The Glenfinnan Viaduct: 1400 rail enthusiasts have weighed in on their favourite European train experiences. Photo / Roland Losslein, Unsplash
The Glenfinnan Viaduct: 1400 rail enthusiasts have weighed in on their favourite European train experiences. Photo / Roland Losslein, Unsplash
Europe has experienced a whirlwind summer romance with rail transport. Discount tickets and all-you-can-ride "abonnements" in countries including Spain and Germany have seen record numbers take to trains.
Despite starting summer with a record summer of 3 million seats, the introduction of a €9 unlimited rail pass left Deutsche Bahn struggling to meet demand. A total 52 million fares were sold, meaning over half the country intended to ride the rails between June and August.
Germany ruled out extending the "uber cheap" public transport deal for next year.
This doesn't mean Europe's summer fling with train transport may be a one-time thing.
With timeless rail routes, international travellers are riding the rails for pleasure not simply to commute. Venice Simplon-Orient-Express recently saw its most successful year to date in 2019, off the back of the Kenneth Branagh Poirot reboot and the increase in interest for luxury rail transport.
This summer Accor announced it intended to refurbish 17 original 1920s Orient Express cars in time for the 2024 Paris Olympics. Although at $3280 a night, it's a long way removed from the €9 railcard.
Europe is dissected by hundreds of equally stunning and historic routes.
Recently UK Consumer advice magazine Which? published a definitive list of the continent's 10 best scenic rail journeys.
Surveying 1400 rail passengers the travellers were asked to rate their favourite rail journeys across seven categories.
Scoring each train for scenery, comfort, facilities, cleanliness, food and drink, service and value, the feedback took the survey to some surprising places.
The leading locomotive is found in north Wales. Hard to pronounce, but easy on the eye, the Ffestiniog Railway was Europe's number one scenic railway.
The coastal route from Porthmadog to Blaenau Ffestiniog takes in sweeping, remote parts of Wales, close to Snowdonia national park.
Unsurprisingly Switzerland was well represented in the rail rankings.
Second place was given jointly to Norway's Bergen Railway and the Swiss Bernina Express into Italy, with the Glacier Express from Zermatt and St Moritz cruising into the station in third place.
The Ffestiniog Railway has been voted the finest scenic railway in Europe. Photo / British Tourist Authority
Blaenau Ffestiniog, Wales 91%
Ffestiniog was a surprise winner but had a first class score of 91 per cent.
The oldest narrow-gauge railway in the world, the steam locomotive is a transport of delight said passengers.
"With the option to travel in first-class Pullman carriages, you can push down windows, breathe in the sweet air and whizz through the Welsh countryside in just three hours – pulled by a whistling steam engine," Which? reveals, for $309 for a first-class private seating compartment. A standard return fare was $78.
Hall of the Mountain King: Bergen railway station. Photo / Getty Images
2= Bergen Railway, Norway 90%
The joint runner-up rail journey takes you from Bergen to Oslo, across the Norwegian highlands. The seven-hour journey got a 90 per cent score from reviewers.
Built in 1909 it was a feet of engineering that cuts through the harshest winter landscapes in Europe. Running all year round, the landscape of Finse is described as a "miniature Antarctica" and was the training ground for polar explorers Roald Amundsen and Ernest Shackleton.
Normally understated national rail service Vyrgruppen describes it as "one of the most spectacular scenic experiences in Europe".
Running as one of Europe's highest altitude railways, the Bernina is hard to top. It was the only railway to score a perfect 5/5 stars for scenery.
Such are the views from 2253m above sea level. Traversing the alps into Italy, from Thusis via Valposchiavo to Tirano, the region is a Unesco world heritage area.
The service boasts "55 tunnels, 196 bridges and inclines of up to 70 per mille with ease", all of which passengers experience through glass panoramic carriages.
Prices are pretty steep too, starting at $104 one-way.
The best of Switzerland on the Glacier Express. Photo / Andreas Stutz, Unsplash
3 Glacier Express, Switzerland 89%
Visiting two of Switzerland's most famous ski resorts, St Moritz to Zermatt.
Passing the country's most famous mountains - including the Matterhorn (AKA Mt Toblerone) - the services passes 91 tunnels and 291 bridges, including the Landwasser Viaduct and the Rhine gorge.
There is a dining option with food served at your seat in the panoramic cabins. This offers wine pairings from the Swiss cantons of Graubünden and Valais to complement the views.
Brocken Railway: East German mystery train. Photo / Stefan Pasch, Unsplash
4= Brocken Railway, Germany 86%
Cutting through the Harz mountains the old Soviet-era East German railway could be out of a John le Carre novel. According to Which? Brocken was once a listening station for spies.
The railway runs a regular murder mystery "Krimidinner" for passengers wanting the full whodunnit experience.
Leading through densely wooded landscapes, to the top of Brocken takes roughly an hour and 40 minutes return, $77 per passenger.
The Ffestiniog Railway has been voted the finest scenic railway in Europe. Photo / British Tourist Authority
4= Talyllyn Railway, Wales 86%
Another Welsh rolling stock ferries travellers from Snowdonia National Park to Nant Gwernol. A journey of 11km, the stretch of rail was the first heritage railway museum opened in 1951 to preserve the railway from 1865.
From $40 return.
4= Welsh Highland Railway, Wales 86%
Travelling 40km along the rails from Caernarfon to the Aberglaslyn Pass, it is the longest preserved railway in the UK. Taking over six hours on a return trip, there is plenty of time to enjoy the views of Caernaforn Castle and the Welsh valleys.
All of this you can enjoy from the comfort of a private booth in a Pullman First Class Carriage.
The West Highland Railway crosses the Glenfinnan Viaduct. Photo / Jack Anstey, Unsplash
4= West Highland Line, Scotland 86%
Not to be confused with the previous entry, the West Highland line takes passengers from Mallaig to Fort William and the highlands. This is the real Hogwarts Express.
It crosses the Glenfinnan Viaduct which appears prominently in the Harry Potter films. This flying Scots service climbs from the dramatic West Coast through to the seat of Ben Nevis - Britain's tallest mountain.
From $74 one way.
Flamsbana: The mountainous Norwegian rail service. Photo / Alan W, Unsplash
5 = Flaam Railway, Norway 85%
Exploring the 20 tunnels on the route from the fjord of Aurlandsfjord up to Myrdal in Aurland, it's a rail journey fit for Grieg's Mountain King.
The Flaam Railway also passes the 225m-tall Kjosfossen waterfall and the old Flaam village, replete with reconstructed viking longboat.
From $107 one way
Balloons from the rails near Chateau-d'Oex, Switzerland. Photo / Supplied
5 = Golden Pass, Switzerland 85%
The long line from Lucerne to Montreux was the only entry to gain a full five stars for comfort in Which?'s survey.
Passing the Grand Chalet in Rossiniere and Château-d'Oex, a well-timed trip will correspond with the world-famous hot air ballooning festival in the alps.
Straddling French and German-speaking cantons the train disembarks in Zweisimmen, an old-world Swiss village.
