The train window is the finest frame through which to see Europe. The continent was built around its railways — the Brenner Pass, the Rhine gorge, the Val d’Orcia, the Norwegian fjords, the Scottish Highlands — and no road or aircraft can show you what the railway does: the gradual revelation of landscape as the track curves, the intimacy of the valley floor, the castle appearing on the cliff above a medieval river town, the way Switzerland assembles itself outside the window as the Bernina Express climbs toward the Bernina Pass at 2,253 metres in air that is entirely, specifically Alpine.

Europe’s rail network covers 230,000 kilometres. It connects every capital city on the continent, every coastal resort, every ski village, every wine valley, and some of the finest landscapes on earth. And in 2026, it is expanding: the night train revival is the most significant shift in European travel culture in a generation, with new sleeper routes connecting Paris to Berlin, Brussels to Milan, and Basel to Copenhagen in the dark hours when you would otherwise be in an airport. The train is the most sustainable, the most social, and — when you choose the right journey — the most beautiful way to move across a continent.

This guide covers 101 essential train journeys in Europe — the legendary scenic routes, the high-speed intercity connections, the slow regional railways through landscapes no guidebook covers properly, and the night trains that carry you sleeping across entire countries.

The Legendary Scenic Journeys

Switzerland: The World’s Finest Rail Country

  1. Glacier Express: Zermatt to St Moritz (7 hrs 45 min) — Marketed as the world’s slowest express train, the Glacier Express is Switzerland’s most celebrated rail journey: 291 kilometres, 91 tunnels, 291 bridges, and the crossing of the Oberalp Pass at 2,033 metres — the highest rail pass in Switzerland. The panoramic windows of the purpose-built cars frame the Matterhorn from Zermatt, the Rhine Gorge (the Swiss Grand Canyon, where the Rhine cuts through white limestone walls 100 metres high), and the Engadin valley’s lake. Reserve panoramic car seats on the right-hand side westbound (Zermatt to St Moritz) for the Matterhorn view at the start. Operates year-round; summer and winter are equally extraordinary.
  2. Bernina Express: Chur to Tirano (4 hrs) — The UNESCO World Heritage Railway: the RhB line over the Bernina Pass (2,253 metres — the highest railway crossing of the Alps without a tunnel) is the most dramatic single mountain rail journey in Europe. The Brusio spiral viaduct (the train completing a full 360° loop on an open viaduct to lose altitude — one of the most specific railway engineering achievements in the world), the Morteratsch Glacier visible from the window, and the descent through the Italian-speaking Poschiavo valley to Tirano on the Lombardy plain. The combination of Swiss and Italian landscapes in a single journey is entirely specific to this route.
  3. GoldenPass Express: Interlaken to Montreux (3 hrs) — The mountain and lake route connecting the Bernese Oberland to the Riviera: the Schynige Platte above Interlaken, the Simmental valley, the Pays-d’Enhaut with its painted farmhouses, and the descent to Lake Geneva with the Château de Chillon visible from the window above Montreux. The GoldenPass Express began operating through-trains in 2022 with a gauge-changing bogie system — the first metre-to-standard gauge through-train in Switzerland. The panoramic dome cars offer the finest elevated view of any Swiss train.
  4. Gotthard Panorama Express: Lugano to Flüelen (boat + train, 3.5 hrs) — Switzerland’s southernmost scenic journey: a lake steamboat from Lugano to Bellinzona, then the train northbound through the Val Blenio and over the original Gotthard route (pre-tunnel) with the spiral tunnels of Wassen (the same church visible three times from different elevations) and the Reuss gorge. A specific insight into the pre-Gotthard Base Tunnel engineering challenge.
  5. Lötschberg Mountain Rail: Spiez to Brig (1 hr) — The classic Lötschberg main line over the Lötschberg Pass (before the Base Tunnel diverted the ICE traffic underground): the original BLS route through the Kander valley and the Lötschental, with the Bietschhorn glacier visible at the pass and the Rhone valley revealed below Brig. The most architecturally complex short mountain railway in Switzerland.
  6. Montreux–Rochers-de-Naye Rack Railway — The cog railway from Montreux (Lake Geneva’s famous resort) to the summit of the Rochers-de-Naye at 2,042 metres: through the châlet villages above the lake, the marmot colonies at the higher elevations, and the summit view of Lake Geneva, the Swiss Alps, and on clear days the French Jura. The finest elevation change of any short Swiss railway, with the lake view from the summit as the reward.

