Food & Cuisine
The Most Breathtaking Train Journeys in Europe You Need to Take
The Most Breathtaking Train Journeys in Europe You Need to Take
There is a particular pleasure in train travel that flying has never replicated and probably never will: the slow, unfolding revelation of landscape. Mountains grow taller as you approach them. Rivers wind alongside the tracks. Villages appear and disappear. You arrive not at an airport located outside a city but at the center of it — often, in Europe, at a 19th-century station of great architectural beauty that announces the city before you've even set foot in it.
Europe's rail network is the finest on earth. High-speed lines connect major cities in hours; scenic mountain railways offer journeys measured in wonder rather than efficiency; sleeper trains deliver you overnight to destinations hundreds of kilometers away, with the unique pleasure of waking up somewhere new.
These are the journeys that transcend transport.
1. The Glacier Express — Switzerland (8 Hours)
Route: Zermatt to St. Moritz (or reverse) Duration: Approximately 8 hours Distance: 291 km
The Glacier Express is marketed as "the slowest express train in the world" — a self-aware acknowledgment that speed is entirely beside the point. The route crosses 291 kilometers of Swiss Alps, passing through 91 tunnels and over 291 bridges, climbing to the 2,033-meter Oberalp Pass — the highest point on the journey — before descending into the Engadin valley and St. Moritz.
The landscape changes constantly. Snow-capped peaks give way to deep gorges. Medieval villages perch on slopes that defy credibility. The Rhine Gorge — sometimes called the "Swiss Grand Canyon" — reveals itself as a dramatic scar in the landscape that the train clings to for several kilometers.
The panoramic windows of the dining car allow you to eat excellent Swiss food while watching one of the most beautiful landscapes in the world scroll past. This is not a journey you want to abbreviate.
Practical details:
- Reservation required (and panoramic upgrades available); book at least 2–4 weeks in advance in summer
- Eurail Pass valid with reservation supplement
- Operates year-round; winter scenery (December–March) is arguably the most spectacular
2. The Flåm Railway (Flåmsbana) — Norway (1 Hour)
Route: Flåm to Myrdal Duration: 1 hour each way Distance: 20 km
The Flåm Railway covers only 20 kilometers, but climbs 863 meters through some of the most dramatic mountain scenery in Scandinavia. On Norway's list of national tourist routes, it is consistently voted one of the world's most beautiful train journeys — a title supported by the evidence.
The train descends (or ascends) through snow tunnels blasted through granite, past waterfalls that emerge from cliff faces at impossible angles, and along valleys carved by glaciers into shapes that seem almost deliberate. At the Kjosfossen waterfall, the train stops for five minutes to allow passengers to step out and stand in the mist of a 93-meter cascade.
The Flåm Railway connects to the Bergen Railway at Myrdal, making it a natural component of the classic "Norway in a Nutshell" route that combines train, fjord boat, and bus for a comprehensive western Norway experience.
Practical details:
- Runs year-round; book in advance during summer (May–September)
- Flåm village, at the end of the Aurlandsfjord, is a beautiful base for a night before or after
- The return journey (Flåm to Myrdal) offers different perspectives from different seats
3. The Bernina Express — Switzerland/Italy (4 Hours)
Route: Chur or Davos to Tirano (Italy) Duration: 4 hours Distance: 144 km
A UNESCO World Heritage route (the Rhaetian Railway in the Albula/Bernina landscapes), the Bernina Express crosses the Alps between Switzerland and Italy in a sequence of engineering triumphs: the famous spiral viaducts at Brusio, the crossing of the 2,253-meter Bernina Pass (the highest transalpine railway in the world), and the descent into the Italian lake district around Tirano.
The route passes the Morteratsch Glacier — visible at close range and striking for both its beauty and its visible retreat as a measure of climate change. In winter, the entire route operates under snow, creating a landscape of almost monochrome beauty. In summer, the contrast of alpine meadows, glaciers, and Mediterranean warmth at the Italian end offers something genuinely extraordinary.
The Bernina Express continues by bus to Lugano or Lugano, connecting with the Italian lake region and making it possible to combine the journey with time in Lake Como or Lake Maggiore.
Practical details:
- Panoramic carriages available; seat reservation required
- Operates year-round; check seasonal timetables for the Bernina Pass section
- The bus extension to Lugano adds 3 hours and passes through the Valchiavenna and Val Bregaglia valleys
4. The West Highland Line — Scotland (5.5 Hours)
Route: Glasgow to Mallaig via Fort William Duration: 5.5 hours Distance: 264 km
No train journey in Europe produces more gasps per kilometer than the West Highland Line. From Glasgow, the route winds north through Loch Lomond, climbs to Rannoch Moor — a vast, lonely plateau that is one of the last true wildernesses in Britain — and continues through the Great Glen to Fort William, then westward to the sea at Mallaig.
The Glenfinnan Viaduct, 21 arches crossing a Scottish highland valley, has achieved global recognition in recent years as the viaduct crossed by the Hogwarts Express in the Harry Potter films. But even stripped of its fictional association, it is genuinely one of the most beautiful pieces of Victorian railway engineering in existence.
The route ends at Mallaig, a small fishing village on the Sound of Sleat. From here, ferries run to Skye and the Small Isles. The journey can be done as a day trip from Glasgow, though staying overnight in Fort William or Mallaig rewards the exploration of the surrounding landscape.
Special service: The Jacobite Steam Train, operated seasonally between Fort William and Mallaig, runs the most photogenic section of the route behind a preserved steam locomotive.
