4-night walking tour in France of the same theme, see Eco-friendly walking in France Lozere For an alternative approach to hiking the Cevennes, see Walking France's Cevennes. 2. Model 7-night tour: Walking France by Train Day 1. Ales. Arrival and hotel check-in. Explore the picturesque market town and enjoy a pre-hiking tour wellcome briefing at your hotel.Night in Ales. Day 2. Langogne. 11 kms- 7 miles. Take the morning train to Langogne, check in and enjoy an historic hike to the fascinating medieval fortified town of Pradelles. Night in Langogne. Day 3. Notre Dame de Neige Abbey. 9 kms-6 miles, with optional extensions. Morning train to La Bastide. Check in and Hike to Notre Dame de Neige Abbey, celebrated for its liquor and where RL Stevenson stayed whilst trekking the Cevennes in 1879. Approx. 6 miles with options. Night in La Bastide. Day 4. Tour de l'Ardèche or Lozère. Walk options from 6 kms-4 miles to 14 kms-9 miles. If you like heights, then you can reach the giddy altitude of 1361 ms today at the Moure des Estombes via the Stevenson Trail. Alternatively, you depart for la Coulet de Pecoyol (1264 ms) and a panorama on the Cevennes Ardéchoises and the Alpes.Night in La Bastide. Day 5. The Regordane Way.14 miles-21 kms, with shorter option available. An unforgettable walk through French history, along hill crest and volcanic plateau to a medieval village on the Chaussezac gorge and then onto Villefort. Night in Villefort. Day 6. Lake Villefort.Walk options from 6 kms-4 miles to 14 kms-9 miles. Today you enjoy a 4-mile hike round the lake with optional extensions to Castanet castle or via the Mont Lozere trail. Night in Villefort. Day 7. Montclar Pass. 10 miles -15kms with shorter option. Morning train to Genolhac. The final day's walking brings you back into Le Gard and into the heart of Hugeunot country. After a criss-cross of a climb up an ancient drovers' trail, you reach a picturesque plateau, a scenic pass and, for the brave, a short, steep climb that will reward you with views no camera can reproduce.Night in Genolhac. Day 8. End of your hiking holiday France. Transfer to train station after breakfast and train to Ales. Post hiking tour de-briefing followed by departure. Note: as part of our policy of continual review and improvement, we reserve the right to make alterations to our walking tours in France. 3. Accommodation You will stay in five different places en route, in four comfortable 2-star hotels and one excellent chambres/tables d'hotes. These locations are: 1. Ales - one night; 2. Langogne - one night; 3. La Bastide Puylaurent - two nights; 4. Villefort - two nights; 5. Génolhac - one night. 4. What's Included 7 nights B & B in comfortable character accommodations - leaving you free to purchase your meals according to your personal preferences and budget: relevant information is available in your dossier; All train tickets booked, paid for and delivered; Pre- and Post-vacation briefing and de-briefing in Ales; Transportation and luggage transfers integral to the programme; Tailored walks to suit your needs and capacity; Walking France Insight Notes™ that make orientation simple; Themed vacation dossier; Comprehensive travel notes & logistical information; Emergency telephone help-line service delivered by local British nationals. 5. Prices 2009 Per person based on two sharing: £540.00, €620.00 or $795.00 Single person rate: £595.00 or €695.00 or $895.00 Click to go to Booking and Costs For more fine photos of Le Cevenol Railway, please visit: Train Cévenol and Edouard Paris' site