We are a boutique Australian family-owned and operated tour company, based in Toowoomba, Queensland, specialising in historical and cultural tours of Europe, travelling on Europe’s great trains. We offer only a limited number of tours each year, personally led by the Company Principal, former history teacher, or by an equally qualified co-owner family member. Our family has been introducing people to our beloved Europe since 1977.
TRAVEL ON EUROPE’S GREAT TRAINS
Europe’s trains are the finest in the world – from the high-speed French TGV streaking across the continent at 320kph to quaint Swiss mountain trains. A rail journey permits you to meet the locals, to stroll down to the restaurant car and bar, or simply to take in the ever changing sceneryvineyards, alps and lakes. All rail travel is in First Class reserved seats, except on some local trains where seats are not reservable or where only standard class is offered.
3 NIGHTS MINIMUM STOPS
Travellers quickly tire of whistlestop coach tours which move on to a new hotel every night. On the Great Trains of Europe Tours, most stops are at least 3 nights, giving you time to unpack and start feeling like a local.
QUALITY CENTRAL HOTELS
Were you ever on a tour where your hotel was a motorway chain motel an hour outside Venice or Paris? On the Great Trains of Europe Tours we use centrally located hotels – on the Grand Canal in Venice, in the heart of Paris’ Montparnasse on the Left Bank, next to the KuDamm in Berlin. In cities we use 4 star boutique or 5 star hotels and the highest category historic village inns available in the countryside.
LUGGAGE TRANSPORTED ON AHEAD
Have you tried a rail journey but found loading your luggage a pain? No problems on the Great Trains of Europe Tours: your luggage is collected from your hotel on departure morning and is transferred on ahead to await your arrival in your new city.
LIMITED GROUP SIZE
The maximum number of participants on each tour is limited to 25 paying guests. This makes the groups small enough to avoid the “herd mentality” yet big enough to offer a variety of new friends.
FULL SIGHTSEEING PROGRAMME
How much to include? How to provide for first timers who want to see everything and also for those experienced travellers who want to have a more leisurely time? The eternally popular “must see” sights are included in an orientation sightseeing tour on arrival in each new city. On some tours, clearly explained and optional excursions are offered. We’ll need to know your choices before departure. Freedom to do your own thing, or a full sightseeing and activity programme. On the Great Trains of Europe Tours, the choice is yours.
MEALS
Nothing on a group tour causes more angst than the question of meals: pit-stops for re-fuelling before dashing out to a concert or to do some more exploring? Or a gourmet experience every night? Should expensive wines be costed in, the non-drinkers subsiding the drinkers?
On the Great Trains of Europe Tours we include in the tour cost the first evening meal in each new city or village, at a local trattoria or bistro. Drinks are at your own expense. On the other nights your Tour Director either recommends restaurants at different price levels or accompanies you to dinner.
QUALITY ASSURANCE – A PERSONAL TOUCH
Tours are personally escorted by an Australian historian who has years of experience in introducing people to Europe. The Tour Director is also the Company owner, guaranteeing a level of quality control that few can match.”
WHO TRAVELS ON THE GREAT TRAINS OF EUROPE TOURS?
While all are welcome, the tour member profile is usually in the 40+ age bracket, but families are most welcome on all tours. Selected tours are identified as Family-Friendly: the programme and pace are especially suitable for families with children. In this brochure the Winter Wonderland Tour with White Christmas is especially designated as family friendly.
Advice of any mobility or dietary issues is required at the time of booking. If you cannot walk 500 metres and climb 50 stairs without assistance, your booking will be accepted only along with a booking from a designated carer.
Our tour members (some up to their 11th tour with us) have an interest in history and art but don’t want in-depth lectures from professors; they love food and wine but don’t take too kindly to “pompous git” experts; they enjoy new experiences and have a sense of humour.
While the majority of our tour members are Australians and New Zealanders, we have also welcomed (and become friends with) Americans, Canadians, South Africans, Malaysians and Brits. All are welcome. All tours are conducted in English.
THE CHANGING OF THE GUARD at Great Trains of Europe Tours
After 16 very happy years as owner / operator and tour director at Great Trains of Europe Tours I am seeking pastures greener.
We have finalized the sale of Great Trains of Europe Tours to our son David Klan, also a History and English teacher, currently Head of Secondary at Toowoomba Anglican School. In addition to his academic and teaching qualifications, David holds a Diploma in Tourism. David has experience as an assistant tour director, and administrative experience at many levels during his educational career. David is married to Miranda and together they have a son James. That’s us at Tower Bridge, London.
Until June 2026, I shall continue to be the Tour Director for all tours, with David assisting me. From July 1st until the end of 2026 David will be the Tour Director of all tours and I shall be his assistant. We believe that this will provide a smooth transition for our many faithful tour members.
Thank you for your wonderful support over these years. I am sure that you will give David and his family the same loyalty.
Happy travels
Stan Klan
WHAT’S SO SPECIAL ABOUT GREAT TRAINS OF EUROPE TOURS?
• Leisurely pace – most stops 3 or 4 nights
• Quality, centrally located 4 & 5 star hotels and historic village inns
• First Class rail travel in reserved seats
• Full luggage handling between stops
• Tours personally escorted by an Australian historian who is the company owner.
• Small groups
• Many repeat customers (up to 11th tour) happy to give personal recommendations
• Consider the environment – diesel bus or electric train?
LIST OF TOURS
Blossoms & Bulbs
Springtime Gardens of Europe and UK with Chelsea Flower Show
English Rose Gardens
Rose Gardens of England and the Chelsea Flower Show
Literary Britain England, Scotland, and Ireland
Off the Beaten Track - Autumn Shades
Hill Villages and Market Towns of Italy and France
Pre-Christmas Magic - Christmas Markets and Classical Music Germany, Austria, and Prague
Winter Wonderland
Swiss & Austrian Alps, Paris (New Year's Eve), Venice, & Prague
BLOSSOMS & BULBS
Dutch Bulbfields, Chateaux Gardens of France, English Villages & Gardens and the Chelsea Flower Show.