Practical details:
- ScotRail operates regular services year-round
- Book in advance for summer; the Jacobite steam service sells out months ahead
- The train from Glasgow Queen Street is included in standard rail tickets with no reservation required
5. The Douro Valley Line — Portugal (2.5 Hours)
Route: Porto (São Bento) to Pinhão Duration: 2.5 hours Distance: 120 km
The Douro Valley — the river valley that produces Port wine — is one of the most beautiful landscapes in Europe. The Douro Valley railway line runs through it at river level, hugging the terraced vineyard slopes, crossing the river on iron bridges, and stopping at small stations decorated with traditional azulejo (blue and white tile) panels depicting the history of the valley.
The journey to Pinhão — itself a gorgeous small town surrounded by port wine estates — passes through the Régua wine country, offering views across terraces that have been carved from the steep schist hillsides over two millennia. This is not dramatic Alpine scenery; it is something quieter and equally profound — a landscape shaped entirely by human hands and wine culture over an extraordinary span of time.
Practical details:
- Regional train from Porto São Bento; very affordable (under €15 one way)
- Pinhão is an excellent base for exploring the wine estates
- Combine with a Douro River cruise for the return journey to Porto
6. The Venice Simplon-Orient-Express — Multiple Countries (Seasonal)
Route: Various European cities to Venice or reverse Duration: 1–2 nights Distance: Varies by departure point (London–Venice: ~1,600 km)
The Venice Simplon-Orient-Express is not purely a train journey — it is an event. The 1920s and 1930s carriages, meticulously restored to their original Art Deco splendor, carry passengers from London, Paris, or other European cities through Switzerland and Austria to Venice. Dinner is served in dining cars that have changed very little since Agatha Christie traveled in their equivalent.
This is emphatically not a budget option. A ticket on the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express starts at approximately $2,000 per person and rises to $8,000+ for private suites. What it offers in return is a complete experience — the food, the service, the atmosphere, the passengers, and the romance of waking up somewhere extraordinary after a night in a lacquered mahogany cabin — that has no equivalent in contemporary travel.
Practical details:
- Book well in advance (6–12 months for popular departure dates)
- Operates seasonally, primarily spring through autumn
- An investment that most travelers rate among their most memorable travel experiences
7. The Cinque Terre Coastal Train — Italy (30 Minutes)
Route: La Spezia to Levanto via the Cinque Terre villages Duration: 30 minutes (full route) Distance: 22 km
Brief, but perhaps the most concentrated stretch of beautiful coastline accessible by rail in Europe. The Cinque Terre railway connects five villages — Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza, and Monterosso — along a coastline of pastel-colored houses stacked on cliffs above the Ligurian Sea.
Each village is accessible only by train, boat, or steep hiking trail — no roads penetrate the cliff faces. The train dives in and out of coastal tunnels, offering flashing views of terraced vineyards, rocky inlets, and the deep blue of the Ligurian coast.
This is not a long journey, but it is the most efficient way to move between villages and offers a perspective of the coastline that neither the hiking trails nor the boat services quite replicate.
Practical details:
- A Cinque Terre Card includes unlimited train rides between the villages plus hiking trail access
- Extremely crowded in peak summer; come in May or September for manageable crowds
- Book accommodation well in advance — the villages have limited capacity
8. The Eurostar — London to Paris (2 Hours 15 Minutes)
Route: London St Pancras to Paris Gare du Nord Duration: 2 hours 15 minutes Distance: 494 km (tunnel portion: 50 km)
The Eurostar is not a scenic train. It travels primarily through the English countryside (pleasant but undramatic) and under the English Channel (entirely underground). It makes this list because it represents something architecturally remarkable: two islands and a continent connected by 50 kilometers of tunnel beneath the sea.
Standing on the platform at St. Pancras International — a cathedral of Victorian ironwork and contemporary glass — and boarding a train that will emerge, 35 minutes later, in a different country, a different culture, and a different railway tradition is an experience that never entirely loses its novelty.
For travelers arriving from outside Europe, the Eurostar is often the first train journey and a powerful demonstration of why the continent's rail culture is worth embracing.
Practical details:
- Book early for best prices (fares start around €35 when booked far in advance; standard fares €100–200)
- Passport control happens at departure station, not on arrival — arrive 30 minutes early
- The evening Eurostar from Paris to London (allowing a full Paris day) is a classic itinerary
Booking Europe's Scenic Trains: Key Tips
- Rail Europe and Omio are the most comprehensive booking platforms for cross-border European rail
- Eurail Pass: Excellent value for multi-country trips; scenic railways often require a reservation supplement
- Book 2–3 months in advance for summer on the most popular scenic routes (Glacier Express, Flåm Railway)
- Seat selection matters: Research which side of the train faces the best scenery for your direction of travel
- Dining cars and panoramic carriages are often sold separately from standard seats — worth the upgrade
- Night trains: Nightjet (Austria/Germany) and other European sleeper services are expanding rapidly; booking direct through national rail operators is often best
Key Takeaways
- Europe's rail network offers some of the world's most spectacular journeys, from Swiss Alpine crossings to Norwegian fjordland descents
- The Glacier Express, Flåm Railway, and Bernina Express represent the pinnacle of scenic rail travel
- Book popular routes 2–3 months in advance; the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express requires 6–12 months
- A Eurail Pass adds flexibility for multi-country trips but almost always requires reservation supplements on scenic railways
- Train travel in Europe is not just a means of getting somewhere — at its best, it is the destination
Board the train. Look out the window. Let Europe unfold.