Holiday and Travel Terms & Conditions
General Terms & Conditions
Whilst it is Belle Trains top priority to ensure that the advertised locomotives, coaching stock, route and times (which are all reliant on third parties) run as publicised, we also reserve the right to modify or cancel any elements of the holiday at any stage. As Belle Trains cannot accept any responsibility for third party actions, we strongly advise that all passengers secure their own full independent travel/cancellation insurance.
In the event of any passengers needing to cancel their place/s on the Harz Mountains Belle for any reason, charges will apply in accordance with our passenger cancellation terms found on this page. Belle Trains cannot accept liability for any additional costs incurred in passengers’ travel plans. Due to these clauses we highly recommend to avoid disappointment and unnecessary expenditure that passengers refrain from pre-booking transport links or accommodation unless covered by the passengers’ personal insurance as well as ensuring coverage is in place for individual cancellations.
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Timings
All final timings and platform numbers for the Harz Mountains Belle will be confirmed by Deutsche Bahn AG in the run up to the trip. At this stage any advertised times are conservative estimates.
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Belle Trains will strive to ensure that all of the boarding/alighting stations stipulated across its website and any official Harz Mountains Belle communications are those which are used on the tour. In the unlikely event that it is not possible for Deutsche Bahn AG in their final timings to include any of the planned stations, Belle Trains will ensure that all passengers are transferred, most likely by road coach, to the applicable station.
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Carriages
Belle Trains reserves the right to change carriages from the ones advertised if necessary.
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Steam
Belle Trains will always endeavour to deliver steam traction for the sections rostered for steam haulage across the tour but cannot guarantee this. On occasion it may be necessary to substitute with a diesel or electric locomotive principally due to fire risk, drought, route restrictions or locomotive failure.
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Any aspects of the tour where part of the journey is pre-planned to be diesel or electric hauled, it will be stated in the tour literature and at the time of booking. Sometimes due to operational logistics, it may be required for changes to be made at a later than usual stage. In such an event, Belle Trains will endeavour to communicate any changes to passengers at the earliest opportunity.
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Hotels
Belle Trains reserves the right to change passenger hotels from the ones advertised if necessary.
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Minimum Age Requirement
To travel on a Belle Trains holiday, you must be a minimum age of 14 years accompanied by an adult or 18 years of age unaccompanied.
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Passenger Mobility
Belle Trains for the Harz Mountains Belle will be using heritage carriages and subsequently are unable to offer step free access to board the train. Passengers, therefore, must be able to step up into the carriage from platform level as well as being able to walk through carriages to their assigned seats without assistance. We also require that any passengers booked on this tour can also board a road coach unassisted and walk a short distance.
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Some optional excursions may involve lengthy walking and some sites may not be able to offer step free access and require passengers to walk up several flights of steps. The Belle Trains team will look to highlight any mobility requirements when sending out the various optional excursions and we encourage passengers to speak with our office team for any further clarification.
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On-Board Storage
Due to the historical nature of the carriages, there is limited access to seating areas and toilets making it not possible for mobility scooters, wheelchairs and walking frames to be used on-board the train. There is also limited on-board space for the storage of wheelchairs and walking frames, so we request that you are able to collapse any wheelchairs and walking frames whilst on-board, so they may be stored in a suitable space. Motorised wheelchairs and scooters are not permitted on-board and cannot be stored for safety reasons. It is essential that passengers or someone within the party are responsible for folding and carrying the wheelchair on-board ready to be stored.
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Communicating Mobility Difficulties
Any passengers’ with mobility difficulties or with a mobility aid to store must make the Belle Trains team aware preferably at the time of booking but at least four weeks prior to the tour date, so they can make the necessary arrangements for on-board storage, preferable seating options, coach logistics and any hotel requirements to ensure a seamless experience.
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If you have any other questions, please do give the Belle Trains team a call where they will be very happy to talk things through and avoid any disappointment.