May 3rd: AMSTERDAM The tour commences at check-in to our city centre hotel, our home for four nights. We rest from the flight, or take an afternoon canal cruise to get our bearings, before meeting our fellow travellers for a Welcome Drink and Dinner. [D]
May 4th: AMSTERDAM Every day on the Great Trains of Europe Tours begins with a full buffet breakfast. [B] We spend a full day in one of the world’s finest bulbfields, the Keukenhof Garden, with 80 acres of tulips, daffodils, hyacinths and other flowering bulbs, shrubs, ancient trees, exhibitions, gurgling streams, flower parades, and seven themed gardens. Little wonder we need all day to visit the Keukenhof! There are restaurants and tea shops. [B]
May 5th: AMSTERDAM We head into the countryside today (who will be first to see a windmill?) to the Gardens of the Dutch Baroque Palace Het Loo, the Royal Palace from the 1680s until 1982. Established by LeNôtre, the gardens feature perfect symmetry, axial layout with radiating gravel walks, parterres, fountains, basins and statues. [B]
May 6th: AMSTERDAM This morning there is an optional visit to The Aarlsmeer Flower Markets this morning, the hub of the world flower trade, where 19 million stems are auctioned each day. This afternoon we visit the historic and beautiful Dutch city of Delft, home of Vermeer, and imagine what Amsterdam might have looked like centuries ago. [B]
May 7th: PARIS A great rail journey today. Our luggage is taken on ahead as we take our reserved First Class seats in the sleek Thalys train, for Paris at 300kph. On arrival we settle in to our 4 star hotel on the Left Bank. On our city sightseeing tour we begin our acquaintance with the City of Lights. [B,D]
May 8th: PARIS A quiet morning to stroll in the nearby Luxembourg Gardens or to visit a museum. Monet’s waterlilies are finally on view in their original context at l’Orangerie. See them in real life this afternoon on our visit to Giverney and Monet’s Garden. We enjoy the flower garden called Clos Normand and the water garden with its famous Japanese Bridge covered with wisteria, which should be at its best this week. Then the weeping willows, and the famous nympheas (water lilies). [B]
May 9th: PARIS A high speed French TGV train today into the Loire Valley and the Garden of Villandry, created by Dr Joachim Carvallo, from 1906, in complete harmony with the Renaissance architecture of the chateau. Great horticultural skill was deployed, especially in the use of vegetables. An arbour of grape vines leads to a great
parterre, conceived as a Garden of Music. On the other side of the canal is a Garden of Love. [B]
May 10th: NORTH YORK MOORS Another of the great rail journeys of the world as we farewell Paris and join the 300 kph Eurostar through the Chunnel. Customs requires that we travel with our luggage today. In London we join British Rail in the tracks of the Flying Scotsman to the mediaeval city of York. We see the Minster and the Shambles, then transfer to our inn in the North York Moors village of Pickering. A pub dinner tonight. [B,D]
May 11th: NORTH YORK MOORS This morning we visit nearby Scampston Walled Gardens, then we lunch (with Claude Jeremiah Greengrass?) in the village of Goathland, “Aidens field” in the TV series ‘Heartbeat’. Here we join the historic North York Steam Railway home to Pickering.
May 12th: NORTH YORK MOORS This morning we visit historic Harewood House. Its garden is classic Capability Brown - forming an idyllic rural setting. We move on to the spa and garden town of Harrogate for a cream tea or a stroll around Harrogate’s famous public gardens. Can you spot Agatha Christie? She ‘disappeared’ here in 1926. [B]
May 13th: LAKE DISTRICT We journey this morning through the Yorkshire Dales, immortalized in James Herriot’s “All Creatures Great and Small” novels and television series. A village pub lunch stop, then on to the Lake District where we settle into our Lakeside hotel. [B,D]
May 14th: LAKE DISTRICT A visit this morning to a very special Lakeland garden, Holehird, which specialises in Lakeland flora and offers sweeping views of Lake Windermere. A bit of whimsy on the way home: we drop in on Beatrix Potter’s garden, Hill Top - watch out for the fierce bad rabbit. [B]
May 15th: LAKE DISTRICT We take a magical rail journey today through some of the Dales’ and England’s finest scenery on the historic Settle to Carlisle Railway. A pub lunch, an afternoon cream tea and visits to some more of the Yorkshire Dales’ picturesque villages. [B]
May 16th: COTSWOLDS Our British Rail journey south today brings us to the Peak District of Derbyshire, to visit the gardens of historic Chatsworth House, dating from 1687. Another Capability Brown garden, Chatsworth has been famous for its beauty since Jane Austen’s Day. We move on in the late afternoon to the Cotswolds where we stay in a village inn in the pretty riverside village of Bourton-on-the-Water. [B,D]
May 17th: COTSWOLDS This morning’s sightseeing takes us to picturesque Cotswold villages of honey-golden stone: Lower Slaughter, Stow-on-theWold, Chipping Campden. After a village pub lunch we visit one of England’s favourite gardens - Hidcote Manor, designed and developed by Maj. Lawrence Johnston, who scoured the world to secure rare and exotic species for this extremely pretty garden, a series of “outdoor rooms”. [B]
The Chelsea Flower Show ...with
May 18th: COTSWOLDS Today we visit Stowe Landscape Gardens, covering 750 acres and including 40 listed historic monuments and temples. It is considered one of England’s most important landscape gardens and the greatest names in English garden design were involved in its creation from Bridgeman in the 1710s to Vanbrugh, Kent, Gibbs and “Capability ” Brown. Afternoon tea in the Cotswold village of Burford, serious about antiques. [B]
May 19th: LONDON Back on British Rail today we journey through more of the Cotswolds’ rolling hills, as our luggage is taken on ahead to await our arrival in our London hotel. We enjoy London’s sights from a double-decker bus. The Oxford Street shops are only a bus ride away from the hotel. A West End Show tonight? [B]
May 20th: LONDON The Oxford Street shops or Harrods this morning before an afternoon excursion to the Royal Horticultural Society’s Wisley Garden, where keen English gardeners have gone to be inspired for over 100 years. Spread out over 240 acres, Wisley is a lovely, peaceful place for a stroll as well as a demonstration garden full of practical garden design ideas and cultivation techniques. [B]
May 21st: LONDON A full day today at the renowned Chelsea Flower Show, arguably the world’s greatest and best known. Our Farewell Dinner tonight. [B,D]
HIGHLIGHTS
May 22nd: HOMEWARD BOUND Our tour ends this morning after breakfast. Thank you for your company on the Great Trains of Europe Tours. [B]
RAIL JOURNEYS
• High Speed Thalys
• English Channel Eurostar
• Tracks of the Flying Scotsman
• North York Moors Steam Railway
• Settle to Carlisle Historic Railway
