Little Trains of the Pyrenees

We journey aboard Eurostar from London St Pancras International to Paris and continue by rail to Perpignan where we are transferred by coach to our hotel near Roses on the Costa Brava; our base for the next seven nights.

Enjoy a morning at leisure, relax in our hotel, take a stroll around the old town of Roses, or head to the wide, sandy beach. In the afternoon we head towards the citadel on the seafront where we join the Roses Express. This delightful little road train is pulled by an ornate tractor and climbs into the hills of the Cap de Creus national park to give you spectacular views across Roses.

Today we spend the day in France and the French Pyrenees on our included excursion. We travel by coach to Villefranche for free time before joining the Yellow Train for an unforgettable journey through the Pyrenees. Sit back and relax as the line winds its way up the Tet valley, through forests and tunnels and across ravines and viaducts, including the Pont Gisclard suspension bridge and the Séjourné viaduct with its dramatic double-decker arches. We alight from the train at the small village of Mont Louis and return to our hotel by coach.

Enjoy a day at leisure and relax in our hotel, take a stroll around the old town of Roses, or head to the wide, sandy beach.

We travel by coach to the Núria Valley Rack Railway, which is twinned with the Jungfrau Rack Railway in Switzerland. It’s the only means of transport that accesses the valley, so you are guaranteed breathtaking views of mountains and meadows as we climb more than 1,000 metres, and with the help of a local guide we can learn more about this remote region and have a tasting of local products. We return to the hotel by coach.

Enjoy another day in the French Pyrenees in the company of a local guide. This time we travel by coach to join the Train du pays Cathere et du Fenouillèdes (affectionately called the Red Train), which passes through a land of vineyards and castles as it slowly climbs over an impressive 60 kilometres from Rivesalets to Axat. We enjoy some free time in the pretty town of Axat, high in the Aude valley, before returning to our hotel by coach.

This morning our excursion by coach is to the Catalan town of Figueres, named after the sweet fig trees that once thrived here. A mix of architectural styles can be found in the old town along with various cultural attractions, the most popular being the Dalí Museum which we include entry to. This amazing building is dedicated to the town’s most famous son, Salvador Dalí, and is highly recommended for anyone visiting northern Spain. We return to the hotel by coach and enjoy dinner at the hotel this evening.

We leave the Spanish coast behind and retrace our route to Paris, where we join Eurostar for the return to London St Pancras International.