The Train des Pignes is a narrow-gauge railway that connects Digne-les-Bains to Nice, winding 150 kilometres through mountain valleys, gorges, and high plateaux that no other line reaches. The journey takes about three and a half hours on the modern diesel trains that run the regular service, and the scenery through the Gorges du Verdon approaches and the high Var valley is as dramatic as any rail journey in France.
It is the best reason to visit Digne for many travellers. The line passes through villages inaccessible by road, climbs to over 1,000 metres through pine forests, and crosses viaducts above river gorges. From Nice, the train climbs steadily inland through Entrevaux (worth a stop — it has a Vauban citadel) and Annot, both of which have good walking from the stations. The heritage steam train, run by volunteers on summer weekends, follows part of the same route with older carriages and considerably more drama.