Dresden Steam Festival & More 2026

Duration

8 Days

Departure Dates

7th April 2026

Prices from

£2,209 Per person

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Every year Dresden hosts one of the major steam festivals in Europe, and this year is no exception! Visit magnificent steam locomotives at the festival, experience two main-line steam rides, travel on a unique suspended monorail, and ride charming branch lines. Journey through beautiful landscapes, visit fascinating museums, and enjoy free time to explore the historic city of Dresden.

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8 days from £2,209

DEPARTS

Tuesday 7 April 2026

TOUR HIGHLIGHTS

Experience the fantastic Dresden Steam Festival
Visit the fascinating Arnstadt Loco Shed
Explore Dresden and ride the unique suspended railway
Enjoy two charming narrow-gauge routes at Zittau
Marvel at the unique spectacle of a parallel departure at Bertsdorf
Steam nostalgia on the oldest narrow-gauge railway to Kipsdorf
Journey back in time at the Dresden Transport Museum
Ride the historic Kirnitzschtalbahn tramway at Bad Schandau
Climb into the mountains on a scenic steam journey to Oberwiesenthal

Also included in your Tour Fare:

7 nights’ bed & breakfast plus 3 evening meals
Services of experienced Railtrail Tour Manager

DAY 1

Travelling by Eurostar from London St Pancras to Brussels, then onwards to Gotha for our overnight stay at the Hotel am Tierpark where we check in and enjoy our first evening meal together.

DAY 2

After breakfast this morning, we will make our way to the Arnstadt for a fascinating guided tour of the Loco Shed before continuing onwards to Dresden. Here, we will use our included transport day ticket to explore the beautiful city of Dresden including a ride on the unusual, suspended monorail, one of the oldest suspension railways and a marvellous example of engineering and construction, plus the superb single-track funicular railway. This evening, we check-in for our six-night stay at the InterCity Hotel where we enjoy our evening meal together.

B, D

DAY 3

Today, we travel by rail to Zittau for a day of exploring the beautiful mountain range on a narrow-gauge, steam-powered railway. We enjoy a guided tour of the Bertsdorf locomotive shed and journey through charming landscapes to Jonsdorf and Oybin offering many scenic and historic attractions including the unique spectacle of a simultaneous departure of two steam trains at Bertsdorf.

DAY 4

This morning, a short local train ride takes us to Freital-Hainsberg where we join the steam-hauled service over the Weisseritztalbahn for a nostalgic ride on the oldest narrow-gauge railway in public operation along a narrow gorge, through woodland, and past lakes to Kipsdorf. Afterwards, we enjoy a visit to the Dresden Transport Museum for an exciting journey back in time with walk-in carriages and locomotives to explore allowing us to soak in the atmosphere of past times.

DAY 5

Today, we experience an exhilarating main-line, steam-hauled journey from Dresden main station (details and route will be announced nearer the time). An entrance ticket to Dresden Steam Festival is also included where we enjoy fascinating displays, informative presentations, model trains, historic and modern locomotives, and much more plus many railway societies will have stands here to explore.

DAY 6

Today, we experience another breathtaking main-line steam journey before travelling by rail along the banks of the Elbe to Bad Schandau. From here, we take a ferry across the river to ride the bucolic Kirnitzschtalbahn tramway running along country lanes and through the valley of the Kirnitzch River to the beautiful Lichtenhainer Wasserfall before returning to Dresden in time for our evening meal together.

B, D

Day 7

After breakfast this morning, we travel to Cranzahl for an exhilarating return ride behind steam on the Fichtelbergbahn, a steeply graded route climbing into the mountains and crossing the mighty 110m long, 23m high Hüttenbach viaduct to the highest town in Germany, Oberwiesenthal, situated at 3,000ft. Here, we enjoy a guided tour of the locomotive shed before retracing our steps to Dresden for our final evening at leisure.

DAY 8

We bid farewell to Dresden and to Germany, returning by rail to Brussels, where we will join the Eurostar service to London St Pancras.

*Important Note: Whilst the arrangements for all described steam train travel are in place, we do reserve the right to make substitutions should it be deemed necessary for whatever reason.

B=Breakfast, L=Lunch, D=Dinner

HOTELS

Hotel Am Tierpark, Gotha

Located in the heart of the historic city of Gotha, the charming Hotel am Tierpark combines traditional hospitality with modern comforts and offers a restaurant with a bar, a winter garden and terrace, sauna, and a small fitness area. The comfortable bedrooms provide an en-suite bathroom, a hairdryer, flat-screen TV, and free Wi-Fi.

InterCity Hotel, Dresden

Situated right by the main railway station, the InterCity Hotel offers a relaxed ambience including a cosy bar and a quality restaurant serving regional, national, and seasonal specialties. The stylish bedrooms provide an en-suite bathroom, a hairdryer, flat-screen TV, and free Wi-Fi.

FARES

From London St Pancras International:
Standard Class rail travel to/from Germany, including Eurostar Standard	£2,209
Supplement for Eurostar Plus upgrade	£100
First Class rail travel to/from Germany, including Eurostar Plus	£2,359
Join at Gotha & Leave at Dresden	£1,949
Single Traveller Supplement	£180
Deposit	£225

7 nights’ bed & breakfast plus 3 evening meals

Eurostar and rail travel to and from Germany in the class of your choice

All transfers, excursions & admissions as detailed

Services of experienced Railtrail Tour Manager

Important – Please select the number of passengers before proceeding to ‘Book Now’

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Hotel am Tierpark, Gotha

InterCity Hotel, Dresden

Zittau Railway

Weisseritztalbahn

Dresden Transport Museum

Kirnitzschtalbahn

Fichtelbergbahn

Gotha ©Shutterstock

Dresden ©Shutterstock

Dresden Schwebebahn ©AdobeStock

Dresden Funicular ©AdobeStock

Dresden Tramway ©Shutterstock

Zittau Railway1 ©AdobeStock

Zittau Railway2 ©Zittau

Weisseritztalbahn1 ©Shutterstock

Weisseritztalbahn2 ©Shutterstock

Dresden Museum of Transport ©Shutterstock

Dresden Steam Festival2 ©Christian Gebhardt

Dresden Steam Festival3 ©Christof Schru00f6fl

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