Norway: Fjords, Mountains & Arctic Light

  1. Bergen Railway (Bergensbanen): Oslo to Bergen (7 hrs) — The finest railway in Northern Europe: 496 kilometres from Oslo’s fjord to Bergen’s harbour, climbing through the Numedal valley, crossing the Hardangervidda plateau (the largest mountain plateau in Europe, at 1,222 metres — through snow tunnels in winter), descending through the waterfalls of the Flåm valley junction, and arriving in Bergen with the Seven Mountains behind it. The Hardangervidda crossing — especially in October, when the plateau turns amber, and in January, when it is buried in snow — is among the finest single railway experiences on the continent.
  2. Flåm Railway (Flåmsbana): Myrdal to Flåm (55 min) — The steepest standard-gauge railway in the world without rack-and-pinion: a 20-kilometre descent of 866 metres from the Hardangervidda plateau to the Aurlandsfjord, with the Kjosfossen waterfall (the train stops for five minutes, and in summer a singer appears on the rock in a red dress — an officially choreographed spectacle of some surrealism), the Brekkefossen waterfall, and the arrival at the fjordside village of Flåm. The most dramatic 55 minutes of railway available in Europe.
  3. Rauma Railway (Raumabanen): Dombås to Åndalsnes (1.5 hrs) — The Norwegian railway that most visitors never take: the 114-kilometre line from the Dovre mountains to the Romsdalsfjord, passing through the Romsdalen valley with the Trollveggen (the vertical cliff face that is the highest rock wall in Europe at 1,000 metres) visible from the window. The Rauma River alongside the track, the Rauma Gorge, and the arrival at the sea fjord at Åndalsnes produce a journey that Norwegian railway enthusiasts consider more beautiful than the Flåm line.
  4. Nordland Line (Nordlandsbanen): Trondheim to Bodø (10 hrs) — The railway that crosses the Arctic Circle: the 729-kilometre journey from Trondheim northward through the Saltfjell mountains, over the Arctic Circle (marked by a white globe at the lineside station of Polarsirkelen), and along the coast to Bodø. In midsummer the entire journey is in daylight; in midwinter the train crosses the Saltfjell in polar night. The Arctic Circle crossing is marked by an announcement and a certificate available from the train staff.
  5. Ofoten Line (Ofotbanen): Narvik to the Swedish Border — The iron ore railway from Narvik on the Norwegian coast into Sweden: the most northern railway in Scandinavia, with the Rombaksfjord visible from the train and the ascent through the mountains above the treeline. The outbound journey on this line carries iron ore from the LKAB mine at Kiruna; the passenger train shares the same track through a landscape of extraordinary Arctic severity.

Scotland & Britain

  1. West Highland Line: Glasgow to Mallaig (5 hrs 20 min) — The most romantic railway in Britain: the line from Glasgow Queen Street through the Clyde Valley, Loch Lomond, Rannoch Moor (the largest and most desolate peatbog in Scotland — the train is the only crossing), the Glenfinnan Viaduct (the 21-arch concrete viaduct used in the Harry Potter films and the most photographed railway structure in Britain), and the coast to Mallaig with the Sound of Sleat and the Isle of Skye. The Friday afternoon departure from Glasgow, arriving Mallaig for the weekend, is one of the finest train journeys in Europe for atmosphere.
  2. Caledonian Sleeper: London Euston to Inverness, Fort William, Aberdeen & Edinburgh (overnight) — Britain’s only sleeper train: the nightly departure from London (now also calling at Birmingham since January 2026), splitting north of Crewe into the Highlander (to Fort William, Inverness, and Aberdeen) and the Lowlander (to Edinburgh and Glasgow). The Club Car dinner with Scottish produce, the arrival into the Highlands at dawn, and the specific pleasure of waking up in a different country than the one you went to sleep in. The Fort William portion arrives in the Great Glen at first light; the views of Ben Nevis from the sleeper window at 6am are the finest railway dawn in Britain.
  3. Settle–Carlisle Railway: Leeds to Carlisle (3 hrs) — The Victorian engineering masterpiece across the Pennines: the line built between 1869 and 1876 by the Midland Railway through terrain that most engineers declared impassable, with the Ribblehead Viaduct (24 arches, 400 metres long, 32 metres above the moorland), Dent station (the highest main-line railway station in England at 350 metres), and the Long Drag — the 25.7-kilometre climb from Settle to Aisgill summit. Celebrating its 150th anniversary in 2026 with special fare promotions.
  4. Kyle of Lochalsh Line: Inverness to Kyle (2.5 hrs) — The 82-kilometre branch line from Inverness to the ferry crossing to the Isle of Skye: through the Black Isle, across the Beauly Firth, and along the coast of Loch Carron to the terminus at Kyle. The Rob Roy country, the strathcarron hills, and the arrival with the Isle of Skye visible across the Loch Alsh produce the most remote branch-line experience in mainland Britain.
  5. Welsh Highland Railway: Caernarfon to Porthmadog (Narrow Gauge) — The narrow-gauge heritage railway through the Snowdonia National Park: from the Caernarfon castle waterfront, through the Aberglaslyn Pass gorge (the narrowest section of any railway in Britain), past Beddgelert, and down to Porthmadog and the estuary of the Glaslyn. The combination of the Welsh mountain landscape and the vintage steam locomotives makes it the finest narrow-gauge journey in Britain.

Ireland

  1. Dublin to Killarney via Limerick Junction — The cross-country journey through the heart of Ireland: the midland bogs of the Irish Midlands, the Golden Vale of Tipperary (the finest agricultural landscape in Ireland), and the arrival through the MacGillycuddy’s Reeks to Killarney. The Limerick Junction change (where the mainline junction operates without any station infrastructure — passengers change on the platform between trains) is the most specifically Irish railway experience.
  2. The Enterprise: Dublin to Belfast — The cross-border express: from Connolly to Lanyon Place via Drogheda, Dundalk, and Newry, with the Irish countryside revealing the absence of any visible border (the most civilised international boundary on the continent) in the most historically freighted 2-hour journey in the British Isles.

