Rail Holidays in Germany

E asily navigable by train, Germany combines exciting city destinations with stunning countryside. The history of Europe is woven into the fabric of the country, from the Roman cities of Trier and Mainz and the fairytale castles along the Romantic Road to beer halls of Munich and the ultra-modern architecture on show in Berlin and Frankfurt. There’s plenty of fabulous scenery too in locations like the Rhine Valley, Saxon Switzerland and the famous Black Forest.

Recommended Holiday Ideas

Tailor Made Rail

Destination Germany

Despite its beautiful scenery, rich culture, wonderful cities and the warm welcome afforded to visitors, Germany remains hugely underrated as a holiday destination. The upside of this curious attitude is that you will be able to explore Berlin, the Black Forest, Munich, Christmas markets and fairytale castles without having to worry about bumping into those neighbours you don’t really like.

Whether you’re interested in 20th century history or 21st century hedonism, Berlin is a fascinating, fun city to visit. You can discover the Brandenburg Gate or the Checkpoint Charlie museum before going on to enjoy some of the world’s most celebrated bars and restaurants. In the south of the country, Munich is the ideal introduction to Bavaria, with handsome squares, beautiful parks and famous beer halls in which you can while away an evening whilst listening to local oompa bands. Dresden, Cologne and Hamburg are also wonderful destinations, especially if you time your trip to coincide with the Christmas markets when the air is heavy with the smell of gingerbread and spiced wine.

Outside of Germany’s charming cities, there is a great variety of beautiful countryside to explore and enjoy. The Bavarian Alps offer lots of well-kept, well-signposted hiking trails whilst at the opposite end of the country, the Northern coastline is home to a range of beachside spa resorts which can cater to every taste – and budget! Between the Alps and the coast, the German landscape is dotted by a variety of fantastical castles built by King Ludwig, perhaps most famously the white-walled Neuschwanstein.

Germany is very accessible by train from the UK, with a quick transfer in Paris, Brussels or Amsterdam required depending on your destination. An affordable, comfortable and reliable high-speed network connects all of the major German towns and cities, making exploring this fascinating country both easy and enjoyable.

Germany Highlights

Tailor Made Rail
Berlin Berlin is an exciting melting pot of culture, history and diversity - a tolerant and welcoming city with a young vibe. View More
Bavaria Bavaria offers a heady mix of vibrant, cultural cities, chocolate-box medieval towns, fairytale hill-top castles and undulating scenery. View More

