Combine Christmas shopping with scenic steam train rides through Germany’s beautiful Harz Mountains on a festive break, based in the pretty medieval town of Wernigerode. Stock up on traditional gifts, take a trip to the Harz mountains’ highest peak, the spectacular Brocken, visit the UNESCO World Heritage town of Quedlinburg and explore further afield using the three-day Harz Rover and Quer-durchs-Land tickets that come as part of the package. Departing 9 December, the price is from £1,155 pp (two sharing) including Eurostar and standard class rail travel, transfers, seven nights’ B&B (five in Wernigerode, two in Cologne) and tour leader.

Rail holiday specialist Ffestiniog Travel has released the 2018 edition of its popular escorted tours brochure. Featuring six new escorted itineraries for next year - from the tramways of south-eastern France to the logging railroads and coastal routes of California - Rail Holidays of the World also tempts travellers to start planning for this year’s festive season, with a new Christmas Markets break to the Swiss city of Basle as well as the chance to see in the New Year in Romania.

With so many wonderful places to explore worldwide, it can be easy to overlook the delights on your doorstep or to dismiss them as something that can be done anytime. Rail holiday specialist Ffestiniog Travel believes that ‘anytime’ is now, offering two delightfully relaxing itineraries that explore some of the world’s most beautiful landscapes - The Western Isles of Scotland and The Far West of Ireland - without ever having to board a plane…

Britain's closest neighbour across the Channel has been a popular holiday destination for British holidaymakers for decades. The majority of travellers tootle their way through France by car, but Dan May, Ffestiniog Travel’s European rail ticket specialist, believes for those who travel light there is a more appealing alternative of getting around France - the train! Read more in his latest blog.