Europe Destinations
Take the adventure a little further afield…
SWITZERLAND
The Bernina Express in Switzerland passes through a Unesco World Heritage Site, with breathtaking scenery for the whole journey. It begins in Chur, the oldest city in Switzerland, and travels through 55 tunnels and over 196 bridges, including the Landvasser Viaduct and the Brosio Loop (a circular viaduct). It also passes three stunning lakes. At 2,253m above sea level is the Ospizio Bernina, where you can admire the Alps at their most impressive. Travelling through the high Alpine resort of St Moritz and the train terminates at Tirano in Italy.
Another fabulous route in Switzerland is the Glacier Express, passing St. Moritz, the Solis and Landwasser viaducts and spiral tunnels, and the Rhine Gorge, nicknamed the Grand Canyon of Switzerland.
LONDON TO VENICE
If you have over £2,000 to spend, take the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express from London to Venice. An overnight trip, it arrives in Venice in the late afternoon. Travel in vintage carriages, served by liveried stewards, and enjoy fine cuisine, with reserved seats, your own cabin, and refreshments from the bar. Breakfast is served in your cabin, and main meals in the beautiful restaurant cars.
As you come into Santa Lucia station where your trip concludes, you pass the stunning Venetian Lagoon. Nearby attractions include The Grande Canal, churches, bridges, glorious architecture, art galleries, bars and restaurants, shopping and gardens. A range of guided walking tours of the city are available. The Regatta Storica takes place on the first Sunday in September each year – a parade of colour ful gondolas on the canal that is well worth seeing.
GERMANY TO AUSTRIA
The Rhine Valley Railway follows the River Rhine from Koblenz to Mainz. To make the most of the journey, choose the slow train that stops at the riverside towns.
If you're heading to Austria, check out the Arlberg Line, Austria’s only east to west railway, that takes you high into the Alps – one of the steepest railway lines in Europe. The two-hour journey begins at Innsbruck and travels to Bludenz in the state of Vorarlberg. The route is 140km across viaducts and through tunnels – look out for the Trisanna Bridge and Weisberg Castle. When you reach Bludenz, visit the beautiful wooded park of Biospharenpark Grosses Walsertal.