The Rhine, Moselle & German Scenic Lines

  1. Rhine Valley: Koblenz to Mainz (1 hr 15 min) — The UNESCO World Heritage Railway that most people take inadvertently: the train running along the Rhine’s east bank between Koblenz and Mainz passes the most concentrated castle landscape in Europe — the Marksburg (the only medieval Rhine castle never destroyed), the Pfalzgrafenstein island fortress, the Lorelei rock, and over 40 castles in 65 kilometres. The right-hand side westbound (Koblenz to Mainz) faces the Rhine and the castles; the left-hand side faces the east bank vineyards. The train runs every hour; reserve a window seat.
  2. Moselle Valley Line: Trier to Koblenz (2 hrs) — The riverside railway following the Moselle’s serpentine course: the most tightly terraced vineyard landscape in Germany, with the Bremm vineyard (the steepest in the world), the medieval wine towns of Cochem (with the Reichsburg castle above), Bernkastel-Kues, and the confluence with the Rhine at Koblenz. The afternoon sunlight on the Moselle vineyard slate terraces, reflected in the slow river, is among the finest light-and-landscape combinations in European railway travel.
  3. Black Forest Railway (Schwarzwaldbahn): Offenburg to Konstanz (2 hrs 45 min) — The most technically remarkable single-track line in Germany: 28 tunnels and 36 viaducts in 150 kilometres, the Hausach Spiral (where the track spirals to gain altitude), and the crossing of the Swabian Alb plateau before descending to Lake Constance. The engineering is the reason for the journey; the views of the Black Forest and the Bodensee are the reward.
  4. Eifel Line: Trier to Cologne (2 hrs 30 min) — The scenic regional line reopened in 2025 after catastrophic 2021 flood damage: through the Eifel volcanic landscape, the Prüm Valley, and the Kall station (the starting point for the Eifel National Park). The line’s restoration is the finest example of post-disaster railway infrastructure rehabilitation in recent European history.
  5. Zugspitze Rack Railway: Garmisch-Partenkirchen to Zugspitze Summit — The highest railway in Germany: the cog railway from Garmisch to the Zugspitze summit at 2,962 metres, the highest point in Germany. The combination of underground tunnel section and open alpine section, emerging above the cloud layer into the permanent glacier at the summit, is the most specific alpine rail ascent in Germany.

Austria & the Alps

  1. Semmeringbahn: Vienna to Graz via the Semmering (2.5 hrs) — The world’s first mountain railway, completed in 1854 by Karl Ritter von Ghega and immediately inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site: the track climbs from Vienna’s southern basin over the Semmering Pass (985 metres) in a series of viaducts and tunnels of extraordinary Victorian engineering ambition, with the Schwarza valley below and the Rax and Schneeberg mountains above. Every train from Vienna to Graz on the Südbahn uses this line.
  2. Arlberg Line: Innsbruck to Bregenz (3 hrs) — The spectacular trans-alpine railway connecting the Tyrolean capital to the Vorarlberg lake at Bregenz: through the Inn valley to St Anton, into the Arlberg Tunnel (the longest in Austria at 10.6 kilometres), emerging into the Klostertal above the Rhine valley. The approach to Innsbruck from the west — the city below the Nordkette range, with the Olympic Bergisel ski jump visible — is the finest urban train arrival in Austria.
  3. Salzburg to Villach via the Tauern Line — The cross-alpine route from Salzburg to Villach through the Tauern massif: the Schwarzach-St Veit spiral where the train gains altitude in two 360° loops, the Gastein Valley (with the famous spa resort of Badgastein and its waterfall visible from the train), and the Katschberg Pass. The Tauern Line carries some of the finest mountain railway scenery in Austria.
  4. Vienna to Venice Nightjet (9 hrs overnight) — ÖBB’s most romantic night train: departing Vienna Hauptbahnhof in the late evening, crossing the Semmering Pass in the dark (the illuminated viaducts visible from the sleeper window), and arriving at Venice Santa Lucia station at dawn, with the Grand Canal directly visible from the platform. The waking arrival into Venice — stepping from the train onto the waterfront — is the finest train arrival in Europe.

France & the TGV Network

  1. TGV Paris to Marseille (3 hrs 5 min) — The fastest regularly scheduled train in Europe: the TGV Duplex (double-decker), reaching 320 km/h on the LGV Méditerranée south of Lyon, connecting Paris Gare de Lyon to Marseille Saint-Charles in just over three hours. The transition at Valence — where the train leaves the Rhône Valley and accelerates onto the high-speed line — is the finest single acceleration experience in European rail travel.
  2. Paris to Mont Saint-Michel by TGV and Bus (4 hrs) — The combination journey to the most dramatic tidal island in Europe: TGV from Paris Montparnasse to Rennes (1.5 hrs), then coach to the island shuttle bus. The approach on the submersible tidal road (the causeway reopened to tidal flooding after the 2015 restoration) is the finest single approach to any heritage site in France.
  3. Bordeaux to Hendaye: The Basque Atlantic Line — The coastal railway from Bordeaux south through the Landes pine forest (the largest planted forest in Europe) and along the Côte Basque to Hendaye on the Spanish border: the approach to Biarritz from the north, with the Atlantic visible through the dunes, and the Spanish-Basque mountains rising above Hendaye.
  4. Lyon to Nice via the Rhône-Alps (TER) — The scenic regional service from Lyon south through Grenoble, the Romanche Valley, and the Col de la Croix Haute to Sisteron and the Durance Valley: one of the finest regional railway journeys in France, through the pre-Alps of the Dauphiné and the lavender plateau of the Haute Provence.
  5. Le Train Jaune: Villefranche-de-Conflent to Latour-de-Carol (3 hrs) — The Yellow Train of the Pyrénées: a metre-gauge railway climbing from the Têt valley at Villefranche to the Spanish border plateau at 1,592 metres, with open panoramic cars (in summer) giving the finest unobstructed view of the Pyrénées chain from the rail. The viaducts of Séjourné (the highest masonry railway viaduct in the world) and the descent from the Cerdagne plateau are the engineering centrepieces.

