Hotels Along Europe's Most Scenic Train Routes

Why Train + Hotel Is the Best Travel Formula

Flying is efficient. Driving is flexible. But train travel through Europe offers something neither can match: the journey itself becomes the experience. Watching the Swiss Alps unfold through a panoramic window, the Amalfi coastline curving below, or the Scottish Highlands rolling past your breakfast table — these are travel moments that stay with you. Pair them with the right hotel and you have a trip that's more than the sum of its parts.

Glacier Express: Zermatt to St. Moritz

The 7.5-hour journey through the Swiss Alps is Europe's most famous scenic train. Stay at The Omnia in Zermatt (a design hotel carved into the mountain) and Badrutt's Palace in St. Moritz (the grand dame of Alpine hotels). The train crosses 291 bridges and passes through 91 tunnels. In winter, the snow-covered landscapes are extraordinary.

Bergen Railway: Oslo to Bergen, Norway

Seven hours across the roof of Norway, through Europe's highest mountain plateau. Stay at The Thief in Oslo (a waterfront art hotel) and det Hanseatiske Hotel in Bergen (a historic timber building in the UNESCO-listed Bryggen). The Finse section, high above the treeline, looks like another planet.

Cinque Terre Line: Genoa to La Spezia

A short but spectacular coastal route along the Italian Riviera. The train hugs the cliff face, ducking in and out of tunnels with Mediterranean views between each village. Stay at Belmond Splendido in Portofino (Hollywood's favourite Italian escape) and Grand Hotel Portovenere on the Gulf of Poets.

The Night Train Renaissance

European sleeper trains are back. The Nightjet from Vienna to Paris, Caledonian Sleeper from London to the Scottish Highlands, and new Swedish Snälltåget services are making overnight rail travel fashionable again. Book a private cabin, wake up in a new country, and check into a hotel refreshed. It's the anti-flight travel movement.