I’m a travel writer obsessed with trains – these are Europe’s best Christmas train journeys

Route: Rome to Munich 

Length: 17 hours, overnight train

Best for: Extremely festive fun

If you’ve ever dreamed of going to a European Christmas market, then Munich’s Christkindlmarkt is likely on top of your list. One of the most atmospheric in Europe, you’ll stroll through classic stalls selling handmade decor and as much Glühwein and bratwurst as your heart desires. Now, getting there has never been more festive thanks to a new limited overnight train from Rome.

Italy’s new Espresso Monaco: Christmas Markets Edition sleeper train from Rome to Munich, operated by FS Treni Turistici Italiani, lets you  enjoy hot mulled wine, festive decor, holiday music, and a dining car serving Christmas specialties on board. Choose a private cabin or shared sleeper and watch Italy’s cities fade into the Alps. The train runs two weekends only (departures December 5 and 12, returns December 7 and 14) with additional stops in Italian cities like Verona, Trento, and Bolzano before crossing into Austria.

If you’re looking for a shorter trip, FS Treni Turistici Italiani is also offering a daytime ‘Espresso Assisi: Christmas Market Edition’ from Rome to Arezzo, where the city hosts a lesser-known but equally charming Christmas market.

📍 Germany’s best Christmas markets, from Munich to Nuremberg

Route: London/Paris to Venice, the French Alps, Vienna, or Rome, other locations

Length: 1-2 days

Best for: Golden-age luxury

Imagine the golden age of rail travel: a world of plush velvet, fine dining, and glittering opulence. You’ll find all of that, and more, aboard the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express, one of the most luxurious train journeys in Europe. Stepping aboard feels like stepping into a 1920s and 1930s time capsule. The historic carriages are each a masterpiece of Art Deco style, complete with original René Lalique glass panels, polished brass, and intricate marquetry. Operated by Belmond, this iconic train line offers various one- or multi-night routes. While the classic choice is Paris to Venice, which runs deep into December, recent expansions include special winter journeys to the French Alps, stopping at stations like Albertville, Moûtiers, and Bourg-Saint-Maurice and accessing world-class ski resorts like Courchevel and Megève. It can also take you to festive winter cities like Vienna, Rome, and Florence. 

Route: Zermatt (Matterhorn) to St. Moritz (or vice versa)

Length: 8 hours

Best for: Slow-paced Swiss Alps sightseeing

Nicknamed the ‘slowest express train in the world’, this legendary journey winds leisurely through some of the most breathtaking scenery in Europe: snow-dusted peaks, deep valleys, and charming Alpine villages. Running between the chic resort towns of Zermatt and St. Moritz, the eight-hour route is a continuous highlight reel of Switzerland’s most stunning landscapes. You’ll cross 291 bridges, pass through 91 tunnels, and climb to nearly 2,000 meters above sea level as the train snakes along the Rhine Gorge (known as the Swiss Grand Canyon) and over the dramatic Oberalp Pass.

Panoramic windows make it impossible to look away, but you’ll want to at least grab your wine glass to enjoy sommelier-selected options. If you want to up the luxury aspect, treat yourself to a first-class upgrade that turns the journey into a fine-dining experience complete with a multi-course meal and champagne welcome.

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Route: Chur or St. Moritz, Switzerland to Tirano, Italy

Length: About 4 hours

Best for: A fast-paced, cross-border thrill through the Alps

People often mix up the Bernina Express with the Glacier Express. While they both offer awesome Swiss Alps journeys, the Glacier is slow-paced and entirely in Switzerland, while the Bernina is shorter, steeper, and crosses into Italy. The four-hour route from Chur (or St. Moritz) to Tirano squeezes in glaciers, spiraling viaducts, and 196 bridges. You’ll climb to 2,253 meters over the Bernina Pass before dropping into Italy’s Valtellina Valley, where vineyards and palms replace pines.

