Steam & Heritage Railways of Austria and Bavaria

Experience the magic of steam trains and exclusive private charters through the Austrian and Bavarian Alps during the golden hues of October, when autumn colours transform the landscape into a breathtaking panorama.

• With a comfortable base in Salzburg throughout the tour, you’ll enjoy a relaxed and elegant itinerary, allowing time to explore the city at your own pace. Discover Salzburg’s rich attractions, including historic castles, palaces, funiculars, and scenic mountain railways.
• Travel along some of Austria’s most impressive main line routes aboard ÖBB service trains, complemented by private steam-hauled charters and luxury trains powered by early 20th-century electric locomotives.
• Charming narrow-gauge and heritage lines form a highlight of the journey, with private steam charters on the picturesque Steyrtalbahn and the dramatic Ybbstalbahn offering memorable rural adventures.
• Two days are devoted to neighbouring Bavaria, featuring superb steam and vintage electric journeys on the Wendelstein rack railway, the Chiemsee steam tramway, and the delightful Chiemgau heritage railway.
• A captivating journey combining iconic railways, stunning alpine scenery, and rich cultural experiences — ideal for both railway enthusiasts and leisure travellers.

Thursday 22 October

Arrive in Salzburg – City exploration with all-inclusive Salzburg Card

Fly directly from London to Salzburg, arriving in the birthplace of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Transfer to your hotel, enjoy lunch nearby and check in. In the afternoon, receive your all-inclusive Salzburg Card, granting unlimited use of the city’s trolleybus network, access to the fortress funicular and the vertical elevator to Mönchsberg. The Salzburg Card also includes entry to museums, Mozart sites, and the historic Stiegl Brewery. Spend the rest of the day exploring Salzburg at leisure. (L)

Friday 23 October

The Palaces and Mountain Railways of Salzburg

Salzburg offers a wide range of attractions for leisure travellers and railway enthusiasts. Highlights include Hellbrunn Palace with its ornate architecture and playful fountains, and the nearby Untersbergbahn cableway, which ascends to the 1,972-metre summit of Untersberg for sweeping Alpine views. The day is free to explore at your own pace, with your Tour Manager available for advice. (B)

Saturday 24 October

Steam in Bavaria – Chiemsee and the Chiemgau Heritage Railway

After a short train ride from Salzburg, you board the historic Chiemsee steam tramway from Prien to the lakeside at Stock. This 1.9-kilometre line is the world’s oldest continuously operating steam tramway, hauled by an 1887 steam locomotive with a mix of open and enclosed coaches. Enjoy time along Lake Chiemsee before returning by steam to Prien, then continue by train to Bad Endorf. Here, join a private charter on the preserved branch line to Obing aboard a restored 1950s railcar, with refreshments, photo opportunities, and forward-facing views.After seeing the train shunted by a historic Köf II diesel, return through the Bavarian countryside to Salzburg by early evening. (B L)

Sunday 25 October

Steam at the Steyrtalbahn in Upper Austria

This morning, travel by ÖBB service train and a short bus ride to Steyr, where there will be time to explore the town’s medieval centre. Here you board a private charter train and journey the full length of the narrow-gauge Steyrtalbahn from Steyr Lokalbahnhof to Grünburg, hauled by an early 20th-century steam locomotivem with classic green coaches. Enjoy scenic photo stops and light refreshments with apple strudel on board. After reaching Grünburg and visiting the steam shed, return by coach to Linz and take a direct RailJet back to Salzburg. (B L)

Monday 26 October

Steam at the mountainous Ybbstalbahn 

After breakfast travel by service train to Amstetten for a coach transfer to the heritage railway depot at Kienberg-Gamming.
The operations base and locomotive depot for the Ybbstal narrow gauge railway. Enjoy a private charter on the remote and scenic Ybbstal Railway, hauled by the powerful 1908 steam locomotive 298.51, which has newly returned to service. This steep narrow-gauge line passes through unspoiled landscapes and includes an impressive trestle viaduct with scenic run-pasts. Travel from Kienberg-Gamming to the lakeside town of Lunz am See, enjoying lunch refreshments in the bistro car, before returning back along the line before heading back to Salzburg by coach and service train. (B L)

Tuesday 27 October

Main line steam in Carinthia with 93.1332 on remote branch line to Hermagor and Kötschach-Mauthen

Another tour highlight beckons, as you first travel the spectacular trans-Alpine Tauern Railway on a OBB Intercity from Salzburg to Villach. Here a steam-hauled main line charter with the vintage 1927 2-8-2 tank engine 93.1332 will take you on rare tracks through scenic mountain valleys via Arnoldstein to Hermagor. You continue over the closed section of the Gailtalbahn to the branch line terminus of Kötschach-Mauthen, which is freight-only. The open balconies of the train offer fabulous views of the scenery. Lunch is included. On the return run your steam train will continue beyond Villach along the banks of Lake Wörthersee to Klagenfurt. Here you return by OBB service over the Tauernbahn back to Salzburg. (B L)

Wednesday 28 October

Loco-hauled private charter at the Wendelsteinbahn rack railway in the Bavarian Alps

Time to return to Bavaria to visit the beautiful Bavarian Alps. Today you make a wonderful excursion to the summit of Mount Wendelstein, one of only 4 rack and pinion railways in Germany, only one of two in the Bavarian Alps. You enjoy an exclusive private charter ride, where you are pushed you up the mountain in elegent coaches from 1912 with the electric Nr 5 locomotive, one of the largest rack locomotives in Europe. This breathtaking mountain railway is 7.6 km long and battles gradients up to 23.7%. At the summit there are sweeping views of the Bavarian and Austrian Alps. After returning to the valley station, you take the main line service from nearby Rosenheim back to Salzburg. (B) 

Thursday 29 October

Classic teak trains, ancient steeple cab electric locomotives and rural scenery on the Linzer Lokalbahn; Pöstlingbergbahn in Linz

Travel by ÖBB RailJet Express from Salzburg to Linz, then board a 1922 teak train for a private charter on the rural Linzer Lokalbahn to Eferding, enjoying scenic views of rolling hills and fields. At Eferding, switch to a heritage loco-hauled train powered by an early 20th-century steeple cab electric locomotive.

Travel the scenic branch line to Peuerbach, with lunch at a countryside inn and multiple photo stops along the way. Return to Eferding, then continue to Linz on the Lokalbahn before riding the steep Pöstlingbergbahn to the panoramic hilltop above the city. The day concludes with a farewell dinner with the group.

Friday 30 October

Return to London

After breakfast, you transfer to Salzburg airport for your return flight back to London. (B)