Nice

Top Nice landmarks

Nice trip ideas

Train Experience Through The Alps : The Baroque Royal Route & Salt Road Full Day

Badge of ExcellenceNice, France

TRAIN EXPERIENCE THROUGH THE ALPS DISCOVERING THE BAROQUE ROYAL ROUTE SALT TRADE ROAD FULL DAY

From $164.88

Price varies by group size

Select Date and Travelers

up to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)

8 to 12 hours (approx.)
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

Explore our promoted experiences

Nice, French Riviera

Saint Tropez Full Day Shared Tour from Nice

from $137.40

Nice, French Riviera

Full Day Tour in Eze Monaco and Monte-Carlo from Nice

from $109.92

Nice, French Riviera

GUIDED TOUR: Saint Tropez, Port Grimaud

from $131.80

Viator earns higher commissions on experiences featured here

Overview

The Baroque Route mountain railway winds its way through the canyons, tunnels, and viaducts of French Alp, affording spectacular views. With this full-day tour, ride the train to picturesque medieval villages, hop off to visit the Baroque Saorge Monastery, and enjoy hiking in the scenic Roya Valley. A good fitness level is required as you’ll be walking up to 9 miles (15 kilometers) in total, and you’ll visit several villages along the way.

Journey through the Alps by train along the old Salt Road
Visit the alpine villages of Tende, Saorge, and La Brigue
Choose a delicious restaurant lunch or a picnic of local specialties
Enjoy hiking in the French Alps with a local guide

What's Included

Local taxes
Lunch
Driver/guide
Live commentary on board
Local guide
Professional guide
Fuel surcharge
Landing and facility fees
Snacks

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

Paul
Gare Sncf De Nice, Av. Thiers, 06000 Nice, France
Please arrive at 8:30am at the meeting point. The guide will be waiting in front of the main train station ("Paul" bakery, terrace) with a blue sign Nice Creative Tours.

Start time

08:30 AM

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

What To Expect

Your full day out along the Baroque Route mountain railway—one of France’s most picturesque train journeys—begins conveniently in the heart of Nice. In the morning, meet your guide at the Nice train station, and come prepared for a day out in France’s spectacular maritime Alps region. With round-trip transit and hands-on guidance, this tour offers an accessible way to get out in nature.

Once aboard the train, soak up extraordinary mountain views, with stops in several notable villages, including Tende and La Brigue. This active tour—which also covers roughly 9 miles (15 kilometers) on foot—gives you the chance to really immerse yourself in the scenery. Then, break for lunch: Enjoy a picnic of local fare, or upgrade for an indulgent meal in one of the top restaurants in town.

Afterwards, the journey continues to Saorge, considered one of France’s most beautiful villages. Visit its historic monastery before continuing your hiking in the Roya Valley. As you go, your guide will share stories and history about the region that you wouldn’t discover on your own.

Finally, return to central Nice by train at the end of the day, where this experience ends.

Gare Thiers

20 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Tende

3 hours • Admission Ticket Free

La Brigue

2 hours • Admission Ticket Free

Saorge

3 hours • Admission Ticket Free

Collegiale Notre-Dame-De-L'Assomption

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Monastere de Saorge

45 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking, unless booked within 3 days of travel. In this case confirmation will be received within 48 hours, subject to availability
Not wheelchair accessible
Children must be accompanied by an adult
May be operated by a multi-lingual guide
Please advise any specific dietary requirements at time of booking
Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately

Near public transportation
Not recommended for travelers with back problems
Not recommended for pregnant travelers
No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 32 travelers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.

Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.
This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Featured review

Michelle_D

Will was our tour guide and he was incredible! He provided pictures and history about what we would see on our tour while our train climbed into the Alps. He was very knowledgeable and enjoyed educating our entire group. He was easy to get along with too (fun personality, which is always appreciated). The actual experience (the train ride, the sights, our lunch, and the hike) were second to none during our time in Nice. I would absolutely recommend this tour to anyone. 100%.

Reviews

4.5

404 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers.