Spain & Portugal

  1. Trenhotel Francisco de Goya: Madrid to Paris (overnight) — The overnight train that has been running between Madrid and Paris for decades, carrying Spaniards and French travellers through the night via the Irún border crossing: the departure from Madrid Chamartín at 6:30pm and the arrival at Paris Austerlitz at 9am is the most civilised city-pair connection in Southwest Europe. The restaurant car serves Spanish wine and tapas until midnight.
  2. Madrid to Barcelona High Speed (AVE, 2.5 hrs) — Spain’s flagship high-speed connection: the AVE Renfe S-100 at 310 km/h between Madrid Atocha and Barcelona Sants, through the La Mancha plateau, the Sierra Morena, and the Ebro valley. The most punctual high-speed railway in Europe (AVE on-time performance exceeds 95%).
  3. Transcantábrico Gran Lujo: The Luxury Slow Train Across Northern Spain (8 days) — RENFE’s luxury tourist train: an 8-day journey along the northern coast of Spain from León to Santiago de Compostela, through the Picos de Europa, the Asturian coastline, Cantabria, and Galicia, with excursions to Santillana del Mar, the Altamira cave replicas, and the Romanesque churches of the Camino. The most comprehensive single railway luxury travel experience in Spain.
  4. Douro Line: Porto to Pocinho (3.5 hrs) — The Portuguese wine railway: the narrow-gauge line from Porto’s Campanhã to Pocinho in the Douro Superior, following the river Douro for 200 kilometres through the UNESCO-listed wine-growing terraces of the Port wine country. The section between Régua and Pinhão is the most visually complex wine landscape visible from any railway in the world — the terraced quintas rising 300 metres above the river bend.
  5. Lisbon to Sintra (45 min) — The commuter railway that delivers visitors to one of the finest palace landscapes in Portugal: from Rossio station in Lisbon to the fairy-tale palaces of Sintra (Pena Palace, Quinta da Regaleira, the Moorish Castle), through the coastal suburbs and the pine forests of the Serra de Sintra. The Rossio station’s neo-Manueline horseshoe arches are the finest station facade in Portugal.

Italy’s Scenic Lines

  1. Cinque Terre Express: La Spezia to Levanto (40 min) — The regional train that connects the five Cinque Terre villages: stopping at Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza, and Monterosso, with brief glimpses of the Ligurian Sea between the tunnel sections and the coastal approaches to each station. The pass covering unlimited daily rides (Cinque Terre Card) is the correct way to use the train as a discovery vehicle.
  2. Circumvesuviana: Naples to Sorrento (1 hr 10 min) — The line that connects Naples to Pompeii, Herculaneum, and Sorrento along the southern shore of the Bay of Naples: the view of Vesuvius from the train at Ercolano, the Pompeii station’s archaeological park entrance directly opposite the platform, and the arrival at the clifftop station of Sorrento above the Bay of Naples. The most historically dense railway in Italy.
  3. Florence to Siena via the Scenic Route (1.5 hrs) — The slow regional train from Florence Santa Maria Novella to Siena via Empoli: through the Chianti hills, with the first views of the Sienese landscape revealing the rolling clay and limestone of the crete senesi. The approach to Siena from the north — with the Torre del Mangia and the Duomo visible as the train circles the city’s base — is the finest train arrival in Tuscany.
  4. Palermo to Agrigento (2 hrs) — The Sicilian cross-country line from Palermo through the interior of the island to Agrigento: through the sulphur mining towns of the Sicilian hinterland (the most specifically Sicilian landscape — abandoned industrial structures in the middle of the Mediterranean scrub) and the descent to the coast where the Valley of the Temples is visible from the train before the Agrigento station.
  5. Treno del Sole: The Long Italian Train Journey — Milan to Reggio Calabria (overnight) — The Intercity Notte from Milan to the toe of Italy: 1,200 kilometres through the Apennines, Campania, Calabria, and the Strait of Messina. The overnight journey carries you from the industrial north to the Greek-influenced deep south in a single movement; the crossing of the Strait (the train loaded onto the ferry at Villa San Giovanni) is the last train ferry in Western Europe.

The Night Trains of Europe

  1. ÖBB Nightjet Vienna to Venice (8.5 hrs) — Already mentioned (item 27), but the defining night train experience of the continent: the waking arrival into Venice Sta Lucia at dawn, stepping directly from the train to the Grand Canal waterfront. No transfer, no taxi — the train delivers you to the finest waterfront in Europe directly from your berth. Book the private mini-cabin (new for 2025) for the finest value private accommodation on any European sleeper.
  2. ÖBB Nightjet Vienna to Amsterdam (14 hrs) — The cross-continental night journey from the Austrian capital to the Dutch: through Germany, the Rhine Valley (crossing at Cologne in the early hours), and the Netherlands flat landscape at dawn. The Berlin stop at 4am is the only moment of the journey where you are awake between Austrian food and Dutch coffee.
  3. ÖBB Nightjet Zurich to Hamburg (12 hrs) — The north-south Alpine night train: from the Swiss lake to the North Sea harbour, crossing the Swabian Alb plateau, through Stuttgart, Frankfurt, and the Ruhr. The departure from Zurich HB in the evening and the arrival into Hamburg Dammtor at 9am covers the entire vertical axis of Central Europe in a single night.
  4. ÖBB Nightjet Salzburg to Rome (11 hrs) — The Alpine crossing to the Eternal City: through the Tauern line, across the Italian border at Brenner Pass, down the Adige Valley, through Bologna and Florence, and into Roma Termini at breakfast. The waking arrival into Italy — the landscape changing from pine forest to vine and olive as you rise from your berth — is the finest geographical transition available in any European sleeping car.
  5. European Sleeper: Brussels to Prague (via Berlin, 16 hrs) — The independent operator’s flagship service, running three times weekly from Brussels through Amsterdam, Berlin, and Dresden to Prague: the Good Night Train that has carried 230,000 passengers since its 2023 launch. Book a couchette (the 6-berth shared compartment) for the most social night train experience in Europe; book the private double berth for the most comfortable.
  6. European Sleeper: Paris to Berlin (16 hrs, relaunched 2026) — The route that European Sleeper revived in 2026 after ÖBB’s withdrawal: Paris Gare du Nord to Berlin Hauptbahnhof overnight, through Cologne and the Rhine Valley. From €69.99 in a shared couchette — the most significant sleeper bargain currently available on the Paris-Berlin axis.
  7. Caledonian Sleeper: London to Fort William (overnight) — Already mentioned (item 13): the Highland sleeper that wakes you in the Great Glen at the foot of Ben Nevis. The Club Car of the Caledonian Sleeper — serving Scottish gin, whisky, and breakfast with Scottish produce — is the finest train hospitality experience in Britain.
  8. SBB Basel to Copenhagen/Malmö (new, April 2026) — The brand-new Swiss Federal Railways sleeper launched in April 2026: from Basel across Germany and Denmark to Copenhagen, with the Øresund Bridge crossing to Malmö. The first direct sleeper connection between Switzerland and Scandinavia.
  9. PKP EN Carpatia: Warsaw to Vienna/Budapest (new, December 2025) — Poland’s new international sleeper: from Warsaw through Kraków and the Carpathian Mountains to Vienna, Bratislava, and Budapest. The first Polish sleeper train into Central Europe since the post-Soviet era.
  10. Trenhotel Francisco de Goya: Madrid to Paris — Already mentioned (item 33), but worth emphasising as a sleeper: the overnight connection between the Spanish and French capitals via Irún is the finest value international sleeper in Southwest Europe, and the most civilised alternative to the Iberia or Air France shuttle.

