Festive Steam in Saxony

DAY 1

We depart London St. Pancras International and travel by Eurostar and ICE train to Erfurt for our overnight at the InterCity Hotel. We enjoy dinner at a local restaurant.

DAY 2

This morning we depart Erfurt to Dresden by train and after dropping off luggage at our hotel we travel by train to Radebeul for a steam run on the 750 mm narrow gauge Lössnitzgrundbahn, a delightful 17 kms line which still operates a public service between Radebeul and Radeburg including some street running! We then return to Dresden and arrive at our accommodation at the centrally located Ibis Hotel in the heart of this historic city.

DAY 3

We transfer by train to enjoy a morning of 750 mm gauge steam on the extended Weisseritztalbahn line meandering up the Weisseritz valley. Operating over 26 kms through varying scenery, with 13 stations, and the steepest part of the line including the reopened section to the terminus at Kipsdorf. Known as one of Europe's great narrow-gauge railways, this is a ride not to be missed. In the afternoon we enjoy a trio of guided visits to the Dresden Museum of Transport, the steam depot at Alstadt, and the reserve collection, which is not normally open to the public.

DAY 4

This morning we enjoy a steam hauled excursion with heritage carriages from Dresden to the historic Polish city of Breslau (Wroclaw) for an afternoon free for sightseeing. Upon arrival at Breslau (Wroclaw) an optional, additional, steam excursion may be available using the steam locomotive from the journey from Dresden to travel over the scenic, recently re-opened, line to Schweidnitz. A decision on the operation of this additional steam excursion be taken by the organisers nearer to the departure date.

DAY 5

Today we transfer by train to Leipzig and have some free time to explore this Saxon city and one of Germany's oldest Christmas Markets which dates back to 1458 and also enjoy a return mainline steam train excursion to the historic town of Zeitz.

DAY 6

We board our regional train to the Polish border for one of Saxony's finest 750 mm narrow gauge routes, from Zittau to the mountain spa resorts of Oybin and Jonsdorf, which is still very much a public service over the ten miles long route. A main course lunch is also included during our day excursion. We then return to the Ibis hotel for our last night in beautiful Dresden.

DAY 7

We conclude our tour with return rail travel aboard the ICE trains from Dresden via Frankfurt to Brussels and onwards to London St Pancras via Eurostar.

B=Breakfast, L=Lunch, D=Dinner