We perform checks on reviews

Showing 1-10 of 404 reviews

A memorable vaction experiece…

Marion_C, May 2024

Our guide was endearing. Informed laid-back He made this vacation experience enjoyable. Plus, we had a wonderful group that interacted with each other. It was more of a hiking/walking excursion That covered a lot of territory… So, this trip is for anyone that can walk at least 5 miles, with some gradual incline…. Traveling by train allowed a stunning view of the Alps and a history of the area… All was most enjoyable, except lunch. We did not like sitting in the full sun on a hot day… It was basically finger food…. Would have appreciated a menu before hand, gladly paid extra for a better quality lunch. My advice, bring water, definitely wear Comfortable shoes, dress for the weather Another French guide Director on the train NEVER stopped talking…. NON-STOP!!!! With the long train ride, participants were reprimanded for talking. Which I thought was rude, Especially for polite children who were not being disruptive Or loud…. I would gladly do this Tour again!!!!

Breathtaking, historic, charming

David_H, May 2024

Cyril was a wonderful tour guide, he was extremely knowledge, humorous and full of hospitality. He made the whole day enjoyable. The train trip was beautiful, and learning about the towns and sites added to the experience. We had a lovely time in Tende, exploring medieval streets, a church and castle ruins. Cyril brought the history to life for us. On the way back, we stopped at a monastery in another medieval town and tried local honey. Wonderful trip, great hospitality. Would 100% recommend. Thanks for a good day, Cyril.

Get out of the crowds and enjoy quaint France.

Terri_A, May 2024

This was a long but super fun day. Cyril is a great guide and really knows the history of the area! The quaint towns are fun to explore. Lots of uphill… then downhill walking but so interesting. There was a flood on October 2020 that did a lot of damage. You can see the new progress they’ve made. The views are breathtaking. Even saw snow covered mountains. Cold beers on a train with a bathroom is an option… as long as you buy before you board.

Stunning Trip to the Alps

Fred_D, Apr 2024

Will was an awesome, attentive and engaging host for our full day tour into the French Alps. The two hour train ride up into the Alps was a little tedious but well worth the trip. Our time in La Brigue was fantastic. Lovely lunch outdoors at a great cafe and a nice, small (not sure why we didn't get to do the longer hike) hike to cap it off. The bus ride to Saorge was exhilarating and the time we spent in this mountain village was incredible. Learning the history and seeing stunning view after stunning view was just what we had hoped for. I highly recommend this tour if you enjoy getting away from the throngs of people in touristy areas like Nice or Monaco, great way to spend the day.

Don’t miss this trip

Brandon_B, Apr 2024

Cyril and William were fabulous guides. Very informative and humorous. Would recommend! Each village was a gem

Don’t Miss This Experience

Michelle_D, Apr 2024

Alp Train Tour is a Must!

Michael_P, Apr 2024

This was an amazing day. The views were amazing, the knowledge of the guides, the whole experience was first rate.

Quaint French Villages in Alps.

James_D, Apr 2024

The trip was way more than I expected. Views from the train were ok, hard to see from the windows but our guide, Will did a good job showing us pictures and pointing out landmarks. Once we disembarked the trip became Amazing. Quaint villages, spectacular lunch, and a nice hike afterwards. I highly recommend this trip.

Great tour with exceptional guide!

Justin_B, Apr 2024

We enjoyed our three days in Nice, but the family agreed that this was a highlight of the trip. Cyril, the tour guide, was exceptional. He is getting his PhD in history and certainly knows his stuff, but importantly, he really cares about people, connecting with them and making sure they’re happy. Great sense of humor, provided fantastic context to the history of the area, etc. I can’t speak highly enough about him. We didn’t have to do really any hiking on our trip, although I know it is mentioned in the details on the website. We were able to catch a van up to the chapel in La Brigue, which was nice. In Saorge, you do hike up through the compact village to get to the monastery. We had two elderly folks with us, 75 to 80 years old, and they were fine with the amount of walking we did, although if the itinerary was different or the van wasn’t available, they wouldn’t have been able to complete it in time. Lunch, chatting with the other tourists, was very pleasant. Sadly, I’ve heard that this valley will be cut off from the train for 16 months starting in late summer 2024. If you have a chance to experience this tour before, then, I highly recommend it! All of the folks in each of the villages were very happy to see us, very friendly.