GARDENS
• Keukenhof Gardens
• Het Loo
• Monet’s Garden
• Villandry
• Scampston Walled Gardens
• Harewood
• Holehird
• Chatsworth
• Stowe
INCLUDED FEATURES:
• Hidcote
• Wisley
SIGHTS
• “Heartbeat Country”
• Heriot’s Yorkshire Dales
• Lake District
• Cotswold Villages
• First Class rail travel in reserved seats
• 4 star city centre hotels
• 3 or 4 star historic village inns
handling [not on Eurostar] guides [where permitted]
Tour Director
May 21st: LONDON Our tour commences as we gather for a Welcome Dinner in our London hotel. [D]
May 22nd: LONDON A full day to enjoy the world-famous Chelsea Flower Show. [B]
May 23rd: LONDON A mid-morning departure for our excursion to the Royal Horticultural Society’s Wisley Garden, where keen English gardeners have gone to be inspired for over 100 years. Spread out over 240 acres, Wisley is a lovely, peaceful place for a stroll, as well as a demonstration garden full of practical garden design ideas and cultivation techniques. [B]
May 24th: St Austell, CORNWALL A quiet Sunday morning for a sleep-in, a walk in the beautiful London parks, or to go to church. Our luggage is sent on ahead to Cornwall and, after an early lunch, we cross to Paddington Station to commence our Great Trains love affair heading Southwest. We arrive in St Austell where our historic village inn – our home for 3 nights - is a short walk from the station. Our included dinner is in the hotel. [B,D]
May 25th: CORNWALL Through stunning Cornish and Devon countryside today, across Bodmin Moor, to visit the RHS garden Rosemoor. The name says it all. Enjoy the fabulous rose collection. [B]
May 26th: CORNWALL Today we visit nearby the Lost Gardens of Heligan located in the Cornwall Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, with sweeping seascape views. Then we drive through the Cornish countryside to the North Coast. [B]
May 27th: To Bourton-on-the-Water, COTSWOLDS Back on the train today, as our luggage is taken on ahead, to the beautiful Cotswolds and the chocolate box village of Bourton-on-the-Water, our home for 5 days’ exploration of this picturesque corner of the heart of England. Our included dinner is in the award winning nearby Italian restaurant. [B,D]
May 28th: COTSWOLDS This morning’s sightseeing takes us to picturesque Cotswold villages of honey-golden stone: Stow-on-theWold, Chipping Campden. After a village pub lunch, we visit one of England’s favourite gardens - Hidcote Manor, designed and developed by Maj. Lawrence Johnston, who scoured the world to secure rare and exotic species for this extremely pretty garden, a series of “outdoor rooms.” [B]
May 29th: COTSWOLDS Sudeley Castle is the only private castle in England hosting the grave of a queen, Katherine Parr, Henry VIII’s surviving wife. It is also a popular filming location because of its ruins and stunning gardens. We explore them today. [B]
May 30th: COTSWOLDS
Ask any English gardener the best source of roses, and the answer will be David Austin’s Roses in Shropshire, our destination today. As well as a very large rose nursery, it offers 6 themed gardens containing over 4,000 roses. [B]
May 31st: COTSWOLDS The Kiftsgate Gardens, famed for their roses, are the creation of three generations of women gardeners. Started by Heather Muir in the 1920s, continued by Diany Binny from 1950 and now looked after by Anne Chambers. It is the home of Rosa filipes, the Kiftsgate rose, said to have the largest blooms in England. [B]
June 1st: To Pickering, NORTH YORK MOORS Our five days in the beautiful Cotswolds have come to an end so soon. Our luggage is taken on to our village inn on the North York Moors, with a few hours stopover en route to visit the mediaeval and Viking city of York. Our included dinner is in our hotel in the market town of Pickering. [B,D]
June 2nd: NORTH YORK MOORS This morning we visit nearby Scampston Walled Gardens, then we lunch (with Claude Jeremiah Greengrass?). Then we visit nearby Scampston Walled Garden, then cross the North Yorks Moors National Park to visit the moorside village of Goathland, better known as Aidensfield in the TV cop drama “Heartbeat”. Here we join the historic North York Steam Railway home to Pickering.[B]
June 3rd: NORTH YORK MOORS A train ride north today into Northumberland, to the stunning Alnwick Castle Gardens, in the grounds of a 700 year old castle. The ornamental garden, the cherry orchard, the maze and the fountains all complement one of the best rose collections in England. [B]
June 4th: To LONDON Back to London today, as our base for the many fabulous rose gardens in the South-East, also some museum and shopping time for those who are all “gardened out.” Our included dinner is not tonight, but on Monday, our Farewell Dinner. [B]
June 5th: LONDON A day trip today to Mottisfont in Hampshire, whose walled gardens are home to a world famous old-fashioned rose collection created by horticulturalist Graham Stuart Thomas. This is home to the National Plant Collection of pre-1900 roses. [B]
June 6th: LONDON Today we discover why Sissinghurst in nearby Kent is famous as the epitome of the English garden and we explore its series of garden rooms, each filled with different planting schemes and unique designs. Like Hidcote, this is a Harold Nicholson and Vita Sackville-West Garden. For our visit the Rose Garden should be in full bloom. Vita declared herself to be ‘drunk on roses’ here. [B]
June 7th: LONDON Queen Mary’s Gardens in London’s Regent’s Park are world-famous and are home to London’s largest collection of roses, with 12,000 roses in bloom each year. A day to enjoy. [B]
June 8th: LONDON “When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life.” Thus spake Samuel Johnson in 1777 (or did he?). Perhaps he should have said “when a gardener is tired of Kew Gardens s/he is tired of life.” Test the theory today, with more than 40,000 plants to appreciate. Back to our hotel for our Farewell Dinner. [B,D]
June 9th: HOMEWARD BOUND Our tour ends after breakfast this morning. Thank you for your company on the Great Trains of Europe Tours.[B]
FACT BOX: DURATION: 20 DAYS
DEPARTURES: May 21st, 2026 May 20th, 2027
COST: Land Cost Only
(Join and leave in London)
$AU 14,950 per person
Twin Share
Single Room supplement $1,500 Enquire about competitive airfares
First Class rail travel in reserved seats [some services are Standard Class only].
• 4-star city centre hotel in London
• 3-star historic village inns with private facilities in rural England
• Buffet breakfasts throughout
• 5 dinners
• Full luggage handling between hotels
• All garden entrances with local expert guide [where permitted]
• Comfortable coach transfers between hotels and most gardens
• Full time Tour Leader who is the Tour Company Principal
ENGLAND
WALES
IRELAND
LONDON
Cotswolds
North York Moors
Cornwall
LITERARY BRITAIN
We invite you to join us on this Literary Britain Tour following in the footsteps of some of the greatest literary figures in our language.
