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The Railway Touring Company · Escorted tour

German and Benelux Autumn Steam Gala

Seven-day escorted steam railway tour from Aachen through Germany, Belgium, Netherlands

Illustration of German and Benelux Autumn Steam Gala

The Railway Touring Company's seven-day German and Benelux Autumn Steam Gala is an escorted tour built around the autumn gala season at heritage railways in Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands. Departing London by Eurostar, the tour is based throughout in Aachen, Germany, a UNESCO World Heritage city and the seat of Charlemagne. Days alternate between private charters on rural narrow-gauge railways in western Germany, autumn gala visits with day rover tickets to hop on and off multiple steam locomotives, and excursions to industrial heritage sites and scenic railways. Day 2 includes photo stops and run-pasts on the Selfkantbahn near the Dutch border; Days 3 and 4 feature gala weekends with intensive engine running at Simpelveld in the Netherlands and Mariembourg in Belgium; Day 5 showcases a giant standard-gauge tank engine on the Schluff Railway. The itinerary concludes with the Drachenfelsbahn rack railway above the Rhine and the Wuppertal suspension railway, a restored 1900 monorail. A Tour Manager accompanies the group, and the package includes Eurostar Plus seating, hotel accommodation with breakfast, selected lunches and dinners, and first-class rail travel where available.

What to know before you look closer

  • Only one departure is published: September 2026 at GBP 2,150 per person
  • The ground-only option (GBP 1,895) excludes Eurostar rail travel from the UK and hotel transfers on the first and last days
  • Six nights in Aachen as a base means four of the six days involve coach transfers to heritage railways elsewhere in the region

Day by day

  1. Day 1railovernight: Aachen

    London to Aachen by train

    Travel by Eurostar from London St. Pancras to Brussels Midi, before changing to a high speed train to Aachen, a UNESCO World Heritage city famous as the seat of Charlemagne. After checking into your centrally located quality hotel, enjoy free time to explore Aachen before a welcome dinner with the group.

  2. Day 2railovernight: Aachen

    Steam at the Selfkantbahn and steam at the Oekhoven Feldbahn

    Transfer by private coach to the narrow gauge Selfkantbahn near the Dutch border for a private charter with numerous photo stops and run-pasts. After lunch, continue to the nearby 600mm field railway and narrow-gauge museum at Oekoven, where steam again hauls your private charter. Return to Aachen in the late afternoon.

  3. Day 3railovernight: Aachen

    Dutch autumn steam gala at the 'Miljoenenlijn' in Simpelveld

    Visit the South Limburg Steam Railway at Simpelveld for its annual autumn gala weekend, with reserved seats and a day rover ticket to ride the various locomotives through idyllic farmland and rolling hills. Return by coach to Aachen in the late afternoon.

  4. Day 4railovernight: Aachen

    Autumn steam gala at Mariembourg, Belgium

    After a two-hour coach transfer to southern Wallonia, enjoy the autumn steam gala at the Three Valleys Heritage Railway, with a day rover ticket to hop on and hop off the steam trains running between Mariembourg and Treignes. Return to Aachen in the evening for dinner at the hotel.

  5. Day 5railovernight: Aachen

    Steam at Krefeld on the Schluff industrial heritage railway

    Explore the Schluff Railway in Krefeld, where standard gauge 0-8-0 tank engine 98 8921 hauls your private charter over the full length of the line to Hulser Berg and St. Tonies. Enjoy lunch at a brewery restaurant in Krefeld before returning to Aachen.

  6. Day 6railovernight: Aachen

    Drachenfels rack railway above the Rhine and Wuppertal Schwebebahn

    Take a service train via Cologne to Konigswinter to ride the Drachenfelsbahn rack railway high above the Rhine, then continue by service train to Wuppertal to ride the world-famous 1900 monorail suspension railway, possibly on the restored 'Kaiserwagen'. Return to Aachen for a farewell dinner.

  7. Day 7rail

    Return to London

    Board a direct high speed train from Aachen Hbf to Brussels, where you change to a Eurostar service through the Channel Tunnel back to London St. Pancras.

The moments this trip is built around

  • Day 2Private charter on the narrow-gauge Selfkantbahn near the Dutch border with photo stops and run-pasts
  • Day 3Day rover ticket at the South Limburg Steam Railway autumn gala in Simpelveld, riding multiple locomotives through farmland and rolling hills
  • Day 4Three Valleys Heritage Railway autumn steam gala at Mariembourg, Belgium, with hop-on-hop-off access to steam trains between Mariembourg and Treignes
  • Day 5Private charter on the Schluff Railway in Krefeld hauled by a standard-gauge 0-8-0 tank engine 98 8921
  • Day 6Ride the Drachenfelsbahn rack railway high above the Rhine at Konigswinter and the Wuppertal Schwebebahn, a 1900 suspension railway

Included

  • Eurostar Plus seating on Eurostar services from London to Bruxelles and return
  • 6 nights hotel with breakfast
  • 2 Lunches
  • 3 Dinners
  • First Class rail travel on high speed rail services (where possible)
  • All private charter trains and heritage railway visits as detailed in the itinerary
  • The services of a Tour Manager

Questions travellers ask

Is rail travel included?
Yes. Eurostar Plus seating London to Brussels is included in the standard tier (GBP 2,150). The tour also includes first-class rail on high-speed services, heritage railway visits, and private charters on steam lines.
Is this an escorted tour?
Yes. The Railway Touring Company provides a Tour Manager throughout the seven days.
Which trains and railways does the itinerary include?
Eurostar (London to Brussels), high-speed rail to Aachen, private charters on the Selfkantbahn and Oekhoven Feldbahn, day rover tickets at the South Limburg Steam Railway and Three Valleys Heritage Railway, a private charter on the Schluff Railway, the Drachenfelsbahn rack railway, and the Wuppertal Schwebebahn suspension railway.
What meals are included?
Breakfast daily with the hotel, two lunches, and three dinners. One lunch is at a brewery restaurant in Krefeld.
Where do we stay?
All six nights are in a centrally located quality hotel in Aachen, Germany.
When does this tour depart?
September 2026 is the published departure date.

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