Austrian Autumn Steam Spectacular

DAY 1

Travelling by Eurostar from London St Pancras to Brussels, then onwards to Regensburg for our overnight stay at the Ibis Hotel where we check in and enjoy our first evening meal together.

DAY 2

After breakfast this morning, we continue by train to Wels and transfer to the Bayrischer Hof Hotel where we check in for our six-night stay. This afternoon, we take a local train to Linz and enjoy free time in this lovely town situated on the Danube and you may wish to take an optional ride on the Postlingberg Tram (payable locally). On our return to Wels, we enjoy our evening meal together at the hotel.

DAY 3

After breakfast, we travel by rail to Timelkam where we have an exclusive steam-hauled charter along the branch to the Ampflwang Locomotive Park for a guided tour of the huge collection of steam, diesel, and electric locomotives plus coaches and wagons - around 100 items! We enjoy a full day here (including lunch) to explore before retracing our steps behind steam to Timelkam and by rail to Wels for an evening at leisure.

DAY 4

This morning, we travel to St. Polten and board the fabulous Mariazellerbahn Panoramic for a thrilling ride over the longest narrow-gauge railway in Austria, climbing high into the mountains over viaducts and through tunnels to reach the pilgrimage town of Mariazell. On arrival, we take the historic Museum Tramway to Erlaufsee Lake returning in time for our lunch together in a local restaurant before our return journey to St. Polten and onwards to Wels for an evening at leisure.

DAY 5

Today, we travel to the lovely riverside town of Steyr where we board a vintage postbus and drive to Grünburg for our exclusive steam-hauled charter over the 17km narrow-gauge Steyrtalbahn. We journey through scenic meadows and charming valleys, passing a historic pilgrimage church and traversing a magnificent arched bridge enjoying many photo opportunities along the way. Afterwards, we retrace our steps to Wels and enjoy an evening at leisure.

DAY 6

Today, we experience a fantastic 200-mile mainline steam run travelling via Linz and Summerau to Ceske Budejovice in the Czech Republic. Here, we have time to explore this attractive town with its numerous impressive heritage sites and breathtaking countryside, enjoy our lunch together in a local restaurant, and sample the regional gastronomy before rejoining the special train back to Wels.

DAY 7

This morning, we explore the Stern & Hafferl railways and tramways including an exclusive charter aboard a restored 1914 vintage tram on the scenic Atterseebahn before travelling to the beautiful lakeside town of Gmunden. Here, we enjoy time for lunch before continuing through the countryside to Lambach, an historic market town and home of the famous Abbey of Lambach. We return by rail to the hotel in time for our final evening meal together.

DAY 8

We bid farewell to Wels and to Austria, returning by rail to Brussels, where we will join the Eurostar service to London St Pancras.

*Important Note: Whilst the arrangements for all described steam train travel are in place, we do reserve the right to make substitutions should it be deemed necessary for whatever reason.

B=Breakfast, L=Lunch, D=Dinner