Europe’s Best Scenic Train Routes You Should Actually Experience
I Have Always Been a Train Person. This List Is My Evidence.
Some people need convincing that scenic train travel is worth building a trip around. I am not one of those people, and I never have been. I have always believed that the journey is the destination – and trains, especially in Europe, are the purest proof of that.
What I can tell you is that not all train journeys are created equal. Some are transportation. Some are experiences you’ll talk about for the rest of your life. This list is the second kind – the routes where the landscape outside the window is so relentlessly gorgeous that you actually resent having to blink.
Whether you’re a fellow train devotee who’s been quietly building this bucket list for years, or someone who’s never thought twice about which seat faces forward – these routes will get you. I promise.
Quick Reference: Europe’s Best Scenic Train Routes at a Glance
| Route | Country | Duration | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bernina Express | Switzerland/Italy | ~4 hours | Alpine drama, UNESCO landscapes |
| Glacier Express | Switzerland | ~8 hours | Full alpine immersion, slow travel |
| Flam Railway | Norway | ~1 hour | Fjords, waterfalls, nature overload |
| Jacobite Steam Train | Scotland | ~2 hours | Harry Potter vibes, Highlands scenery |
| West Rhine Railway | Germany | ~1.5 hours | Castles, vineyards, Rhine Gorge |
| Douro Line | Portugal | ~3 hours | Wine country, terraced valleys |
1. The Bernina Express – Switzerland & Italy
The vibe: Jaw-dropping. UNESCO-listed. The kind of train ride people plan entire trips around.
The Bernina Express runs between Chur, Switzerland and Tirano, Italy – crossing the Alps at over 7,000 feet and threading through 55 tunnels and 196 bridges along the way. You’ll pass glaciers, frozen lakes, spiral viaducts, and mountain passes that look like they were designed specifically to humble you.
The carriages have panoramic windows designed for maximum gawking, and the whole journey takes about four hours. The most popular DIY option is a day trip from Milan to Tirano, then boarding the red train north – which means you can work this into an Italy trip without restructuring everything.
Pro tips:
- Sit on the right side if you’re traveling north (Tirano to Chur) for the best glacier views, but the panoramic roof windows mean you won’t miss much from any seat.
- Book in advance, especially in summer. This train sells out.
- The Bernina Express Bus continues from Tirano to Lugano if you want to extend the journey.
Book it: Bernina Express guided day tours from Milan on GetYourGuide | Bernina Express tickets and tours on Viator
Sleep here: Search Chur or St. Moritz hotels if you want to overnight and catch the train fresh.
2. The Glacier Express – Switzerland
The vibe: Marketed as “the world’s slowest express train.” That’s not a complaint – it’s the whole point.
The Glacier Express runs between Zermatt (where the Matterhorn lives) and St. Moritz (where everyone’s wearing cashmere and pretending they always ski). The full route is about 8 hours, which sounds like a lot until you realize it covers 291 bridges, 91 tunnels, and crosses three mountain passes. It is genuinely not boring for a single minute.
You’ll need a seat reservation in addition to your ticket, and this is one of those trains you want to book 90 days in advance if you’re traveling in peak summer. Don’t sleep on this one thinking you’ll figure it out when you get there.
Second class gives you perfectly good panoramic views. First class adds a wider seat and lunch service, which feels very civilized on an eight-hour mountain crossing.
Pro tips:
- You don’t have to do the full Zermatt to St. Moritz route. Zermatt to Andermatt or Chur are great shorter alternatives.
- If you have a Swiss Travel Pass, the ticket is covered – you just pay the reservation fee.
- Pack snacks regardless.
Book it: Glacier Express tours on Viator
Stay in Zermatt: Search Zermatt hotels – the car-free village alone is worth arriving a day early for.
3. The Flam Railway – Norway
The vibe: Norway flexing. Again.
The Flamsbana (Flam Railway) is one of the steepest standard-gauge railway lines in the world, climbing nearly 2,800 feet over just 12 miles. It runs between Myrdal (connected to the Oslo-Bergen main line) and the village of Flam, tucked at the bottom of the Aurlandsfjord.
The journey takes about an hour, and in that hour you’ll pass waterfalls that come out of nowhere, dramatic gorges, and mountain scenery that makes you understand why Norway is constantly winning at the whole “nature” thing. The train actually stops at one waterfall – Kjosfossen – so passengers can get out and take photos. If you’re lucky, you’ll catch the theatrical “Huldra” performance they sometimes run there.
The Flam Railway is also part of the famous “Norway in a Nutshell” route, which strings together a train ride, a fjord cruise, and a bus into one unforgettable day. I’d recommend at minimum adding the Nærøyfjord boat cruise – it’s the same fjord UNESCO declared a World Heritage Site, and seeing it from the water after riding down to meet it from the mountains is a whole experience.
Book it: Flam Railway + Nærøyfjord cruise combo tours
Sleep here: Search Bergen hotels – Bergen is the natural base for this trip and a stunning city in its own right.
4. The Jacobite Steam Train (West Highland Line) – Scotland
The vibe: Hogwarts Express, but real. And honestly, even better.
The West Highland Line between Fort William and Mallaig is one of the most scenic rail routes in the world – full stop. The Jacobite Steam Train, which runs seasonally along part of this route, is what most people know as the Hogwarts Express from the Harry Potter films. The big moment everyone comes for? Crossing the Glenfinnan Viaduct, a 21-arch Victorian masterpiece that’s a starring sight in the wizarding world and an engineering marvel in ours.