The High-Speed Network

  1. Eurostar: London to Paris (2 hrs 20 min) — The train that changed European travel: the Channel Tunnel crossing, the transition from British to French signalling, and the arrival at Gare du Nord 2 hours and 20 minutes after leaving St Pancras International. The standard departure at 9:13am arrives at 12:47pm Paris time (1 hour ahead); the entire journey costs no more than a short-haul flight at book-in-advance prices and produces no in-flight service, no security theatre, and no carbon from aviation fuel.
  2. Thalys/Eurostar: Paris to Amsterdam (3 hrs 18 min) — The high-speed crossing of France and Belgium: through Lille, Brussels, Antwerp, and Rotterdam to Amsterdam Centraal. The new Eurostar-operated service (following Thalys’s absorption in 2023) is the finest city-pair connection in Northern Europe — and the Paris-Amsterdam journey covers two of the world’s most visited cities in the time it takes to clear security at Charles de Gaulle.
  3. ICE: Paris to Frankfurt (3 hrs 45 min) — The German-French high-speed connection: through Strasbourg (the finest historic city on any high-speed route in Europe, with the Cathedral visible from the train) and the Rhine crossing into Germany. The ICE 3 at 320 km/h on the German LGV equivalent (the Neubaustrecke) is the finest German high-speed experience.
  4. Frecciarossa: Milan to Naples (4 hrs 20 min) — Italy’s flagship high-speed: 700 kilometres from Milan through Bologna, Florence (with the Apennine tunnel), Rome, and the Campanian plain to Naples. At 300 km/h on the Italian AV network, the journey covers the full length of peninsular Italy with the architectural and gastronomic cultures of five distinct civilisations.
  5. AVE: Madrid to Seville (2.5 hrs) — The train that made Spain’s high-speed dream credible: opened for the 1992 Seville Expo, connecting the Spanish capital to the Andalusian capital through the La Mancha plain and the Sierra Morena. The most reliable high-speed connection in Spain and the gateway to southern Spain without a flight.
  6. Thalys to Bruges (2 hrs from Paris) — The connection that makes a day trip from Paris to one of Europe’s finest medieval cities practical: the Thalys or Eurostar to Brussels (1 hr 20 min), then IC to Bruges (1 hr). The finest city accessible for a day return from Paris by train.
  7. EC: Zurich to Vienna via Innsbruck (7.5 hrs) — The EuroCity connection through the Austrian Alps: from Zurich through the Inn Valley to Innsbruck, then east through the Salzach Valley to Salzburg and Vienna. The Innsbruck stop — the city at the base of the Nordkette range, with the Olympic ski jump above — is the finest city stop on any cross-alpine service.

The Urban & Regional Classics

  1. Paris Métro Line 6: Bir-Hakeim to Nation (elevated section) — The portion of Line 6 that runs above ground on an elevated viaduct, with the Eiffel Tower visible from the track at Bir-Hakeim: the finest urban train view in Paris, available for the price of a standard Métro ticket. The Eiffel Tower from the elevated Metro, at dusk, with the Seine below, is the finest free urban railway viewpoint in Europe.
  2. Stockholm to Gothenburg (3 hrs) — The Swedish high-speed connection through the Swedish heartland: from the capital to the west coast harbour, through the lake country of Södermanland and the forests of Halland. Sweden’s rail network is the most comprehensive in Scandinavia and the fastest-developing; new high-speed construction will reduce this journey to under 2 hours by 2030.
  3. Copenhagen to Malmö by Øresund Bridge (35 min) — The crossing of the Øresund: the 16-kilometre combined road and rail bridge (the longest in Europe when it opened in 2000), carrying the train from Denmark to Sweden at 200 metres above the strait. The transition from underground tunnel on the Danish side to elevated bridge on the Swedish side, with the sound and Malmö visible ahead, is the most dramatic single train arrival in Scandinavia.
  4. Helsinki to St Petersburg (suspended) — The Allegro high-speed train between Finland and Russia was suspended in 2022 following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine; its resumption, when political conditions allow, will be one of the most significant European rail reopenings. The 3.5-hour journey between the Finnish capital and the former Russian imperial capital on a Finnish-designed Pendolino at 220 km/h was one of the finest short international connections in Eastern Europe.
  5. Vienna U-Bahn Line U4: Heiligenstadt to Schönbrunn — The most architecturally beautiful urban Metro in Europe: the Vienna U4 runs on the original Stadtbahn tracks designed by Otto Wagner in 1898, with his stations (Hietzing, Schönbrunn, Kettenbrückengasse) as Art Nouveau masterpieces of platform design. A day ticket for the Vienna U-Bahn gives access to the finest collection of Art Nouveau station design on any urban rail network.

