Christmas Markets by Rail

Get into the festive spirit with a wonderful twin-centre Christmas market break to Basel and Strasbourg. Take in traditional chalets and mulled wine in two perfect locations. You can also enjoy a day trip from Basel to another Swiss destination like Lucerne or Montreux on Lake Geneva.

Take a festive break to Belgium for two great Christmas market destinations. Spend time in Brussels' Winter Wonders, featuring a ferris-wheel, ice rink and nightly sound and light show in the magnificent Grand Place, before moving on to lovely Bruges, with its pretty canals and central Christmas market.

Visit two lovely Christmas market destinations in one festive holiday by rail. Your first stop is Cologne, offering a choice of seven different markets and plenty of glühwein. Then it's on to Ghent, a pretty university city with cobbled streets and a twinkling Christmas market selling original gifts.

Travel to Prague via Amsterdam and a great-quality European Sleeper train. Spend two full days taking in the Czech capital with its UNESCO World Heritage listed Old Town, countless museums and hilltop castle, before returning to the UK via Bohemia and Bavaria.

Take the train to Cologne and then down the Rhine Valley to Lindau at beautiful Lake Constance. Continue through the stunning Arlberg Pass high in the Alps and across the length of Austria all the way to Vienna. At the end of your rail adventure, catch a sleeper back to Cologne.

Travel across Europe to the Baltic States of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania on this exciting two-week holiday by train. You'll stop in Strasbourg before catching a direct service to Berlin. From here, cross Poland and visit Riga, Vilnius and Tallinn before flying back to the UK. This holiday is part of our Seat61 recommended collection.

Enjoy a lovely tour by rail around some of France's best loved wine regions. Start in Champagne capital Reims and then take a short train journey to Dijon, at the heart of Burgundy. Then, continue to Strasbourg, where you'll find half-timbered houses and cosy Alsatian wine taverns.

Take comfortable and modern daytime trains from London to Cologne via Brussels, with a 3-night stay in this fascinating city on the River Rhine. Enjoy time at leisure to discover the famous twin-spired cathedral, explore the old town and perhaps partake of some samples at the Chocolate Museum.