Lazy rivers, spectacular valleys cloaked in autumn colors, windswept moors: The fall is prime time for slow, contemplative journeys on some of Europe’s most scenic rail routes. Here are five rides that are affordable and easily accessible by connections from major travel hubs. They will take you through some of Europe’s most magical landscapes.
Switzerland, Italy
Vigezzina Centovalli Railway
The Vigezzina Centovalli Railway, known locally as the Centovallina, follows Alpine valleys between the Italian-speaking Ticino region of Switzerland and the Piedmont region of Italy. One end of the line is the Swiss resort city of Locarno, on the shores of Lago Maggiore, and the other is Domodossola, Italy, at the confluence of seven valleys.
Leaving behind Locarno’s palm-tree-lined shores and flower-filled gardens, the streetcar-like train carriages move at a slow pace, at times vanishing into the shadowed depths of forests and the darkness of tunnels, then reemerging as they cross Alpine rivers.
Along the route, there are opportunities to venture higher into the mountains (tickets include an optional stopover). At Verdasio, Switzerland, you can take the cable car up to the car-free village of Rasa. The hamlet, with its stone cottages, is surrounded by meadows and is the starting point for hiking routes with views of the Alpine landscape.
Back on the Centovallina, trains continue past golden beech forests and occasional stands of chestnut. In Domodossola, the station is in the historic center, near the town’s landmark Piazza Mercato, with cafes and trattorias under Gothic arches.
Tickets recently started at €24, or about $28, including a seat reservation. Panoramic trains allow passengers to observe the foliage. Travel on weekdays to avoid crowds. From Locarno, direct trains serve Zurich, and from Domodossola they serve Milan. You can book both on the SBB swiss Railways website.
Italy
Opicina Tram
Piazza Dalmazia in the northern Italian city of Trieste projects Viennese flair, yet it’s only a few steps from the Adriatic coast. Here, a single vintage blue tram car with wooden details recalls the elegance of an era when the city was the Austro-Hungarian Empire’s gateway to the sea.
This is Trieste’s only surviving tram line, running to the town of Opicina, a popular hiking spot. It reopened this year, after nearly a decade, following safety upgrades.
Leaving behind the busy city center with its friendly cafes, the tram makes a short technical stop. Coupled with a funicular, it begins a steep climb alongside lavish villas. Soon, a panoramic view of the city opens up above the neighboring gardens, with the Adriatic in the background.
The entire journey of just over three miles takes about 35 minutes. Get off at the Obelisco stop for a walk along the Napoleonic Way, a paved trail on steep limestone cliffs with views of the Gulf of Trieste. Longer hikes will take you to the rocky trails and vast limestone caves of the Karst plateau.
Tickets cost €1.85, and you can pay on board with a contactless credit card. On weekends there is a special nonstop service with an audio guide for €12.
England
Keighley & Worth Valley Railway
In Keighley, West Yorkshire, the train station straddles two worlds. One side has a modern mainline service to the cities of Bradford and Leeds. But two tracks, reserved for the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway, have the look and feel of train travel at the turn of the last century. This heritage line, reopened in 1968, runs steam trains with the help of volunteers.
Trains pulling coaches — built between 1951 and 1963, with wooden details, expansive windows and upholstered seats — travel slowly on a five-mile single track through the moorland landscape where the novelists Charlotte and Emily Brontë grew up in the early 19th century. Haworth Station is a 10-minute walk from the Brontë Parsonage Museum, which was once their family home.
In the fall, the crisp air is laced with the pleasant, tangy smell of peat from the moors. From the museum, paths among heather fading to russet and bronze take you to sights that inspired the Brontë sisters. The ruins of a cottage called Top Withens, which many associate with Emily Brontë’s “Wuthering Heights,” are 3.5 miles away. There is also a longer trail dedicated to the Brontës.
Railway enthusiasts will appreciate the museum spaces at Ingrow West Station, showing the conservation efforts carried out on the line, historic engines and a workshop where visitors can witness maintenance in action. This year, an exhibition train — four carriages housing an interactive exhibition about the past, present and future of railways — celebrating the 200th anniversary of the modern railway, will be visiting Keighley at the end of October.
In the fall, steam trains run on weekends only. Specials include afternoon tea on board. Tickets, which start at £23, or about $31, and include unlimited stops, are available online, with savings for early bookers.
France
Alsace Wine Route
The sun-dappled slopes of France’s Alsace region, between the Rhine River and the Vosges Mountains, produce rieslings and gewürztraminers that recall the amber and gold colors of fall. An extensive network of regional trains makes it easy to discover this fairy-tale landscape of half-timbered towns without a car.
Strasbourg, the regional capital, is a two-hour train ride from Paris and Frankfurt. From there, take the TER train to Barr. Each year on the first Sunday of October, the town hosts a harvest festival. Spectacular flower-covered floats representing local clubs and businesses make their way down cobblestone streets. Freshly pressed wine is served.
On the third weekend in October, Alsace wineries will join a national event celebrating French wine, with tastings, cellar tours and concerts.
Farther south on the line, in the town of Sélestat, a 13th-century clock tower dominates the old town. Nearby, the medieval Haut-Koenigsbourg Castle, restored in the early 20th century, offers great views of the patchwork of villages and vineyards and the Vosges mountains and the Black Forest across the Rhine. Hiking routes start from Sélestat, where there is also a shuttle bus fto the castle on weekends.
Tickets from the French national railway company, S.N.C.F., start at €4 from Strasbourg to Barr. Ask at the station about day passes for the département of Bas-Rhin, which offer unlimited travel for a day, alone or as a group, for reduced prices.
Portugal
MiraDouro
Starting in Porto, Portugal’s second-largest city, the MiraDouro travels eastward, tracing the Douro Valley, where the country’s famed port wine is produced. From August to mid-October, wine estates known as quintas welcome visitors for harvest events and tastings.
On this journey, São Bento Station in Porto’s historic center is the first attraction. Entering the main hall, visitors are greeted with floor-to-ceiling murals composed of thousands of blue-and-white azulejo tiles, depicting scenes from Portuguese history.
After exiting Porto, colorful Swiss-made train carriages from the 1940s travel along riverbanks lined with terraced vineyards.
Pinhão Station, has more azulejos and easy access to several nearby quintas. There are riverboats back to Porto, or you may travel the rest of the 3.5-hour journey to the terminus in Pocinho, near the Spanish border. From there, if you have a bicycle, you can join the Sabor bike path, which follows the route of a now defunct branch line.
Tickets from the state railway company, Comboios de Portugal, cost €14.80 each way. Local tour operators offer packages that combine the train journey with riverboat sailings and wine tastings. Bikes travel free, but space is limited, so check at the station.
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Palko Karasz is a writer and Times contributor based in Central Europe. He covers arts, culture, travel and society. Previously, he was a reporter in the London newsroom, where he wrote about international news.
The post In the Hills, Across the Moors, Along the Coast: 5 Fall Rail Trips in Europe appeared first on New York Times.
