Ten destinations on a lakeside train in the Alps

Going by train has become both a trendy mode of transport and a necessity for adapting our habits to climate change.

The aim of this article is to introduce you to ten destinations where you can reach the shores of a lake by train. Alpine lake.

The choice of destinations is a difficult one, of course, there are so many to choose from, and they all have their own particularities. This article is perhaps the first in a series...

In any case, the first choice has been made. It will take us from France to Slovenia, passing through six countries. Only Liechtenstein has been ruled out, as it doesn't have a large lake with beaches and seaside activities.

Let's discover twelve destinations accessible by train on the shores of an Alpine lake.

By train to Aix-les-Bains on Lac du Bourget

We begin our discovery in France's Western Alps. The Lac du Bourget is France's largest lake, and on its shores has grown the pretty little town of Aix les Bains.

TheAix les Bains train station is very close to the town center. Just a few minutes' walk up a short avenue and you'll discover the gardens near the Thermes, right in the center of town.

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

In addition to the numerous Spas, the Chevalley Spa and the Thermes du Domaine de Marlioz provide visitors with moments of well-being and fitness.

The town center, clustered around a few shopping streets, is bustling with life and flowers. There's never a dull moment.

The lake is a little further away. Whether you take the bus or walk is a choice you'll make according to your state of fitness, the aim being to reach either the Grand Port, with its restaurants, or the Petit Port, with its cafés and bars. Between the two, a long tree-lined promenade stretches along the shores of the lake. It's here that we understand why Aix les Bains is known as the Riviera des Alpes.

The lake's reflections make it extremely bright, so even in winter you often need sunglasses.

The banks of Lac du Bourget are laid out on either side of the two ports, with beaches and cycle paths. To the south, the cycle path leads to Chambéry and Le Bourget du Lac.

Thanks to its western and southern exposure, the beach at Aix les Bains is ideal for long evenings by the lake, watching the sun set.

Chambéry, Geneva and Annecy are within easy reach by train.

For a magnificent view of the lake from higher up, you can choose between hikes on Mont Revard or Mont du Chat.

By train to Annecy

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

The cathedral, castle, churches, alleyways and arcades give Annecy its medieval feel. As soon as you leave the station, you find yourself immersed in this environment.

Follow the small canals to reach the shores of the lake.

The Lake Annecy is renowned for the color of its water, turquoise as in a lagoon. The water temperature is perfect for summer bathing, and the scenery, including the sunset from La Tournette, makes it a great place to relax.

Crossing the 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 to the foot of the Annecy le Vieux hill.

The entire north shore of the lake offers a magnificent view of the entire lake and surrounding mountains. What's more, there's a succession of water sports facilities 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'll be able to admire the different viewpoints and the beautiful shores along the way.

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

By train from Annecy, you can discover Geneva, Lac du Bourget, Chambéry and the Mont Blanc region.

Montreux, by train on the shores of Lake Geneva

Let's move on to Switzerland, on the shores of Lake Geneva.

Whether on the French side of the lake or the Swiss side, all the villages are well worth a visit. You can get to know them by reading the other articles devoted to them in this blog.

We chose Montreux, at the very end of the lake before entering the great Alpine valleys, for its festive, upscale atmosphere, making it an ideal vacation destination.

Montreux is the nerve center of the Swiss Riviera. It's famous for its Jazz Festival, the Comédie Festival, its statue of Freddy Mercury, its palatial hotels with their Belle Epoque architecture and its many festive events.

The walk along Lake Genevalined with cafés and restaurants on one side and flowerbeds and palm trees on the other, give Montreux a southern, almost Mediterranean charm. One almost forgets the mountains that dominate the French shore opposite. Or the snowier ones that can be glimpsed across 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. This incredible viewpoint is reached by rail. The whole lake is at your feet. Extraordinary at sunset.

Where to go by train from Montreux?

The vineyards of Lavaux, Lausanne, Vevey, the Valais, the Pays d'En-Haut, Gstaad... Switzerland is train country. 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 settings are sumptuous, and the colors and details will capture your gaze from start to finish.

Visit Thun by train

Just a few kilometers from Bern, Switzerland's federal capital, you reach the shores of Lake Thun. Lake Thunat the entrance to the Bernese Oberland.