Eastern Europe & the Balkans

  1. Budapest to Bratislava to Vienna (2 hrs 40 min) — The Danube cities triangle: the high-speed connection that links three Central European capitals in a single corridor, each separated by less than an hour. Budapest Keleti’s 19th-century hall, Bratislava’s curve above the Danube, and Vienna Hauptbahnhof’s contemporary terminus are three entirely different architectural expressions of the same Central European railway culture.
  2. Prague to Vienna (4 hrs) — The rail connection between the Czech and Austrian capitals: through the Bohemian highlands, the Dyje River valley, and the Marchfeld plain to Vienna. The EC train (RailJet, ÖBB’s finest daytime train) covers the route with the finest on-board service in Central Europe.
  3. Budapest to Bucharest (12 hrs) — The overnight train through the Carpathian Basin: from the Hungarian capital across the Transylvanian Alps to the Romanian capital. The Dacia Express — the train that has connected these cities since the Communist era — passes through Transylvania’s medieval Saxon towns (Sinaia, Predeal, Braşov) and the Prahova valley in the daylight section. One of the great surviving international trains of Eastern Europe.
  4. Belgrade to Bar: The Trans-Balkan Railway (11 hrs) — The most dramatic railway in the Balkans: the 476-kilometre line from Belgrade through the Serbian heartland, ascending the Kolašin plateau in Montenegro through 254 tunnels and 435 bridges (the most tunnels-per-kilometre ratio of any main line in Europe), with the Mala Rijeka viaduct (the highest railway bridge in Europe at 200 metres above the gorge) as the centrepiece. The route is best done as a day train in summer (northbound from Bar gives better views of the canyon section in morning light).
  5. Warsaw to Kraków (2 hrs 15 min) — Poland’s finest intercity connection: the PKP Intercity Pendolino between the Polish capital and the former royal capital, through the Małopolska plain. Kraków’s Wawel Castle visible from the viaduct approach to the city is the finest train arrival in Poland.
  6. Vilnius to Riga to Tallinn: Baltic Rail Circuit (10 hrs total) — The new Rail Baltic timetable connecting the three Baltic capitals: the journey south to north through a landscape of forest, lake, and the specific atmospheric quality of the Baltic states. The stop at Sigulda (the Latvian Switzerland, in the Gauja valley) is the finest intermediate stop. The connection to the Tallinn ferry to Helsinki adds a sea crossing to what can become a continuous train-and-ferry journey from Warsaw to Helsinki.
  7. Sofia to Istanbul (8.5 hrs) — The Bosphorus Express: the train from the Bulgarian capital to the Turkish megalopolis, through the Thrace plains, the crossing of the Bulgarian-Turkish border at Kapıkule, and the arrival at Istanbul Sirkeci station (the original Orient Express terminus). The most historically charged railway arrival available in Europe, arriving at the station built by Jasmund in 1890 as the eastern terminus of the most famous train journey in history.

The Luxury & Heritage Trains

  1. Venice Simplon-Orient-Express: Paris to Venice (overnight, 2 nights) — The Belmond luxury sleeper in the original 1920s and 1930s carriages: the most celebrated train journey in the world, with Art Deco wood marquetry, silver service dining, and the full theatrical experience of the grand era of European rail travel. The Paris to Venice route (via Vienna) operates March to November; the price includes all meals and accommodation. The equivalent of a floating-palace experience, on rails.
  2. Royal Scotsman: Scottish Highlands Circuit (4–7 days) — The Belmond luxury train through the Scottish Highlands: a 4–7 day circuit from Edinburgh through the Cairngorms, the Great Glen, the west coast, and the islands (day excursions), with Scottish produce in the dining car and the Observation Car for the landscape. The most exclusive land-based travel experience in Britain.
  3. El Transcantábrico Gran Lujo: Northern Spain — Already mentioned (item 35): the 8-day journey from León to Santiago with the finest Spanish regional cuisine served in the dining car and a landscape of total contrast to the high-speed AVE Spain visible from the south.
  4. The Jacobite Steam Train: Fort William to Mallaig (2 hrs) — The steam-hauled heritage service over the West Highland Line’s final section: departing Fort William twice daily in summer, crossing the Glenfinnan Viaduct (the Harry Potter viaduct) and arriving at Mallaig with the Small Isles visible across the Sound of Sleat. The most emotionally affecting short steam journey in Britain and the most specifically Harry Potter railway experience available.
  5. Glacier Express First Class with Panoramic Window — The Glacier Express upgrade from standard to Excellence Class (the new 4-seat bistro car with the finest panoramic windows in any Swiss train, individually adjustable lighting, and a 4-course menu of Swiss regional cooking) transforms the journey from a spectacular railway experience to the finest single day of Alpine travel available to a tourist.
  6. El Expreso de La Robla: Bilbao to León (2 nights) — The narrow-gauge steam railway across the Cantabrian mountains: a heritage tourist train covering 330 kilometres of the original 1894 La Robla mining railway, through the mining towns of the Asturian coalfields and the Cantabrian coastal towns. The most specifically industrial heritage train journey in Spain.
  7. The Inlandsbanan: Kristinehamn to Gällivare (13 hrs, 2 days) — The Swedish forest railway: the 1,300-kilometre inland line from the Lake Vänern region to the Arctic Circle, through the boreal forest and tundra of the Swedish interior. The moose warnings (the train staff announce moose sightings from the cab), the midnight sun section north of the Arctic Circle, and the arrival at the LKAB iron ore mine at Gällivare are the three most specifically Swedish moments on any European railway.

