Despite the Côte d’Azur’s postcard image of beaches and palm trees, much of the Alpes-Maritimes – the French département (province) which lies in the Côte d’Azur's embrace – is covered by alpine terrain.
From Nice, it’s easy to explore the region’s little-known alpine hinterland on windy rural roads with twisty hairpin bends and impatient local drivers, but for a more relaxing mode of travel take a gentle two-hour train journey that crosses pine-scented plains and deep gorges as it connects the city with Tende, a small border village deep in the mountains that feels as Italian as French.
Named for the Vallée des Merveilles (The Valley of Wonders) – a striking, serene landscape of over 40,000 mysterious Bronze Age stone carvings all accessible on day-long hiking routes near St-Dalmas-de-Tende (one of the last stations along the line) – the Train des Merveilles is an engineering feat of tunnels, viaducts and spiral loops.
The railway is also an important lifeline connecting mountain villages with the coast. In the past, shepherds would transport their sheep herds from their grassy summer pastures to winter homes on the line. More recently, it brought critical supplies and first responders when Storm Alex cut off road access (and caused loss of life) as it swept through the region in 2020.
There are at least two Train des Merveilles departures from Nice a day (more in the summer months). However, between June and September (and weekends in April and October) there is a daily timetabled service departing at 9.15am with an expert guide onboard for visitors. On this train journey you get live commentary about the railway line and the region – in both French and English – a fascinating accompaniment to the journey at no extra charge. The 9.15am departure is also perfect for a pre-lunch arrival into Tende at 11.15am.
I found the instructions on the SNCF Connect website when I booked my ticket a little vague (“look out for the guide on the platform”), so I arrived 20 minutes early. I couldn’t find anyone on the platform, but the train itself is fairly small and once on board I heard an announcement over the loudspeaker about what carriage the guide would be in, so I made my way there and found a free seat.
From the outside, the Train des Merveilles is styled like a typical regional commuter train in Provence, but there are subtle differences. There are fewer carriages, to start, and there's a variety of seating configurations including curved lounges, seem designed to capture the route from all angles, as well as plenty of standing areas with oversized windows to admire the view.
The palm trees and belle epoque facades of Nice disappear almost as soon as the train pulls out of the station and veers away from the
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Before joining TPG in 2021, I was a newbie to the world of points and miles. Despite traveling frequently throughout the previous decade, I was oblivious to the benefits of loyalty programs or how straightforward it could be to earn points or miles for airfare and hotel stays.
It’s inevitable: Every spring when we pull together the Hot List, our annual collection of the world’s best new hotels, restaurants, and cruise ships, a staffer remarks that this latest iteration has got to be the best one ever. After a year’s worth of traveling the globe—to stay the night at a converted farmhouse in the middle of an olive grove outside Marrakech, or sail aboard a beloved cruise line’s inaugural Antarctic voyage—it’s easy to see why we get attached. But this year’s Hot List, our 28th edition, might really be the best one ever. It’s certainly our most diverse, featuring not only a hotel suite that was once Winston Churchill’s office, but also the world’s largest cruise ship and restaurants from Cape Town to Bali. We were surprised and inspired by this year’s honorees, and we know you will be too. These are the Hot List hotel winners for 2024.
The pool was empty – perhaps because at about 22C, the water was too cold for Italians. It was also about to close. Whatever the reason, we had the glorious Biolago di Pinzolo, a spring-fed, plant-filtered swimming lake, to ourselves. As my son and I swam, we could just make out the tiny red-roofed hermitage of San Martino on the forested slope above, where, according to legend, a hermit survived on bread provided by a tame bear.
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As Mother’s Day approaches, consider giving the gift of quality time paired with a unique culinary experience. These nine restaurants, set in picturesque locales across Europe, offer more than just exceptional food—they promise unforgettable getaways where culinary art, sustainability and ambiance blend perfectly to celebrate this special occasion.
Last month, five travel advisors from four Dream Vacations franchises headed to France for AmaWaterways' Taste of Bordeaux wine cruise. The women, who describe themselves as a "tribe," didn't take the trip together just for fun: They were gathering photos, videos, experiences and memories with which to sell a partial charter of the AmaDolce's October 2025 sailing of the same itinerary.
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