Further afield, some of Europe's most beautiful mountains await you: Eiger, Jungfrau and Mönch. In fact, from Thun's lakeside or its castle, you can see their white mass contrasting with the blue of the lake on the horizon.

Why come to Thun?

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

The cobblestones, the arcades, the white facades, the bridges (some of which are covered), the locks, the château... all contribute to the authentic medieval ambience that adds such charm to your visit.

Yes, but what about the lake? Thun, like Annecy, doesn't lie on the edge of the lake, but occupies a small corner of it, where the River Aare flows out of the lake towards Bern.

Despite the lake's rather short shores, they nonetheless give you a glimpse of the extreme beauty of this lake and the surrounding region.

By train, you'll travel along the incredibly colorful Lakes of Thun and Brienz. You can also change at the Spiez or Interlaken stations for the Bernese Oberland mountains. You can visit Gstaad, Kandersteg, Mürren, Lauterbrunnen, Wengen, Grindelwald... All these charming little villages are within easy reach for a day trip from Thun.

Lucerne, to discover Lake Lucerne by train

You can't talk about Switzerland and Alpine lakes without mentioning the Lake Lucerne and its main city: Lucerne.

Lucerne is a real city, with wide streets, tall buildings and long lakeside promenades. Halfway between Zurich for its Alemannic architecture and rigor, and Geneva for its lakeside presence, Lucerne is a condensed version of Switzerland.

Lucerne's city center is built around the medieval core: small and large squares, colorful facades, pointed roofs and winding lanes.

The Pont de la Chapelle, 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 on its way to the Rhine.

Finally, the riverbanks offer views of this immense basin and the surrounding mountains.

Travel to Lugano by train and enjoy the mildness of Ticino

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

The best introduction to Lugano is by lake. Take a pedalo, or a boat, and stand a few blocks from the lake shore, opposite the city, at the end of the day.

Admire the sun beating down on the colorful facades of this hillside town.

The wooded hills surrounding the town culminate in Monte Bré. It can be reached by funicular directly from the Cassarate district to the west of Lugano. From this vantage point, at sunset, you can admire the sparkling waters of the lake. But you can also admire the wooded knolls that give relief to the shores of the lake opposite the city. One of these, Monte San Salvatore, lies at the other end of the gulf in which Lugano nestles. Its summit can also be reached by cable car.

From the belvedere, looking to the left and west, you'll notice this arm of the lake that plunges in like a fjord. It's already Italy! A few kilometers further on, you come to Menaggio, on the shores of Lake Como.

Lugano's city center, too, has a style more reminiscent of Italy than of German-speaking Switzerland, as can be seen in the colorful facades of the Piazza della Riforma. And with good reason: we're in the Canton Ticino (Ticino) Italian-speaking, with a culture strongly influenced by its proximity to Italy. This canton belonged to the Duchy of Milan until the 16th century, when it was ceded to the Helvetic Confederation.

Don't leave without visiting Villa Ciani, set in the middle of the park and now home to Lugano's Museum of Fine Arts.

By train, you can visit the rest of Canton Ticino, including the castles of Bellinzona, or make a foray into Italy to Como or Milan.

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

In Italy, the great lakes in the north of the country attract large numbers of tourists and holidaymakers every year, seeking out the beauty of the landscape, the luxury of villas and gardens, and the sunny Italian lifestyle.

Stresa has been a popular holiday resort since the 19th century. The many Liberty-style buildings and villas (Italian Art Nouveau) that line Corso Umberto I on the shores of the lake bear witness to this prosperous period.

The town center is easily accessible from the town's railway station, located on the Simplon line linking Milan to the Valais region of Switzerland. Its many shops and cafés, and the colorful facades of the buildings that line the labyrinth of alleyways, add a touch of cheerfulness.

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, with its Alpine garden below, awaits you for a beautiful hike. For the less sporty, you'll have to take the bus up to the top until the cableway reopens in summer 2025.

Without a doubt, one of Lake Maggiore's greatest wonders Lake Maggioreis the chain of islands facing Stresa and Verbania. These are the Borromean Islands. Made up of three islands, each with its own particularity, they are well worth a visit. You can do just that with the excellent shuttle boat service from Stresa or Verbania. It's a great way to spend an entire day, enjoying the scenery of islands in the middle of a very large lake.

