Winter rail adventures in Europe: three itineraries for the colder months

I travel through Europe by rail in all seasons and all weathers, and my more memorable journeys are often in that slack period between Epiphany (on 6 January) and Easter. Fewer travellers are on the move. Empty trains and plentiful accommodation make a winning combo for those who relish spontaneous travel. And winter weather often lends a special hue to landscape, be it creeping dusk as a slow train rattles through the forests of Bohemia or a sudden snow shower cutting off the far horizons of Flanders.

Interrail passes often offer the best deals for European rail trips. And the big news is that passes are currently on sale with a hefty 25% discount through to 17 December. This makes for a fine opportunity to plan a winter adventure across Europe by train, so here are three trips worth making in early 2025. Buy a digital Interrail pass during the current promo and it can be used any time in the next 11 months.

Moselle and Rhine, Germany

The Moselle and Rhine rivers enjoy some protection from the worst winter weather and are easy to reach by rail from Britain. Eurostar will speed you from London to Brussels in two hours. From there, it is a shade over four hours by train via Luxembourg to Trier in Germany. This city by the Moselle makes a mellow base for off-season rambles through vineyards and riverside villages. Bernkastel-Kues and Bullay, respectively reached by bus or train from Trier, are lovely.

Mary Shelley deemed the Moselle inferior to “the prouder and more romantic glories of the Rhine” but I find real midwinter appeal in the softer, gentler landscapes of the Moselle valley. Judge for yourself as, after a couple of days in Trier, you take the slow train through the valley to reach the Rhine at Koblenz.

You can do better than actually staying in Koblenz by continuing to Königswinter, a handsome town on the right bank of the Rhine opposite Bonn. It’s a lovely spot for winter getaways and easily repays two or three-night stays.

Take the cog railway from Königswinter up to the cragged summit of the Drachenfels (Dragon’s Rock) to discover a landscape full of Wagnerian splendour and a quirky monument to the composer. A day trip to Bonn is a must. The city that improbably became West Germany’s capital in 1949 has real small-town appeal, its status enhanced by its association with Beethoven, who was born here.

This stretch of the Rhine was in the premier league of destinations for English travellers in the 19th century, who usually toured with their sketch pads, recording Rhenish landscapes with varying degrees of competence. Not all were as good as JMW Turner, whose sketches of Drachenfels Castle helped inscribe this region on the romantic imagination.

From Königswinter take the train following the Rhine downstream to Cologne for a quick peek at the city’s awesome gothic cathedral. Round off your German trip with a night or two in Aachen, one-time hub of the Frankish empire. Check out the cathedral with Charlemagne’s imperial throne and make time to explore Aachen’s cosy back streets, which are especially atmospheric on a winter evening. Return home by train via Brussels to London.

London-Trier-Königswinter-Aachen-London can be done with a four-day Interrail pass, valid for four travelling days in a month. Prices (with current promotion): £181 adult, £135 youth (under 28), family £362 (two adults and two children under 12). Add about £26pp each way for Interrail pass holder supplements on Eurostar

Via the Alps to Trieste

Winter is a time to hunker down in cosy cafes, as I discovered in February when I visited Vienna and Trieste. With a week to spare, you can easily make a winter tour of the Alps that takes in the Austrian capital and the Adriatic port so evocatively captured by the late Jan Morris in her book Trieste and the Meaning of Nowhere.

Start with a Eurostar to Brussels, to connect with the Nightjet to Vienna. (From mid-December this train changes its operating days, running from Belgium on Monday, Wednesday and Friday evenings). A night in Vienna is the prelude to a daytime journey to Trieste using the direct Eurocity train.
This was a rail route nurtured by imperial ambition, linking the Austrian capital to the most important commercial port in the Habsburg Empire.

It’s a brilliant nine-hour ride from Vienna to Trieste, taking in the remarkable Unesco-listed Semmering Railway through the Austrian Alps, slipping through Ljubljana in Slovenia at lunchtime and then traversing the limestone karst to reach the Adriatic.

After a couple of days in Trieste, take the morning Frecciarossa from Trieste (at 09.39) to Verona, where you have a good connection, with 30 minutes to wait, on to a direct Railjet to Innsbruck. This gives a fine run over the Brenner Pass, getting into Innsbruck while it is still light.

Make enough time to ride the Hungerburgbahn up into the mountains north of town and enjoy the fine tram route south up the Stubai valley. From Innsbruck take the Nightjet, which leaves every evening for Amsterdam, an overnight journey of 13 hours, from where it’s an easy onward journey back to London on the Eurostar, albeit with a change in Brussels for the next couple of months. Direct trains from Amsterdam to London resume on 10 February.

London-Vienna-Trieste-Innsbruck-London is ideal with a five-day Interrail pass, valid for five travelling days in a month. Prices (with current promotion): £199 adult, £152 youth (under 28), family £404 (two adults and two children under 12). Add about £26pp each way for Interrail pass holder supplements on Eurostar to Brussels

Provincial France

The seaward end of the Loire valley benefits from a benign winter climate that makes it ideal for off-season visits. This is a chance to explore three delightful smaller French cities, taking advantage of regional rail routes where Interrailers don’t need to bother with seat reservations.

There is something special about the delicate beauty of this route. In Paris, transfer to Montparnasse station for the regional train to Chartres, just an hour south-west. Chartres has an intimate feel well suited to a winter stay, then continue next day to Saumur in the Loire valley, changing in Le Mans and Angers, the latter most definitely worth a stop to see the remarkable 14th-century tapestries displayed in the castle. They depict scenes from the Apocalypse of Saint John.

From Angers, it’s a short hop on a local train to Saumur, an amiable small town, whose cosy centre is at its most appealing in the quieter winter months. It’s a chance to taste Loire wines and relax for a day or two. I especially like the village of Langeais, just east of Saumur, which has a picture-perfect main street. It can be reached on a local train from Saumur in as little as 20 minutes.

Leaving Saumur, continue to your third and final stay in Bourges, using local trains and changing in Tours along the way. Bourges is the former capital of long-lost Berry, the French province that disappeared in the territorial reforms after the 1789 revolution. With its set-piece cathedral and charming central area, it’s a good spot to stay.

Don’t miss the fine walks through the watery Marais district close to the city centre. From Bourges, there are direct regional trains back to Paris, taking just over two hours, where you switch to Eurostar for a high-speed return to London.

• London-Chartres-Saumur-Bourges-London needs a four-day Interrail pass, as per the Germany itinerary. Eurostar passholder supplement £26 per leg

Nicky Gardner is lead author of Europe by Rail: The Definitive Guide (18th edition, Hidden Europe, £20.99), available from guardianbookshop.com