2 min summary Map & highlights Balkans Booking international trains

Where to go on a Europe railway holiday

Use our map and highlights to discover where to go on a rail holiday in Europe. You might wind up exploring the Wild Atlantic Way in Ireland, cranking up mountains in Switzerland, or spend a week meandering through Tuscany. We’ve also spoken with our travel partners to get their top tips for travelling Europe by train.

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Where to go on a Europe
railway holiday

Few places in Europe are unreachable by rail. Train tracks stretch from the Arctic tundra and Norwegian fjords in the north to the fairer climes of Sicily and Athens. Fast trains zip between cities, so it’s only a 2.5-hour journey from London to Paris and 1.5 hours between Florence and Rome. Slower branch lines make the countryside accessible, with trains ambling through mountain villages and fishing harbours. The end of the line doesn’t have to mean the end of your adventure. You might wind up at a port where ferries scooch over to the Outer Hebrides, Greek Islands or Morocco.

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1. The Balkans
2. Ireland
3. Lapland
4. Italy
5. Switzerland
6. UK

The Balkans

1. The Balkans

Ride the Bar to Belgrade line from Montenegro to Serbia for dramatic gorges and turquoise lakes. You’ll cross the Mala Rijeka Viaduct – one of the highest railway bridges in the world. You can also spend the day trundling between Sarajevo and Mostar, learning about the impact of the Bosnian War from a local tour guide. Ljubljana, the leafy capital city of Slovenia, is a good starting point.

The Balkans

Ireland

2. Ireland

In Ireland, you can travel by train between waterside cities like Dublin, Cork and Galway, where pubs overflow with live music and great craic. From Galway, ferries ship you over to the Arran Islands and you can hike the Wild Atlantic Way. Roll on to explore the sandy surf around Sligo, before border-hopping to Belfast in Northern Ireland.

Lapland

3. Lapland

Yep, trains plough on past the Arctic Circle to Lapland. Catch the sleeper train from Helsinki to the port city of Kemi, where you can explore the pretty waterfront and candyfloss-pink Lutheran church. Then hop on the train to Rovaniemi – less than two hours away by rail. This city is your springboard to the Sami communities, forested national parks and Northern Lights beyond.

Lapland

Italy

4. Italy

Venice, Florence, Rome, Naples, Milan – all the star cities are connected by rail. Our rail holidays hop between them all, as well as throwing in a few lines you might not have considered. The Cinque Terre by train, anyone? Or how about the lakes? You can even head on to Switzerland – speaking of which…

Switzerland

5. Switzerland

Switzerland has the best train network in the world – and it’s 99 percent electric. It’s easy to sweep from Zurich to lovely Lucerne and past turquoise lakes in adventurous Interlaken. The mountain trains are a splash of scarlet against the green meadows and snow, climbing as high as Jungfraujoch – the highest train station in Europe (3,463m)… and with glacier views to boot.

Switzerland

6. UK

Almost every corner of the UK has a train station, from Cornish fishing villages to the lochs of Scotland. All manner of cities lies in-between – London and Liverpool; Bristol and Edinburgh – but you can also reach Welsh mountaintops, Sussex valley villages, Yorkshire moors and long-distance footpaths without ever getting behind the wheel.

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Europe railway holidays travel tips

We spoke with our rail travel partners to see what tips and tricks they’d share with travellers considering a railway holiday in Europe.

Robert Kidd, director of our partner McKinley Kidd, shares his top tips for rail travel in Scotland: “The Caledonian Sleeper service is wonderfully romantic, but actually if you want to sleep it isn’t that great. However, it is fantastic leaving London late at night and then waking up in the wilds of Scotland…. My top survival tip is: don’t bring so much luggage! We meet guests at each station, but you do need to be able to get your bag off a train and onto the platform… Sadly the food and drink on the trains are not great, so it is always good to bring your own snacks.”

Rachel Wasser, has some trips for travelling on night trains in Europe: “Pack a quick-dry face towel for the trains as it helps you stay feeling fresh. A head torch is useful for finding your way around or reading in bed. Slip-on sandals are great for wandering around. Earplugs and toilet paper are essential! Pack everything you will need for the journey in a day pack so you can stow your large luggage somewhere out of sight and you won’t have to dig around for anything. Bring lots of books and playing cards. A reusable mug and camping cutlery are also must-haves. Most trains provide boiled water, so pick up some hot chocolate packets, instant mashed potatoes or Pot Noodles, and you’re good to go.

“My main piece of advice is to explore. Don’t lock yourself in your cabin and just emerge at the next destination. Wander the train, hang out in the dining car – some of my best stories are from meeting friendly locals in the dining car. Mostly, just enjoy the ride!”

Petr Ivanek, from our partner Slovakia Explorer, says train travel is popular with his guests because it’s easy: “Ninety-nine percent of our guests use fast trains from Bratislava. The fastest trains get to the Tatra Mountains in about three hours. It’s a nice scenic journey as well, and it is part of the adventure. You spend a couple of days in the High Tatras – taking cable car to Lominsky Peak, the ‘roof of Slovakia’ (the views you get from there are amazing) – then you return to Bratislava… It’s gently adventurous, so anyone can take part.”

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Written by Catherine Roberts

Where to go on a Europe railway holiday