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.
Travel on the Domodossola-Locarno line
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
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
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.