I'm a rail fan and also I love seeing mountain scenery. I'd like suggestions for train trips to take anywhere I could get to on my Eurail Global Pass next April, for to-die-for views out the train windows.

I've done most of the named express trains in Switzerland, so I know most of those routes.

I know about the train to/from Flam in Norway, and it's on my tentative itinerary. I also know about The Little Yellow Train out of Perpignan in the Pyrenees in SE France.

If i wanted to experience the Rhine Gorge, would I be better off using the rail pass or taking a day trip by boat one way or another?

Which specific routes might be most scenic in Austria?

What about eastern Europe?

I'm saving Spain and Italy for a later trip. But almost everywhere else the pass goes is fair game!

Thanks.

Are you familiar with Rick Steves? His guidebooks have plenty of good advice on transportation in Europe including the trains.
His home base is in Seattle but he has been producing "Europe through the Back Door" for many years on PBS.
ricksteves.com
I have bought backpacks from his site among other things.
He even answered an email that I sent him with a question about a train station.

That's great you've already heard of The Little Yellow Train - are you going to do it this trip?

For Austria, clearly the Tirol region should be on your list, specifically the Arlberg route. It runs between Innsbruck and Bludenz (in the very western corner of Austria), through St Anton im Arlberg. So you could take the whole journey in one, or stop off at St Anton. There are plenty of bridges, jaw-dropping scenes and a few tunnels (including the rather long Arlberg tunnel - just over 10kms long - to get in the way of said scenes, so it certainly fits your request of scenic rides. Your Pass is valid on this route.

There are also other routes towards Vienna, such as the well-known narrow-guage Mariazellerbahn which runs from Mariazell to St Pölten (or the other way, whatever works for you). It's not as mountainous as the western part of Austria, obviously, but still scenic and quite relaxing, definitely worth looking in to for your trip. Think your Pass will also be valid on that route.

As for the Rhein Gorge, if you're referring to the section between Bingen and Koblenz, then I'd suggest a boat trip instead as whilst the train line runs along the hillside near the river, views are often obscured by towns, tunnels, etc. The view from the river is impressive at all angles, gives a chance to see the castles dotting the hills, vineyards and the towns that line the river.

For Eastern Europe - Czech Rep, Romania and Hungary have some great rides, just depends on how much time you want to spend in the end stations of your other rides (eg staying in Innsbruck for a day or two sightseeing) or if you want to train around as much as possible. You'll also have to see which of those countries is covered by your Pass (those listed should be, but just double check).

I'll check out Rick Steves' books. Good idea.

Thanks, too, for the tips on Austria and the Rhine Gorge.

As for if I "want to train around as much as possible", ah, there's the dilemma! I can relax on a train almost as easily and happily as I can anywhere else on the planet, so just training around is definitely in my mind! This is likely the last chance I'll ever have to do a trip like this, so I gotta make it count! So many great train rides, so little time...

You might also consider the valle d'Aosta in Italy. Obviously not on a par with the most spectacular ones you've seen in Switzlerand, but lovely nonetheless.

Sorry! I just realized you are saving Italy for another trip.

Glacier Express in Switzerland, but the ocst is independent of other European train systems.

I remember our train along the central Rhine (probably a local between Bacharach and Boppard) had extremely dirty windows so you couldn't see much. Fortunately we had done it the other way by boat. (I vaguely seem to remember that this boat trip was covered by our rail pass?)

Have you taken the famous scenic train ride, the Centovalli, between Locarno, Switzerland and Domodossola in Italy? We immediately changed to a train to Geneva, which took us along the NW shore of Lake Geneva with views of Mont Blanc as well as the lovely lakeside.

Another little train is the Train des Pignes, which runs into the hills/mountains north of Nice.

I don't know how these would fit into your itinerary, which seems to lean eastward.

