Ten train-accessible destinations on the shores of a lake in the Alps

Travelling by train in the Alps has become both a trendy mode of transport and a necessity to adapt our habits to climate change.

This article aims to introduce ten destinations to reach by train on the banks of a lake of the Alps.

Choosing destinations is very difficult, of course, because there are so many of them, and they all have their own particularities. This article is perhaps the first part of a series…

In any case, the first choice is made. It will take us from France to Slovenia via six countries. Only Liechtenstein was ruled out because it does not have a large lake with beaches and seaside activities.

So let's set off to discover twelve destinations accessible in the Alps by train on the shores of a lake.

By train to Aix-les-Bains, on Lake Bourget

We begin our discovery with the Western Alps, in France. Bourget lake is the largest of the French lakes and on its banks, a pretty little town, Aix les Bains, has developed.

The train stationAix les Bains is very close to the city center. A few minutes walk up a short avenue and you will discover the gardens near the thermal baths, right in the city center.

Indeed, Aix les Bains is a town that has built a reputation as a spa and wellness resort.

In addition to the many Spas, the Chevalley thermal baths and Marlioz Estate Thermal Baths provide visitors with good moments of well-being and fitness.

The city center, gathered around a few shopping streets, is very lively and full of flowers. You won't get bored there.

The lake itself is a little further away. Taking a bus or walking is a choice that you will make depending on your fitness level, the goal being to arrive at the Grand Port, with its restaurants or at the Petit Port with its cafes and bars. Between the two, a long tree-lined promenade stretches along the banks of the lake. This is where we understand why the term Riviera of the Alps is attached to the city of Aix les Bains.

The brightness is very strong thanks to the reflections of the lake: even in winter you often need sunglasses.

The banks of the Bourget lake are developed on both sides of the two ports with beaches and cycle paths. To the south, the cycle path reaches Chambéry and Bourget du Lac.

Thanks to its exposure to the West and South, the beach of Aix les Bains allows for long evenings by the lake to admire the sunset.

In the surrounding area, there is easy train access to Chambéry, Geneva and Annecy.

On the heights, and to have a magnificent view of the lake, you can choose hikes on the Mont Revard side or on the Mont du Chat side.

Go by train to Annecy

Annecy is known as the Venice of the Alps. Small canals crisscross the city center with its colorful facades, and are crossed by small bridges whose railings are covered with flowers in summer.

The cathedral, the castle, the churches, the alleys and the arcades give Annecy its medieval aspect. Very quickly, upon leaving the station, you find yourself immersed in this environment.

It is by following the small canals that we arrive at the banks of the Lake.

Le Annecy lake is famous for the color of its water, turquoise like in a lagoon. The water temperature is very pleasant for summer swimming and the landscapes, including the sunset from La Tournette.

Crossing the very romantic and aptly named Pont des Amours, you reach the north shore of the Lake. This stretches from a vast grassy esplanade, the Paquier, to the beaches around the Hôtel Impérial Palace and beyond at the foot of the Annecy le Vieux hill.

Along this entire northern shore of the lake, there is a magnificent view in a row over the entire lake and the mountains that surround it. In addition, there is a succession of water sports providers and small beaches.

From Annecy, we can only recommend a tour of the lake by bike, or on foot (it's the distance of a marathon). You will be able to admire the different viewpoints and the very pretty shores that line its banks.

In the summer, it is unthinkable not to cross the lake by boat!

By train, from Annecy, you can discover Geneva, Lake Bourget, Chambéry and get closer to the Mont Blanc region.

Montreux, by train on the shores of Lake Geneva

Let us now move on to Switzerland, on the shores of Lake Geneva.

Whether on the southern shore of the lake, the French one, or the northern shore, the Swiss one, all the villages are worth a detour and a stay. You can get to know them by reading the other articles dedicated to them in this blog.

If we chose Montreux, at the very end of the lake, before entering the great Alpine valleys, it is for its festive and upscale atmosphere which make it an ideal destination for a holiday.

Montreux is the nerve center of the Swiss Riviera. It is famous for its Jazz Festival, the Comedy Festival, its statue of Freddy Mercury, its hotels with the air of palaces with Belle Epoque architecture and its many festive events.

The walk along the Lake Geneva, lined with cafés and restaurants on one side and flower beds and small palm trees on the other, inspire Montreux with a southern, almost Mediterranean charm. We almost forget the mountains that dominate the French bank opposite. Or the snowier ones that can be seen in the gap of the Rhone towards Valais.

This more alpine notion of the shores of Lake Geneva is much more evident from the summit of the Rochers de Naye overlooking the lake. It is by train that you reach this incredible viewpoint. The entire lake is at your feet. Extraordinary at sunset.

Where to go for a walk from Montreux by train?

The vineyards of Lavaux, Lausanne, Vevey, Valais, the Pays d'En-Haut, Gstaad… Switzerland is the country of the train. You can see it all.

By boat, don't miss the Montreux-Vevey-Lausanne line: seeing the vineyards from the lake is like being in a Fine Arts museum. The frames are sumptuous, the colors, the details will capture your gaze from the beginning to the end of the journey.

