Steam in Eastern Germany – Saxony and the Baltic Coast

Journey through a genuine Winter Wonderland on our ever-popular tour to Eastern Germany. Timber-framed houses, fairy-tale castles and romantic steam trains all add to the enchantment of this seasonal holiday.

• Discover first-hand the charm and culture of Eastern and Northern Germany, staying in such fine cities as Dresden, Rostock and Bad Doberan.
• Ride on the famed ‘little trains’ that circulate on the renowned narrow-gauge networks of Saxony, the Ore Mountains and along the Baltic Coast.
• Visit iconic locations such as the Island of Rügen and steam-hauled street-running at Bad Doberan, with excellent chances of steam in the snow in the Saxon Ore Mountains at Oberwiesenthal.
• Experience legendary German ‘Plandampf’ on five different narrow-gauge steam railways, all with their own unique character.
• Enjoy private charters on wonderful heritage tramways in the historic cathedral cities of Dresden and Rostock, and a trip on the 1901 ‘dingle-dangle’ mountain monorail in Dresden.

Tuesday 6 January
London to Dresden

Travel by Eurostar, Thalys and ICE high speed services from London St Pancras via Brussels and Frankfurt to Dresden.
On arrival check into your quality, centrally located hotel in the heart of Dresden’s Old Town. (B D)

Wednesday 7 January
Private sightseeing tour of Dresden by classic Tramway, Historic Funicular and Mountain Monorail
After a leisurely breakfast, you’ll receive a complimentary public transport rover ticket, valid for the duration of your stay in Dresden. After some free time for a first look around in the morning, there’s a sightseeing tour of the city by privately chartered tram in the afternoon, concluding at the ‘Blue Wonder’ Loschwitz Bridge. You then ride the ‘dingle-dangle’ mountain monorail from 1901 before taking the adjacent 1895 funicular to the Weisser Hirsch summit terminus, from where there are magnificent panoramic views of the city. After returning to the city centre by tramway, you have some more free time before dinner at the hotel (B D)

Thursday 8 January
Steam to Radeburg with a Saxon VII K locomotive and Leisure in Dresden
After breakfast, you visit the local narrow-gauge railway at Radebeul, where a 2-10-2 Saxon VII K tank locomotive takes you down the 16.5 km long line to Radeburg, pausing at Moritzburg Castle. The train returns to Radebeul by midday, from where you return to Dresden Hbf on a DB service train. You can then explore Dresden at your own pace and make good use of your complimentary public transport rover ticket to explore the extensive tram network or visit the famed landmarks and museums. (B)

Friday 9 January
Steam at the at the Weisseritz Valley Railway to Kurort Kipsdorf
Today you have a morning excursion to the recently reopened narrow-gauge Weisseritz Valley Railway. You’ll be steam-hauled through Saxony’s ‘canyon landscape’ from Freital-Hainsberg via Dippoldiswalde to Kurort Kipsdorf, along the river Weisseritz. Enjoy the panoramic views from the open balconies of your vintage carriage. You return to Dresden in the early afternoon, with time to further explore its many attractions. (B)

Saturday 10 January
Steam in the Ore Mountains from Cranzahl to Oberwiesenthal
You travel on DB service trains from Dresden to Cranzahl, and board a steam train to travel over the iconic Fichtelbergbahn for the journey to Oberwiesenthal, the ‘St Moritz of Saxony’. After free time in this resort town and photo opportunities with steam trains passing over the railway viaduct by the station, you return from Oberwiesenthal to Cranzahl by steam train in the afternoon and from there continue to Dresden on DB service trains. (B)

Sunday 11 January   
Dresden to Rostock, sightseeing tour of the city by vintage tramway
After breakfast you take a direct DB Intercity train via Berlin to Rostock. You arrive in this attractive Hanseatic city with distinctive red-brick architecture and Baltic heritage in the early afternoon. After checking into the hotel you have a private sightseeing tour of the city by vintage tramway. Dinner tonight is at your hotel. (B D)

Monday 12 January
Steam at the Molli Railway along the Baltic Coast
Today you visit the 15.4-kilometre-long seaside railway ‘Molli’. Famous for its street running section in Bad Doberan, this 900 mm gauge railway boasts lots of rugged German tank engines. You’ll have reserved seats for the northbound journey to Kühlingsborn along the Baltic Coast, before returning to Bad Doberan to film the street running there. In the afternoon you return by rail to nearby Rostock for a free evening in the city. (B)

Tuesday 13 January
Steam on the Island of Rügen and historic Stralsund
German Plandampf once again takes centre stage today as you travel by service train via Stralsund to Putbus on the Island of Rügen and then experience the island’s famous narrow-gauge ‘Racing Roland’ railway. The 24 km long line runs via Binz to the seaside terminus Göhren. After lunch you have time to visit the beach and pier at Göhren, before you return to Putbus behind a different steam locomotive and continue by regular service train to Stralsund. In the late afternoon you have time to discover historic Stralsund, a beautiful Hanseatic city with distinctive red-brick architecture and Baltic heritage. Dinner is once again served at your hotel. (B L D)

Wednesday 14 January
Return to London
As you say ‘Auf Wiedersehen’ to Germany, you travel from Rostock to Cologne by DB IC and ICE trains, before changing to high speed services to Brussels and finally London St Pancras. (B)