The Great Railway Passes & Multi-Journey Routes

  1. Interrail Global Pass: A Month Across Europe — The original pan-European rail pass, still the finest single travel product for covering maximum European railway territory at minimum cost: from €544 for a 22-day Global pass covering 33 countries. The Interrail pass covers the standard fare of every night train in the guide (ÖBB Nightjet, Caledonian Sleeper, European Sleeper) with a supplement for sleeping accommodation. The most comprehensive single travel investment available for European rail.
  2. The Grand Swiss Rail Journey: Geneva to Lugano via GoldenPass, Glacier Express & Bernina Express (3 days) — The combination journey covering Switzerland’s three great scenic railways in sequence: Geneva to Zweisimmen by regional train, GoldenPass Express to Chur, Glacier Express to St Moritz, Bernina Express to Lugano by Tirano connection. Three days, three UNESCO-listed or internationally celebrated rail routes, the complete survey of Swiss mountain scenery.
  3. The Classic Interrail Route: London to Istanbul (5–7 days) — The original 1970s backpacker route, still possible: Eurostar to Brussels, RailJet to Vienna, EC to Sofia, Bosphorus Express to Istanbul. The route passes through 9 countries and every major architectural tradition of European civilisation. The night train from Sofia to Istanbul is the most historically resonant final leg.
  4. The Scandinavian Triangle: Copenhagen to Oslo to Bergen to Stavanger (4 days) — The Nordic rail circuit: Copenhagen to Oslo by day train (through the Øresund Bridge and the Swedish heartland), Oslo to Bergen on the Bergen Railway, Bergen to Stavanger by the Jæren Line (the coastal railway through the Viking heartland), and Stavanger back to Oslo. The complete Scandinavian rail experience in four days.
  5. The Balkan Rail Journey: Budapest to Athens (3 days) — The surviving south-east European train network: Budapest to Belgrade (4 hrs), Belgrade to Thessaloniki overnight (8 hrs), Thessaloniki to Athens (5 hrs). Three countries, the Balkan interior, the Vardar Valley, and the Greek northern coastline in three days of train travel through the least-touristed railway corridor in Europe.

Hidden & Unexpected Rail Journeys

  1. Transylvania Circuit: Braşov to Cluj-Napoca (4.5 hrs) — The Romanian railway through the Transylvanian plateau: past the Saxon cities of Sighişoara (the finest medieval fortified town in Romania), the Mureş valley, and the entrance to the city of Cluj with the Gothic Cathedral visible from the viaduct. One of the finest regional train journeys in Eastern Europe.
  2. The Douro Steam Train: Porto to Pocinho (summer special) — The vintage steam excursion on the Douro Line: the Comboio Histórico da Linha do Douro operates on weekends in summer between Régua and Tua, hauled by a 1923-vintage 0-4-6T steam locomotive through the finest wine landscape in Portugal.
  3. The Bernese Oberland Jungfrau Railway: Interlaken to Jungfraujoch (2 hrs) — The rack railway to the “Top of Europe”: from Interlaken East through Grindelwald or Lauterbrunnen to the Kleine Scheidegg junction, then the Jungfrau Railway through the 7-kilometre Eiger Tunnel to the highest railway station in Europe at 3,454 metres. The views from the terminus — the Aletsch Glacier (UNESCO World Heritage) extending 23 kilometres south — are the finest available from any railway station in the world.
  4. The Rigi Railways: Vitznau to Rigi Kulm — The world’s first mountain rack railway, opened in 1871 by Niklaus Riggenbach: the climb from Lake Lucerne’s edge to the Rigi summit at 1,797 metres, with the view of four Swiss lakes (Lucerne, Zug, Lauerz, and Zürich) visible simultaneously from the summit terrace. The technology that all subsequent rack railways are based upon.
  5. The Brienz Rothorn Railway: Brienz to Rothorn — Switzerland’s last steam-operated rack railway in regular service: the narrow-gauge line from Brienz on Lake Brienz to the summit at 2,244 metres, with vintage steam locomotives built between 1891 and 1996 (the line uses both original and modern steam power). The most specifically heritage-railway experience in the Alps.
  6. The Pinzgauer Lokalbahn: Zell am See to Krimml (1.5 hrs) — The narrow-gauge valley railway from the Salzburg lake resort to the base of the Krimml Waterfalls (the highest in Austria): through the Salzach valley and the Pinzgau farmland. The railway, operated since 1898, provides the best access to the Hohe Tauern National Park’s finest waterfall.
  7. The Harz Narrow-Gauge Railways: Wernigerode to Brocken Summit (1.5 hrs) — The steam railway to the summit of the Brocken (1,141 metres — the highest point in northern Germany): departing from the half-timbered medieval town of Wernigerode, climbing through the spruce forests of the Harz National Park on metre-gauge track hauled by a 2-6-2T steam locomotive. The summit view — across the flat north German plain to the north and the Thuringian Forest to the south — and the mythology of the Brocken (Walpurgisnacht, Goethe’s Faust) make it the most atmospherically charged short railway ascent in Germany.
  8. The Schafbergbahn: St Wolfgang to Schafberg (35 min) — The rack railway from the Wolfgangsee lakeside to the summit above Salzburg’s lake district: the most specifically Sound of Music railway, with the views of the Salzburger Seenland and the Austrian Pre-Alps that the film made globally famous. The steam locomotives (rebuilt from the 1893 originals) and the open observation car make it the finest short steam railway ascent in Austria.
  9. The Pöstlingbergbahn, Linz (15 min) — The steepest adhesion urban tram railway in the world (11.4% gradient): from the Linz centre to the Pöstlingberg church at 539 metres, with the Danube valley and the Upper Austrian plain visible from the terminus. The oldest urban hillclimb railway still in operation.

