Christmas mood at Bremen station as people gather together their gifts and climb aboard the trains that will take then home for the holidays…

Still need a present for a loved one this Christmas? Do they like travel and journeys by train? Might we suggest the 18th edition of Europe by Rail? Perfect for both armchair travellers or those planning their adventures for 2026...

For devotees of slow trains, Bohemia is well served by a dense network of rural railway lines with some services still operated by antiquated red railcars which trundle through the forests, stopping off here and there at tiny wayside halts... Photo © Tomás Simek / Dreamstime

The Glacier Express with its panorama carriages… a trip that we take on Route 42 in the 18th edition of #EuropebyRail, and one of a number of great railway journeys in Switzerland (and in our book!)... Photo © Michael Müller / Dreamstime

Still searching for the right gift for a special someone this Christmas? A traveller in your life, or someone who likes to explore the world from the comfort of their armchair? Might we dare to suggest our book - the 18th edition of Europe by Rail? Photo © Michelangelo Oprandi / Dreamstime

High-speed style in Japan. Earlier this month we travelled from Okayama to Tokyo. Fujisan happily made a guest appearance along the way.

When you dream, do you dream of timetables? Of departure boards? Of maps? If you are the type of person who enjoys planning the trip almost as much as the journey itself, then we think our book might speak to your particular type of wanderlust. Photo © Denis Linine / Dreamstime

As the nights draw in, it feels like the perfect time of year to be planning adventures for next year… and maybe that European rail trip you’ve been thinking about? If that sounds like you, then we might be able to help… Photo © Steven van Aerschot / Dreamstime

Is there someone in your life who stops to admire the architecture of railway stations, who finds the rhythm of train wheels oddly soothing and who believes that by flying across Europe we miss the best stories? Photo © Olrat / Dreamstime

The city of Prague lies at the end of a wonderful journey south from Dresden along the Elbe river through the sandstone mountains of Swiss Saxony and then across the border into Bohemian Switzerland on the way to the Czech capital… Photo © Domandrey63 / Dreamstime

Is there a more intriguing looking station than Wrocław’s Główny station? Although it looks like it might have come out of the creative brain of a Disney animator, it was actually built between 1855 and 1857, so perhaps the inspiration was the other way around? Photo © Rochu2008 / Dreamstime

The November digital edition of the European Rail Timetable is available now, and you’ll find it over on the ERT website (where they also have copies of the 18th edition of Europe by Rail!): europeanrailtimetable.eu/products/nov... 1/6

The #50railroutes of Europe by Rail - Copenhagen station is your gateway to one of the fine maritime cities that are connected by rail along Route 25 in our book, a journey from Amsterdam through southern Scandinavia to Stockholm… Photo © Tupungato

The #50railroutes of Europe by Rail - Rua Augusta in Lisbon, where a tram-ride through the city is a fine way to not only explore the hilly Portuguese capital but also a nice stopover for anyone travelling on Route 24 of our book... Photo © Angelo Cordeschi / Dreamstime

A poster for the Simplon Express in 1906, and a journey south from London via Calais, Paris and Milan on the way to Venice, travelling three times a week in each direction and taking 20 hours to get from London to Italy...

The Arrival of the Normandy Train, Gare Saint-Lazare by Claude Monet was painted at the station in its title in 1877 as part of a series of paintings he made in that year in and around the station building...

Do you ever take the train for no other reason than to see where it takes you? One of the joys of something like the DeutschlandTicket in Germany or regional rail passes elsewhere is the idea that you can spend a day exploring, hopping from one regional train to the next, to see where you end up…

The #50railroutes of Europe by Rail - Climb the steps to Marseille station to start your journey on Route 15 of our book, Exploring the French Riviera on the way to the Italian border. Photo © Ahavelaar/ Dreamstime

The #50railroutes of Europe by Rail - Trains along the shore of Lake Geneva, our destination for Route 14 from our book: Paris to Geneva - The Slow Way...

The #50railroutes of Europe by Rail - Route 13: From London to the Mediterranean. This journey to France in Europe by Rail starts at London’s St Pancras station, as inspiring a space as any cathedral…

A landmark day in railway history… on 27 September 1825 George Stephenson’s ‘Locomotion No.1’ took a 26-mile journey along the Stockton and Darlington Railway: the world’s first public steam-powered passenger service...

The #50routes of Europe by Rail - The Merchants' Bridge in Erfurt, Germany is one of the attractions of a city that we rate highly enough to make a recommended stopover for travellers on Route 12 from our book: From Berlin to the Alps. Photo © Plotnikov / Dreamstime

The #50routes of Europe by Rail. For travellers crossing the north of Germany, you can cut off to the south of the main railways which link Hannover with Berlin to discover the glorious landscapes of the Harz Mountains…

The #50routes of Europe by Rail. The Oberbaumbrücke across the river Spree in Berlin. The capital of Germany is the end point (or beginning if you travel it in reverse) of Route 10 in our book: Across Northern Germany. Photo © Michal Bednarek / Dreamstime

The #50routes of Europe by Rail. Zürich - a key European rail hub and a city that features on no less than four routes in Europe by Rail. It is the destination for Route 9, Exploring the Rhine Valley… Photo © Sborisov / Dreamstime

Looks as though the direct ICE from Paris to Berlin is rerouted from December timetable change, now stopping Frankfurt Main Hbf (instead of Süd) then Erfurt and Halle en route to Berlin. Journey time unchanged @seatsixtyone.bsky.social @andybtravels.bsky.social @europeanrailtt.bsky.social

Better links into Ukraine. From this week EC143 (10.42 ex Wien) conveys thru carriages to Uzhhorod (arr. 22.35). Return run from Ukraine is EC146 (08.09 from Uzhhorod).

