🏔️Europe's 10 Most Spectacular Train Journeys
Some train journeys are destinations in themselves. These routes wind through mountain passes, coastal cliffs, glacial valleys and medieval city centres that no airport or motorway can reach. Here are the ten routes every rail traveller should experience at least once.
🏔️Top 5 Scenic Routes
- 🇨🇭 Glacier Express (Zermatt → St. Moritz, 7h 45m) — 91 tunnels, 291 bridges, the "slowest express train in the world"
- 🇨🇭 Bernina Express (Chur → Lugano, 4h) — UNESCO World Heritage railway crossing the Alps at 2,253m
- 🇳🇴 Bergen Railway (Oslo → Bergen, 7h) — fjords, mountains and the iconic Flåm line connection
- 🇮🇹 Cinque Terre Coast (La Spezia → Levanto, 30m) — five pastel villages clinging to cliffs above the Ligurian Sea
- 🏴 West Highland Line (Glasgow → Mallaig, 5h 30m) — voted the world's greatest railway journey, including Glenfinnan Viaduct
🌅Next 5 Not to Miss
- 🇦🇹 Semmering Railway (Vienna → Graz) — the world's first mountain railway, UNESCO-listed since 1998
- 🇵🇹 Douro Line (Porto → Pocinho, 3h 30m) — terraced vineyards above the Douro river valley
- 🇧🇦 Šargan Eight (Bosnia, 3h) — a narrow-gauge spiral railway climbing the Mokra Gora mountain
- 🇪🇸 Transcantábrico (San Sebastián → Santiago, 8 days) — luxury slow train along Spain's wild northern coast
- 🇬🇷 Rack Railway (Diakofto → Kalavryta, 1h) — a steep cog-wheel line through the Vouraikos Gorge
📸Photography Tips
- Sit on the left side of the train (direction of travel) for Bernina Express — best glacier views.
- Board the Glacier Express at Zermatt for the most dramatic early section through the Rhône valley.
- The West Highland Line is best in spring (golden gorse) and autumn (red deer, orange bracken).
- For Bergen Railway, the stretch between Finse and Myrdal has the most dramatic mountain scenery.
💡Booking Advice
Panoramic trains fill up fast. The Glacier Express and Bernina Express are booked months ahead in summer — July and August are virtually sold out by April. Travel in May or September for the same scenery with far more seats available.
Booking tips
Panorama trains (Glacier, Bernina, Flåm) need reserved seats — often months ahead in summer. Regular scenic IC/EC legs can be booked closer to departure on EuroRail Times.
Price tips
Swiss panorama supplements add cost on top of the base ticket. Bundle scenic days into a Swiss Travel Pass or Interrail where it saves money, then add paid reservations.
Search live tickets
Compare schedules and book via All Aboard on EuroRail Times.
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