The Yellow Train, also known as the canary due to its color, connects Villefranche-de-Conflent (427 metres altitude) to Latour-de-Carol (1232 metres) over a distance of 63 km, climbing 1200 vertical metres to Bolquère, the highest ski station in France at 1593 meters. The full journey takes three hours which will give you time to photograph the landscape of the valley of the Tet and Cerdan plateau.

In the early twentieth century, the railway line carrying the famous Yellow Train (Train Jaune) was built to link the high Catalan plateaux to the rest of the region. Work began in 1903 and by 1910 connected Villefranche-de-Conflent to Mont-Louis. The final stretch was completed in 1927 reaching Latour-de-Carol.

Today it follows its original route through an environment of magnificent mountain scenery. Laying the track required the construction of 650 engineering masterpieces, including nineteen tunnels and two remarkable bridges, the Séjourné Viaduct (suspended 65 metres above the ground) and the Pont Gisclard (80 metres above a precipice), allowing the Yellow Train to chug along the contours of the mountains.

The line runs all year round, serving 22 different stations. During the summer season, the Yellow Train has open wagons for a real mountain experience – you’ll embark on a fascinating journey through the Pyrenees. From one station to the next, there’s an entire heritage to discover (Text CDT Pyrénées-Orientales).

The track passes through nineteen tunnels (including one tunnel 337 metres long at Planes, and the Pla de Llaura tunnel near Ur, 380m long) as well as passing over numerous bridges.