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The Railway Touring Company · Escorted rail holiday

Winter Steam and Luxury Trains in Bohemia

Seven-day steam charter through Czech Bohemia in vintage luxury coaches

Illustration of Winter Steam and Luxury Trains in Bohemia

The Railway Touring Company operates this seven-day winter steam tour through the Czech countryside, based at Hotel Filipinum in Jablonne nad Orlici. You travel by private charter on five separate days, each aboard restored 1930s first-class coaches with a bar car and an exceptional 1906 teak dining car that once carried passengers on Wagons Lits trains across Europe. The locomotives are historically significant Skoda 2-10-0 freight engines and refurbished tank engines, routed over rare branch lines and remote routes through the Eagle Mountains and Jeseniky Range. On day 2 you ride to Rokytnice v Orlickych Horach on a heritage branch line; day 3 runs through snow-covered landscape to Stity; day 4 circles western Moravia through rural and freight-only lines; day 5 crosses the Silesian Semmering to the remote 27 km line to Javornik ve Slezsku on the Polish frontier; day 6 features a double-headed steam excursion. You travel in first-class comfort throughout, with lunches and dinners served aboard the train and a Tour Manager accompanying the group. Flights from London and transfers are included.

What to know before you look closer

  • Only one departure is currently listed: February 2027. Confirm availability and dates directly with The Railway Touring Company before booking.
  • The Ground Only price (GBP 2,695) excludes rail or flight services from the UK; the headline price includes London to Prague return flights.
  • All six nights are at Hotel Filipinum in Jablonne nad Orlici; the route ends in Jesenik but the return is by train back to Prague.

Day by day

  1. Day 1railovernight: Jablonne nad Orlici (Hotel Filipinum)

    Arrive in North Bohemia

    Direct morning flight from London to Prague, transfer to the main railway station and a loco-hauled Czech Railways service train in First Class to Usti nad Orlici, then a short transfer to the Hotel Filipinum in Jablonne nad Orlici. Welcome dinner with the group.

  2. Day 2railovernight: Jablonne nad Orlici (Hotel Filipinum)

    Steam to Rokytnice v Orlickych Horach with tank engine 328.011

    Private charter train from Jablonne station, initially diesel-hauled, with tank engine 328.011 (1956) taking over at Doudleby for the entire 20 km branch line to Rokytnice, where there is a railway museum at the terminus. Photo stops and run-pasts along the way; silver served lunch in the teak dining car. Return via Zamberk and Letohrad to Usti nad Orlici.

  3. Day 3overnight: Jablonne nad Orlici (Hotel Filipinum)

    Steam to Stity with the Hungarian tank engine 132

    Steam over the 'heritage only' branch line from Dolni Lipka to Stity, hauled by the recently refurbished Hungarian tank engine 132 (ex-GYSEV, arrived in the Czech Republic in winter 2025), through hilly, snow-covered landscapes. Run-pasts staged; lunch silver served in the 1907 teak dining car.

  4. Day 4overnight: Jablonne nad Orlici (Hotel Filipinum)

    Grand Circular Excursion to western Moravia, Moravska Trebova, Boskovice and Svitavy

    Private charter hauled by vintage 1942 locomotive 555.129 (50.1171), travelling via Letohrad, Usti nad Orlici and Ceska Trebova, then over rural and freight-only lines through Mladejov na Morave, Moravska Trebova and Boskovice, rejoining the main line near Brno at Skalice nad Svitavou, then turning north via Svitavy and Ceska Trebova back through Usti nad Orlici and Letohrad to Jablonne. Freshly prepared three-course lunch served in the teak dining car.

  5. Day 5overnight: Jablonne nad Orlici (Hotel Filipinum)

    Over the Silesian Semmering to Javornik ve Slezsku on the Polish frontier

    Steam east to the junction at Hanusovice then north over the 'Silesian Semmering' via Ramzova and Lipova Lazna, branching onto the 27 km line to Javornik, one of the most remote places on the Czech network, passing 1930s Czech defences in the former Sudetenland with photo stops and run-pasts. Locomotive 555.129 runs around and refuels for the return to Dolni Lipka via the Silesian Semmering's horseshoe curves.

  6. Day 6overnight: Jablonne nad Orlici (Hotel Filipinum)

    Steam double-header with 555.129 and 555.0153 to Lipova Lazne

    A double-headed steam excursion with two 2-10-0 freight locomotives working over the Ramzova ramp towards Jesenik; run as a public excursion with reserved First Class compartment seats and access to the bar and dining car. Organised farewell dinner in the evening.

  7. Day 7rail

    Return to Prague by train, flight to London

    Return to Prague by train, then transfer by coach to Prague airport for the return flight to the UK.

The moments this trip is built around

  • Day 2Tank engine 328.011, built in 1956, takes over at Doudleby for the 20 km branch line to Rokytnice v Orlickych Horach, with silver-served lunch in the teak dining car.
  • Day 3Steam over the heritage branch line from Dolni Lipka to Stity in snow-covered hilly landscape, hauled by the recently refurbished Hungarian tank engine 132.
  • Day 5Steam east over the Silesian Semmering via Ramzova and Lipova Lazna to Javornik ve Slezsku, one of the most remote places on the Czech network, on the Polish frontier.
  • Day 6Double-headed steam excursion with both 2-10-0 locomotives 555.129 and 555.0153 working the Ramzova ramp towards Jesenik with reserved first-class compartments.

Included

  • Flights from London to Prague and return
  • 6 nights accommodation at Hotel Filipinum, Jablonne nad Orlici
  • 4 Lunches
  • 2 Dinners aboard the train or at hotel
  • Private steam excursions on rare tracks
  • Iconic locomotives and luxury 1930s coaches with teak dining car
  • Photo stops, run-pasts and scenic winter landscapes
  • Transfers between Prague, stations and hotel
  • Complimentary Prague public transport
  • The services of a Tour Manager

Questions travellers ask

Is train travel included?
Yes. Five days of private steam charter excursions are included. Day 1 includes a loco-hauled Czech Railways service train in first class to Usti nad Orlici. Day 7 returns to Prague by train. The Ground Only price does not include flights or transfers from UK; the headline price includes London to Prague return flights.
Is the tour escorted?
Yes. The Railway Touring Company provides the services of a Tour Manager throughout the seven days.
Which steam locomotives are used?
The tour uses four main steam engines: Skoda 2-10-0 locomotives 555.129 (built 1942) and 555.0153, plus tank engines 328.011 (CKD 0-6-0, 1956) and 132 (Hungarian 2-6-2, ex-GYSEV, recently refurbished). A 1950s diesel 'Hektor'-type locomotive is used for one segment before steam takes over.
What are the hotel and dining arrangements?
Accommodation is six nights at the three-star Hotel Filipinum in Jablonne nad Orlici. Meals aboard the train are served in a restored 1906 teak dining car formerly used in Wagons Lits trains, with silver service. Four lunches and two dinners are included; the welcome dinner is at the hotel on day 1.
When does the tour run?
One departure is listed for February 2027.
What is not included?
The Ground Only option excludes flights from London and UK transfers. Personal meals beyond those specified, activities not mentioned in the itinerary, and travel insurance are not included.

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