Suggestions for scenic train routes, must-see stops in Central Europe in December

Question

Hi everyone,My family of five from Japan (2 adults and 3 children) will be traveling around Europe this December using a Eurail Pass.Since we want to keep our budget as low as possible, we’re trying to make the most out of the Eurail Pass.We had a wonderful trip last year using the Eurail Pass, and thanks to some great advice from this community, we enjoyed an amazing scenic route on the Bernina Railway from Italy to Switzerland.It would be great if you could share similar advice with us! Here’s our planned itinerary with transportation:Budapest (2 nights) → Slovakia (stay 1 night)   travel by FlixBus	Slovakia → Vienna (1 night)         by FlixBus	Vienna → Prague (2 nights)    using Eurail Pass (Day 1)	Prague → Berlin (2 nights)    using Eurail Pass (Day 2)	Berlin → One night in an undecided city (Koblenz? Cologne? Frankfurt?)    using Eurail Pass (Day 3)	Undecided city → Bacharach (1 night)    travel by local train	Bacharach → Brussels → London     using Eurail Pass (Day 4)We want to make the most out of our Eurail Pass this time as well.If you have any suggestions for scenic train routes, must-see stops, or other tips we would love to hear them.Also, if you have recommendations for that undecided night, please let us know.Thanks so much in advance!Yuko

ralderton · Accepted Answer

You have a lot of one night stays planned, with travel before and after. Be realistic about how much you’re going to see of these cities.

I would consider dropping Slovakia (Bratislava?) and spending another night in Vienna.

Similarly, for your final undecided night. How about Cologne for 2 nights, then a day trip to Bacharach?

Stopovers:

Between Vienna & Prague, I always recommend a stop in Brno. You can leave your bags at the station, explore the city for a few hours, and then pick up a train a few hours later to Prague.

Between Berlin and Cologne, you can stop in Wuppertal and ride on the famous Schwebebahn.

The route along the Rhine between Cologne and Bacharach via Koblenz is very scenic (although nothing compared to the Bernina!)

https://www.seat61.com/places-of-interest/rails-down-the-rhine.htm

velofreak · Answer

Hi, I think you will enjoy the stage between (Prague -) Usti nad Labem and Dresden (- Berlin), the train is following the Elbe/Labe river and the valley if offering a lot of beautiful views. And I recommend to visit Görlitz (1,5h to the east from Dresden by train) and spend a night there. Afterwards you can take the train via Cottbus to Berlin.

Wish you a pleasant stay in Europe!

Alex.

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