The #50routes of Europe by Rail. Nancy has a feast of fine baroque, neoclassical and art nouveau architecture, which is why it is one of the recommended stopovers on Route 8 from our book: From the Netherlands to Lake Geneva… Photo © Mikeltrako / Dreamstime

The Hohenzollern Bridge in Cologne crosses the river Rhine to link Köln Hauptbahnhof with Köln Messe/Deutz stations and is the most heavily-used railway bridge in Germany, with more than 1,200km crossing the river every single day. Photo © Hiro1775 / Dreamstime

The September (digital) edition of the @europeanrailtt.bsky.social is out now, and as always you can order it via the ERT website (where you’ll also find copies of our book). www.europeanrailtimetable.eu/september-20...

Vienna’s main station, along with Amsterdam, Berlin and Zurich, is one of the main hubs for sleeper services in Europe. In a recent article for the Guardian, we explored the best places near the station for before departure and in the morning, after you arrive… Photo © Andras Csontos / Dreamstime

The #50routes of Europe by Rail. Sometimes our journey by rail for the 18th edition of our book are epic adventures. And sometimes, like with Route 6, they are short but sweet as we take a trip through Flanders to Amsterdam... Photo © Dennis van de Water / Dreamstime

The #50routes of Europe by Rail. Galway Bay is the destination on Route 5 in our book, and Galway is one of our favourite Irish cities. Chilled and laid-back, it is the perfect place to spend a few days at the end of a journey that begins in London... Photo © James Byard / Dreamstime

The single-carriage train that runs up to the Swiss village of Mürren. This train was one of the favourites of the wonderful historian and writer Tony Judt, who was a great advocate of the railways and who died 15 years ago in August 2010… Photo © Hakan Can Yalcin / Dreamstime

The #50routes of Europe by Rail. The Ha'penny Bridge spanning the Liffey in Dublin. The Irish capital is one of the highlights of Route 4 in the 18th edition of #EuropebyRail - Across England and Wales to Ireland...

A Hanseatische Eisenbahn train at Neustrelitz preparing to depart to Mirow.... one of those unsung rural routes which make rail travel in eastern Germany so interesting.

The #50routes of Europe by Rail. The elegant Glenfinnan viaduct on the West Highland Railway, one of the highlights of Route 3 in our book: The Rural Route to the West Highlands… Photo © Miroslav Liska / Dreamstime

The #50routes of Europe by Rail. Plockton, on the shores of Loch Carron on Route 2 - Cathedrals, Castles and Glens. If there is one rail journey which has consistently fired the English imagination, it is the ride from London to the Scottish Highlands… Photo © Stefano Valeri / Dreamstime

The August (digital) edition of the @europeanrailtt.bsky.social is out now, and you can bundle it with a copy of the Summer (print) edition with their bundle offer… AND (dare we say it), a great companion to the 18th edition of Europe by Rail… www.europeanrailtimetable.eu/summer-2025-...

The #50routes of Europe by Rail. Route 1 in the 18th edition of our book takes us west from London to Penzance in Cornwall, via Taunton, Exeter and Plymouth. It is a journey steeped in railway history. Photo © Milan Gonda / Dreamstime

An unusual sight in Chemnitz yesterday. A direct overnight train to Stockholm preparing to depart. Run by Snälltåget.

Our #RouteoftheWeek ends in Svolvær's harbour. In mid-summer you will experience perpetual daylight, but this is a journey for winter too, when the subdued, sometimes even ethereal, character of very short days brings a special quality to the landscape. Photo © Gremoni / Dreamstime

A perfect Sunday morning breakfast. Thank you, Deutsche Bahn.

It’s not all about the train when you take our #RouteoftheWeek from the 18th edition of Europe by Rail, especially when it comes to the final leg of the journey along Route 28: North to the Lofoten Islands…

This monday, the colourful houses of Trondheim in Norway are a clue to the #RouteoftheWeek from the 18th edition of Europe by Rail that we will be exploring in the upcoming days…

Our very first journey in Europe by Rail starts at London’s Paddington station; it is the unsung star of London’s railway termini … a light elegance which is utterly charming…” And what better station, then, to start the opening route of the 50 in our book? Photo © Jonkio4 / Dreamstime

A poster for the Gotthard route from Swiss Railways back in 1914. Although the classic route has been sidelined with the opening of the Gotthard Base Tunnel in 2016, we still recommend following the historic journey on Route 41 of our book...

Had a cheeky wander through a Glacier Express train parked in Brig. Very chic, but perhaps not quite the Switzerland we know and love.

Do you ever take a moment, pull an old railway timetable off the shelf, and cast your mind back to services of yesteryear… and wonder about which of those that have been lost to railway history you would like to see return? (thread...) Photo © Jerome Cid / Dreamstime

Swiss contrasts. Right:3+2 seating on a Thurbo local train (2nd class). Left: 2+1 on a BLS regional train (1st).