Le Train des Pignes

A trip that several locals have recommended to us is a train ride that travels through the streets of downtown Nice up to the city of Digne-les-Bains in Alpes-de-Haute-Provence.  There are a collection of small towns one can stop to explore on the way and that can be just a day trip from Nice.  We decided to go the whole 151km and overnight in the city of Digne-les-Bains, with a stopover at the town of Entrevaux, first founded in the 11 century.

Our one car train on the "Chemins de fer de Provence" that transported us into the alps.  It does offer lovely views of the Var River cutting through valleys,  glimpses of snow-covered mountain peaks, picturesque villages, fields of olive trees and pine tree forests.

After just over an hour of travel from Nice, we got off the train at Entrevaux, a medieval fortified royal city, to explore before continuing the journey to the end of the line.

Our plan in Entrevaux was to hike up 800m to the 17th citadel, designed by Vauban (who also constructed the fortifications in Antibes).  It looked a long way up!

To access the town, we first had to cross over the stone bridge to the entrance with its medieval drawbridge.

It was a steep climb and it didn't take long to get some beautiful views of the valley and surrounding hills.

 A view of the stone path and its regular stone archways, about halfway up our ascent.

Within the walls of the citadel, we found a picnic table in the Lower Courtyard to take a break and eat our lunch.

The Citadel was last used in during the First World War.  Here are the cells that were used to imprison German Officers.  They were very austere accommodations;  a slanted concrete slab for a bed took up half the room space.

The view of Entrevaux and the Var River from the highest point of the Citadel that made the climb all worthwhile.

Before catching the next train to complete our day's travel to Digne-les-Bains, a coffee\hot chocolate break was just what was needed.

We arrived in Digne-les-Bains late in the afternoon so didn't have much time to explore.  The city has an indoor pool with a large slide which was a big hit with the girls.  We caught an 7:15 am train back to Nice the next day.  These last two photos show part of the town in the early light.  It had a bit of a Swiss village feel to it at this time of day.