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On-board Dining
At Belle Trains we work very closely with our on-board chef and catering team to provide a bespoke dining service as described on our website and Harz Mountains Belle promotional material. A unique environment, our on-board services rely on the finalised timetable with particular consideration given to departure and arrival times and booked stops which can impact the service we are able to provide. If there are any changes to the planned Dining across the tour due to any of the above, we will, where time allows, advise passengers ahead of the trip.
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Belle Trains will aim to cater for any dietary requirements but require advanced notice of any dietary requirements preferably at the time of booking or at least four weeks prior to the tour date. Otherwise, there is a real risk that we will not be able to guarantee that your requirements will be catered for. Due to the confined nature of the heritage carriages, we have limited capacity for carrying large stocks on board.
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Belle Trains cannot guarantee that all of our on-board food will be free of specific allergens (such as nut, gluten, dairy etc…) as it is prepared and cooked in kitchens where traces of allergens may be found.
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Conditions of Carriage
Across the tour, all passengers are obliged to adhere to the below listed conditions of carriage:
1. Passengers must observe instructions provided to them either in writing or verbally by the on-board train staff prior to and during the journey.
2. Passengers shall not in any way hinder the safe operation on the train or the railway.
3. Passengers shall not smoke on-board the train or at stations where it is prohibited, including the use of e-cigarettes.
4. Passengers shall not verbally or physically abuse staff or other passengers.
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If any of these conditions are breached, Belle Trains reserves the right to remove the offending passenger(s) from the train. In the event of any passenger(s) being removed from the train for a breach of conditions, no refund or compensation will be given.
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Payments
We are only at this time accepting telephone bookings for the Harz Mountain Belle. We accept all debit or credit cards. Other payment methods we accept are bank transfer and cheque although we are unable to accept bookings paid by cheque less than 21 days prior to the tour start date.
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Payment Schedule
Bookings made between 8th May 2024 and 12th November 2024
25% non-refundable deposit payable upon booking
Further 25% non-refundable payment due by 13th November 2024
Final non-refundable 50% balance due by 13th February 2025
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Bookings made from 13th November 2024
50% non-refundable deposit payable upon booking
Final non-refundable 50% balance due by 13th February 2025
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Bookings made from 13th February 2025
Full non-refundable balance payable upon booking
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Passenger Cancellation
Should the passenger(s) choose to cancel their booking on the Harz Mountains Belle, the following charges will apply:
1. Cancellations prior to 13th November 2024 - 25% fee (loss of deposit)
2. Cancellations after 13th November 2024 - 50% fee (loss of deposit paid)
3. After 13th February 2025 - 100% fee
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Passenger Booking Amendments
Any amendments that do not change the booking value, such as names, catering requirements, boarding or alighting points will not incur a charge from Belle Trains.
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Any amendments to passenger bookings that involve upgrading the booking to a higher priced ticket, adding any additional passengers or optional extras will not incur any additional charges beyond the revised cost of the booking.
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Any amendments to passenger bookings that involve a change of class of travel, destination, boarding point or change to a lower priced ticket will be dealt with on a case by case basis.
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In the event of the passenger(s) choosing to cancel one or more seats or optional extras on a booking then the passenger cancellation terms will apply.
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Belle Trains Cancellation
In the event of Belle Trains cancelling the Harz Mountains Belle tour in its entirety before the start of the trip, a full refund will be offered directly on the booking and original payment method. Cancellation may occur at any stage prior to the tour due to various factors including but not limited to engineering works, pathing issues, locomotive or crew availability, adverse weather conditions or pandemic.
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Belle Trains cannot accept any liability for any additional costs incurred due to cancellation.
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Customer Feedback
Passenger feedback is encouraged and welcomed at Belle Trains. During the Harz Mountains Belle tour, if there is anything we can do to improve your experience, please let us know during the tour and we will do our absolute best to rectify any situation where possible and within our control, to ensure a fantastic trip.