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East German Snow and Steam Railway Holiday

The Erzgebirge Express

The Erzgebirge Express

Snow, Steam And Schnapps

Holiday date: Wednesday, 22nd February 2023
Europe
Germany
6 days for  £1189 per person
£2378 for two people sharing
Single supplement £180
Tour reference: EZ6/1
Price, based on 1.05 Euro to the £. (see Booking Conditions for currency fluctuation clause)

Raise the curtain on 2023 with a wonderful wintry adventure to the former East of Germany for snow, steam and schnapps! The Erzgebirge is a mountainous region on the Czech border with steam trains that run all year round. These are the stops on the Erzgebirge Express….

Holiday Highlights

The fantastic Rhine rail route from Cologne
The Pressnitztalbahn is the sister of Racing Roland on Rugen
To the summit of the Fichtelberg for views of the Czech Republic
Steam and photo opportunities galore on the Pressnitztalbahn
A model railway that you will never forget
Trams, old and new(ish) in Chemnitz

Holiday Itinerary

Day 1 - Wednesday

We are off! Late morning Eurostar to Brussels and then change for the THALYS train across to Cologne by early evening. Our overnight hotel, the four star Marriot, is absolutely knock-out, and very close to the station.

By Ale Sasso - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=25675666
Day 2 - Thursday

Express and regional DB trains deliver us via Leipzig and Chemnitz to Annaberg-Buchholz and the Erzgebirge Mountains. To make the journey even more interesting we’ll take the Rhine route from Cologne passing river traffic, castles, rocks and vineyards on the way.

Meals: Breakfast
Day 3 - Friday

The nearest city is Chemnitz (nee Karl-Marx-Stadt) and here there be trams. We’ll play with the trains and the trams, have lunch in a brewery (yes it’s organised!) and end the day at Europe’s largest O gauge model railway. You will love this place – quality modelling of places you will soon recognise and naughty German humour!

Meals: Breakfast
By MOs810 - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=112869702
Day 4 - Saturday

The overnight snow will have been swept from the front of the hotel allowing us to begin our local explorations. The Fichtelbergbahn runs in steam all year round and takes us to the ski resort of Oberweissenthal. Here we ascend the mighty Fichtelberg (highest mountain in the former E. Germany) by cable car (optional). More steam follows at the Pressnitztalbahn among the pines by the ice-encrusted stream - what could be finer than taking the air on a carriage balcony in the snow-clad forest.

Meals: Breakfast
By Atelier Aurablume Claudia Werner - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=79383264
Day 5 - Sunday

The last “local” preserved line hereabouts is perhaps the most remote and most fun! We will charter the Museumsbahn Schoenheide for a journey through the snowdrifts to the brush factory and back. Later, we can pop in at Rittersgrun for the fascinating railway museum explaining the history of the mining railways of the region.

Meals: Breakfast
Day 6 - Monday

A really easy journey takes us back across Germany by rail from Chemnitz to Leipzig. Then on via Frankfurt to Brussels where the holiday concludes with Eurostar to London arriving at about 20.00.

Meals: Breakfast
By Krzysztof Golik - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=82239059

Fun all the way ...

So climb aboard and join our Erzgebirge Express this February. Guaranteed steam, guaranteed snow and guaranteed guarantees about steam and snow – what could be more certain – let’s have some fun!


Railways

Coming soon!

Our Hotel(s)

4 Star

Hotel Wilder Mann, Annaberg-Buchholz

We’ve four nights on the Market Square in sleepy Annaberg. An historic four star this place oozes character and charm. It has two good restaurants although there are dining options elsewhere in a town that boasts the largest Gothic church in the area and usually has an ice-skating rink in the square at this time of year – what fun!

Features and Facilities

Free WiFi
Non-smoking rooms
Bar
Private bathroom
Free toiletries
Hairdryer
Flat-screen TV
Telephone
24-hour front desk
Lift
Wake-up service

What's included

Transport

All heritage railway rides
All public transport journeys, in standard class accommodation
Private coach transfers throughout the holiday

Entertainment

All entrances
Detailed itinerary/information pack
Services of courier throughout

Accommodation

Hotel accommodation on a bed and breakfast basis

What's not included

Travel to/from the holiday start point
Personal holiday insurance
Porterage
Other meals
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