Unfortunately we didn’t get to go

Maureen_L, Apr 2024

Tour guide never showed up. No communication from Viator or the local operator until more than an hour later. We were eventually refunded, but the point was that we were using one day of our short holiday for this tour.

Highly recommended

Dana_S, Apr 2024

Carl was our guide. He was funny and knowledgable. He made our trip very enjoyable. Although there was a train cancellation on our return but he handled it very professionally. The trip was excellent. I strongly recommend him. If you are going for this trip ask for Carl

Wonderful time for the whole family

Ruth_P, Apr 2024

This was the highlight of our time in Nice. Cyril has a deep knowledge and love of the area and shares the history as a great storyteller. It is a nice mix of scenic, learning about the area, art, meeting locals, and enjoying each others company. Wonderful experience to places we never would have visited otherwise.

Must do- great tour

Sophie_C, Apr 2024

The tour with Cyril as a guide was amazing. Everything was well organized, he was fun, friendly and knowledgeable and full of interesting stories. This tour is really a must do as the medieval villages you get to are very different and so beautiful. Lunch was included and was great! It is nice change from the beach areas of the Cote D Azur. There will be a fait bit of walking so you must be able to walk perhaps 10,000-15,000 steps that day.

Worthy experience

Nagarajan_C, Apr 2024

It's an interesting tour with a lot of history to appreciate. The tour guide was fantastic with so much knowledge about the places and patience to answer all questions and comments. It's a long tour with a lot of walk up in the hills and requires a good amount of energy to stay through the day. The train raid was very comfortable. I didn't think it was that beautiful in terms of places and villages in comparison to other similar places in Italy or Switzerland. Certainly a worthy experience to get a feel of 1000s of years old villages and culture. With the train route going to be suspended from September-24 it is a very well-worthy trip. Food wasn't that great especially, if you don't eat meat, and certainly a bit expensive tour.

Memorable experience

Elena_M, Mar 2024

The best part of this tour is the fact that both villages we have visited are not crowded with tourists. The views were amazing from beginning to the end. Cyril is a very knowledgeable guide and shared so many interesting historical facts about the places we visited and passed on our way. We were lucky to have him, as he took a really good care of our group.

Honestly, the most...

Lorie_J, Mar 2024

Honestly, the most memorable portion of this trip was Cyril, our guide. He is amazing and truly a kind and beautiful soul. He had so much knowledge and so happy to share.. He also cooked for us! The train was lovely and comfortable. Going to the villages and meeting the people there was beyond amazing I cannot recommend this trip enough! Cyril also went above and beyond, and made sure that I had the safest walk back home to my hotel after the adventure! J’adore et Merci Beaucoup

Thank you Cyril

mrdanieldungbui, Mar 2024

The trip was amazing and Cyril is an excellent tour guide , his knowledge about the tour is very interesting. He himself also made brownie and onion bugger for Travellers. Such a kind guy. Thank you Cyril very much!

Amazing, Stunning views, Passionate Guide

Dan_P, Mar 2024

This was a unique and lovely experience. Had to walk a lot. It rained, it snowed but amazing all the way. Snow topped alps in villages we visited was absolutely the best. Better than views, actual villages, museums, cathedrals was our guide Cyril. He is very talented story teller and very passionate about history that came through and we all loved it. He also had magic backpack from which he pulled snacks, drinks including wine to feed us through the journey. One of villages we stopped at, the food we ate lamb chops were out of this world. It was amazing, craving for more

Train to French alps from Nice

Maria_K, Mar 2024

Wonderful tour to French alps by train with excellent guide Cyril . His knowledge of the area and its history was outstanding . Excellent picnic lunch . Highly recommend this tour

Great guide . Seems to...

Tatjana_H, Feb 2024

Great guide . Seems to have unlimited knowledge about area. And full of enthusiasm. Accommodating to whatever members of the group needed.

...