Harz Mountains Steam Spectacular – May 2025
| 2025 | City / Port | |
| DAY 1 FRI 9 MAY |
Australia to London Depart Australia on your flight to London. On arrival transfer to your London hotel.Overnight: 5 star : The Royal Horseguards Hotel (or similar) 4 star : The Baileys Hotel (or similar) |
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| DAY 2 SAT 10 MAY |
LONDON Full day at leisure.Overnight: 5 star : The Royal Horseguards Hotel (or similar) – (B) 4 star : The Baileys Hotel (or similar) – (B) |
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| DAY 3 SUN 11 MAY |
LONDON
Overnight: |
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| DAY 4 MON 12 MAY |
LONDON to COLOGNE Travel with Belle Trains on an early morning scheduled Eurostar from London St Pancras and a high speed train to Cologne via Brussels. Upon arrival in Cologne, you will be transferred to your hotel.Overnight: 5 star : Local Cologne Hotel – (B) 4 star :Local Cologne Hotel – (B) |
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| DAY 5 TUE 13 MAY |
COLOGNE to NUREMBERG – 1 The Harz Mountains Belle departs diesel hauled from the stunning city centre station next to the beautiful Cathedral immediately crossing the Rhine, setting off along the Rhine Valley to Frankfurt. Our remaining passengers join us here and we are then steam hauled on the scenic trip through Bavaria to Nuremberg. Our 4 Star Hotel is adjacent to the station by the city walls allowing passengers to walk, while our 5 Star passengers will have a short coach trip to the Karl August Hotel in the heart of Nuremberg Old Town (or beautiful 15 minute walk).Overnight: 5 Star : The Karl August Hotel (or similar) – (B,L,D) 4 Star : The Park Plaza (or similar) – (B,L,D) |
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DAY 6 |
NUREMBERG – 2 With the Hotels adjacent to or inside the medieval city walls, Nuremberg is a very simple place to look around but there is plenty to see. Impressive, exciting, colourful and tragic: Nuremberg has reflected German history since the Middle Ages. Belle Trains will also be organising excursions to places of interest which may include a walking tour of the Old Town, visiting the Imperial Castle, visiting the Museum Tucherschloss as well as more recent history with the famous Memorium Nuremberg Trials at the Nuremberg Palace of Justice and Courtroom 600.Overnight: 5 Star : The Karl August Hotel (or similar) – (B) 4 Star :The Park Plaza (or similar) – (B) |
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| DAY 7 THU 15 MAY |
NUREMBERG to DRESDEN – 3 Overnight: |
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| DAY 8 FRI 16 MAY |
DRESDEN – 4 Dresden is a remarkable City full of old, new and restored life amongst its many historic buildings. Those who choose to spend their day wandering around the city will not tire of the many hidden secrets and lovely vistas they will come across. There will be organised excursions which may include a walking tour of the Old Town, river boat cruise to Pillnitz Palace and Park and a coach trip to Meissen and Moritzburg Castle. For steam enthusiasts, there will be an excursion to travel on both the very different narrow gauge Railways in the Dresden outskirts – the Weisseritz Valley and Radebeul Railways.Overnight: 5 Star : The Taschenbergpalais Hotel or Gewandhaus Hotel (or similar) – (B) 4 Star :The Steigenberger De Saxe (or similar) – (B) |
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| DAY 9 SAT 17 MAY |
DRESDEN to HARZ MOUNTAINS – 5 The Harz Mountains Belle heads West and we enjoy a break in the Cathedral City of Leipzig, home to Europe’s biggest railway station. Soon after leaving Leipzig, we have views of the distant Harz Mountains towering over the surrounding plains. Soon, we will be arriving at our destinations of the pretty market towns Ilsenburg and Wernigerode where passengers will be staying for their three nights, here in the Harz Mountains.Overnight: 5 Star : The Landhaus Zu den Rothen Forellen Hotel (or similar) – (B,L,D) 4 Star : The Travel Charme Gothisches Haus Hotel (or similar) – (B,L,D) |
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| DAY 10 SUN 18 MAY |
HARZ MOUNTAINS – 6 Undoubtedly, this will be a day to savour and remember as passengers explore much of the Harz Mountains Railway, culminating in arguably the most exciting steam trip in the modern world, climbing to the summit of the highest mountain, the Brocken. Starting from the World Heritage town of Quedlinburg, the train climbs steadily into the foothills to the south before reversing to climb north to the busy junction at Drei Annen Hohne. From here, it’s a mighty effort for our steam loco hauling our private Harz Mountains Belle to the summit of the Brocken. Here we are just a couple of miles inside the old East German Border, with views of old watch towers from the Cold War and much more beside. All of this is explained in the museum which our passengers can visit at leisure before we return down the mountain to Wernigerode, 3000 ft below. Passengers will be able to opt for a later departure from Wernigerode if they wish.On the Harz Mountains trains there are no catering facilities. The Freundeskreis Selketalbahn e. V Club will be providing hot and cold drinks plus a variety of snacks throughout the day on-board the train for purchase, as well as the opportunity for drinks to be bought on the summit of the Brocken.Overnight: 5 Star : The Landhaus Zu den Rothen Forellen Hotel (or similar) – (B) 4 Star :The Travel Charme Gothisches Haus Hotel (or similar) – (B) |
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| DAY 11 MON 19 MAY |
HARZ MOUNTAINS – 7 Today will see the opportunity for passengers to enjoy a day at leisure or joining one of our coach excursions to some of the many fascinating towns and tourist attractions dotted around the mountains like Quedlinburg and the mining town of Goslar with its Imperial Palace. For those that wish to maximise their steam experience on this unique network, Belle Trains has organised availability of Rover Tickets as well as the opportunity to visit the new Steam Locomotive Workshop in Wernigerode.Overnight: 5 Star : The Landhaus Zu den Rothen Forellen Hotel (or similar) – (B) 4 Star :The Travel Charme Gothisches Haus Hotel (or similar) – (B) |
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| DAY 12 TUE 20 MAY |
HARZ MOUNTAINS to WIESBADEN – 8 Once again, we return to our mainline steam hauled train heading back towards the Rhine Valley at Wiesbaden. Passengers will by now be familiar with the delightful German countryside and pretty market towns and as we leave Wernigerode we will have an excellent view of the retreating Harz range. We arrive in the evening at Wiesbaden, a lovely city just outside Frankfurt which lies adjacent to the Rhine Valley – in proximity and cultural resonance, rather like London and Windsor!Overnight: 5 Star : The Nassauer Hof Hotel (or similar) – (B,L,D) 4 Star : The Radisson Blu Schwarzer Bock Hotel (or similar) – (B,L,D) |
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| DAY 13 WED 21 MAY |
WIESBADEN / FRANKFURT to AUSTRALIA After our fascinating tour of both modern and historic Germany, the Harz Mountains Belle draws to a close. After breakfast you will be transferred to Frankfurt Railway Station where you may join a local train to the Airport. Board your flight home to Australia – (B) |
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| DAY 14 WED 22 MAY |
Arrive Australia | |
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