Some Christmas trips take you to Europe’s best festive spots. Our Europe Christmas extravaganza takes you there by train.
One minute, you’re chugging through the Ore Mountains on a steam train, watching the snow pile up on the tracks. Next, you’re pulling into a medieval town where mulled wine and roasted chestnuts are waiting.
There’s Vienna’s grand concert halls, lakeside Christmas markets you can only reach by boat, and mountain railways climbing higher than you thought trains could go.
Ticking four countries (Czech Republic, Germany, Austria and Hungary) off in 17 days, this Rail trip is packed with some of the most legendary train rides Europe has to offer, seemingly hundreds of fairy-lit Christmas markets, and more snow than you’ve ever seen in your life!
Here’s a closer look at some of our favourite bits…
🚂 Steam, Snow & the Fichtelberg Railway
Some trains get you from A to B. Others make the journey the main event. The Fichtelberg Railway is one of the latter. Chugging through the Upper Ore Mountains on a historic narrow-gauge steam train, this ride is all about the experience.
The 237-metre climb to Germany’s highest town, Oberwiesenthal, takes about an hour but you’ll barely notice the time passing. Between the twists, tunnels and snow-covered valleys, you’ll be too busy watching the winter scenery roll past through clouds of billowing steam.
Oh, and if the weather plays nice, expect the train to be ploughing through a fresh dusting of powder, making this ride feel straight out of a Christmas storybook.
🎄Set Sail To… A Christmas Market
Most people walk to Christmas markets. You’ll arrive by boat.
After riding Austria’s steepest cogwheel railway up Schafberg Mountain, the adventure keeps going with a Christmas cruise across Lake Wolfgangsee. Docking at three different lakeside villages, the idea is to go on a Christmas crawl through Austria’s small towns.
First stop is St Gilgen, where the Christmas market kicks off right on the lake with lanterns glowing, stalls packed with handmade gifts and that proper festive buzz in the air.
Over in St Wolfgang it’s all about tradition, with a market that’s been running for centuries set up right outside a 16th-century church, with mulled wine and roasted chestnuts on tap. Then there’s Strobl, where firepits crackle along the waterfront, fairy lights are everywhere and the whole place feels like it was made just for Christmas!
🎻 A Night of Classical Music in Vienna
Vienna’s Christmas lights are stunning. Its festive markets are world-class. But nothing quite compares to hearing a live classical concert in the city that gave us Mozart, Beethoven and Schubert. That’s why you’re off to a night at a grand concert hall!
As the lights dim, Silent Night, composed right here in Austria, fills the room, Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker sweeps through the strings, and Christmas classics have never felt this magical!
Then, it’s out into the crisp night air, where the city sparkles under its famous Christmas lights. The only thing left on the agenda is a mulled wine in the frosty air. Go on, you can do it.
You need a trip like this because…
Christmas at home is great – until it’s not. The weeks of planning, the last-minute shopping, the endless to-do lists. Instead of cooking for a crowd, you’ll be wandering through medieval Christmas markets with a mulled wine in hand.
Instead of cramming everyone into the house, you’ll be rolling through snow-covered mountains on Europe’s most scenic trains. And instead of dashing between supermarkets, you’ll be settling into a cosy café in Vienna, listening to a live orchestra play Silent Night.
All you need to do is pack your bag and show up. We’ll take care of the rest.