European Rail Holidays

Variously described as “Europe’s last wilderness” and “Europe’s best kept secret,” Romania remains one of the Continent’s most rewarding yet least discovered destinations. With its forested Carpathian Mountains, medieval Saxon towns, painted monasteries and traditional villages where horses and carts still outnumber tractors, it offers a glimpse of a Europe long since vanished elsewhere.

At Ffestiniog Travel, our passion for railways is about much more than timetables and destinations – it is about history, landscape, engineering and the communities who keep these remarkable lines alive.  In 2026 we are excited to once again champion some of Europe’s finest heritage and steam railways with an inspiring collection of escorted tours designed especially for enthusiasts and curious travellers alike.

Step into a winter wonderland by train and swap airport queues and motorway stress for snow-dusted mountains, festive fun, and one of the world’s most scenic rail networks. Ffestiniog Travel’s much-loved Christmas & New Year rail tour in Switzerland returns with a carefully crafted itinerary that combines effortless travel, jaw-dropping views, and the festive spirit of Switzerland’s alpine towns. With centrally located hotels, optional guided excursions, and the freedom of a First Class Swiss Travel Pass, this tour is the perfect balance of structure and independence - ideal for both seasoned travellers and winter holiday first-timers.

General manager Maria Cook comments: “2024 is a year that marks some poignant anniversaries reflecting major historic events dating back over a Century from the start of WWI 110 years ago in 1914, the start of WWII 85 years ago in September 1939, the 80th anniversary of D-Day in June 1944 and the fall of the Berlin Wall 35 years ago in November 1989 – heralding the end of the Cold War.

We welcome a second travel blog from David Grosvenor, an artist based in North Wales, who returned to travelling further afield with gusto this year by joining two of Festiniog Travel’s Small & Traditional escorted holidays. In this write-up David offers further, frank insight into our ‘away from the tourist trail’ tours when he travelled with a small group to Albania (including visits to Kosovo, Montenegro and Serbia) to explore this mountainous and sparsely populated country and encountered a very warm welcome, delicious food and spectacular scenery that he struggled to find the words for!

One of our regular and popular escorted tours explores scenic regions that surround the mighty Rhine river in Germany and is run to coincide with one of the country’s most culturally important events in the calendar year – the ‘Rhine in Flammen’ Festival. This is a very relaxing 5-day holiday, and our next visit will be based in one of Germany’s oldest cities, Bonn. In this blog, tour leader John Robson, offers an insight into this short European break and why it is worth considering joining us when we run it again in 2022!

During the hiatus in travel and holidays forced upon us by the pandemic Ffestiniog Travel Director Alan Heywood decided to take a retrospective look at his many travels and has written a blog based on his 2018 research trip to Montenegro which formed the basis of our Small & Traditional escorted tour of the Mountains and Coast in Montenegro, a 13-day tour that we will be running in September 2022.

Ffestiniog Travel tour leader John Robson has penned another blog to share his experience and expertise of navigating the comprehensive Harz Railway network that weaves its way through Germany’s beautiful Harz Mountains. Ffestiniog Travel have been running escorted and arranging tailored rail holidays to the Harzer-Schmalspurbahnen (HSB) for over 30 years and the popularity of this destination shows no sign of waning. It appeals both to the rail enthusiast and partners in equal measure due to the abundance of steam-hauled locos and the scenic charms of the region. In this blog John offers some insights into how you can make the best of your time on this wonderful and extensive railway playground.

This blog by Ffestiniog Travel tour leader, John Robson, brings to life one of our popular tours, a circular rail journey around Ireland, which he led in 2018 – a recollection from the viewpoint of a tour leader! Let John’s words and memories transport you on a written journey through the ‘Emerald Isle’!