Visit Thun by train

A few kilometers from Bern, the federal capital of Switzerland, we reach the banks of the Lake Thun, at the entrance to the Bernese Oberland.

Further on, some of the most beautiful mountains in Europe await you: the Eiger, the Jungfrau and the Mönch. Moreover, from the shores of the lake in Thun or from its castle you can see their white mass contrasting with the blue of the lake on the horizon.

Why come to Thun?

Thun has retained its soul as a medieval village, off the beaten track. Unlike Interlaken, at the other end of the lake, which is better known and more celebrated in the tourist world. It is a little secret gem.

The cobblestones, the arcades, the all-white facades, the bridges, some of which are covered, the locks, the castle... Everything contributes to this authentic medieval atmosphere which gives charm to your visits.

Yes, but what about the lake? Thun, like Annecy, does not extend along the lakeshore but occupies a small corner of it, where the Aare river flows from the lake towards Bern.

Despite the rather short shores on the lake, these nevertheless give you a glimpse of the extreme beauty of this lake and the region surrounding it.

By train, you will travel along the lakes of Thun and Brienz, with their incredible colors. You can also change at Spiez or Interlaken station towards the Bernese Oberland massifs. Thus you can visit Gstaad, Kandersteg, Mürren, Lauterbrunnen, Wengen, Grindelwald… All these charming little villages are accessible for a day trip from Thun.

In Lucerne, to discover Lake Lucerne by train

We cannot talk about Switzerland and the Alpine lakes without mentioning the Lake Lucerne and its main city: Lucerne.

Lucerne is a real city, with large arteries, tall buildings and very long promenades along the lake. Halfway between Zurich for its architecture and its Alemannic rigor and Geneva for the presence of the lake, Lucerne is a condensed version of Switzerland.

Lucerne's city centre develops around the medieval core: small and large squares, colourful facades, pointed roofs, winding paths.

The Chapel Bridge, a covered wooden bridge rebuilt after a devastating fire a few years ago, provides a first contact with the water of the lake and the Reuss. This is the river that leaves the city in the direction of the Rhine.

Finally, the banks offer views of this immense basin and the mountains that surround it.

Travel to Lugano by train and enjoy the mild climate of Ticino

Ideally located on the Gotthard railway line from Zurich to Milan, Lugano is a luxurious pearl in a mountain setting.

The best introduction to the city of Lugano is from the lake. Take a pedal boat or a boat and position yourself a few cables from the shores of the lake, opposite the city, at the end of the day.

You will admire the sun beating down on the colorful facades of this hillside town.

The wooded hills that surround the city culminate at Monte Bré. It can be reached by funicular directly from the Cassarate district to the west of Lugano. From the viewpoint, at sunset, you can admire the sparkling waters of the lake. But you can also admire the wooded hillocks that give relief to the banks of the lake, opposite the city. One of them, Monte San Salvatore, is located at the other end of the gulf in which Lugano is nestled. Its summit is also accessible, but by cable car.

From the belvedere, looking to the left, to the West, you will notice this arm of the lake that sinks like a fjord. It is already Italy! A few kilometers further, you come back to Menaggio, on the shores of Lake Como.

The city centre of Lugano is also more reminiscent of Italy than of German-speaking Switzerland, as can be seen on the Piazza della Riforma with its very colourful façades. And for good reason, we are here in the Canton Ticino (Ticino) Italian-speaking, and with a culture strongly influenced by its proximity to Italy. This canton belonged to the Duchy of Milan until the 16th century before being ceded to the Swiss Confederation.

We will not leave without having visited the Villa Ciani, planted in the middle of its Park, and today housing the Museum of Fine Arts of Lugano.

By train, you can visit the rest of the Ticino canton, including the castles of Bellinzona, or take the opportunity to make an incursion into Italy towards Como or Milan.

Take the train to Stresa, on the shores of Lake Maggiore

In Italy, the great lakes of the North of the country attract many tourists and holidaymakers every year who come to seek the beauty of the landscapes, the luxury of the villas and gardens, and the sunny lifestyle of the Italians.

Stresa has been a popular holiday destination since the 19th century. Witnesses of this prosperous period are the numerous buildings and villas in Liberty style, Italian Art Nouveau, which adorn Corso Umberto I on the banks of the lake.

The city centre is very easily accessible from the city's railway station, located on the Simplon line that connects Milan to Valais, Switzerland. It brings a touch of good humour with its many shops and cafés and the very colourful facades of the buildings that line the network of alleys.

Before crossing the lake and discovering the Borromean Islands, don't forget to visit the Villa Ducale, the Villa Pallavicino with its botanical garden and zoo. Higher up, for a bird's eye view of the lake, the summit of Mottarone and its Alpine garden below await you for a beautiful hike. The less athletic will be content to go up by bus while waiting for the cable car to reopen, scheduled for summer 2025.

