The 7 Best Train Rides in Europe (That Are Worth the Hype)

There’s a moment on every great train journey when you stop scrolling, put down your phone, and just... look.

Maybe it’s a glacier-fed lake, so blue it seems fake. Maybe it’s a valley dropping away beneath you while the train hugs a cliff edge like it’s no big deal. Maybe it's just the quiet click of wheels on rails. The realisation that you're not stuck in traffic. Not queuing for security. Just moving through some of the most beautiful landscapes on Earth.

The best train rides in Europe aren’t about getting from A to B. But the bits in between. Read on for the journeys our travel experts say are actually worth the hype.

• Trade your boarding pass for a window seat on these European train tours

1. The Glacier Express, Switzerland

Let’s start with the obvious one. The Glacier Express calls itself the “slowest express train in the world,” which is either brilliant marketing or a warning, depending on your temperament. It takes around 8 hours to travel between Zermatt and St Moritz.

This train crawls deliberately through the Swiss Alps, crossing 291 bridges and passing through 91 tunnels. You’ll glide over the Oberalp Pass at 2,033 metres (6670 feet), wind through the Rhine Gorge, and watch the scenery shift from green valleys to snow-dusted peaks. The panoramic windows are floor-to-ceiling for a reason.

Is it touristy? Yes. Is it worth it? Also yes. Sometimes the clichés exist because they’re true.

• Ride the routes the Swiss are rightfully smug about on these train journeys
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2. The Bernina Express, Switzerland to Italy

If the Glacier Express is the famous sibling, the Bernina Express is the one who actually studied engineering. Some would say it’s the best train trip in Europe.

This UNESCO World Heritage route runs from Chur in Switzerland to Tirano in Northern Italy. It climbs to 2,253 metres (7,391 feet) at Ospizio Bernina, then descends through 55 tunnels and across 196 bridges. The Landwasser Viaduct – that curved stone bridge you’ve seen in every Swiss railway photo – is on this line.

But the real showstopper is Lago Bianco. The lake sits at the highest point of the journey, impossibly turquoise against grey rock and white snow. It looks photoshopped. It isn’t.

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3. The Flåm Railway, Norway

Twenty kilometres. One hour. 800 metres (2624 feet) of elevation change. The Flåm Railway is one of the steepest standard-gauge train lines in the world. It packs more scenery into its short runtime than most routes manage in a full day.

The train climbs from Flåm, a tiny village at the edge of the Aurlandsfjord, up through tunnels carved by hand into the mountainside. There’s a stop at Kjosfossen waterfall – the train pauses specifically so you can get out and gawp. Which you will.

This line is the backbone of the famous Norway in a Nutshell® route, which combines the railway with a fjord cruise through the Nærøyfjord (UNESCO World Heritage, because of course it is). It’s Norway’s greatest hits in a single day.

• Chase waterfalls (literally) on a Norway fjord and rail journey

4. The Bergensbanen, Norway

The Oslo to Bergen line doesn’t get the international press it deserves, which is frankly baffling.

In 6 and a half hours, the Bergensbanen crosses the Hardangervidda plateau – Europe’s largest high mountain plateau. You’ll climb through canyons, skirt glaciers, and pass landscapes so vast and empty they make you feel like the last person on Earth. In a good way.

The train was an engineering triumph when it opened in 1909, and it still feels like one. Sit on the right side heading west for the best of the plateau scenery. Or don’t. Honestly, you can’t really lose here.

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5. Vienna to Prague to Budapest

If mountains aren’t your thing – or if you’ve had your fill of Alpine superlatives – head east.

The Vienna–Prague–Budapest triangle is one of the best rail trips in Europe for culture vultures. Three capital cities, three distinct personalities, all connected by comfortable, efficient trains that let you wake up in one grand European city and fall asleep in another.

Vienna has the coffee houses and the palaces. Prague has the spires and the bridges. Budapest has the thermal baths and the ruin bars. Together, they’re a crash course in Central European history, architecture, and the art of doing very little in beautiful surroundings.

The journeys themselves are about anticipation. You watch the countryside slide past – fields, forests, the occasional castle on a hill – and feel the city approaching.

• Imperial cities, efficient trains, excellent pastries. Browse these Central and Eastern Europe train tours
• Related: Top things to do in Budapest

6. The Santa Claus Express, Finland

This one’s for the romantics and the children at heart.

The overnight train from Helsinki to Rovaniemi takes you from Finland’s capital to the edge of the Arctic Circle – and the "official” hometown of Santa Claus. Yes, really. No, it’s not just for kids.

The real draw is the chance to see the northern lights from your sleeper cabin window. It’s not guaranteed, of course. Nature doesn’t do guarantees. But on a clear winter night, watching the aurora ripple across the sky while you’re tucked up in a warm bunk... that’s the kind of thing you remember.

Even without the lights, there’s something magical about waking up to snow-covered forests and frozen lakes stretching to the horizon.

7. The GoldenPass Classic, Switzerland

The GoldenPass route connects Lucerne to Montreux in 3 sections, but the standout is the GoldenPass Classic between Montreux and Zweisimmen. The carriages are refurbished Belle Époque cars – think polished wood, brass fittings, and the general vibe of an Agatha Christie novel (minus the murder, of course).

The train winds through the Pays-d’Enhaut valley, past chocolate-box chalets, winter vineyards, and mountains. The scenery alone looks like it was designed by a committee, specifically to sell Switzerland to tourists. Which, in a sense, it was.

Upgrade to a first-class seat at the front of the train for unobstructed views through the driver’s window. It’s worth the splurge.

• Related: Best train journeys in Switzerland

Why train travel?

Here’s the thing about flying: it’s fast, it’s cheap (sometimes), and it gets you there. But “there” is usually an airport 45 minutes outside the city, after 2 hours of security theatre and a middle seat next to someone who brought egg salad.

Trains take you city centre to city centre. You can stretch your legs. Eat in a dining car. Watch the landscape change. Arrive feeling like a human being instead of a piece of freight.

Rail is one of the lowest-carbon ways to cover serious ground. If you’re trying to travel lighter on the planet, trains make it easier.

The best train journeys in Europe aren’t just about the views – though the views are extraordinary. They’re more about remembering that getting there can be the best part.

• Good views, lower emissions. Browse our low-impact tours

Ready to see Europe by rail?

There’s no single “best” train journey – it depends on what you’re chasing. Alpine drama. Arctic nights. Imperial grandeur. Fjords that make you forget how to speak.

Our travel consultants have designed these European train tours to take the faff out of rail travel. We’ll arrange your accommodation, book your train tickets, and map out routes that make sense – so you can focus on the views instead of the logistics.

Want to combine Switzerland’s Alpine passes with a few days in the Italian lakes? Or link Norway’s fjords with a city break in Copenhagen? We can make that happen.

Get in touch with our local experts to start planning your European rail adventure.