Autumn Steam in the Harz Mountains

Enjoy Autumn Steam at its best in the spectacular Harz Mountains in Germany, featuring iconic narrow-gauge charters across a stunning landscape of vibrant seasonal colours.

• Explore Germany’s largest narrow-gauge network while based for three days in the historic town of Wernigerode, using your complimentary HSB rover ticket.
• Enjoy scenic trips on the standard gauge Braunschweig and narrow gauge Feldbahn Fortuna heritage railways, with private steam charters hauled by historic tank engines.
• Discover the unique city of Wuppertal with its suspension railway from 1900 and railway viaduct from 1897.
• Further highlights include visits to Hannover and Wuppertal tramway museums, with private charters at both, plus a ride on Braunschweig’s heritage tram to see the rebuilt city palace from 1841.
  

Friday 17th October


London to Hannover
You travel from London St Pancras to Hannover in Northern Germany by Eurostar and German ICE. You’ll spend the next two nights in Hannover, at a centrally-located hotel near the station. There’s a dinner at the hotel after arrival. (D)

Saturday 18th October

Steam in Braunschweig and heritage tramway in the Old Town to see the Palace


You begin your tour with a steam highlight, visiting the historic roundhouse and standard gauge steamshed at Braunschweig, the so-called Lokpark. In this railway complex , there’s an intricate internal network of tracks and sidings, that you will have a private charter with a 100-year old tank engine from 1925. You will get a behind-the-scenes look at the impressive steam works, viewing other preserved steam and diesel locomotives. You then proceed for a visit in the city centre of Braunschweig, at the rebuilt city palace Residenzschloss. Originally opened in 1841, it was destroyed in the Second World War, torn down in 1960 and finally, rebuilt in the early 2000s. A historic tramway will shuttle you between Braunschweig Hauptbahnhof and the city centre on a private charter run. In the late afternoon you return by train to nearby Hannover for an evening at leisure in the city. (B)


Sunday 19th October


Hannover Tramway Museum and arrival to Wernigerode


After a leisurely breakfast, today you visit the Hannover Museum in Sehnde, one of the largest and finest collections in Germany. It has a unique fleet of streetcars and its own running track. You’ll enjoy a private charter on an early 20th-century tram, including photo stops, before a coach transfer to Wernigerode in the Harz Mountains. After checking into your hotel, there’s ample time to sightsee this lovely German town, famed for its colourful rows of timber-framed houses, Gothic city hall and hilltop castle. Your hotel is near the Wernigerode steam yard, and in the late afternoon you can photograph trains returning from Mount Brocken from the visitor observation tower at Wernigerode station. Dinner is served at your hotel this evening.
(B L D)

Monday 20th October to Wednesday 22nd October


Steam and scenery in the Harz Mountains


For the next three days, you are free to make the most of your complimentary HSB rover ticket, allowing you to explore Germany’s largest narrow-gauge railway network. Enjoy unlimited steam during the most colourful time of the year and storm up the spiralling line to the summit of Mount Brocken, Northern Germany’s highest point. Alternatively, you can ride the line to Eisfelder Talmühle or explore the Selke Valley railway from Quedlinburg to Alexisbad and Hasselfelde, the oldest narrow-gauge railway in the Harz Mountains. On a day of your choice, the short main-line railway return ticket from Wernigerode to Quedlinburg is included. Your Tour Manager will be on hand to advise you of all the available options and necessary timetable connections. Each day, dinner will be served at your hotel. (B D)

Thursday 23rd October


Wernigerode to Wuppertal
The time has come to leave the Harz Mountains and proceed to the lovely Rhineland. You leave after 9:45, so you can still watch the day’s first steam departure from Wernigerode. A coach directly transports your luggage today, as you make your way to Wuppertal. You arrive in Wuppertal in the afternoon and after check-in have some free time for a first ride on the world famous suspension railway. Tonight dinner is at the hotel. (B D)


Friday 24th October


Wuppertal monorail, trip over Germany’s highest railway viaduct and Wuppertal tramway museum


Today you visit one of the most unique transport systems and engineering marvels in the world, the unique ‘dingle dangle’ monorail in Wuppertal, an iconic landmark from 1900. Once thought to be the transport system of the future, it remains the only prototype ever built. You’ll travel the full length of the 13.2km long ‘Schwebebahn’ along and above the River Wupper from Vohwinkel to Oberbarmen. Later you’ll have time to alight and take pictures along the line or sightsee some of the city’s other landmarks. Afterwards you have a ride on the railway line from Wuppertal via Remscheid to Solingen, with this one hour trip passing over Germany’s highest railway viaduct, the Müngstener Brücke from 1897, which sits some 107 m above the valley floor. Finally you conclude the day with a visit to Wuppertal’s tramway museum, the Bergische Museumsbahn. This 3km long line is what is left of a once much larger urban and inter-urban light rail system. Following a private charter with a vintage 1920s streetcar at Germany’s version of the Crich tramway of Derbyshire, you return to the city centre of Wuppertal for an evening at leisure, perhaps choosing to visit one of the typical German brew houses. (B)

Saturday 25th October


Steam at the Feldbahn Fortuna heritage railway


To cap your German Autumn Steam holiday in spectacular fashion, today you visit a narrow-gauge field railway in the rural countryside of Hessen. A wonderful museum with its industrial works railway has been preserved here, at the site of a former iron ore mine. It operates with a unique collection of different steam locomotives, including the famed ‘Brigadelok’ trench locomotives. You visit both the local museum and travel the full length of the line on your private charter train. You make your return journey to and from the Feldbahn Fortuna using the Cologne-Frankfurt high-speed railway line to and from Limburg Süd, before changing onto a private coach for the short transfer. Lunch at the Fortuna museum restaurant is included. (B L)

Sunday 26th October


Return to London


The time has come to leave Germany, as you travel by high-speed train from Wuppertal via Cologne to Brussels Midi, before changing onto a Eurostar service to London St. Pancras. (B)