As is shown in a previous post and the timetable in the Train des Pignes folder, the steam train this summer operates with two different destinations and schedules depending on month. The two schedules, which are dependent on and adapted to the circulation of the regular railcars, offer different excursion possibilities, depending on how you transport youself to Puget-Thénier - by car or by train. Using a car gives you full freedom, but at least the driver will miss some of the beautiful views along the Var valley.
- June, September and October
One train Puget-Thénier - Annot - Puget-Thénier (10.45 - 15.55 with 3 hours stop in Annot).
Tip: Take the CP railcar from Nice at 08.50 to arrive in Puget-Thénier 10.15. Board the steam train for Annot at 10.45. The train stops for a few minutes in Entrevaux. This journey is up-hill and puts the locomotive fireman on a stress test. You arrive in Annot at 12.00. Walk down to the village (5 mins) and have a lunch in one of its restaurants. Return to the station by 15.10 for the yourney back to Puget-Thénier. Shop for local products in the tourist office (Maison de Pays) in a restored railway building, or watch the locomotive with its carriages return to its depot at the station, prior to the departure of the railcar to Nice at 16.28. The railcar will be back in Nice at 17.52.
Note: If you are content with taking the steam train in only one direction, there are more combinations railcar - steam train, see timetables. But of course, if you arrive in Puget-Thénier by car, you have more freedom ...
- July and August
Two trains Puget-Thénier - Villar-sur-Var - Puget-Thénier (10.45 - 11.45 and 15.30 - 17.00).
Tip: Drive your car to Villar-sur-Var (GPS: 43.936532, 7.086423), where you park at the station. Take the steam train at 11.45 to Puget-Thénier, where it after a stop for a few minutes in Touët-sur-Var arrives at 12.25. You now have 3 hours for having a lunch in Puget-Thénier, shopping for local products in the tourist office (Maison de Pays) and visiting the GECP (Train de Pignes) workshop. The train leaves Puget-Thénier at 15.30, to arrive in Villar-sur-Var at 16.20.
Note: Of course, you can also drive to Puget-Thénier and select one of the two journeys that suits you best. There are railcar - steam train combinations, but they give little possibility to do more than rail travel or imply long waiting times.
Train des Pignes folder