August 26th: EDINBURGH Our tour commences this evening as we gather for predinner drinks and a Welcome Dinner in our Edinburgh hotel. [D]
August 27th: EDINBURGH Our orientation tour of Edinburgh takes in the sights – the Castle, the Royal Mile, St Giles’ and the New Town. [B]
August 28th: EDINBURGH Edinburgh has a long and rich literary tradition and we explore it today: home to Robert Burns, Sir Walter Scott, Robert Louis Stevenson, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, J.M. Barrie, Alexander McCall Smith, and J.K. Rowling. [B]
August 29th: The LAKE DISTRICT Our luggage is taken on ahead as we take our First Class seats on British Rail across the border into England, and the Lake District. We settle in to our lakefront hotel at Bowness on Windermere. There is time this afternoon for a paddle boat ride on the lake. [B,D]
August 30th: The LAKE DISTRICT Today we drive through the beautiful Lake District for a visit to Beatrix Potter’s cottage. Her genius found its fullest expression in this scenic Lakeland countryside, to which she was so committed that she bought up farms to gift to the people of Britain as a National Park. [B]
August 31st: The LAKE DISTRICT The Lakes are forever linked with the Romantic Poets, who saw the countryside as an antidote for the barrenness of the Enlightenment and the revolutions it spawned. Today we “escape to Nature” following in the footsteps of the greatest of them all, William Wordsworth. Dove Cottage in Grasmere has become a sacred site for lovers of the English tongue. [B]
September 1st: The LAKE DISTRICT This morning we ride the historic Settle to Carlisle Railway, across the Ribblehead Viaduct, to Haworth, the home of the Bronte sisters. Our pilgrimage begins at the Parsonage, as we ponder how such protected single ladies, daughters of the parsonage, could gaze into the human condition like few before them or since. Back to the Lakes this evening. [B]
September 2nd: The COTSWOLDS Our luggage is taken on ahead and we join British Rail south to the beautiful Cotswolds. We settle into our hotel in one of the prettiest villages of England, Bourton-on-the-Water, our home for 4 nights. [B,D]
September 3rd: The COTSWOLDS A local slow train today as we wind through the Heart of England to the Regency spa city of Bath, rich in its Jane Austen associations. Back to our Cotswold village this evening. [B]
If adventures will not befall a young lady in her own village, she must seek them abroad. – Jane Austen
September 4th: The COTSWOLDS Today, the dreaming spires of Oxford, the ancient university city, which gave us Alice in Wonderland, Brideshead Revisited, C S Lewis, J R R Tolkien, and Inspector Morse, to name a few. Back to the Cotswolds tonight [B]
September 5th: The COTSWOLDS The Holy of Holies today: William Shakespeare’s Stratford upon Avon. We walk the streets he walked and visit his house, his school and his grave. We hope to be able to incorporate a Shakespearean play performance into our visit, but schedules are not yet available. [B]
September 6th: The SOUTH-WEST Today we take local trains to the South-West of England to our listed coaching inn hotel in the market town of St Austell”. [B,D]
September 7th: The SOUTH-WEST Through Cornwall to search for Daphne du Maurier today – Frenchman’s Creek, Jamaica Inn. Was Manderley, of Rebecca fame, really here? [B]
September 8th: LONDON We make our way on British Rail to London the "bellybutton of the world". We arrive at Paddington Station, as Paddington Bear did, and enjoy our London orientation tour en route to our hotel. [B]
September 9th: LONDON We start the day visiting the British Museum and its Manuscript Room. From the exercise book in which Charlotte Bronte wrote Jane Eyre, to the Beatles’ doodle pads: they are all here. Nearby for afternoon visits are Bloomsbury (Virginia Wolfe), Russell Square (T.S. Eliot) and the British Library (Karl Marx.) Every night London offers dozens of plays, musicals, ballets and opera. Up to date listings will be provided several months before the tour. [B]
September 10th: LONDON A day trip into Kent today to the cathedral city of Canterbury, and the shrine of St Thomas a’Beckett (Murder in the Cathedral - T.S. Eliot), and the destination for Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales pilgrims. [B]
September 11th: LONDON Today we explore London’s dark literary past, following in the footsteps of William Blake and Charles Dickens. [B]
September 12th: LONDON We have barely scratched the surface of London’s rich literary heritage, but you will certainly want a day of shopping and sightseeing – Changing of the Guard? The Tower of London? [B,D]
The most important thing in life is to stop saying ‘I wish’ and to start saying ‘I will’. - Charles Dickens
September 13th: LONDON Morning worship at Wesley’s Chapel? Evensong at Westminster Abbey? There is an afternoon visit to the Abbey and its Poets' Corner. Here we do homage to the literary giants – Chaucer, Tennyson, the Brownings, Dickens, Dryden, Hardy, Blake, Kipling, A E Housman, Gerard Manley Hopkins, and an Australian poet, Adam Lindsay Gordon. [B]
September 14th: FAREWELL Your tour ends this morning after breakfast. Thank you for your company on this Great Trains of Europe Tour. Why not join us today for our Literary Ireland Tour? [B]
The rich heritage of English literature is inextricably linked with the landscapes in which it is set. Could Wordsworth have written such sublime lines anywhere but in the Lake District? Could Emily Bronte have created Heathcliffe anywhere other than on the wild and desolate moors where Yorkshire meets Lancashire?
• Wordsworth’s Lake District
• The Brontes’ Haworth
• Jane Austen’s Bath
• Charles Dickens’ London
• Shakespeare’s Stratford-upon-Avon
INCLUDED FEATURES:
• First Class rail travel in reserved
• 4
• 5 dinners
• Full luggage handling
• Full time
August 26th 2026
COST: Land Only Content (Join in Edinburgh or London,leave in London). $AU 15,950 per person twin share Enquire about competitive airfares SINGLE SUPPLEMENT $AU 2,000
LITERARY IRELAND
POST-TOUR ADD-ON TO THE LITERARY BRITAIN TOUR:
Given the compactness of Ireland, and the relatively limited rail services, on this Add-on Literary Ireland Tour we undertake some travel by coach rather than rail, and some of our stops are shorter than the 3 nights customary on the Great Trains of Europe Tours.
SEP 14th DUBLIN Depart London in the early afternoon for the short flight (included in tour cost) to Dublin, and transfer to our city centre hotel. [D]
SEP 15th DUBLIN This morning’s city sightseeing tour will wind up at Trinity College, and the Book of Kells, Ireland’s greatest literary treasure, and one of the world’s most beautiful illuminated manuscripts. Dating from around 800AD, it contains the Four Gospels in Latin. In the afternoon we embark upon a James Joyce Bloomsday Walk. [B]
SEP 16th DUBLIN Yes, Ireland produced George Bernard Shaw, J M Synge and Oscar Wilde, but the two literary names that particularly stand out in Dublin are James Joyce and William Butler Yeates. Today we visit the Yeates Collection in the National Library, then the James Joyce Centre and the Dublin Writers’ Museum. A literary pub crawl tonight for the brave, visiting a number of watering holes frequented in centuries past by Ireland’s literary greats. [B]
SEP 17th SLIGO An Irish Rail journey today to Sligo where we visit the William Butler Yeats Memorial Building which has a photographic exhibition detailing the famous writer’s life, the churchyard at Drumcliffe where Yeats is buried – under Ben Bulben - and the Sligo County Museum & Art Gallery which also has Yeats’ work on display. [B]
SEP 18th LIMERICK By coach today through Western Ireland, paying a visit to Galway en route to Limerick for a 2 night stop. [B]
SEP 19th LIMERICK Limerick is a centre of Irish cultural life, and home to modern Irish novelist Frank McCourt, of Angela’s Ashes fame. We visit his school room, now a museum, and take a walking tour of the locations mentioned in his novel. [B]
SEP 20th LIMERICK Let’s be tourists today as we drive around the famed Ring of Kerry, and visit Killarney, before returning to our Limerick hotel and our Farewell Dinner. [B,D]
SEP 21st FAREWELL Our tour ends after breakfast this morning. You can either take the train back to Dublin to join your flight home, or fly from the nearby Shannon Airport to London for your homeward journey. Your transfer to either is included in the tour cost [B]
FACT BOX: DURATION: 8 DAYS DEPARTURE: September 14th 2026
COST: $AU 4,950 per person twin share. Land content only.Join tour in London,and leave tour in either Dublin or London.
SINGLE SUPPLEMENT
$AU 750
From Paris to Rome via the hill villages and market towns of the South of France, the Cinque Terre and Tuscany.
