The greatest train journey on Earth? The actor Ian Holm picks his perfect rail trip

This six-hour train ride reveals known and little-known worlds. The direct train pulls away from Gare de Lyon and heads southwards almost the whole length of the French countryside.

Gazing out of the window of the moving train, the view conjures up a deluge of colour like a stained-glass window: rhubarb reds and greens; purples and cinnamon dissolving as the train speeds down the Rhône Valley.

When you pass the historic city of Avignon and cross the Rhône you should be able to glimpse the Palais des Papes and the four surviving arches of Pont Saint-Bénézet (better known as the Pont d’Avignon of the nursery rhyme).

Then you will begin to experience the French Riviera: small seaside towns are all part of the last stretch of your journey. Certain villas stand out from all else in the overpopulated hills, and if you’re lucky you’ll see the sunlight leaping across the land. 

Why have you chosen this particular journey?

It is a journey I have taken many times, ending with a stay at Colombe d’Or in Saint-Paul de Vence, which became a second home during a time in my life when I was not particularly well. They were always very kind to me, so I’ll know where I am heading, which will add to the excitement.

My wife and I always made sure we had breakfast in the dining room at Le Train Bleu before boarding – and for this journey we will repeat it. The restaurant always sets the scene, as it is beautiful and romantic – just like what is to follow. The restaurant has appeared in many films, perhaps most famously in Nikita.

So the journey includes the station we are leaving from and I know that by the time I reach the coast, I will have seen and have a sense of France.

Who would you like to be sitting next to or opposite? 

Someone a little less talkative than Sir Christopher Lee [who died in 2015]. I once travelled with him to New Zealand where we were filming The Lord of the Rings, and let’s just say I would not want those hours repeated. He talked a lot and so it was daunting to find I was sitting next to him on such a long journey. I did like him very much, but I want peace when I travel. Who would I like to be sitting opposite? My wife of course – Sophie de Stempel, whom I married in 2003.

When you look out of the window, what do you hope to see?

Mighty oak, black pine, sycamore, silver fir! What trees! Motionless, except for the crows’ nests, which give the slightest sway. And I also look forward to the stretch where the train follows the sea, as it signals we are nearing our destination.

Your choice of one album and a favourite book to take with you? 

Lena Horne would be my choice. Her live album from 1957, Lena Horne at the Waldorf Astoria, which features a Cole Porter melody and the song A New Fangled Tango. As for a book, The Complete Works of Shakespeare – but if I may slip something else between the pages, a copy of Moonlight by Harold Pinter, which he wrote for me. I played the part of Andy Bell. It was first performed at the Almeida Theatre in 1993 and was my return to the theatre after a long break. 

Are you going to something or away from something? 

Definitely away from something. I have a number of ex-wives.

When your train goes into a tunnel, what is your first thought? 

My dog Feido. He was a mongrel whom I bought in a pet shop in London. He was my companion during the Eighties and I still miss him.

When a train travels in the opposite direction, what do you see in the passing carriages? 

I’m reminded of the scene in Harold Pinter’s "Lola" where two former lovers share a glance: “The incident, which contained a dark-eyed dark-haired girl, in a train leaving Paris, in a window passing. A dawning sunset. You both had loved, years before. She looked at you, through grazing light. You saw. She had not forgotten you.” 

When the train stops at a station, who do you call?

I don’t move. I don’t get up. I stay exactly where I am, in my seat. I’m much too involved in my own thoughts.

Who would you like to say sorry to?

No one. I think and hope I have been generally kind.

If you fall asleep, who wakes you before you reach your destination? 

My wife. Even now, when I wake up in the night, I will immediately call out for Sophie – and there she is by my side. She never fails me. Before I know it, she is finding out what I need and how I am.

If you were leaving a gift for someone who takes up your seat, what would it be? 

I’d leave everything. The person who chooses my seat can have it all.

Who is meeting you? 

Emmanuel. We first met when I was being treated in the Princess Grace Hospital. He has become my right hand. He’s my butler, chauffeur, and bodyguard. But above all he has become my friend. 

Interview by Simon Astaire