1. Glacier Express — Zermatt to St. Moritz, Switzerland (8h)
The world's most famous slow train. The Glacier Express crosses 291 bridges and 91 tunnels through the Swiss Alps, climbing from Zermatt at the foot of the Matterhorn to the Engadin valley at St. Moritz. Panoramic windows, a dining car, and eight hours of mountain scenery that makes it genuinely difficult to look at your phone.
- Route: Zermatt → Visp → Brig → Andermatt → Disentis → Chur → St. Moritz
- Distance: 291 km
- Operator: MGB + RhB (covered by Swiss Travel Pass; Eurail pass holders pay supplement)
- Book: glacierexpress.ch — up to 6 months ahead, sells out in summer
- Best seat: Right side facing direction of travel for the Oberalp Pass section
2. Bergen Railway — Oslo to Bergen, Norway (7h30)
The most dramatic mainline railway in Europe. The Bergensbanen climbs from Oslo to 1,237m at Finse — Europe's highest mainline station — crossing the Hardangervidda, a vast Arctic plateau shared with reindeer herds. Then descends through fjord country into Bergen's wooden-house waterfront.
The Flåmsbana branch at Myrdal adds a 55-minute descent of 866m through 20 tunnels to a fjord village — one of Norway's unmissable detours.
- Route: Oslo S → Hønefoss → Geilo → Finse → Myrdal → Voss → Bergen
- Distance: 496 km
- Operator: Vy (Interrail covered, no mandatory reservation)
- Book: vy.no — opens 90 days ahead
- Best season: June–August (snow-free), or May for a dramatic white plateau
3. Bernina Express — Chur to Tirano, Switzerland/Italy (4h)
The highest transalpine railway in the world — and a UNESCO World Heritage route. The Bernina Express crosses the Bernina Pass at 2,253m, then drops from Alpine snow to Italian palms at Tirano in a single extraordinary journey. The Landwasser Viaduct (a curved stone bridge over a gorge) is one of the most photographed railway structures in Europe.
- Route: Chur → Filisur → St. Moritz → Ospizio Bernina → Poschiavo → Tirano
- Distance: 144 km
- Operator: RhB (covered by Swiss Travel Pass; Eurail supplement applies)
- Book: rhb.ch or bernina-express.ch
- Best tip: The Chur–St. Moritz leg (2h) alone is worth taking; combine with the Glacier Express for the full Swiss arc
4. The Alpine Crossing — Italy to Austria via the Brenner Pass
The most historically significant mountain crossing in Europe — the Brenner Pass has been the main route between Italy and the Germanic world since Roman times. The EuroCity trains between Verona and Innsbruck (2h30) trace the Adige river valley north through Bolzano and Brixen, then climb through dramatic gorges to the Austrian Tyrol.
- Key routes:
- - Verona → Innsbruck: 2h30 by EuroCity, 6–8 trains/day. The most scenic segment.
- - Venice → Innsbruck: ~4h, changing at Verona. The lagoon-to-Alps combination is extraordinary.
- - Bologna → Vienna: ~9h direct EuroCity, traverses the full Alpine corridor.
- - Overnight option: ÖBB Nightjet Vienna→Rome crosses the same pass while you sleep — see our [Nightjet guide](/night-trains/oebb-nightjet).
What to watch for: The gorge section between Brixen and Innsbruck is the visual highlight — narrow canyon, rushing river, medieval castles on cliff edges. Keep your phone out.
Operator: ÖBB / Trenitalia joint EuroCity services. Covered by Interrail/Eurail; seat reservation ~€3–10 recommended.
5. Golden Pass — Montreux to Interlaken, Switzerland (3h)
The most accessible scenic railway in Switzerland. The Golden Pass Panoramic Express runs from Montreux on Lake Geneva through Gstaad and the Bernese Oberland to Interlaken — rotating seats that always face forward, panoramic windows, and views of Lake Thun and Lake Brienz.
- Route: Montreux → Zweisimmen → Spiez → Interlaken Ost
- Distance: 128 km
- Operator: MOB + BLS (covered by Swiss Travel Pass)
- Book: goldenpass.ch — reserve panoramic seats separately
- Tip: Start from Montreux, where Freddie Mercury's statue and Chillon Castle are both walkable from the station
6. Flåm Railway — Myrdal to Flåm, Norway (55 min)
The steepest standard-gauge railway in the world — 55 minutes descending 866m from the Bergensbanen junction at Myrdal to Flåm village on the Aurlandsfjord. Twenty tunnels, a waterfall stop at Kjosfossen, and views that explain why this is Norway's most visited attraction. Combine with a Nærøyfjord ferry from Flåm for the complete experience.
- Route: Myrdal → Berekvam → Flåm
- Operator: Vy (Interrail covered with summer supplement NOK 100–200)
- Book: vy.no — sells out in peak summer, book ahead
7. Cinque Terre Coast — La Spezia to Levanto, Italy (30 min)
The shortest route on this list but arguably the most dramatic per kilometre. The regional train along the Ligurian coast threads between the five Cinque Terre villages — Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza, Monterosso — mostly through tunnels, with brief glimpses of clifftop villages and the blue Ligurian Sea.
- Route: La Spezia Centrale → Riomaggiore → Manarola → Corniglia → Vernazza → Monterosso → Levanto
- Operator: Trenitalia Regionale
- Cost: ~€5 for the full run, trains every 20–30 min in peak season
- Tip: The tunnel sections hide most of the view — take the hiking trail between at least two villages
8. Douro Valley — Porto to Pocinho, Portugal (3h30)
Portugal's best-kept scenic secret. The Linha do Douro follows the Douro river east from Porto through terraced vineyards, granite villages, and river gorges to the remote Douro wine country. One of the most beautiful stretches of railway in Southern Europe — and almost nobody outside Portugal knows it.
- Route: Porto Campanhã → Régua → Pinhão → Pocinho
- Operator: CP (Comboios de Portugal) — regional service
- Cost: ~€15–20 one way
- Tip: The Régua–Pinhão segment is the most scenic. The old diesel trains (Automotoras) on this line add to the atmosphere
9. Øresund Bridge — Copenhagen to Malmö (35 min)
Europe's most architecturally dramatic short rail journey. The train leaves Copenhagen underground, emerges onto a combined road-rail bridge, then dives back underground to arrive at Malmö Centralstation in Sweden. The crossing over the Øresund strait — 7.8 km of bridge followed by a 4 km tunnel — offers a brief but extraordinary view of the sea and the two cities on either side.
- Route: Copenhagen H → Malmö C
- Operator: DSB / Öresundståg
- Cost: ~€17 one way (covered by Interrail/Eurail)
- Best seat: Left side from Copenhagen — better view of the bridge span
10. Transpennine & Settle–Carlisle — Northern England (3h)
The most scenic railway in England and one of the great Victorian engineering achievements. The Settle–Carlisle line crosses the Pennines via the Ribblehead Viaduct — a 24-arch structure over a moorland valley — through some of the wildest upland scenery in Britain.
- Route: Leeds → Skipton → Settle → Ribblehead → Appleby → Carlisle
- Operator: Northern Trains
- Cost: ~£15–25 one way
- Best season: Autumn for heather moorland colours; winter for snow on the viaduct
- Tip: Alight at Ribblehead station for a 20-minute walk to the viaduct viewpoint
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