Steam in the Austrian Alps

Discover the natural beauty, rich cultural heritage and spectacular railways of Austria on this glorious summer holiday, packed with superb Alpine scenery and unique steam highlights.

• Explore the mountains of Austria on and off the beaten path with private charter trains and steam delights, both on the main line and on narrow gauge railways such as the world famous Mariazellerbahn, the stunning Ybbstalbahn or the charming Höllentalbahn.
• Enjoy private steam charters on different mountain railways including the rack and pinion line at the Schneeberg and the high altitude tramway at the pilgrimage town of Mariazell.
• Travel over the famed Semmering Pass in First Class, Europe’s oldest transalpine railway, en-route to the Gurkthalbahn narrow gauge railway, a delightful ‘best kept secret’ in Carinthia.
• Conveniently based in the glorious city of Vienna throughout, at a centrally located quality hotel near the railway station and the main attractions.

Wednesday 8 July 

Arrive in Vienna

This morning you fly from London to Vienna, arriving in Austria’s capital city, here you check into a centrally located hotel where lunch is provided upon your arrival. The rest of the day you can spend leisurely in Vienna, using your complimentary public transport rover ticket to discover the sights. (L)

Thursday 9 July 

Sightseeing in Vienna; Prater Ferris Wheel; Steam at the Prater Railway and leisure in the city

After breakfast, you enjoy a private charter tram trip around Vienna’s historic city centre and along the famous Ring Road, seeing the principal landmarks, including the Imperial Palace, State Opera House and Houses of Parliament. 

Your tour concludes with a ride on the Prater Ferris Wheel, built by British engineers in 1899. You then traverse the adjacent 15-inch steam railway, hauled by a vintage 1920s ‘Pacific’ type 4-6-2 locomotive through the Prater Gardens on this 4 km long 1920s park railway. The rest of the day you may spend at your own pace, enjoying all that Vienna has to offer. (B)

Friday 10 July 

Steam at the Schneeberg rack railway

Today you steam into the Austrian Alps on a privately chartered train via the Schneeberg mountain rack railway south of Vienna. An original 19th century steam locomotive pushes you up the 1800m ascent, seated in the comfort of your photogenic green heritage coach. Regular services on the Schneeberg will have ended for the season, so numerous run-pasts will be staged, and from the summit there are sweeping views of the Alps and the plains of Hungary. After a delightful group lunch at a mountain lodge you’ll return downhill with your steam train. In late afternoon you return to Vienna by ÖBB service train. (B L)

Saturday 11 July 

Mountain magnificence at the Mariazellerbahn; Steam on the Mariazell heritage tramway

This morning you travel to St. Pölten on a ÖBB high speed service, before transferring onto the Mariazellerbahn, Austria’s longest narrow gauge railway. You’ll traverse this 84 km branch line, all horseshoe curves and winding spirals, in a private observation saloon with the Alpine scenery in full view. Lunch will be served on the train. Arriving at Mariazell in late morning, the 1902 0-4-0 tramway locomotive ‘Hellbrunn’ then hauls you to Lake Erlauf, where you can enjoy a walk along the lake.
You return to the depot for a guided tour of one of Central Europe’s largest collections of trams and light rail vehicles. Afterwards you take the steam tramway on the new extension of the line via the Mariazell triangle to the terminus Promenadenweg. You return to the station before the panoramic train takes you back to St. Pölten, and then on to Vienna by service train. (B L)

Sunday 12 July 

The Semmering Railway and steam at the Gurkthalbahn

This morning you cross the stone-arched viaducts of the stunning Semmeringbahn, the first trans-Alpine railway built in Europe from 1848-54. You’ll travel First Class on an ÖBB service train over the UNESCO designated Semmering pass to the junction station of Treibach. There a classic Austro-Hungarian tank engine from the early 20th century hauls you south on this preserved narrow gauge line to Pöckstein. Framed by peaks, this unique line meanders through idyllic rural scenery before terminating at a local castle. There’ll be photo stops and run-pasts during the trip. Later you return by ÖBB service train back over the Semmering railway to Wien Hbf. (B)

Monday 13 July 

By steam over the Waldviertel Semmering to Gross Gerungs 

Today you travel by OBB service train from Wien FJB to Gmünd on the Czech border. Here you change onto the idyllic narrow gauge railway and have a private steam charter over the 52 km long southern branch line to Gross Gerungs. You’ll storm past Weitra Castle and cross several stone-arched viaducts before battling the gradients of the ‘Waldviertel Semmering’. This scenic line is one of the longest and most attractive narrow gauge railways in Austria, and your train of traditional four-wheeled coaches will be hauled by the iconic 0-8+4 steam locomotive Mh.4 from 1906. Run-pasts and photo stops will be staged along the way. Upon returning to Gmünd by steam, you continue to Wien by OBB train. (B L)

Tuesday 14 July 

Höllentalbahn scenic tramway and more leisure in Vienna

After breakfast you take an OBB service train south to Payerbach, where you enjoy a private charter ride on a vintage tramway dating from 1926. Running for 5 km through a beautiful mountain valley and along a tranquil river, this delightful heritage tramway is one of the ‘best kept secrets’ in Austria and offers lots of early 20th century charm, plus unspoiled views of impressive hills and peaks. Along the way, run-pasts and photo stops will be possible. After making the full round-trip on this beautiful narrow gauge railway, you return to Vienna and may spend another afternoon exploring the Austrian capital’s marvellous attractions. In the evening you regroup with your fellow travellers for a farewell dinner. (B D)

Wednesday 15 July 

Return to London

The time has come to say ‘Auf Wiedersehen’ to Austria, you have a free morning in Vienna before taking an afternoon RailJet service from Wien Hauptbahnhof to Wien Flughafen for the return flight to the UK. (B)