Mimar, thx for reminding me about the Centovalli. It's one of the named trains in Switzerland that I did NOT take on my "named trains in Switzerland" trip in 2005. I'll check that one out again. I'm trying to skip "been there, ridden that" trains this time around, so that'd be a candidate!

I like the Train des Pignes idea too.

I'm not sure I'm leaning strongly eastward, but I did ask about eastern Europe, just to see what suggestions I'd get, if any. But after reading more about that part of the world, I'm now leaning back a bit toward western Europe, possibly the Flam trip in Norway. I may save the former eastern bloc for another trip.

Thx again.

If i wanted to experience the Rhine Gorge, would I be better off using the rail pass or taking a day trip by boat one way or another?>

both railpasses are valid 200% for travel on K-D boats that ply the Rhine Gorge and the best of the Rhine - Rudesheim to Koblenz - just flash your pass when boarding - no formalities

Scour these great rail sites for lots of great info on scenic rail lines - www.budgeteuropetravel.com; www.ricksteves.com and www.seat61.com. For schedules of trains all over Europe go to www.bahn.de - the German Railways site that has schedules for all European trains and to me is the easiest to use.

I have ridden European trains annually for decades and pretty much have ridden all the top scenic trains - my number one is the Bernina Express between St Moritz and Tirano, Italy, with rail connections there for Lake Como (Bellagio) and Milan.

Here are my Top Scenic Train Trips in Europe - after decades of searching them all out I believe!

Bernina Express, St Moritz to Tirano, Italy

Brig/Visp to Zermatt (part of the Glacier Express route - most of which the rest is rather uneventful IMO)

All trains above Interlaken-Ost and especially the Grutschalp to Murren cliffside train.

Trains along the Rhine Gorge, Germany Koblenz to Mainz

Inland route Innsbruck to Salzburg

The Bergen-Oslo line Norway

West Highland Line Scotland

Inverness to Kyle of Lochlash Scotland

Ligne Digne - Nice to Digne in France

The Little Yellow Train in Pyrenees in France.

for starters

I've done the Rhein River by train and boat. The boat is much slower and provides outside seating for great views of the castles. The train goes very fast.

You could also go further north in Norway. The line ends in Bodo and from there you take a bus to Narvik, crossing two beautiful fjords.

Allow me to add two tiny but very scenic routes in Greece :
1. Diakofto - Kalavrita through Vouraikos Gorge

http://www.odontotos.com/index-en.htm

2. Volos - Milies ( Pelion Mountain in Thessaly)
Pelion is one of the most beautiful Mountains of Greece, the little train was build by the father of the famous painter Giorgio de Chirico, and it appears on some of his paintings.

http://www.e-pelion.gr/train_en.php

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zYjkmgSw_hw

I've done the Rhein River by train and boat. The boat is much slower and provides outside seating for great views of the castles. The train goes very fast.>

tis true on the mainline on the west side of the gorge but not so true of the local rail line that stops every few miles on the east side of the gorge.

But only from the boat can you see both sides of the Rhine gorge at the same time.

As for mountain train the train up Mt Pilatus near Lucerne is not only I believe the steepest train line in Europe - cog assisted to help it climb and descend but one of the most thrilling - and about the only such famous scenic mountain train I have not taken so cannot say more about it.

but from Lucerne you can take a train or boat to Alpnachstadt and hop this exhilarating rail line there to the summit and return down the other side via another thrilling conveyance - an aerial cable way to Krens where you get buses the few miles back to Lucerne. If you had a Swiss Pass the buses and boats would be covered and you'd get 50% off the expensive mountain train and cableway.

both railpasses are valid 200% for travel on K-D boats that ply the Rhine Gorge and the best of the Rhine - Rudesheim to Koblenz - just flash your pass when boarding - no formalities>

oops make that 100% valid - just like a train fully covered. check out www.k-d.com for schedules.

And the train from Koblenz to Cochem plows right along the lovely lovely Mosel River, which many deem even prettier and more awesome than the nearby Rhine Gorge.