It’s one of Europe’s few train rides that feels like a true crossing between countries and dramatic landscapes. The Bernina Express gives you the Alps at full scale and full speed: no luxury dining, no dawdling, and more time to focus on taking in the jaw-dropping scenery.

Route: Various, including Budapest to Munich, Vienna, and the Alps

Length: 8-12 days

Best for: A five-star hotel experience on wheels

More than just a train, the Golden Eagle Danube is more like a moving five-star hotel, with private en-suite cabins, marble bathrooms turndown service, butler-style service and elegant dining and bar cars. The line’s itineraries run year-round, but winter especially is a treat. Several routes transform the train into a festive journey through the heart of Central Europe, combining snow-covered scenery, historic cities, and holiday cheer. The Christmas Markets of Central Europe itinerary runs from Budapest through Vienna and Salzburg to Munich, while the Grand Alpine Express crosses Austria, Switzerland, and northern Italy for an 11-day showcase of mountain passes, frozen lakes, and postcard-perfect villages. 

The legendary New Year’s Eve route might be the best of all: the week begins at the Four Seasons Hotel Gresham Palace and continues with a champagne reception, stops at Christmas markets, lessons on the famous Viennese Waltz, and a black-tie New Year’s countdown at a gala inside the ornate Vienna City Hall with performances from the Wiener Hofball Orchestra. 

📍 The best Christmas markets in Budapest

Route: Montreux to Interlaken Ost

Length: 3 hours 15 minutes, daily departures

Best for: Stunning Alps views made simple

It’s not every day a country as rail-perfect as Switzerland unveils a new scenic train. But this one was over a century in the making. First imagined in the early 1900s, the idea of connecting Lake Geneva’s Riviera to the Bernese Alps in a single ride was deemed impossible because the two lines used different track gauges. Then, in late 2022, engineers finally pulled it off. Thanks to first-of-its-kind technology that allows the train’s wheels to adjust mid-journey, the GoldenPass Express now links Montreux to Interlaken with no transfers required. 

Over three dreamy hours, the train glides past vineyards, alpine meadows, and snow-capped peaks, winding through fairytale villages like Gstaad and Zweisimmen. Inside, enjoy panoramic windows and plush interiors, or upgrade to Prestige Class for raised seats and table service.

Route: Oslo to Bergen

Length: 6 hours 50 minutes, multiple daily departures

Best for: Epic Nordic landscapes 

For a true winter spectacle, head north to Norway to take in a completely different scenery than anywhere else in Europe. Linking Oslo and Bergen and running year-round (even in the depths of winter), the Bergen Line’s seven-hour journey is a feat of railway engineering. You’ll climb 1,200 meters above sea level to Hardangervidda, Europe’s highest mountain plateau, which is often battered by snow, wind, and temperatures as low as -20 °C (-4 °F). You can step off the train at Finse Station, the highest point on the line (and, fun fact, the filming location for The Empire Strikes Back), which feels like stepping onto another planet. With no open roads, no cars, and nothing but snow in every direction, Finse is entirely off the grid. Throughout the ride, you’ll often see nothing but a horizon of snow and soft Northern light, giving you a glimpse into a place few people ever see and the closest thing to going to the Arctic without leaving mainland Europe. 

Route: Helsinki to Rovaniemi, Finland

Length: ~11-12 hours (overnight)

Best for: Polar adventures, with potential for Northern Lights viewing

Ready to cross into the Arctic Circle? Hop aboard the Santa Claus Express, Finland’s overnight sleeper that departs from Helsinki each evening before heading north through snow-dusted forests and frozen lakes. Outside your window, if you’re lucky, you can catch the green shimmer of the Northern Lights.

By dawn, you’re deep in Lapland, rolling into Rovaniemi, deemed the ‘Official Hometown of Santa Claus,’ where the Arctic Circle cuts right through town. You’ll spot reindeer pastures and pine trees heavy with snow. On board, you’ll be safe from the sub-zero air inside your simple-and-snug sleeper cabin, with the rhythm of the train lulling you to sleep.