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Any tips for railroad photographers ?

  • January 22, 2026
  • 1 reply
  • 36 views

Hello !

I am a young (18y.o, 19 when I’ll travel) railway enthusiast from France. I call myself a railroad photographer (what some people call a “trainspotter”). I have been taking photos of trains in France and its neighboring countries for several years now.

I entered the Disvover EU Spring 2025 lottery and won a pass. I would like to travel to a European country in July 2026 where I can indulge in railway photography. I like taking pictures of “old trains” (I'm talking here about old trains in commercial operation, which would be relatively rare and impressive for a Western European like me) possibly on small lines or on lines offering breathtaking scenery.

I like northern countries (Scandinavia, the Baltic states, ...). Above all, I would like to get away from it all and discover a country that is completely different from France (so why not Eastern Europe, such as Poland, Hungary, Romania, etc.)? Finally, I'm not a big fan of big cities and overly touristy destinations.

Could you give me some advice on countries, destinations, and rail lines that would delight a train photographer? (or if you are also interested in train photography, would you be interested in sharing my adventure 👀)

1 reply

Siège avec vue
Keeps calm and carries on
  • Keeps calm and carries on
  • February 1, 2026

Hello!

My memories of Interrailing in parts of Europe further north or east than usual are full of pretty pictures.

Some of mine are here.

Anywhere there’s currently snow will be glorious, particularly the ten-hour journey between Trondheim and Bodø which is included in the Interrail pass and can be organised to come with a window seat. When I travelled on it in 2023 there was no locomotive at the back, so it was possible to get some lovely photos of, um, snow.

Anywhere Switzerland/Austria/Slovenia/Croatia-y is also quite nice. The journey between Zagreb and Vienna has some spectacular out-of-window photo opportunities. Between Budapest and Cluj Napoca has some spectacular mountain scenery that occasionally wants to join the train. Along the Elbe between Berlin and Prague is also very pretty. Closer to home, Zürich to Graz has a lot of mountains with snow on them.

Would love to see some of your pictures.