October 11th: BIENVENUE a PARIS
Our tour commences with Welcome Drinks and Dinner [D]. We meet in the hotel bar at 6pm. [D]
October 12th: PARIS
Every day on the Great Trains of Europe Tours begins with a buffet breakfast. Our morning's sightseeing includes Champs Elysees, the Arc de Triomphe and the Eiffel tower. The afternoon is free for your own sightseeing. The Louvre will be closed tomorrow, so if you wish to visit Mona Lisa, today’s the day. An optional excursion is offered this afternoon to Monet’s Garden at Giverney. We are spoilt for choice of restaurant this evening. [B]
October 13th: PARIS
Most Paris museums are closed Tuesdays, but the Orsay (home of the Impressionists) and the Marmottan (a mansion with more than 50 Monets) are open today. An optional excursion is offered today: a full day to the Somme Battlefields of World War I [B]
October 14th: To SARLAT, Dordogne
Our luggage is taken on ahead as we head South at 300kph on the high speed French TGV to Bordeaux (lunch available on board) where we change to the little local train winding its way through the world famous Bordeaux vineyards into the Dordogne region. The walled mediaeval market town of Sarlat is our home for 3 nights. As our luggage arrives we settle in. The village has 5,000 inhabitants and 11 restaurants in the Michelin red book. Excursions from Sarlat are offered each day and included in the tour cost, but feel free to enjoy lazy days in our ‘home’ village. [D,B]
October 15th: SARLAT
Our day begins with a visit to the walled ‘bastide’ town of Domme, with excellent shopping and a fine view of a vast sweep of the Dordogne River Valley. It is Market Day in Domme. After an early lunch, we wind along the banks of the Dordogne River on our way to the mediaeval cliffface village of Rocamadour - very much ON the beaten track. Pilgrims have come to visit the Black Madonna here since the 12th century. [B]
October 16th: SARLAT
The morning is free in the village of Sarlat. This is a ‘foodie’s’ paradise with a vast array of gourmet shops. In the afternoon we visit one of France’s most beautiful gardens, the nearby Jardin d’Eyrignac. [B]
October 17th: VILLENEUVE-les-AVIGNON, Provence
Our luggage is taken on ahead, as we join our cross-country trains, via Toulouse, to the historic Provence village of Villeneuve-les-Avignon. Excursions from Villeneuve are offered each day and included in the tour cost. Our hotel boasts an excellent restaurant where we have our included dinner tonight. [B,D]
October 18th: VILLENEUVE-les-AVIGNON
The nearby village of L’Isle-Sur-la-Sourge prides itself on being France’s second largest antiques centre. Visa cards with chronic fatigue syndrome have been known here. It is a very attractive town with streams and water wheels, nicknamed the “Venice of Provence”. Today is Market Day. We move on to Fontaine de Vaucluse for lunch beside the waterfall. [B]
October 19th: VILLENEUVE-les-AVIGNON
A visit this morning to the Pont du Gard, a Roman aqueduct dating from Classical times. Then we move on to van Gogh country and the village of St. Remy, ending the day in the walled city of Avignon, seat of the Popes from 1309 to 1377. The afternoon is free in Avignon. [B]
October 20th:VILLENEUVE-les-AVIGNON
Off the beaten track again today as we drive through some of Provence’s favourite villages – hilltop Gordes (market day), Bonnieux, rainbowcoloured Roussillon, and Loumarin - with stops for coffee, lunch & shopping. [B]
October 21st: SANTA MARGHERITA LIGURE
An early start for the TGV train along the French Riviera to Nice, then a progression of slower local trains across the Italian border to our seafront hotel in Santa Margerita Ligure, just north of the Cinque Terre. Our luggage awaits our arrival [B,D].
October 22nd: Cinque Terre - SANTA MARGHERITA LIGURE
Today we take a boat ride down the Italian Coast past the five villages more commonly known as the Cinque Terre, making stops at two of the villages. Elevenses, a ridiculously long lunch in a seafront restaurant or just a sundowner overlooking the Mediterranean? Back to our hotel tonight. [B]
October 23rd: Portofino - SANTA MARGHERITA LIGURE
A leisurely stroll or short bus ride brings us to uber-touristy Portofino. [B]
October 24th: San Gimignano, TUSCANY
An early start today, so that we can get to San Gimignano before its Market Day ends. Our luggage is transported on ahead as we wind along the Mediterranean coast and into archetypal Tuscan countrysidevineyards, olive-groves and cypresses - down the Vale of Chianti and up the hill to San Gimignano. This walled hilltop village with its 13 towers, standing almost unchanged since the 12th century, is our home for 4 nights. Short day excursions from San Gimignano are provided (and included in your tour cost). You may choose to join the excursion or simply stay in San Gimignano and relax. [B,D]
October 25th: San Gimignano, TUSCANY
A drive off the beaten track today through Southern Tuscan vineyards and olive groves to visit two beautiful hilltop villages and wine centres –Montalcino and Montepulciano. [B]
October 26th: San Gimignano, TUSCANY
This morning we explore the artistic gem of Siena, which stands today much as it did in the twelfth century. You know it from “My House in Umbria” and “Under the Tuscan Sun”. Where better to take lunch than at one of the open air trattoria on the Campo? This is the historic city square, the setting for the Palio horse race in the summer. On the way home to San Gimignano we visit the walled village of Monteriggioni. [B]
October 27th San Gimignano, TUSCANY
This is a good day to climb the tallest tower for panoramic views of the Vale of Chianti, and to visit the small cathedral with its Ghirlandaio painting. You recall Judi Dench’s efforts to preserve it in the film ‘Tea with Mussolini’.
Anyone fancy a day trip into Florence? Pisa is also a possible destination for a day trip. Your tour guide will provide details. [B]
October 28th: To ROME
Our luggage is taken on to Rome as we wind our way through the Vale of Chianti on the local slow train to Florence, where we change to Italy’s High Speed Frecciarossa to the eternal city, Rome. Our included dinner is not tonight, but on our final night, but let’s go the Piazza Navona anyway for pizza as the Bernini fountains play. [B]
October 29th: ROME
Today's sightseeing focuses on Classical Rome and includes entrances to the Pantheon, the Forum and the Colosseum. “Roma - non basta una vita!” (Romeone life is not enough!) Join your Tour Leader for a stroll to the Trevi Fountain after dinner. If you throw three coins in the fountain, your return to Rome is guaranteed, so the legend goes. [B]
October 30th: ROME
Catholic Rome today, including entrances and a guided tour of St Peter's Basilica, the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel, Michelangelo's masterpiece. The fashion shops on the Via Condotti are open this afternoon. Our Farewell Dinner tonight. [B, D]
October 31st: GRAZIE e ARRIVEDERCI
FACT BOX: DURATION: 21 DAYS
COST: Land Cost Only (Join in Paris, leave from Rome) DEPARTURE: October 11th, 2026 $AU 15,950 per person Twin Share
Single Room supplement $2,000 Enquire about competitive airfares
Our tour ends after breakfast this morning. Thank you for your company on the Great Trains of Europe Tours. [B]
EUROPE’S PRE-CHRISTMAS MAGIC
Enjoy the world-famous Christmas Markets and Classical Music tradition of Germany, Austria and the Czech Republic. One performance - orchestral, opera or ballet - is included at each stop.