But even if Harry Potter means nothing to you, the landscape on this route will get you. You’re talking about misty Scottish Highlands, dramatic lochs, and coastline views that are pure cinema without any fictional assistance.
The Jacobite runs seasonally (typically May through October), and tickets sell out early – especially peak summer. The most popular way to experience this as a visitor is through an Edinburgh-based guided day tour that includes the viaduct, the train ride, and often other Highland highlights.
Book it: Hogwarts Express and Scottish Highlands Tour from Edinburgh | 3-Day Isle of Skye + Jacobite Train tour
Sleep here: Search Edinburgh or Fort William hotels
5. The West Rhine Railway – Germany
The vibe: Castles, vineyards, and river views that make you feel like you’re inside a fairy tale.
The stretch of railway between Cologne and Mainz that runs alongside the Rhine Gorge is one of Europe’s most classically beautiful train rides. In about an hour and a half, you’ll pass through the UNESCO-listed Middle Rhine Valley – dotted with medieval castles perched on hilltops, steep vineyards, and the kind of storybook village clusters you thought only existed in movies.
This is also the stretch of river where you’ll find the Loreley Rock – a legendary cliff that rises dramatically above the Rhine and has inspired poetry, songs, and a truly impressive number of fridge magnets.
The train runs frequently on a regional service, so there’s no advance booking required. Just show up, sit on the river side (left side heading south toward Mainz, right side heading north toward Cologne), and let Germany do its thing.
Good to know: The scenic Eifel line connecting Trier to Cologne – which adds even more Rhine region beauty – reopened in 2025 after devastating 2021 flood damage. It’s a great add-on if you’re spending more time in western Germany.
Pair it with: A Rhine river cruise aboard AmaWaterways – see below for why that’s worth knowing about.
Stay in Cologne: Search Cologne hotels
6. The Douro Line – Portugal
The vibe: Porto’s beautiful secret, and one of the most underrated train journeys in Europe.
The Linha do Douro runs east from Porto along the Douro River valley – through some of the most terraced, golden, perfectly-arranged vineyard landscape you’ve ever seen. The full route goes all the way to Pocinho, though even the first stretch from Porto to Regua is stunning and takes about two hours.
You’re riding through one of the oldest wine regions in the world, past quintas (wine estates) that cling to the hillsides above the river, through tunnels cut into the schist rock, and along a riverbank that turns amber and copper in the fall. It’s the kind of thing that makes you want to immediately book a return trip for harvest season.
In summer, there’s also a historic steam train that runs through parts of the valley on weekends – worth checking if your dates line up.
Pro tips:
- Go for the window seat on the right side heading east out of Porto.
- Stop in Pinhao for lunch – it’s a tiny village with an azulejo-tiled train station that alone is worth the trip.
- This valley is also an AmaWaterways river cruise corridor – scroll down if you want the comparison.
Book it: Douro Valley small group wine experience
Stay in Porto: Search Porto hotels – Porto is endlessly walkable and one of my favorite cities in Europe.
Wait – Could You See These Rivers By Cruise Instead?
Here’s something worth knowing: two of the routes above – the Rhine Valley and the Douro Valley – are also served by river cruises. And the experience of seeing those same landscapes from the water is genuinely different and, depending on your travel style, possibly even better.
If the Rhine castle views from the train made you feel something, imagine floating past them at eye level with a glass of local Riesling in hand. That’s an AmaWaterways Rhine river cruise. Their Rhine itineraries run from Amsterdam through Germany’s wine regions, past the Romantic Rhine, and into Switzerland.
The Douro Valley tells a similar story. The train ride is incredible – and the AmaWaterways Douro river cruise takes you right through the same vineyards and schist hillsides, with shore excursions to the quintas and port wine cellars included.
Some people do both and say the river cruise makes them appreciate the landscape in a completely new way. If you want help planning a trip that combines rail travel with a river cruise extension, that’s a specialty of mine over at Styled Getaways – feel free to reach out there if you’d rather have someone put it all together for you.
How to Book European Train Travel
A few practical notes so you don’t get blindsided:
Eurail Pass vs. point-to-point tickets: For scenic trains like the Glacier Express and Bernina Express, you’ll still need to pay a seat reservation fee even with a Eurail Pass. For shorter or regional trains like the Rhine Railway or parts of the Douro Line, point-to-point tickets are often just as economical.
Book early for the big ones: The Glacier Express, Bernina Express, and Jacobite Steam Train all sell out in peak summer. 60-90 days in advance is not excessive for July and August travel.
Seat61.com is the best free resource on the internet for European rail booking logistics, if you want to do all the research yourself!
Ready to Make This More Than a Pinterest Dream?
Planning a European rail trip is genuinely doable as a DIY – I hope this post proves that. But if you’re dreaming about combining any of these routes with a river cruise, or you want a full multi-country itinerary built around your travel style and budget, that’s exactly what I do at Styled Getaways. You can browse river cruise options and reach out to start planning there.
No pressure. But the Douro in autumn is waiting, and it’s very patient.
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A Quick Note on This Post
This post contains affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission if you book through one of my links – at absolutely no extra cost to you. I only recommend things I’d genuinely book myself or recommend to a friend. All opinions are 100% my own.
This post is for informational purposes only. Train schedules, prices, and availability change frequently – always verify current details with the operator before booking. I am not responsible for changes in pricing, availability, or service.
If you’re looking for personalized travel planning, please note that Cupcake & Carry-on is an independent travel blog. For professional travel planning and booking services, visit Styled Getaways.
