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The Railway Touring Company · Escorted tour

The Chemnitz Steam Gala

Steam locomotive festival in Germany with Czech main line charter and Saxon narrow gauge

Illustration of The Chemnitz Steam Gala

The Railway Touring Company operates this eight-day escorted steam celebration combining private charter main line running in Czech Bohemia with a full weekend immersion in the Chemnitz Steam Festival in Germany. Departing from Prague, the tour takes in the Czech Railways Museum at Luzna before boarding the recently restored 313.432 'Matylda', a 1904 tank engine, for a private charter to Blatno. After two nights exploring Prague's city centre, guests travel to Chemnitz by EuroCity train through the scenic Elbe Valley, then spend five days based in the city. Days four and five are dedicated entirely to the Chemnitz festival, where over a dozen steam locomotives operate in the massive Hilbersdorf roundhouse complex. The tour then ventures into Saxony's Ore Mountains for narrow-gauge steam journeys on the Fichtelbergbahn and the recently reopened Weisseritztalbahn, with a ride on the 1911 Augustusburg funicular. A Tour Manager accompanies throughout, and the package includes flights from London, hotels with breakfast, selected meals, and all steam excursions and heritage railway access.

What to know before you look closer

  • Only one departure listed: August 2026 at GBP 1,995. Confirm availability and booking windows with The Railway Touring Company.
  • The ground-only tier (GBP 1,845) excludes rail or flight services from the UK and transfers on arrival and departure days; the full package price includes these.

Day by day

  1. Day 1overnight: Prague

    Arrive in Prague

    You have a direct morning flight from London to the Czech capital. After an easy transfer to your attractively located city centre hotel, you check-in and have lunch at the hotel, before having the afternoon to explore this amazing city at leisure, taking advantage of your convenient hotel location and the complimentary public transport ticket.

  2. Day 2railovernight: Prague

    Czech railway museum at Luzna and main line steam in Central Bohemia

    A real highlight of European steam awaits today as you take a train from Prague west to Luzna and first visit the magnificent museum of the Czech Railways, with its large roundhouse and additional maintenance sheds. After lunch refreshments at the museum cafe, you have a private main line steam charter with the recently refurbished tank engine 313.432 'Matylda' dating from 1904. Steaming via Rakovnik west to Blatno you pause for numerous photos and also a run-past. You return by private steam train to Luzna and from there by regular fast train back to Prague.

  3. Day 3railovernight: Chemnitz

    Free morning in Prague and afternoon train trip to Chemnitz

    Today you still have a free morning in Prague. In the mid afternoon you then take a direct EuroCity train from Prague to Dresden, travelling through the scenic Elbe Valley. In Dresden you change for the onward train to Chemnitz and arrive there in the late afternoon. You check into your centrally located hotel and have a buffet dinner.

  4. Day 4railovernight: Chemnitz

    Chemnitz Steam Festival

    This is the first day of the weekend dedicated entirely to the large steam locomotive gathering at Chemnitz Hilbersdorf, one of the most impressive steam yards in Germany with two giant, semi-circular roundhouses, large coaling towers and vast tracks for attractive engine displays. There is also a 600mm field railway on site, where a guest locomotive will also be in steam. The gathering brings large main line steam locomotives from all around Germany, offering over a dozen engines in steam, locomotive parades, turntable shows, foot-plate rides and main line excursions towards Dresden or Zwickau, including a main line steam trip with parallel running on uphill gradients. Dinner is at your hotel.

  5. Day 5railovernight: Chemnitz

    Chemnitz Steam Festival (continued)

    The second day of the Chemnitz steam gathering. You will also visit the 600mm gauge Chemnitz Park Railway, where steam will also be active. After all the action and splendid fun, dinner is again served back at your hotel.

  6. Day 6railovernight: Chemnitz

    Steam in the Ore Mountains from Cranzahl to Oberwiesenthal and Augustusburg funicular

    You begin your journey by taking a direct DB service train from Chemnitz to Cranzahl. Upon arrival you board a steam train (a type VII K 2-10-2 tank engine) and travel along the historic Fichtelbergbahn to Oberwiesenthal, known as the 'St. Moritz of Saxony'. You return to Cranzahl by steam train in the afternoon and continue by DB service trains to Chemnitz, stopping at Ermannsdorf to experience the scenic funicular dating back to 1911, which leads to the hilltop castle Augustusburg. You have an evening at leisure back in Chemnitz.

  7. Day 7railovernight: Chemnitz

    Steam at the Weisseritz Valley Railway to Kurort Kipsdorf

    A morning excursion on the recently re-opened narrow-gauge Weisseritz Valley Railway, a steam-hauled journey through the scenic 'canyon landscape' of Saxony, from Freital-Hainsberg via Dippoldiswalde to Kurort Kipsdorf along the Weisseritz River, powered by a 2-10-2 tank engine. You return to Chemnitz in the afternoon, before a farewell dinner in the hotel restaurant.

  8. Day 8rail

    Return to London

    You travel from Chemnitz by train to Berlin airport where you have a direct flight back to London.

The moments this trip is built around

  • Day 2Private main line steam charter aboard tank engine 313.432 'Matylda' (built 1904) from Luzna to Blatno via Rakovnik
  • Day 4First day of the Chemnitz steam festival at Hilbersdorf, with over a dozen engines displayed across two semi-circular roundhouses and a 600mm field railway
  • Day 6Fichtelbergbahn mountain steam journey from Cranzahl to Oberwiesenthal aboard a VII K 2-10-2 tank engine, plus ride on the 1911 Augustusburg funicular
  • Day 7Narrow-gauge steam excursion on the Weisseritztalbahn from Freital-Hainsberg through canyon landscape to Kurort Kipsdorf along the Weisseritz River

Included

  • 7 nights hotel accommodation with breakfast
  • Flights from London to Prague and from Berlin to London
  • 2 Lunches
  • 4 Dinners
  • Public transport rover tickets for trams and trains in Prague and Chemnitz
  • All privately chartered steam trains
  • Steam excursions and visits as detailed in the itinerary
  • The services of a Tour Manager

Questions travellers ask

Is train travel included?
Yes. The full package (GBP 1,995) includes flights from London to Prague and Berlin to London, plus all privately chartered steam trains and heritage railway excursions. The ground-only tier (GBP 1,845) excludes international rail and flight services.
Is this tour escorted?
Yes, a Tour Manager accompanies the group throughout the eight days.
What steam trains are featured?
A private main line charter with 313.432 'Matylda' (1904) from Luzna to Blatno; the Fichtelbergbahn mountain railway with a VII K 2-10-2 tank engine; and the Weisseritztalbahn narrow-gauge line with a 2-10-2 tank engine. The Augustusburg funicular (1911) is also included.
What meals and accommodation are included?
Seven nights in city-centre hotels: two nights in Prague, five in Chemnitz, each with breakfast. The package includes two lunches and four dinners, plus public transport rover tickets for Prague and Chemnitz.
When does this tour run?
One departure in August 2026 at GBP 1,995 per person, two sharing.

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