November 30th: MUNICH The tour commences today in our 4 star boutique hotel in the heart of Munich. Get to know your fellow travellers at Welcome Drinks and Dinner. [D]
December 1st: MUNICH A sightseeing tour this morning of this thousand year old city. Munich is the capital of Bavaria with strong Wagner, Carl Orff and Richard Strauss associations. Munich is home to the Bavarian State Opera, the Bavarian State Ballet, and the Bavarian State Radio Orchestra. Details of our Classical Music performance will be provided closer to departure. The afternoon is free for the Christmas markets. [B]
December 2nd: MUNICH - Visit Nuremberg markets Ask any German which city has the very best Christmas markets and the unequivocal answer will be “Nuremberg”. We have a mid-morning departure for the one hour train journey to Nuremberg, Bavaria’s second city. The markets come alive as the lights come on Back to our Munich hotel this evening. [B]
December 3rd: MUNICH - King Ludwig’s Castle Visit An excursion by local rail today into the foothills of the Bavarian Alps to visit the fairy tale Neuschwannstein Castle, built by “mad” King Ludwig. Back to our Munich hotel. Will this be the night for a classical concert or an opera? [B]
December 4th: SALZBURG Our luggage is taken on ahead as we join Austria’s flagship train, the Railjet, to Salzburg the city of Mozart and Maria von Trapp. On arrival we enjoy a walking tour through the Old City, and a funicular ride to the Hohensalzburg Fortress for a panoramic view across the city. Then some of the major Mozart sights and Christmas markets before our included dinner. [B,D]
December 5th: SALZBURG A day for Sound of Music fans, as we join a tour of the main locations used in the film. Another bash at the Christmas markets. [B]
December 6th: SALZBURG How about a day in the Austrian Alps? We take the Railjet again to the Hapsburgs Winter Capital, Innsbruck where after a short walking tour, we take a cable car up the Alps for lunch with a view across the city from 7,000 feet. Back to Salzburg, her markets, and our hotel [B]
December 7th: VIENNA Today we join Austrian Rail’s Railjet to Vienna, the Imperial Capital of the Hapsburgs and still – after more than two centuries – still the world capital of Classical music. It was home to Mozart, Beethoven, Haydn, Mahler, Brahms, Schubert, Bruckner, Korngold, Gluck and Strauss. Not a bad roll call! We settle into our city-centre hotel, where our luggage awaits. Vienna’s fine buildings look magnificent by night, as do her Christmas markets. [B,D]
December 8th: VIENNA Our morning city sightseeing programme introduces us to this stately city - the Ring, the Hofburg and St Stephen’s (setting of Mozart’s wedding and his funeral) Watch the fountains and listen to the music [B]
December 9th: VIENNA A free day in Vienna Her Christkindlmarkt (Christmas markets) are world famous, as are her opera companies and orchestras Will this be the night for our classical music performance? We will be advised as programmes are released. [B]
December 10th: VIENNA After a short rail journey we arrive in the Hapsburg’s second capital – and home to Franz Liszt, Dohnányi, Kodály and Béla Bartók - Budapest. Our city sightseeing includes the Chain Bridge, Buda Castle, the Gothic St Matthew’s Church, and the Fisherman’s Bastion. Visit one of the famous historic coffee houses and the Christmas markets before re-joining our train to our hotel in Vienna. [B]
December 11th: PRAGUE Today’s rail journey brings us in the early afternoon to magical Prague Our afternoon stroll includes the nearby Old Town Square which has buildings from the fourteenth to the twentieth century. Enjoy the view over coffee in an outdoor café. [B,D]
December 12th: PRAGUE This morning we begin to discover this magnificent city. Prague was never bombed, and much of the Old City is untouched from the fourteenth century. The Castle, the Charles Bridge, Wenceslas Square, and the Jewish Quarter feature in our sightseeing. Classical music opportunities abound. Mozart loved Prague, and his love was reciprocated. [B]
December 13th: PRAGUE Enjoy your free day in this beautiful city, shopping or enjoying the music and the markets. Prague is the centre for world famous Bohemian crystal. [B]
December 14th: LEIPZIG Our luggage is taken on ahead as we join Deutsche Bahn (German Rail) for a panoramic rail journey down the gorges of the Vlatava River and on to the city of Bach, Mendelsohn and the Schumanns – Leipzig. Enjoy the markets before our included dinner. [B,D]
December 15th: LEIPZIG This morning’s city sightseeing includes the Thomas Church where we pay homage at Bach’s grave, the University of Leipzig which counts both Bach and Goethe among its alumni, and the Nicholas Church – famous for its role in the end of Communism. The afternoon is free for the Christmas markets.. [B]
December 16th: LEIPZIG - Visit to Dresden While Leipzig was the cultural capital of the Kingdom of Saxony, its princes ruled from the palace in their capital Dresden Today we visit this stately city which is still being rebuilt from its near-total destruction one night in February 1945 Sensational museums, the Semper Opera House and plenty of Christmas markets. Back to Leipzig tonight. [B]
December 17th: BERLIN Our short rail journey today has us in Berlin before lunch time Our afternoon’s sightseeing introduces us to the city which divided Europe for 45 years - the Brandenberg Gate, the Reichstag, Unter den Linden. Tonight’s classical music performance, if available, will be chosen from some of the world’s finest orchestras and opera companies. [B]
December 18th: BERLIN More sightseeing today in the city with a greater concentration of museums than London, and one of the world’s great zoos. Will the Berlin Philharmonic be in town? [B]
December 19th: BERLIN A final day for that last minute Christmas shopping. Couldn’t find it in the markets? Visit the greatest department store in the world [in your Tour Director’s humble opinion] –KaDeWe, a short walk from our hotel Our farewell dinner tonight. [B,D]
December 20th: AUF WIEDERSEHEN Our tour ends after breakfast. If you are joining the White Christmas Week in the Swiss Alpine village of Grindelwald, there is an included transfer to Grindelwald in Switzerland.
Europe’s pre-Christmas
Included Classical musi performances - ideally each city, but this will offerings once program published.
Plenty of free time for s in Europe’s legendary C markets, department stor boutiques
TRAVEL
• All stops 3 or 4 nights
• First Class rail travel
• 4 and 5 Star Hotels
• 6 dinners, sightseei
• Tips for local guides included
FACT BOX: DURATION: 21 DAYS DEPARTURES: NOVEMBER 30th 2026
COST: $13,500 per person twin share Single supplement $2,000pp Land Content Only, commencing in Munich and ending in Berlin.
Enquire about last minute vacancies on the Nov 30th 2025 Tour departure
WHITE CHRISTMAS
POST-TOUR ADD-ON TO THE PRE-CHRISTMAS MAGIC TOUR:
• Full luggage handling between cities
• 1 Classical Music / Opera / Ballet performance in each of the cities where we stay. Details will be advised when programmes are finalised.
