Wales dominates list of most beautiful train journeys in Europe

New analysis has uncovered the most picturesque train journeys across Europe – and Wales features heavily.

The research was compiled by studying passenger feedback. Thousands of Tripadvisor reviews were analysed to calculate which rail routes receive the highest percentage of comments about their visual appeal.

The Venice Simplon-Orient-Express tops the rankings as Europe’s most beautiful rail journey. The legendary service connecting London to Venice saw 61.8% of its reviews containing words related to scenic beauty, with “wonderful” mentioned 264 times, “beautiful” in 217 reviews, and “lovely” in 162. Passengers awarded the iconic railway an impressive 4.61 average rating from 904 reviews.

Wales’ Vale of Rheidol Railway secured second place, with 60.3% of reviews highlighting its attractive scenery. Running from Aberystwyth to Devil’s Bridge, this narrow-gauge heritage railway collected positive comments about its views in 603 out of 1,000 sampled reviews. The railway’s 4.60 rating from 1,348 reviews puts it firmly among Europe’s most visually stunning rail experiences.

Norway’s Flam Railway grabbed third position with 58.4% of reviews celebrating its scenic qualities. This mountainous route through western Norway’s fjords stands as the highest-ranked non-British railway on the list and earned specific praise for being “beautiful” (283 mentions) and “spectacular” (160 mentions). Passengers gave the railway a 4.19 rating from 5,077 reviews.

The Kyle Line in Scotland, which runs from Inverness to Kyle of Lochalsh, took fourth position with 58.1% of reviews mentioning its beauty. While receiving fewer total reviews than other railways in the top 10 (just 332), the Kyle Line boasts the highest average rating at 4.72 – putting it ahead of all other entries in terms of overall passenger satisfaction.

Switzerland’s Bernina Express completed the top five with 57.6% of reviews mentioning beauty-related terms. This UNESCO World Heritage route connecting Chur with Tirano received numerous comments praising it as “beautiful” (216 mentions) and “spectacular” (157 mentions). With 5,424 total reviews and a 4.67 average rating, it ranks as continental Europe’s second most beautiful train journey.

The Settle-Carlisle Railway in northern England placed sixth, with 54.8% of reviews highlighting its scenic appeal. Passengers traveling this 73-mile route through the Yorkshire Dales and North Pennines particularly noted it was “lovely” (126 mentions) and “stunning” (105 mentions).

Switzerland appeared again in the top 10 with the Gotthard Panorama Express at seventh place (52.1%). The railway collected fewer reviews overall (119), yet more than half of these mentioned its visual qualities, with “beautiful” appearing in 25 reviews and “spectacular” in 8.

The Brecon Mountain Railway in Wales ranked eighth, with 51.9% of reviews praising its scenic beauty. Located in the Brecon Beacons National Park, this heritage steam railway received positive comments about its views in 519 of 1,000 sampled reviews, with “lovely” (275 mentions) being passengers’ favorite description.

England’s Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway secured ninth place with 51.8% of reviews highlighting its visual appeal. This narrow-gauge heritage railway in the Lake District earned particular recognition for being “lovely” (293 mentions) and “beautiful” (157 mentions) across its 2,081 reviews.

The Ffestiniog & Welsh Highland Railways in Wales completed the top 10, with 50.5% of reviews mentioning scenic beauty. Located in Snowdonia National Park, this historic railway received positive comments about its views in 505 of 1,000 sampled reviews and boasts a high 4.69 average rating from over 5,000 reviews.

The top 10 most beautiful train journeys across Europe

Several notable European rail journeys fell just outside the top rankings but still recorded high numbers of beauty-related reviews including Llangollen Railway, the Lynton & Barnstaple Railway, the Bala Lake Railway, the West Somerset Railway, the Llanberis Lake Railway, the South Devon Railway, and the Jacobite Steam Train in Scotland.

A spokesperson commented on the study: “The data shows patterns beyond just the rankings themselves. British railways dominate the list, with 19 of the 30 railways located in the UK. Wales makes a particularly strong showing with five railways in the rankings, an impressive achievement given its small size.

“”Lovely” stands out as the most popular descriptor across all railways, appearing as the most common term for 17 of the 30 railways. “Beautiful” is another common description, ranking as the top descriptor for 11 railways in the study.

“A lower percentage of beauty-related reviews doesn’t always mean a less enjoyable journey. The Isle of Man Steam Railway has just 36.7% of beauty-related reviews, yet boasts the second-highest average rating among all railways in the study.

“The Weardale Railway in England only has 31.0% of reviews mentioning scenic beauty, but still includes 176 positive comments about its visual appeal, showing that even lower-ranked railways offer visually appealing journeys.”

Methodology:

Researchers examined a sample of Tripadvisor reviews for scenic train journeys and railways across Europe. Each review was analysed for beauty-related keywords including: beautiful, stunning, breathtaking, wonderful, lovely, gorgeous, charming, picturesque, beau, belle, bello, bella, hermoso, hermosa, schön, mooi, bonito, bonita, vacker, impressive, and spectacular.

Only train journeys with at least 100 total reviews qualified for the rankings. The sample consisted of the most recent 1,000 written reviews for each railway when available. For railways with fewer reviews, all written comments were included. This count differs from the total review count as some Tripadvisor users provide only star ratings without written comments.