The most anticipated autumn rail link is back on track: from October 10 to November 15 the Foliage Train of the Vigezzina-Centovalli Railway returns to service, connecting Domodossola to Locarno. The route is the one between Italy and Switzerland: 52 kilometers, just under two hours per leg, with the landscape changing week after week.
Chestnut groves and beech woods, gorges, small towns and mountain slopes light up with the colors of autumn, from yellow to red, passing through all shades of orange. In recent years the line has also attracted the attention of international press. Everyone talked about it, but the most significant figure comes from the number of passengers that has allowed turning a railway line into a highly anticipated tourist itinerary year after year.
The Itinerary of the Foliage Train 2026
You can board from either terminus, Domodossola or Locarno. The special ticket is valid for a round trip and allows, if desired, a single intermediate stop along the route, either on the outbound journey or on the return. From Domodossola the train leaves the valley floor and climbs toward the Valle Vigezzo, the so-called Valley of the Painters.
Among the most frequented stops is Santa Maria Maggiore, a mountain village that during foliage weeks pairs the landscape with a calendar of events. On October 17 and 18 it returns, for the 21st edition, Fuori di Zucca, with a market, tastings and activities in the historic center. Further on you reach Re, with the Sanctuary of the Madonna del Sangue. Then the route changes its face. After crossing the border, the railway enters the Centovalli and begins the descent toward Lake Maggiore.
It is here that the journey offers some of the most spectacular views: deep gorges, forests on the slopes, small villages and sudden openings onto the landscape. One of the most appreciated stops is Intragna, a village known for its iconic bell tower that dominates the Ticino and for the Regional Museum of the Centovalli and Pedemonte. The itinerary’s terminus is Locarno, a Swiss town overlooking Lake Maggiore. Piazza Grande, the historic center and the lakeside promenade make it easy to extend the day before the return journey. From here, with a short bus connection, one can also reach Ascona.
Useful information: dates, prices and bookings
The Foliage Train 2026 will be in operation from October 10 to November 15. The period coincides with the phase when, normally, the forests traversed by the Vigezzina-Centovalli display the most intense autumn tones. Of course foliage remains a natural phenomenon: temperature, rainfall and the progression of the season can advance or delay the peak of colors.
The special ticket is valid for the round trip Domodossola-Locarno or Locarno-Domodossola.
Prices of the Foliage Train 2026
Here are the detailed prices for the foliage train for Autumn 2026:
- Midweek costs range from 36 euros in second class to 46 euros in first class;
- On Saturdays and Sundays prices rise to 42 euros and 51 euros respectively for second and first class;
- Children aged 6 to 15 pay half price while those under 6 travel free if they sit on a parent’s lap.
How the intermediate stop works
The ticket allows a single intermediate stop for the entire journey: you can place it on the outbound or on the return, not in both directions. Adding more stops can indeed block the purchase process. Anyone starting from Domodossola and who chooses, for example, to stop at Santa Maria Maggiore will have to separately book seats on the segments indicated by the system: Domodossola-Santa Maria Maggiore, Santa Maria Maggiore-Locarno and, for the return, Locarno-Domodossola.
There is, however, no fixed duration for the stop. The time spent in the selected location depends on the available schedules and can be freely decided by the traveler.
