Welcome to Belle Trains
Tailor-made Steam Holidays outside the UK with every detail meticulously planned by our dedicated specialist team. We offer unique and magical experiences with our personal approach at the heart of everything we do.
Who and what is Belle Trains?
We offer the wonderful nostalgia of travelling by steam in luxurious carriages through spectacular landscapes and captivating locations. With delightful cuisine and fantastic hand selected hotels all alongside our vibrant and experienced Holidays Team, you will be sure to experience an unforgettable trip.
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Our inaugural holiday is the Harz Mountains Belle in 2025 where we will be steaming across Germany on the mainline visiting some of its finest cities and towns including Cologne, Nuremberg, Dresden and Wiesbaden. The culmination of the tour is three days in the enchanting Harz Mountains, home to a network of over 140 km of metre gauge track through the scenic valleys and mountain peaks of arguably the region’s best kept secret.
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We are now open for bookings for our Harz Mountains Belle with new announcements coming towards the end of this year with our plans for 2026 and beyond.
Our Philosophy
As a Company, our mission is to provide unrivalled bespoke holidays with every element covered to the highest possible standards from beginning to end. However, the core of the business that encapsulates and drives everything we do, is centred around one key word and that is ‘personal’. We pride ourselves on our personalised approach and consider it the foundation of Belle Trains from the moment you pick up the phone to contact us to the very end of the tour.
Our Approach
When booking a tour with Belle Trains you can rest assured that every detail has been considered by our expert team who have researched and visited every hotel, main supplier and train operator that we will be working with. You can be certain that we have selected the finest hotels available in each area, locations rich in beauty and culture, routes that provide the best rail experience, an unmissable variety of excursions, luggage courier service throughout as well as all transfers provided by us on the main tour. Our full itinerary and service removes any planning responsibilities so you can completely unwind, relishing each moment of this holiday of a lifetime.
The Harz Mountains Belle
Tuesday 13th May - Wednesday 21st May 2025
Rhine Valley to Harz Mountains
and return
2 nights Nuremberg • 2 nights Dresden • 3 nights in the Harz Mountains • 1 night Wiesbaden (near Frankfurt)
Belle Trains begins with our tour across Germany to the beautiful Harz Mountains, one of the hidden secrets of East Germany.
Harz Mountains
In summary the Belle, which runs from 13-21st May 2025, features:
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2 nights in each of the beautiful cities of Nuremberg and Dresden, 3 nights in the charming Harz Mountains, and then finally one night back on the banks of the Rhine in the lovely town of Wiesbaden (plus optional night in Cologne or Frankfurt prior to the start of the tour).
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Around 1000 miles of steam haulage on the German Mainline and the Harz Mountains Railway including the remarkable trip to the top of the Brocken.
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Travelling on the mainline on one of the most luxurious private trains in Europe including the Prestige Continental Express set from Switzerland and First Class coaches from the Suisse Train Bleu as well as traditional German restaurant carriages.
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On the mainline it is planned that the Harz Mountains Belle will be pulled by Class 01 locomotives most of the time which are passed to run at 140 km/h, the fastest steam locos in Europe. We have deliberately reserved the Class 01.10 Loco 01 1104 to be available for the whole tour as it is oil fired and can still run in dry conditions when there is fire risk.
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It is also planned to involve a Class 03 locomotive as well and we are confident of at least one section of double-headed steam during the trip and then on the Harz Mountains Railway itself, there will be an exciting steam experience as their powerful steam locomotives work hard pulling their traditional vintage trains across the rugged terrain.
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8 nights in hand-selected hotels for all classes throughout the entire tour including breakfast.
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Coach transfers between the train and hotel, or if in walking distance, staff escort.
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Luggage courier service throughout, transporting all luggage directly to and from your hotel rooms.
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A team of engaging and helpful staff both on board the train and at all hotels to ensure you have a wonderful and memorable holiday with us.
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A choice of optional excursions by foot, road coach or steam (supplement applies). Final optional excursions will be confirmed in late 2024.
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The option to travel to and from London by rail including Eurostar.
Bridge over Rangitiki River, New Zealand
Future Tours
With the Harz Mountains Belle setting the scene for the future, Belle Trains will be looking to provide forthcoming trips across the European mainland as well as Ireland. We also hope to explore further afield including the original Kiwi Explorer in the next few years.
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Keep an eye out for announcements coming towards the end of this year with our plans for 2026 and beyond.
Mastrou Ardèche, France
