Scenic route
Marseille–Briançon
Marseille → Briançon · France
View on the map →Wikipedia (FR) ↗
The Durance valley all the way up: Aix, Sisteron’s citadel, Gap, Embrun above the lake, and the highest town in France at the buffer stops.
How this line was checked
- Line drawn from OpenStreetMap relation 974478 — the same nodes OpenStreetMap holds for this railway, thinned to within 43 m of them
- Checked against OpenStreetMap: the whole line lies on real track, a median 11 m from it
- Checked against the running timetable via ÖBB Scotty: our line sits 0.1 km from the shape of TER 17402
- Wikipedia has an article for this line
- See for yourself: open this line on the map with OpenStreetMap's own railway drawn underneath it
Questions and answers
How long is the Marseille–Briançon?
The Marseille–Briançon runs 299 km from Marseille to Briançon.
How long does the Marseille–Briançon take?
The fastest scheduled journey is ≈ 4 h 45 min for the 299 km. That is an average of 63 km/h end to end. The line's top service speed is 120 km/h.
Who runs the Marseille–Briançon?
SNCF.
How old is the Marseille–Briançon?
The line has been in service since 1884. That is the year the atlas dates it from: for a modern brand running over an older railway, it is the railway's date, not the brand's.
How often does the Marseille–Briançon run?
3 direct trains on a weekday (counted on 2 September 2026).
More scenic routes
- Glacier Express
“The world’s slowest express”: 291 bridges, 91 tunnels and the 2,033 m Oberalp Pass at an average of 36 km/h.
Wikipedia ↗ - Bernina Express
A UNESCO World Heritage railway: 7 % grades with no rack, the Brusio spiral, and the highest rail crossing of the Alps at 2,253 m.
Wikipedia ↗ - Bergensbanen
Northern Europe’s highest main line: over the bare Hardangervidda plateau at 1,237 m, through 182 tunnels.
Wikipedia ↗ - West Highland Line
Regularly voted the world’s most scenic railway: around Rannoch Moor and over the 21-arch Glenfinnan Viaduct of film fame.
Wikipedia ↗
More train routes in France.