Without a doubt, one of the greatest wonders of lake maggiore, is the string of islands facing Stresa and Verbania. These are the Borromean Islands. Composed of three islands, each with its own particularity, they are each worth a stop. Which you can do by the excellent shuttle boat service that serves the three islands from Stresa or Verbania. A beautiful outing of a whole day in the change of scenery of the islands in the middle of a very large lake.

Getting to Lake Como by train

Access Como lake by train, and especially to its most touristy part, centered around Bellagio and the villages facing it on the opposite shores of the lake, is more difficult than on the other lakes mentioned in this article.

However, we will choose the city of Como as our base.

The other possibility would have been to go back up the line between Lecco and Colico by train, towards the Valtellina and get off at Lierna, Perledo or Varenna. Which would have been a very good choice too.

However, Como is a very beautiful city, in a very green setting. Very lively, with a flourishing economy, which in ancient times was based on textiles, silk in particular, and silkworm breeding.

Just an hour by train from Milan, the visit of this small town begins a ten-minute walk from the station. We will start at Piazza Cavour, and continue along the banks of the lake with the discovery of beautiful villas. The Villa Saporiti, from the 18th century which housed Napoleon Bonaparte, the Villa Gallia, from the 17th century and finally the Villa Olmo. The latter is the largest and probably the most sumptuous of the villas in the Como lake.

Lose yourself in the small alleys of the maze of the medieval city center in search of the Cathedral and the Broletto, the city's emblematic monument.

Science lovers will notice that in the city we often refer to the electricity fairy. In fact, Alessandro Volta, inventor of the electric battery (among others) was born in this city. A museum is entirely dedicated to him: the Voltiano Museum.

In Como you already have a glimpse of what you will find on the shores of this very large, very romantic lake.

However, from Como you can easily reach Tremezzo by bus or boat in less than an hour and Bellagio in 1h15. It is therefore not far, and you can spend a wonderful day visiting magnificent Villas (Villa Carlotta, Villa del Balbianello, Villa Monastero, Villa Olmo, Villa Melzi…) as well as in the forests and viewpoints around the villages that border the lake.

Desenzano del Garda, get off the train and swim in Lake Garda

The railway only skims Lake Garda in its southern part. Two port cities have a station on the Milan-Verona-Venice line: Desenzano del Garda and Peschiera del Garda. To reach the north of the lake and Riva del Garda, you will have to take the Brenner line between Verona and Innsbruck and get off at Rovereto. From there you will continue by bus.

Why did you choose Desenzano del Garda as your arrival point on Lake Garda?

This small village has a very advantageous location. A small hill at the back of the city center allows you to gain height. You will then have a panoramic view of the lake and the mountains that surround it in the distance. The lac de garde is very large in its southern part. It really looks like an inland sea and seeing the landscape in the distance through the mists is sometimes difficult from the shore.

Then, it is a very pleasant city center to walk around, an ice cream in hand, or a slice of pizza, depending on your desires, with a pretty little port where both pleasure boats and fishing boats are moored.

The village, flowery and well maintained, is like all the villages that border this lake where beauty, colors and order coexist.

From here you can easily take a trip to Sirmione, a true natural, architectural and cultural pearl of Lake Garda. Not to be missed under any circumstances.

By the way, you can also go there on foot or by bike, along the lake, with a break at the pretty pebble beach of Rivoltella. 9km, very flat, it is ultimately not a great distance…

Around Desenzano del Garda, the train takes us to cultural cities such as Verona, Brescia and Bergamo. You can also visit the nearby Peschiera del Garda, a very seaside resort and gateway to the largest amusement park in Northern Italy: Gardaland, a paradise for children and teenagers (but also for young people, let's say!).

Arriving by train at Bled, the famous lake in Slovenia

Let's be clear, to visit Lake Bled by train, you will have to choose between the village of Bled or the north-western shore of the lake a few kilometers from the village, but near a campsite.

There are two railway stations serving Bled: Lesce-Bled, five kilometres from the village centre on the main line from Ljubljana, and Bled-Jezeron, a few hundred metres from the shores of the lake. But the latter is opposite the village of Bled, and therefore on the other side of the very famous little island with a church on it in the middle of the lake.

But Bled is definitely worth a visit. A friendly and welcoming little village, full of flowers, with restaurants serving Slovenian specialities and fish lined up along the promenade along the banks.

A medieval castle, as in the tales of cloak and dagger, dominates the lake and the village. It seems inaccessible from the banks, but alleys go up the slopes from the village and it is reached in a short walk. From the plateau around the castle and the small district with low houses one sees beautiful views towards the Alps across the fields.

Numerous boat rental companies or mini-cruise organisers allow you to get up close to one of the most photographed and famous churches in Slovenia.

You can go around the lake by bike or on foot: it is not very long and you can enjoy different viewing angles and the changing light during the day to admire this small chapel on its island in the heart of Lake Bled.

From Bled, by train, it will be very easy to leave for Ljubljana, very pretty capital of the Slovenia.

Traveling by train to spend a holiday by a lake in the Alps is actually quite easy. These ten destinations, all as interesting and pleasant as each other, are just a small sample of all the places you can visit by train in the Alps.

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