DEPOSIT
$2,500 with booking, final payment 3 months before travel
ot enjoy a White Christmas in a beautiful Swiss village (with opportunities to visit Christmas ts) after the Pre-Christmas Magic Tour?
On arrival on December 21st there is a transfer included to the picturesque Swiss Alpine village of Grindelwald, nestled under the North Face of the Eiger. Our hotel is rated 3+ stars and oozes Swiss charm. There are breathtaking Alpine views and a roaring log fire. We have reserved superior standard rooms with private facilities for our tour members.
Every morning there is a buffet breakfast, and every evening a four course dinner is provided for our tour members. This includes the festivities of a special Christmas Dinner, as Swiss tradition dictates on the night of Christmas Eve. There is a beautiful church 50 metres away with a midnight service on Christmas Eve should you wish to attend.
Grindelwald is a snow sports fan’s heaven. But if you are not a snow bunny, there are a million other things to do. Grindelwald is a hub for the Swiss mountain train networks and there are many gondolas and cable cars to the Alpine peaks all around. It is an easy train ride to the cities of Berne, Basel and Zurich with their Christmas markets.
The village itself offers excellent shopping and a wide variety of restaurants and coffee shops for lingering lazy lunches, before returning to the hotel to read or snooze in front of the log fire.
8 nights accommodation in a superior standard room with private facilities in a 3 star hotel in the Swiss village of Grindelwald.
8 buffet breakfasts, 7 four course dinners (inc. Special Christmas Dinner on Christmas Eve).
Transfer from Berlin to Grindelwald at the end of the Pre-Christmas Tour.
NOTE: Your hosts are on hand to provide sightseeing suggestions and assistance, but there are no escorted activities during this relaxing week.
FACT BOX: DURATION: 7 DAYS DEPARTURES: DECEMBER 21st 2026
COST: $AU 3,500 per person twin share Singlesupplement$1,500
...on the right track in Europe since 1977
WINTER WONDERLAND
Swiss and Austrian Alps and the Romantic Cities of Venice, Prague and Paris
December 28th: PARIS Settle into our 4 star Left Bank Hotel. Meet your fellow tour members for Drinks and Dinner. [D]
December 29th: PARIS Every day on a Great Trains of Europe tour begins with a full buffet breakfast. Our morning sightseeing includes the Arc de Triomphe, Champs Elysees and the Eiffel Tower, winding up in the Latin Quarter for lunch. There is time this afternoon for a museum or art gallery. [B]
December 30th: PARIS Department stores, fashion boutiques, a long lunch watching the crowds?
December 31st: PARIS A final free day in every true romantic’s favourite city. Join the crowds tonight on the Champs Elysees to celebrate the dawning of the New Year. There is an optional excursion offered today to the Somme Battlefields of WWI. Here we visit sites sacred in Australia & NZ’s national history. [B]
January 7th: VENICE or Day Trip to Florence Either another quiet day today exploring the bridges and canals of Venice or join an optional excursion on Italy’s flagship train the Eurostar Italia for a visit to Florence, the cradle of Western civilisation and birthplace of the Renaissance
January 8th: To INNSBRUCK Farewell Italy, as we head back towards the Alps After lunch we join our Eurocity train for Innsbruck as our luggage is taken on ahead. This is our home for 4 nights. [B,D]
January 9th: INNSBRUCK Choices today: skiing or join your Tour Leader in an exploration of Innsbruck, the Imperial city of Hapsburgs. Explore the mediaeval quarter and take a ride up the Hungerberg railway for a panorama of the Alps. Your Tour Director will accompany those who wish to take a cable car to the top of the Alps for a stunning panorama over lunch. [B]
Today you may c
January 10th: INNSBRUCK or Day Trip to Salzburg to ski, to potter about Innsbruck, or ride a tram to one of the surrounding villages. There is an optional excursion by Austrian Railjet train to birthplace,Salzburg. [B]
January 11th: INNSBRUCK Another quiet day in our Alpine haven Alternatively, your Tour Leader will assist you if you wish to make nearby Munich or the fairy-tale castle of Neuschwannstein. [B]
January 2nd: INTERLAKEN – Swiss Alps & Lakes The snow bunnies are off to the snow early, while the rest of us enjoy a late and leisurely brunch before deciding whether to do nothing or to do very little. Your Tour Director will have suggestions for some mountain railway or cable car rides to the peaks of the surrounding Alps. There is an optional excursion the Top of Europe, the Jungfrau, Europe’s highest railway station at 3,463 metres, that’s 11,360 feet. [B]
January 1st: INTERLAKEN – Swiss Alps & Lakes Farewell Paris this morning. We begin our love affair with the Great Trains of Europe on her fastest – the French TGV – reaching 320kph towards the Alps and Interlaken with stunning views of the Eiger and Jungfrau. This is our home for 3 nights. Interlaken hosts a huge street party on New Year’s Day culminating in spectacular fireworks. [B,D] –
January 3rd: INTERLAKENSwiss Alps & Lakes Today we take one of the Great Rail Journeys of the World – the tiny red Glacier Express through the Alps as we enjoy breathtaking views from the panorama car. [B]
January 4th: To VENICE Another of Europe’s great rail journeys today. The Swiss-Italian Cisalpino takes us through the Alps past the Northern Italian lakes via Milan and on to the City of Canals, Venice, another of Europe’s truly romantic cities. Our 4 star hotel overlooks the Grand Canal. Settle in and watch the lights come on as the waterbuses chug past. [B,D]
January 5th: VENICE This morning we begin to explore the art and history of Venice. Byzantine St Mark’s is considered by many to be the most beautiful church in the world and the historic Doge’s Palace and its Bridge of Sighs are “must sees”. In the afternoon Art lovers will want to see the Tintoretto paintings in the Scula di San Rocco, the Titian in the Friary Church and the collection of Venetian Renaissance art in the Accademia Gallery. [B]
January 6th: VENICE There is time for a gondola ride. Your Tour Director will accompany you on a visit to an outer and a visit to an outer island – Burano for exquisite lace, Murano for world famous Venetian glass [B]
January 12th: To PRAGUE Our luggage is collected and taken on we bid farewell to the Alps and join a EuroCity train for another o great romantic cities – Prague. Our hotel is in the historic centre.