Getting to Lake Como by train

How to get to Lake Como by train, and especially to its most touristic part, centered around Bellagio and the villages that face it on opposite shores of the lake, is more difficult than on the other lakes mentioned in this article.

Nevertheless, we've chosen Como as our base.

The alternative would have been to take the train up the line between Lecco and Colico, towards the Valtellina and get off at Lierna, Perledo or Varenna. Which would also have been a very good choice.

However, Como is a beautiful town, in a very green setting. It's very lively, with a flourishing economy, which in earlier times was based on textiles, silk in particular, and silkworm breeding.

Just an hour's train ride from Milan, a visit to this small town starts just a ten-minute walk from the station. We'll start in Piazza Cavour, and continue along the shores of the lake to discover some beautiful villas. The 18th-century Villa Saporiti, home to Napoleon Bonaparte, the 17th-century Villa Gallia and, finally, the Villa Olmo. The latter is the largest and probably the most sumptuous villa on Lake Como. Lake Como.

Lose yourself in the narrow, winding streets of the medieval town center, in search of the Cathedral and the Broletto, the town's landmark.

If you're a science lover, you'll notice that the city is often referred to as the "fairy town" of electricity. Indeed, Alessandro Volta, inventor of the electric battery (among other things), was born here. A museum dedicated entirely to him: the Voltiano Museum.

In Como, you already have a taste of what you'll 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. So it's not far at all, and you can spend a wonderful day visiting the magnificent Villas (Villa Carlotta, Villa del Balbianello, Villa Monastero, Villa Olmo, Villa Melzi...) as well as the forests and viewpoints around the lakeside villages.

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

The railroad only skims the southern part of Lake Garda. Two port towns have stations on the Milan-Verona-Venice line: Desenzano del Garda and Peschiera del Garda. To reach the north of the lake and Riva del Garda, take the Brenner line between Verona and Innsbruck and get off at Rovereto. From there, continue by bus.

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

This small village has a very advantageous location. A small hill at the rear of the town center offers a great view of the lake and surrounding mountains. You'll have a panoramic view of the lake and surrounding mountains in the distance. Visit Lake Garda is very large in its southern part. It really does feel like an inland sea, and seeing the distant landscape through the fog is sometimes difficult from the shore.

Secondly, it's a very pleasant town center to stroll through with an ice cream in hand, or a slice of pizza, depending on your mood, with a pretty little harbor where both pleasure boats and fishing boats are moored.

The village, full of flowers and well-kept, is just like all the other villages on this lake, where beauty, color and order come together.

From here, it's an easy drive to Sirmione, the natural, architectural and cultural pearl of Lake Garda. Not to be missed on any account.

You can also get there on foot or by bike, along the lake, with a break at the pretty Rivoltella pebble beach. 9km, well flat, isn't a great distance after all...

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

Take the train to Bled, Slovenia's famous lake

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

Two stations serve Bled: Lesce-Bled, five kilometers from the village center on the main line from Ljubljana, and Bled-Jezeron, a few hundred meters from the lake shore. The latter, however, is opposite the village of Bled, on the other side of the famous church-topped island in the middle of the lake.

But Bled is well worth a visit. It's a friendly little village with lots of flowers and restaurants serving Slovenian specialities and fish lined up along the promenade along the banks.

A medieval castle dominates the lake and village, just as it does in cloak-and-dagger stories. It seems inaccessible from the shore, but lanes lead up the slopes from the village and can be reached in a short stroll. From the plateau around the castle and the low-lying neighborhood, you can see fine views across the fields to the Alps.

Numerous boat rental companies and mini-cruise organizers enable you to get as close as possible to one of Slovenia's most photographed and famous churches.

You can cycle or walk around the lake: it's not very long, and you can take advantage of different viewpoints and changing light during the day to admire this little chapel on its island in the heart of Lake Bled.

From Bled, it's easy to take the train to Ljubljana, Slovenia's beautiful capital. Slovenia.

Going on a lakeside vacation in the Alps by train is actually quite easy. These ten destinations, each as interesting and enjoyable as the next, are just a small sample of all you can visit by train in the Alps.

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