Europe Luxury Rail Tours

Railtrail’s Luxury Tours cover escorted rail holidays across Europe, from Alpine Switzerland to the fjords of Norway and the historic railways of Germany, built around First Class rail travel, hand-picked hotels and a slower, more considered pace than a standard itinerary allows. Every tour includes rail travel booked and reserved in advance, accommodation chosen for comfort and character, selected meals, guided excursions and a dedicated Tour Manager throughout, so nothing is left to arrange once the deposit is paid.

Fewer transfers and a lighter daily schedule set these tours apart from Railtrail’s Classic range. Journeys favour scenic routes over the fastest connection, and hotels are chosen for quality rather than convenience alone. Evenings are built around proper dining, not a quick meal between stops.

Railtrail has run escorted rail holidays for over 45 years, is rated Excellent on Trustpilot and bookings are protected by ABTOT and ATOL depending on the tour.

What Makes a Railtrail Luxury Tour Different

Rail travel is First Class throughout, on trains chosen for the journey rather than the fastest route between two points: the Bernina Express, which climbs to Ospizio Bernina at 2,253 metres before dropping to Tirano on the UNESCO-listed Albula and Bernina line, or the Glacier Express, which crosses the Landwasser Viaduct on its eight-hour run between Zermatt and St Moritz.

Hotels are hand-picked rather than booked on availability, chosen for comfort, service and a sense of place rather than location alone. Meals move beyond the standard inclusion to proper dining, and several tours build in a wine tasting or a similar local experience rather than leaving free time to fill on its own.

Dave Felstead, our founder, owner and Managing Director, built the company on quality before quantity, and every Luxury Tour still follows that principle: a curated portfolio and small groups rather than a production-line operation, with fewer transfers and a lighter pace built into every itinerary.

Luxury Train Journeys to Europe from the UK 

Many Luxury Tours to Europe are sold with UK-inclusive rail fares, so the journey to the continent is arranged from the outset rather than something travellers organise themselves. Rail travel is booked from a mainland UK station with seat reservations made in advance, and travellers join a set meeting point rather than finding their own way to the same hotel. Those travelling via Eurostar can join the group at London St Pancras, where the Tour Manager meets the party with refreshments before the crossing.

Travellers who prefer to make their own way, or who are already near the departure point, can book on a Tour Base Fare instead and join the group at the hotel. Either way, the rail element is arranged and reserved as part of the package before the journey begins.

Alpine and Scenic Rail Journeys

The Luxury programme sits within Railtrail’s wider train holidays across Europe, built around the continent’s most rewarding railways rather than the shortest route between two places. Switzerland remains the core of it, home to the Bernina and Glacier Express journeys already described, alongside the rest of the Swiss rail holidays range.

Austria sits alongside it on the same Alpine network, part of the Austrian rail holidays range. The Semmering Railway climbs out of Gloggnitz through fourteen tunnels and sixteen viaducts on its way to Mürzzuschlag, opened in 1854 as the first mountain railway built anywhere in the world, and further west the Wachau valley route follows the Danube between Krems and Melk past terraced vineyards.

Norway brings a different kind of railway into the Norwegian rail tours range: the Flåm Railway, which descends 861 metres between Myrdal and Flåm in just over twenty kilometres, the steepest standard gauge line in Europe, stopping at Kjosfossen so passengers can step out and see the waterfall close up.

Germany’s Luxury routes, part of our German rail holidays range, follow the Rhine Gorge between Koblenz and Bingen, a UNESCO World Heritage stretch of the river lined with medieval castles and vineyard slopes. For the steam-hauled version of German rail rather than First Class carriages, our steam train holidays Europe itinerary covers that ground instead.

France’s place in the French rail holidays range runs from the vineyards of Alsace to the Mediterranean coast around Nice, where the historic Chemins de fer de Provence line crosses viaducts on its way into the hills behind the Riviera.

Ready to Choose Your Route

With First Class rail, hand-picked hotels and a lighter pace across five countries, the harder part of a Luxury Tour is usually choosing which route suits your interests rather than the itinerary. The tours above cover current departures across the range described here, Requesting a Brochure is the easiest way to see the full picture at home before deciding.

Railtrail was awarded Bronze at the British Travel Awards for Best Travel Company for Rail Holidays in 2025, and every Luxury Tour can be booked with a small deposit from £75pp. For route-by-route detail beyond what fits here, our guides go further into individual journeys and destinations.