Today there is a visit to Prague Castle ove
January 13th: PRAGUE the city Here is also the cathedral church of St Vitus, incorporating chapel built to house the relics of Good King Wenceslas, murdered thousand years ago. A free afternoon for the shops or to enjoy the mu [B]
A free day – conti to Dresden
January 14th: PRAGUE or Day Trip to DRESDEN exploration of this city or join an optional excursion Europe’s cultural wonders now emerging from the ashes of World Wa bombing and 44 yrs of communism. [B]
January 15th: PRAGUE Enjoy a last free day in magical Prague. Und why Mozart loved it. Crystal and garnet are popular with shoppers Farewell Dinner tonight [B,D]
Janaury 16th: HOMEWARD BOUND The tour ends after breakfast this morning. [B]
HIGHLIGHTS
• 4 nights in each of Eu
Most Romantic Citi Paris, Venice & P
New Year’s Eve in Pa
• • • •
3 nights in the Swiss 4 nights in the Austr
Ride the Glacier Exp
INCLUDED FEATU
• First Class rail travel
• 4 star city centre hot
• 5 dinners
• Full luggage handlin
• Australian Tour Direc
WHITE CHRISTMAS
PRE-TOUR ADD-ON TO THE WINTER WONDERLAND TOUR:
Why not enjoy a White Christmas in a beautiful Swiss Alpine village (with opportunities to visit Christmas markets) before embarking on the Winter Wonderland Tour?
FACT BOX:
Enquire about last minute vacancies on the Dec 28th 2025 Tour departure DURATION: 20 DAYS DEPARTURES: DECEMBER 28th 2026
COST: Land Only Content (Join in Paris, leave in Prague).
$AU 12,950 per person twin share $2,000 Single Supplement
DEPART ANY DAY – INDEPENDENT TOURING
The Winter Wonderland Tour is available as an unescorted tour, departing any day of the year at a SAVING of 25% of the group tour cost. We provide hotel accommodation, rail travel and detailed sightseeing notes
On arrival on December 21st transfer to the picturesque Swiss Alpine village of Grindelwald, nestled under the North Face of the Eiger. Our hotel is rated 3+ stars and oozes Swiss charm. There are breathtaking Alpine views and a roaring log fire. We have reserved superior standard rooms with private facilities for our tour members.
Every morning there is a buffet breakfast, and every evening a four course dinner is provided for our tour members. This includes the festivities of a special Christmas Dinner, as Swiss tradition dictates on the night of Christmas Eve. There is a beautiful church 50 metres away with a midnight service on Christmas Eve should you wish to attend. Grindelwald is a snow sports fan’s heaven. But if you are not a snow bunny, there are a million other things to do. Grindelwald is a hub for the Swiss mountain train networks and there are many gondolas and cable cars to the Alpine peaks all around. It is an easy train ride to the cities of Berne, Basel and Zurich with their Christmas markets. The village itself offers excellent shopping and a wide variety of restaurants and coffee shops for lingering lazy lunches, before returning to the hotel to read or snooze in front of the log fire. On December 28th (is it all over so soon?) you are escorted on the rail journey to Paris to commence the Winter Wonderland Tour.
7 nights accommodation in a superior standard room with private facilities in a 3 star hotel in the Swiss village of Grindelwald.
7 buffet breakfasts, 7 four course dinners (inc. Special Christmas Dinner on Christmas Eve).
NOTE: Your hosts are on hand to provide sightseeing suggestions and assistance, but there are no escorted activities during this relaxing week.
FACT BOX: DURATION: 7 DAYS DEPARTURES: DECEMBER 21st 2026
COST: $AU 3,500 per person twin share Singlesupplement$1,500
Escorted rail transfer from Grindelwald to Paris on Dec 28th to join Winter Wonderland Tour.
BOOKING CONDITIONS
TOUR OPERATOR: Great Trains of Europe Tours (ABN 75 325 01 0 987) are members of IATA #96836610 ATAS Accreditation No 12982 ATIA Member No 13018
COSTS: Costs are expressed in Australian dollars and are based on transport and accommodation costs, and Australian dollar exchange rates effective as at the date of this brochure’s preparation, July 16th 2025. Exchange rate fluctuations in the price of any service provided, beyond the control of Great Trains of Europe Tours, may be passed on to travellers, right up to the date of departure.
A deposit of $2,500 per person will guarantee a place (unless already filled, in which case you will be advised of your place on the waiting list. With a maximum tour size of 25 travellers, tours often fill early).
Full final payment is due 90 days before commencement of the tour. Please make payment by cheque to "Great Trains of Europe Tours" or by bank transfer as follows:
Heritage Bank, Toowoomba
BSB 638-060 Account Number 111 097 34 Payment by credit card attracts a 1.5% surcharge. Please ask us for a credit card payment link.
CANCELLATION POLICY: Cancellation at any time after the deposit is paid will result in the forfeiture of the deposit. Any booking cancelled between 90 days and 45 days before departure will incur a 50% cancellation charge on land content. Bookings cancelled within 45 days of departure will incur a 100% cancellation charge.
TRAVEL INSURANCE: A condition of joining a Great Trains of Europe tour is either the purchase of travel insurance through Great Trains of Europe Tours, or documentary evidence of a sufficient level of travel insurance purchased elsewhere.
BAGGAGE ALLOWANCE: One large suitcase (under 30kg) is transported from hotel to hotel as part of the tour cost. Any small “roll-on” luggage is taken on the trains by the tour member.
HOTELS: Hotel star ratings, where provided, are those of the country in which the hotel is situated, and vary from country to country.
OTHER IMPORTANT ADVICE: The tour will proceed if a minimum of 15 travellers have paid deposits by 90 days before scheduled departure.
In the highly unlikely event that there are insufficient travellers for a tour, you will be offered either (i) a full refund of all monies paid, (ii) a modified cost structure for a smaller group, or (iii) a place on an alternative Great Trains of Europe Tour.
Each tour is sold as a package and there can be no refund for any element of the tour (eg. a meal or an excursion) not utilised by the traveller by her/ his own choice. Tour costs have built into them the costs associated with researching tours, communicating with overseas suppliers, brochure preparation and marketing. Great Trains of Europe Tours does not claim nor imply that some of the inclusions in our tours may or may not be available at a lower price direct from the overseas supplier. Travellers are reminded, however, that purchases made direct with overseas suppliers may not covered by Australian Travel Agents licensing protections.
Most photographs used in this brochure were taken by the Tour Leader on past tours, but some have been provided by hotels, rail companies or Tourism Boards. Photographs are indicative only.
Great Trains of Europe Tours reserves the right to decline any reservation or booking request, and may at the Tour Leader's discretion terminate any person's involvement in the tour due to unruly or disruptive behavior.
Great Trains of Europe Tours does not accept responsibility for any injury, damage, loss, delay, change of schedule or other events which are beyond our direct control such as, but not limited to war, terrorism, epidemic, pandemic, civil disturbance, industrial action, acts of government or of God, or mechanical failure such as aircraft, trains or coaches.
Great Trains of Europe Tours cannot be held responsible for changes to provision of services by local suppliers, but we will do all in our power to provide an alternative service of equal standard to that advertised, or make a cash refund of the difference on the spot.
CONTRACT: The contract between the traveller and Great Trains of Europe Tours, entered into by your signing the booking form, shall be construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Queensland.
BSB: 638-060 Account Number: 11109734 Swiftcode HBSLAU4 and I attach a pay-in slip as evidence. Heritage Bank customers please add S1 to account number. Payment by credit card attracts a 1.5% merchant fee. Visit: http://pay.travelpay.com.au/GTET
