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4 new train routes to try before 2024 ends

 

Hugo van Vondelen and Rachel Schnalzer

August 31, 2024

 

 

Colourful buildings in Innsbruck with mountains in the background

The end of August marks a time of transition. Leaves start to turn golden, a faint chill dances in the air, and summer crowds disperse across Europe and far beyond.

 

Yet travelers know the year’s adventures are far from over.

 

Over the past season, a number of new train routes have opened across Europe. Keen to be among the first travelers on these routes? To celebrate the return of autumn, we rounded up four of our favorite additions to the Pass network – one for each remaining month of 2024.

 

For more exciting rail news, check out our comprehensive breakdown of new timetable data, seat reservation updates, and more on our Community page.



The skyline of Aachen, Germany

A stunning 3-country route

 

Imagine you could visit a bookshop housed in a soaring church, the heart of medieval ruler Charlemagne’s empire, and a mouth-watering waffle-making capital all in the same day?  

 

With a new route that opened this summer, connecting Aachen to Maastricht to Liège, you easily can – but we recommend spending a few days in each place to truly savor all they have to offer.  

 

With a new “three-country train” launched by Arriva, travelers can easily take the train from Germany to the Netherlands to Belgium in one short train journey. Pro-tip: make sure to try local desserts – Aachener Printen, vlaai from Maastricht, and Liège waffles – along the way.  

 

An Adriatic adventure

 

From a famous Italian port city, to the fields and forests of Slovenia, to the sunny shores of Croatia.  

 

Beginning in April 2024, Slovenian Railways opened a direct route from Villa Opicina, a town near Trieste, to Rijeka in Croatia, another Adriatic port city. Along the way, the train winds through a number of picturesque towns in Slovenia on its way to the Croatian border. 

 

From start to finish, the route takes only two hours to complete, but we encourage travelers to disembark from the train and explore along the way. Stops such as Divača, Pivka, and Ilirska Bistrica are great places to step outside and soak up Slovenia’s lush natural beauty.  

 

Note: This route is seasonal, operating until September 30, 2024.   

A bird's eye view of Rijeka, Croatia
A scenic square in Ruse, Bulgaria

Bulgaria to Romania

 

In August 2005, a bridge over the Argeș River collapsed during a flash flood, disrupting a key route connecting Romania with Bulgaria. 

 

19 years later, the Bucharest to Giurgiu line is once again passable.  

 

Passholders can begin their journey in the Romanian capital, wandering its wide boulevards past the city’s Belle Epoque landmarks. From Bucharest, travelers ride the train for an hour and 20 minutes to Giurgiu, a city on the banks of the Danube that marks the border between Romania and Bulgaria.  

 

A treat for snow-seekers

 

Dreaming of skiing through the Alps this winter?  

 

Snälltåget will offer a direct night train departing on Fridays from Malmö and arriving Saturday morning at Austrian ski destinations such as St Johann in Tirol, Zell am See, and Kitzbühel.  

 

Newly open to Passholders, this route passes through major cities such as Copenhagen, Hamburg, Munich, and Salzburg before dipping into the heart of Austrian ski country.  

 

The night train back to Malmö departs Saturday evenings from Innsbruck Hauptbahnhof – making this winter route perfect for travelers seeking a week-long holiday on the slopes.  

 

 

A chairlift with mountains in the distance in Kitzbuhel, Austria
Hugo van Vondelen admires the view from a train window

Meet the Eurail travelers

Hugo van Vondelen is a product specialist at Eurail, based in Utrecht, the Netherlands. 

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Favorite train route of the moment: 

 

Sighetu Marmației to Bucharest. The train departs in the afternoon, which gives you a lot of time to enjoy the ride until it is dark. The first hours, the train is running through the green hills of Maramureș at a very slow speed in a decades-old sleeping car. I feel like this railway line is one of the best examples of how relaxing train travel can be. 

Meet the Eurail travellers

Rachel Schnalzer is a senior writer at Eurail, based in Utrecht, the Netherlands. 

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Favorite train route of the moment: 

 

Last winter, I traveled on the northernmost route in Eurail's Pass network, all the way to Abisko, Sweden. I loved waking up in the morning on the night train from Stockholm to Abisko; the pink sunrise reflecting on the snow outside my train window was just as special as seeing the northern lights. 

Rachel Schnalzer stands outside of a snow-covered train station