Experience The Foliage Train From Italy To Switzerland This Fall

While summer is great for a vacation, the fall is a different time to enjoy colorful fall foliage and the Foliage Train is one of the best ways to experience the time of year. Even better, a train from Italy to Switzerland only costs around $30 this season.

Ride the Foliage Train from Italy to Switzerland

After a long hot summer, the fall in Europe offers a different experience, with cooler weather and some of the best fall foliage. Meanwhile, the Italian rail service, Ferrovia Vigezzina-Centovalli offers the best way to experience the fall colors of Europe on its iconic Foliage Train. Moreover, passengers will head from Italy to Switzerland with many beautiful locations along the way. Even better, the experience is affordable for all at around $30 per ticket.

Starting on October 12, this seasonal train only runs during the fall and leaves from the Northern Italian region of Piemonte to the Swiss county of Ticino. Along the way, the Foliage Train visits several hidden gems that have yet been spoiled by mass tourism.

Travel on the Domodossola-Locarno line

Popularly dubbed the Foliage Train, this scenic route travels through gorgeous alpine scenery and runs between Piemonte in Northern Italy and the Swiss county of Ticino. Launched in 1923, this 101-year-old train runs for 32 miles between the two regions, with stops at around 30 towns in Italy and Switzerland, all currently unspoiled by mass tourism.

The service runs from October 12 through November 17, offering slightly over a month for travelers to make their bookings. Moreover, they can book a roundtrip ticket for the Domodossola-Locarno line starting at an affordable €29, or around $32.

The journey reveals not only spectacular fall foliage but also quaint villages while heading through the stunning Vigezzo Valley in Italy and the equally picturesque Centrovalli on the Swiss side.

While sitting in comfort on the train make sure you have your camera or phone handy to take spectacular images through the window. Moreover, the blue and white train takes passengers through 31 tunnets and 83 bridges while traversing some of Europe’s breathtaking views of the Alps and valleys.

More about the Foliage Train

Each of the train’s carriages has been made for panoramic viewing through its large, trapezium-shaped windows.  Moreover, if they are lucky, travelers can book a seat next to the driver’s cab for a mere $4.40 extra.

As mentioned, the experience offers 30 stops along the way, offering the chance for passengers to hop off and experience beautiful, unspoiled villages. When starting the journey from Italy, travelers can catch the Foliage Train in Domodossola. This beautiful medieval town nestles at the foot of the Italian Alps with its winding alleyways, pastel-colored buildings and its beautiful piazza.

The train then enters the Ossola Valley, with its five, centuries-old villages to visit, including Masera and Trontano. Masera is a historic village with its landmark San Abbondio parish church with its ancient Roman bell tower. Meanwhile, Trontano is renowned for its rolling vineyards close to the nearby Vigezzo Valley.

Traveling through the Vigezzo Valley

Once in the Vigezzo Valley, travelers have a choice of 13 stations in sleepy communities that guard the entrances to national parks. Here, passengers can hop off and enjoy hikes through the glorious red and gold of nature. A recommended stop-over point is the chestnut forests in Coimo, with its historical architecture and beautiful Val  Grande National Park in Buttogno.

One worthwhile stop in the Vigezzo Valley is Santa Maria Maggiore, a medieval village nestling at a high altitude, making it the highest point along the way. A little further down the line Re stands at the opposite end of Val Grande National Park, with its iconic Madonna del Sangue pilgrimage church.

Heading into Switzerland

Once the train crosses the border to the Swiss side, one stop of interest is Camedo, where the train crosses the invisible line between Piemonte in Italy and Ticino in Switzerland, so watch out for the border post.

Among the Swiss villages worthy of a stop is Palagnedra, an Italian-speaking Swiss village, with beautiful patrician houses, such as Casa Mazzi.  In the final section of the Domodossola-Locarno line is Lago Maggiore, a pristine alpine lake straddling the Swiss and Italian borders, a beautiful and unspoiled area in Switzerland.

Standing on the banks of Maggiore, Locarno is a Roman-era town with a stately Piazza Grande lined with the 12th-century Visconteo Castle, a beautiful Old Town and a yacht harbor to explore.

Readers can see all the stations served on the Domodossola-Locarno line below:

Stations in Italy

• Valle Ossola
• Domodossola
• Masera
• Creggio
• Trontano
• Verigo
• Marone
• Valle Vigezzo
• Coimo
• Gagnone – Orcesco
• Druogno
• Buttogno
• Santa Maria Maggiore
• Prestinone
• Zornasco
• Malesco
• Villette
• Re
• Folsogno – Dissimo
• Isella – Olgia
• Ribellasca

In Switzerland:

• Centovalli
• Camedo
• Palagnedra
• Verdasio
• Corcapolo
• Intragna
• Cavigliano
• Verscio
• Tegna
• Lago Maggiore
• Ponte Brolla
• San Martino
• Locarno

The Foliage Train runs on Saturdays, Sundays, holidays and pre-holidays. Find out more about this glorious train ride on the Vigezzina Centovalli website here.