This list of Europe's most beautiful train journeys uniquely focuses on the most epic routes taken by regular express trains between cities.
This guide to Europe’s most wonderful express train routes, taken by direct regular trains between fabulous cities, inevitably features easy to access journeys; likely to be on many exploring Europe by train itineraries.
Other guides to Europe’s most scenic journeys tend to include special trains, such as The Glacier or Bernina Expresses along with journeys slightly off the beaten track; because spectacular landscapes don’t tend to be compatible with fast express train travel.
But in Europe some regular express trains can’t avoid mountains or coasts, or have to follow routes through deep river valleys, so it's those we have focused on with this list!
What also makes these guides different from the norm, is that the images aren't of the trains taking these routes, instead they were taken from the train, so give an insight into the journey experience.
Plus each of the journeys guides also have access to the practical info you'll need to take these trips yourself, such as the station, train and ticket details.
Oh and the context for left/right is facing the direction of travel.
Most of these journeys can of course be enjoyed in either direction, so flip the left/right advice if you will travelling in the opposite direction.
Where were the images captured?
From clockwise top left, they were taken at;
Three fast trains per hour spend close to two hours passing through a dramatic landscape.
All the journey details
Britain's most spectacular westward rail journey features rolling countryside, sea views and some fabulous views from spectacular bridges and viaducts.
The only rail journey that travels through both the Rhine Gorge in Germany and on the incredible Tauern route in Austria.
All the journey details
Five hours of rushing across the landscapes of Spain on Europe's most thrilling high speed rail journey.
All the journey details
Travel by both Lake Maggiore and Lake Geneva and through the mountain valleys in between.
All the journey details
Featuring spectacular views of no less than five Swiss lakes.
More than three hours of spellbinding views including the passage through the Brennero Pass.
All the journey details
Plateaus in the mountains above the tree line, crystal lakes, rivers and fjords; this journey has them all!
All the journey details
The only journey by train which features both a high speed section and a stunning passage through the Alps.
All the journey details
With more than four hours of sea views, this is Europe's ultimate coastal train journey.
All the journey details
End-to-end incredible scenery, featuring the Tauern route in Austria, beautiful Slovenia and the Sava River gorge.
All the journey details
The only route which includes both the The Semmering Railway and the River Sava gorge.
All the journey details
More than three hours of glorious Austrian scenery plus Italian mountain peaks and the lovely arrival at journey's end.
All of the journey details
Four of the world's best views from railway bridges and more than three hours of coastal landscapes.
All the journey details
Through the stunning valleys in Slovenia and then over the Semmering Pass in Austria.
All the journey details
The 'Transalpin Express' is the only train that travels over the epic Arlberg route and then through the mountains east of Innsbruck.
The inclusions above aren't quite a comprehensive list, as ShowMeTheJourney wanted to illustrate each journey with recently captured images and videos.
So at a future date, we plan to add these fabulous express train routes to this guide:
This second version of ShowMeTheJourney is exciting and new, so we are genuinely thrilled that you are here and reading this, but we also need your help.
We’re striving not to let anything get in the way of providing the most useful service possible, hence a facility has been set up with DonorBox which can be used to support the running costs and make improvements.
Instead of advertising or paywalls, your financial support will make a positive difference to delivering an enhanced service, as there’s a lot of ideas which we want to make happen.
So if you have found the info provided here to be useful, please go here to say thank you.
I wanted to share my passion for train travel and explain how anyone can take the fantastic journeys I have taken.
This is one of more than 100 train travel guides available on ShowMeTheJourney, which will make it easier to take the train journeys you want or need to make. As always, all images were captured on trips taken by ShowMeTheJourney.
This second version of ShowMeTheJourney is exciting and new, so we are genuinely thrilled that you are here and reading this, but we also need your help.
We’re striving not to let anything get in the way of providing the most useful service possible, hence a facility has been set up with DonorBox which can be used to support the running costs and make improvements.
Instead of advertising or paywalls, your financial support will make a positive difference to delivering an enhanced service, as there’s a lot of ideas which we want to make happen.
So if you have found the info provided here to be useful, please consider saying thank you.