Far by Rail

Mountains, valleys and main lines

Scenic trains in Europe

Choose a full Alpine crossing, a Norwegian main line or a compact mountain excursion. These twelve journeys ask for different amounts of your day—not the same itinerary.

Where to start

A mountain crossing into Italy

Bernina Express

Chur → Tirano · 4h

Choose it when the cross-border mountain route fits your trip.

Give the railway a full day

Glacier Express

Zermatt → St. Moritz · 8h

Choose it for a day aboard rather than a short excursion.

A compact valley descent

Flåm Railway

Myrdal → Flåm · 55m

Allow extra time for the Bergen Line connection and the valley itself.

Connect two Swiss bases

GoldenPass Express

Montreux → Interlaken · 3h 15m

A direct connection through vineyard country and the Gstaad region.

For longer routes, check sunrise, sunset and your departure time: a scenic route does not guarantee every section in daylight. Operating months are not a promise of trains on every date; maintenance and weather can change the journey.

Alpine panoramas

Cross the mountains or connect Swiss bases; the full Glacier journey needs most of a day.

A Zentralbahn Brünig-line train running beside Lake Brienz.

Photo: Kabelleger / David Gubler (http://www.bahnbilder.ch) · CC BY-SA 3.0

Image source

Luzern–Interlaken Express

Luzern–Interlaken Express runs every hour year-round between Lucerne and Interlaken Ost in about 1h50, crossing the Brünig Pass amid lakes, waterfalls and Alpine scenery.

Route
Lucerne → Interlaken
Time aboard
1h 50m
Seat reservation
Not required
Operating scope
Operates across the year; check your route and date for maintenance or changes.

Nordic main lines

Norway's mountain crossings and valley routes: compare the full Oslo–Bergen journey with the shorter Rauma Line.

A passenger train on the Bergen Line beside Langavatnet between Vieren and Ørneberget, Norway.

Photo: David Gubler (Kabelleger) / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

Image source

Bergen Line

The Bergen Line crosses from Oslo to Bergen via high mountain country and the Hardangervidda, climbing above the treeline before dropping through western valleys toward the fjords and coast.

Route
Oslo → Bergen
Time aboard
7h
Seat reservation
Not required
Operating scope
Operates across the year; check your route and date for maintenance or changes.
A passenger train on the Rauma Line between Dombås and Åndalsnes in Norway.

Photo: TomasEE / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 3.0

Image source

Rauma Line

The Rauma Line links Dombås with Åndalsnes over 115 kilometres, following a dramatic valley of waterfalls, steep peaks, river bends and historic stone railway structures.

Route
Dombås → Åndalsnes
Time aboard
1h 30m
Seat reservation
Not required
Operating scope
Operates across the year; check your route and date for maintenance or changes.

Mountain and heritage excursions

Shorter railway outings, summit climbs and a historic main-line section. Allow extra time for connections and time off the train.

The Flåm Railway running through the steep Flåm Valley in Norway.

Photo: Jorge Láscar / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0

Image source

Flåm Railway

The Flåm Railway links Myrdal on the Bergen Line with Flåm beside the Aurlandsfjord in about 55 minutes, descending 20.2 km through the narrow Flåm Valley.

Route
Myrdal → Flåm
Time aboard
55m
Seat reservation
Recommended
Operating scope
Operates across the year; check your route and date for maintenance or changes.
A steam train climbing the Rigi Railway through mountain scenery in Switzerland.

Photo: Ttrainer · CC BY-SA 3.0

Image source

Rigi Railways

Rigi Railways reaches Rigi Kulm by cogwheel routes from Vitznau and Goldau, combining a railway lineage dating to 1871 with a new generation of large-window, low-floor trains.

Route
Vitznau → Rigi Kulm
Time aboard
30m
Seat reservation
Not required
Operating scope
Operates across the year; check your route and date for maintenance or changes.
A passenger Railjet crossing the Krauselklause Viaduct on the Semmering Railway in Lower Austria.

Photo: C. Stadler / Bwag / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

Image source

Semmering Railway

The Semmering Railway is the UNESCO-listed mountain section between Gloggnitz and Mürzzuschlag, where ordinary Austrian main-line trains still thread tunnels, stone viaducts and sweeping curves across a pioneering 19th-century alignment.

Route
Gloggnitz → Mürzzuschlag
Time aboard
1h
Varies by service and engineering works.
Seat reservation
Not required
Operating scope
Operates across the year; check your route and date for maintenance or changes.
A steam train on the Brocken Railway crossing the snow-covered Brocken in Germany.

Photo: Andreas Tille / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

Image source

Brocken Railway

The Brocken Railway carries steam-hauled trains through the Harz National Park to the 1,141-metre Brocken summit, combining working heritage traction with a mountain route that operates across the seasons.

Route
Wernigerode → Brocken
Time aboard
50m
Seat reservation
Not required
Operating scope
Operates across the year; check your route and date for maintenance or changes.

Scotland: a longer Highland journey

The full Glasgow–Mallaig route is a substantial journey, not just the Glenfinnan crossing.

A train crossing Glenfinnan Viaduct on the West Highland Line in Scotland.

Photo: Tony Hisgett / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0

Image source

West Highland Line

For this experience, the West Highland Line means the full Glasgow Queen Street to Mallaig journey: lochs and mountains north of the Clyde, the open emptiness of Rannoch Moor, Fort William, Glenfinnan Viaduct and the rocky west coast.

Route
Glasgow → Mallaig
Time aboard
5h 30m
Seat reservation
Not verified
Operating scope
Operating dates need confirmation; check the journey calendar and operator.

Compare the two Swiss panoramic routes, or keep exploring beyond Europe.