Itineraries in Germany

Tailor Made Rail
Offer
8 Days
  • Freiburg
  • Villingen
  • Freudenstadt
  • Cologne
Enjoy a relaxing break in the beautiful Black Forest on this picturesque rail holiday. Start off with 3 nights in pretty Freiburg and then head for the lovely Black Forest towns of Villingen and Freudenstadt before returning to the UK via Cologne.
From £1,149
7 Days
  • Berlin
  • Dresden
  • Leipzig
Enjoy an exciting holiday by rail, featuring three historic German cities. Discover vibrant capital Berlin as well as Dresden & Leipzig, both once in the former East Germany.
From £999
Offer
12 Days
  • Cologne
  • Berlin
  • Krakow
  • Budapest
Enjoy an exciting rail adventure including two comfortable sleeper trains on this suggested holiday. Travel east through Cologne and Berlin to Krakow, before you catch the sleeper from there to Budapest. From the Hungarian capital, head home via Vienna and the NightJet to Amsterdam or Brussels.
From £1,249
  • Amsterdam
  • Berlin
  • Prague
  • Munich
  • Paris
Hop across to the Netherlands on a direct Eurostar service with 2 nights in Amsterdam before continuing to two other exciting European capital cities - all with direct trains and shorter journeys. End your trip in style and break your travel back to London with a night in Paris.
From £1,459
12 Days
  • Baden Baden
  • Innsbruck
  • Merano
  • Bressanone
  • Lienz
  • Munich
Enjoy a rail journey into the beautiful and fascinating region of Tyrol, straddling Austria, Germany and Italy, on this relaxing holiday. You'll have stops in Tyrolean capital Innsbruck, the pretty towns of Merano and Bressanone as well as East Tyrolean capital Lienz before heading home via Munich.
From £1,499
8 Days
  • Lossburg
Spend a week in the peaceful surroundings of the Black Forest in Germany on this holiday by rail and road. Enjoy a spa treatment in Baden-Baden, take a boat out on Lake Titisee, hike in the Black Forest foothills and settle back with a drink in a local beer garden.
From £899
  • Berlin
  • Prague
  • Vienna
  • Budapest
  • Salzburg
  • Frankfurt
Indulge in a luxurious First Class rail holiday, taking in Europe's majestic Imperial capital cities on this 11-night itinerary with stops in fascinating Berlin and stunning Salzburg en route.
From £2,599
13 Days
  • Amsterdam
  • Hamburg
  • Aarhus
  • Larvik
  • Oslo
  • Copenhagen
  • Cologne
Embark on a journey through maritime history as you discover the port cities of Amsterdam, Hamburg and Oslo on this fascinating 12-night holiday. You'll also stop in lovely Aarhus, Denmark's second largest metropolis and then take a ferry across the Skagerrak strait to Norway. Return via Copenhagen and Cologne.
From £1,899
8 Days
  • Cologne
  • Wernigerode
  • Hannover
Head into the popular region of the Harz Mountains in Germany on this picturesque rail holiday, taking in Cologne, the Harz Mountains Railway and historic Hannover. You'll also have a day rail pass from Hannover to explore lovely Lower Saxony.
From £979
Offer
  • Berlin
  • Warsaw
  • Prague
  • Bratislava
  • Budapest
  • Bucharest
  • Nuremberg
Travel through Warsaw, Berlin, Prague, Bratislava, Budapest and Bucharest on a rail journey through history, mapping the fall of the Iron Curtain that divided eastern and western Europe until 1989.
From £1,749
  • Gdansk
  • Dresden
  • Prague
  • Cesky Krumlov
  • Bratislava
  • Budapest
  • Belgrade
Travel east of the former Iron Curtain on this epic holiday from Gdansk in the Baltic to Belgrade in Serbia, taking in some spectacular destinations along the way, including Dresden, Prague and Budapest.
From £1,349
8 Days
  • Trier
  • Boppard
  • Rudesheim
Enjoy a relaxing rail holiday taking in the stunning landscapes of the Rhine and Moselle Rivers. Your journey takes you to Trier, the 'Rome of the North', then onto the banks of the Rhine, with stays in beautiful Boppard and Rudesheim.
From £849
Offer
  • Cologne
  • Salzburg
  • Chur
  • Zermatt
  • Strasbourg
Make the most of your winter holiday with a scenic journey through the Alps. Travel from Cologne, through the Rhine Gorge to Salzburg, by panorama coach to Chur, across Switzerland to Zermatt with the Glacier Express and then back to London via Strasbourg.
From £1,499
8 Days
  • Heidelberg
  • Lindau
  • Augsburg
Combine two of Germany's hidden gems with a holiday to historic Heidelberg and the pretty resort town of Lindau on the shores of Lake Constance. Your return rail journey will also take you to Augsburg in Bavaria, one of Germany's oldest cities.
From £1,169
Offer
10 Days
  • Würzburg
  • Rothenburg
  • Nuremberg
  • Munich
Experience true Bavarian hospitality in this most quintessentially German of regions. Explore its architecture, countryside, castles and cities, and sip local brew in a Brauhaus with stays in Wurzburg, Rothenburg, Nuremberg and Munich.
From £1,249
6 Days
  • Cologne
  • Berlin
Enjoy a German holiday by rail with 2 nights in Cologne on the River Rhine and 3 nights in buzzing capital Berlin.
From £749
4 Days
  • Berlin
Take comfortable and modern daytime trains all the way from London to Berlin and enjoy all that Germany's fascinating reunified capital has to offer.
From £549
Offer
  • Zermatt
  • Chur
  • Innsbruck
  • Lake Bled
  • Graz
  • Stuttgart
Travel from Zermatt, in the shadow of the Matterhorn, through the best of the Swiss and Austrian Alps, to picture-perfect Lake Bled in Slovenia's Julian Alps.
From £2,099

Blogs About Germany

8 Jun, 2020
Enjoying a meal on board a train around Europe is one of the pleasures of travelling by rail.  Many trains around Europe have excellent catering facilities and are a wonderful way to pass the time while taking in the scenery as you move from one city to the next.
23 Nov, 2020
If you're travelling to Switzerland from the UK and you have the time, taking the train over a couple of days with a stunning journey along the Rhine Valley is highly recommended. It's possible to get to Zurich, Basel or Interlaken in one day, but this route is far more scenic.
3 Apr, 2019
Being an enthusiastic city explorer and trainspotter myself, I was very delighted when Tailor Made Rail asked me to write about my home town, Berlin.
23 Nov, 2020
Travelling between two of Europe’s most iconic capital cities is exciting enough, but to do it by train along such a gorgeous stretch of scenery is the icing on the cake.