The Railways of the Mediterranean & Islands

  1. Ferrovia Circumetnea: Catania to Riposto via Etna (3.5 hrs) — The narrow-gauge railway circling the base of Mount Etna: from Catania through the lava-flow landscapes of the volcano’s lower slopes, the citrus and hazelnut groves, and the volcanic towns of Bronte (pistachio capital of Italy), Adrano, and Randazzo. The most specific Sicilian railway experience: through a landscape that is entirely the product of Etna’s geological personality.
  2. Trenino Verde, Sardinia (summer) — The narrow-gauge heritage railway network of Sardinia: four operating lines through the Campidano plain, the Barbagia highlands, and the Sulcis mineral district, operated by Ferrovie della Sardegna on summer weekends. The Mandas to Laconi section (through the Gennargentu foothills) and the Arbatax to Mandas section (through the Ogliastra coast) are the finest combinations of Sardinian interior and coastal scenery.
  3. The Mainline Ferry: Reggio Calabria to Messina (20 min) — The train ferry across the Strait of Messina: the last carriage-carrying train ferry in Western Europe, loading the Intercity Notte train onto the Ferrovie dello Stato ferry at Villa San Giovanni for the 20-minute crossing. The moment of arrival into Sicily — the rail ferry making the 2-kilometre crossing with Etna visible to the northeast — is the most dramatically staged railway arrival in Italy.

Planning, Passes & the Practical Guide

  1. The Interrail/Eurail Pass System — The backbone of independent European rail travel: the Interrail pass (for European residents) and Eurail pass (for non-European visitors) cover standard fares on the national railways of 33 European countries, with reservations required for high-speed trains (TGV, AVE, Frecciarossa, ICE, Thalys) and sleeping accommodation supplements for night trains. The mobile pass (on the Eurail/Interrail app) replaced the paper pass in 2022; the system has been continuously improved. The 15-day Global Pass is the finest value for a three-week European journey.
  2. Booking Night Train Berths: The Practical Guide — ÖBB (oebb.at) for Nightjet; sleeper.scot for the Caledonian Sleeper; europeansleeper.eu for the European Sleeper; sbb.ch for the new Swiss night trains. Book 3–6 months in advance for summer departures; book immediately on the day bookings open for Christmas and New Year departures. The private couchette/mini-cabin is always worth the upgrade over the shared couchette for solo travellers; the 2-berth private compartment is the finest value per person for couples.
  3. The Climate Case for Train Travel — A return flight from London to Rome emits approximately 234 kg of CO2 per passenger; the same journey by Eurostar to Paris + TGV to Turin + Frecciarossa to Rome emits approximately 18 kg CO2 — a 93% reduction. The EU’s 2030 target of doubling high-speed rail capacity and the ongoing Nightjet expansion make European rail travel faster, cheaper, and more comprehensively networked each year.
  4. The Best Train Station Architecture in Europe — The journey begins at the station: Helsinki Central (the finest Art Nouveau station in Scandinavia), Budapest Keleti (the finest 19th-century station hall in Central Europe), Antwerp Centraal (the finest neo-Baroque station in Belgium — often called the most beautiful station in the world), Zürich Hauptbahnhof (the largest station in Switzerland, with the night train platforms in the underground level), and Madrid Atocha (the botanical garden in the former concourse). Each is a destination before the train departs.
  5. The Perfect Day by Train: Zurich to Venice (9 hrs, 2 changes) — The finest single-day train journey across the Alps: Zurich HB at 8:03am, EC to Lugano (via the Gotthard Base Tunnel, the world’s longest railway tunnel at 57 kilometres), change at Lugano for the regional to Locarno (or continue to Milan), EC from Milan to Venice Santa Lucia, arriving 5:07pm. Two countries, three language zones, the world’s longest tunnel, Lake Lugano, the Po plain, and the Venetian lagoon — all in a single day.
  6. The First Train of the Morning, Anywhere in Europe — On any morning of your European rail journey, take the first train. Not the comfortable 9am express, but the 5:45am regional departure from the smaller station, carrying the commuters and the market traders. Watch Europe wake up from a train window: the mist on the fields, the lights on in the farmhouses, the first light on the mountain, the station cat sleeping on the platform bench, and the conductor who has done this run for 20 years and knows every fieldstone wall and every curve. The train at first light, anywhere in Europe, is the most honest and the most specific encounter with the continent that any form of travel provides. This is what the railways were built for: not the Glacier Express, not the Orient Express, but this — the ordinary extraordinary motion of a continent going about its morning.

Quick Reference

JourneyDurationType
Glacier Express (Zermatt–St Moritz)7h 45mScenic panoramic
Bernina Express (Chur–Tirano)4hUNESCO mountain
Bergen Railway (Oslo–Bergen)7hFjord highland
Flåm Railway55mWorld’s steepest
West Highland Line (Glasgow–Mallaig)5h 20mHighland classic
Caledonian Sleeper (London–Scotland)OvernightLuxury sleeper
Settle–Carlisle (Leeds–Carlisle)3hVictorian moors
Rhine Valley (Koblenz–Mainz)1h 15mCastle corridor
Douro Line (Porto–Pocinho)3h 30mWine valley
Venice Simplon-Orient-Express2 nightsLuxury heritage
ÖBB Nightjet (Vienna–Venice)9h overnightNight train
Eurostar (London–Paris)2h 20mChannel Tunnel
Belgrade to Bar11hBalkan dramatic
Jungfrau Railway (to summit)2hHighest in Europe

Booking essentials: interrail.eu · eurail.com · oebb.at · europeansleeper.eu · sleeper.scot · sbb.ch · seat61.com (the finest independent guide to booking European trains)

Europe’s railways are the continent’s finest infrastructure — older than its motorways, more scenic than its flight paths, and more civilised than either. Board the train. Take the window seat. The continent will come to you.

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